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Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise)

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Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 8:52:03 AM   
Chopper


Posts: 369
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: UK
 More and more people are into the online rental thing these days. I'm thinking of trying this out but want to know which ones you'd recommend. I like all sorts of films, tv series etc etc, I think I'd be dissapointed with Blockbusters bacuse in the shop they have fk-all so expect it would be the same online.

I also want to rental more than one at a time with fast deleivery and unlimited rentals each month and don't want to have to worry about them all be out. So tell me, what you recommend........?
Post #: 1
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 9:19:59 AM   
philsmithlester

 

Posts: 6
Joined: 17/10/2005
From: Leicester, England
 Try screenselect.co.uk they were good. unlimited rentals and a reasonable price.

(in reply to Chopper)
Post #: 2
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 9:21:18 AM   
penny_lane


Posts: 330
Joined: 6/10/2005
I have recently signed up with Lovefilm after trying various other ones with no success - they were either too slow or didn't have enough variety. So far, I have nothing but praise for Lovefilm - you get a free trial period, then you can choose a package - I chose 2 rentals at a time for £12.99 per month. They post films out to you on the same day they receive the last one back, so the turnover is really fast. The only thing that may annoy some people is that they seem to randomly pick from your rental queue, so if you have something at the top and it's a popular choice, you may not receive it next, but everything I have on my queue I want to see, so it doesn't bother me. Give them a go, they're the best ones I've tried!

_____________________________

What she needs is a guy that'd take a sock at her once a day, whether it's coming to her or not. If you had half the brains you're supposed to have, you'd done it yourself, long ago.

(in reply to Chopper)
Post #: 3
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 10:09:27 AM   
elab49


Posts: 51635
Joined: 1/10/2005
Screenselect would have the widest range, I think, because the provide the rental service for lots of different sites - so you may wish to look at the others that they service to get the best deal. I use Tesco as the price is good and I get points on my clubcard.

But I do also use Blockbusters - because Screenselect don't send you the new ones quite as quickly as I'd like whereas Blockbuster you get them much quicker. In my experience of using these sites for some time now.

But the odd one falls through the net. I don't know if they use a points system against those on waiting lists but I guess I'll have been one of the first to reserve Azumi 2, and I got it sent yesterday!

And, again, for Blockbuster - the online site has a wider range than you'd think. Certainly if you went off on an art house junket you'd fine a lot there you simply wouldn't expect.

(in reply to penny_lane)
Post #: 4
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 1:13:16 PM   
pixie


Posts: 156
Joined: 4/10/2005
I have actually had real problems of late with Lovefilm and am in fact about to cancel my subscription with them.  It all started off ok, but in recent months they have become a lot lot slower in sending new discs out (even though I have got stacks of choices in my queue).  Ive also had problems with them re-sending me discs Ive already seen that arent even in my queue anymore.  And whenever I have actually emailed their customer service people they never actually seem to answer any questions rather then fob you off!!! Grrrrrrrr 

Phew, I needed to get that off my chest. 

(in reply to penny_lane)
Post #: 5
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 1:45:22 PM   
Chopper


Posts: 369
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: UK
 Sorry to hear that. I don't like the sound of choosing a list of films then waiting for them to come as and when they send them. Sometimes I get a film in my head and I need to watch it a.s.a.p.

I see www.amazon.co.uk do rentails but not unlimited and sounds like the same "list" scenario, good prices though!
£5.99 for 3 DVDs per month (1 at home at a time)
£7.99 for 4 DVDs per month (2 at home at a time)
£9.99 for 6 DVDs per month (3 at home at a time)
have an extra 10% on DVD purchases from Amazon.co.uk

(in reply to pixie)
Post #: 6
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 2:40:18 PM   
Megalo-who?


Posts: 1687
Joined: 30/9/2005
I use Blockbuster, it's pretty good, £15 a month for unlimited, I usually work 3-6 a week, depending on how fast I watch them. They have next day delivery, but ofcourse theres a two day gap. Say you post your dvd's back to them on Monday, you will usually receive more on Wednesday.

I'm just pissed they didn't send me The Company of Wolves, something I really want to see. I can't even be sure they actually have the film, even though they claim they do. There are no details for the dvd on the site, apart from claiming they have it, but it was only released yesterday so they might not have processed information on it yet.

(in reply to Chopper)
Post #: 7
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 2:56:18 PM   
pixie


Posts: 156
Joined: 4/10/2005
Hmm this is an interesting read:-

http://www.reviewcentre.com/search.html?search_cat=2293&searchstring=online+dvd+rentals

I was going to swap to Screenselect but Im not too sure now!

(in reply to Megalo-who?)
Post #: 8
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 2:57:21 PM   
sharkboy


Posts: 6032
Joined: 26/9/2005
From: Belfast
 Here we go again...

Amazon are shite - complete rip-off merchants charging a tenner for such limited rentals.  You do realise that for only a few quid more, you can get three times that amount of DVDs per month?

LoveFilm used to be great, but now don't give a shit about the customer.  Awful delays, low-priority choices, and they're unlimited in name only as they have an active policy to restrict users to a set amount per week - FACT.

ScreenSelect have the biggest selection by far but also the biggest user base, therefore they can be slow in getting out new releases.  Their customer service is very good.  But again, they are not unlimited - you get 20 discs per month on the 3 at a time package. If you exceed 20 they simply move your billing date forward and start afresh. 

Blockbuster are reasonable - at least they don't count bonus discs as separate items - but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.  When I trialled them, I got 4 faulty discs in the space of 2 weeks - when I told them they couldn't have cared less.  Compare with DVDs365 (now sadly amalgamated with ScreenSelect) who gave me 4 free days for every disc I returned as unplayable. Even ScreenSelect offered 2 weeks free after recent site disruptions.

I'm currently using a new company, MyMovieStream.com.  So far they've been very promising - not only can you set the exact position you want each disc to be on the list, but the availability of every entry is marked as "now" or "short wait", and you're guaranteed to get the top 3 discs on your list that are available now.  Choice isn't great, and the site search engine is pathetic, but service has been excellent so far.

www.dvdtrials.co.uk has a list of all the available free trials and some codes to extend the trial period.  Try them all before you commit - that way you get about 9 months free rentals too!




_____________________________

WWLD?

Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless

I left in love, in laughter, and in truth and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit.

(in reply to Megalo-who?)
Post #: 9
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 18/10/2005 7:05:41 PM   
Chopper


Posts: 369
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: UK
 Cheers so far guys, think I'll have to try a few free trials out and see how I get on. Would love to hear what other have to say and their experiances also.

(in reply to sharkboy)
Post #: 10
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 19/10/2005 11:44:35 AM   
fizzbomb


Posts: 2
Joined: 10/10/2005
I used to use LoveFilm, but it became more a HateFilm thing for me. I have a mate who does Screenselect which seems okay, but he doesn't seem to ever have the DVD's he wants, but I'm not sure if that's just him.

I signed up to that new Swopex.com thing and so far it's been fantastic. I prefer the system to be honest because it's a community based thing as opposed to getting from a rental house. Like LoveFilm, they don't actually give a shit because they don't have to, but with Swopex it's in the other person's interest too. I don't rent as many dvd's as other people maybe (like the moderator!) but this works just fine. And it's the best customer service I've ever seen, but maybe that's because they're new.

(in reply to Chopper)
Post #: 11
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 19/10/2005 4:35:41 PM   
rich


Posts: 4139
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe
 I've had no problems with screenselect.co.uk

(in reply to fizzbomb)
Post #: 12
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 19/10/2005 5:25:46 PM   
torlporl


Posts: 109
Joined: 30/9/2005
Love Film.

Love Film was awesome when I first signed up and had a dip in service but just last week their site was down for one day while they were sorting some things out and, since it's been back up, I've had all the movies from the top of my priority list. This may have been a coincidence but hey...

My only problem with them really is that they have a poilcy which I had explained to me by the customer services thing which, I think, breaches my agreement with them.

I am on the 3-movies-at-any-one-time package and, if I send 2 or 3 back at the same time they will immediately send me ONE out and keep me waiting till the following day for the next one. The reason is apparently, that they would give me one (the highest on my priority list as possible) then move on to the next person and so on all the way down the queue before returning to me. They say it makes it fairer- I say I should have 3 in my house or in the post at all times.

Hey ho.

I am getting to see a lot more movies though which is cool.




_____________________________

The movies of the Coen brothers- youknow-forkids.com

(in reply to rich)
Post #: 13
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 19/10/2005 7:49:53 PM   
DanielFullard


Posts: 1025
Joined: 19/10/2005
From: Durham, England
 Screen Select......fast, easy, cheap....and when I cancelled they were fine about it

(in reply to Chopper)
Post #: 14
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 21/10/2005 12:14:51 PM   
SpitTheDog


Posts: 10
Joined: 30/9/2005
I used to be with Lovefilm but cancelled because I was getting titles from way down my queue and the cut and paste responses from customer services were not up to scratch.

I have joined Screen Select and so far its been great - top titles all the way and a fast turn around.

(in reply to DanielFullard)
Post #: 15
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 22/10/2005 5:43:23 PM   
fpkk


Posts: 4
Joined: 3/10/2005
I've been with ScreenSelect for a year and for what I want they're the best at what they do. Because unlike any other service they allow you to order TV DVDs so you always get them in order.

Although actually they've cocked that up twice for  me so far.

They have the classic customer-service-that-will-make-your-small-to-medium-enterprise-die... a bunch of low paid monkeys with no executive power to "insulate" the "real employees". Their site is also written in Perl using a customisation of a 3rd party product and it's a little flaky I've had a few glitches come up and can see how certain programming coices might have lead to them. They tend to be quite weird faults and as such hard to describe and hard to simulate by the devs. So the devs always deny all knowledge. Thus leading to customer frustration and corporate smugness. A competitor using something like php could really improve on the versatility of service.

If they screw up one of my series orders again I'm going elsewhere. But their service is on a par with service in a new industry in which the first person to develop a user friendly, versatile and customer focused service is going to blow all the other pretenders out of the water. ScreenSelect might actually survive because they're the major vendor at the moment and have the muscle to alter their piss poor customer care practices to keep up with a better competitor. Blockbuster may also pull their socks up eventually if the right competitor comes forth.

All those others though? They can say goodbye custom and hello bankruptcy court. Watch.

< Message edited by fpkk -- 22/10/2005 11:34:14 PM >

_____________________________

I always lie.

(in reply to SpitTheDog)
Post #: 16
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 26/10/2005 3:52:19 AM   
Snake Plissken 3417


Posts: 293
Joined: 18/10/2005
From: Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom
No comment it’s politics…I’m not going to prise them for there brilliance I simple use what ever means to renting it as, as affordable as humanly possible….

(in reply to fpkk)
Post #: 17
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 26/10/2005 10:38:12 PM   
AndyT


Posts: 1159
Joined: 22/10/2005
From: Herts
 I've not tried online rental. BUt screen select certainly sounds good, and bloclbuster sounds ok. Looks like i'll have to give them a go...

(in reply to Snake Plissken 3417)
Post #: 18
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 27/10/2005 1:27:04 PM   
Our_Tayta

 

Posts: 4
Joined: 27/10/2005
Currently trying LoveFilm but they are slower than Screenselect, their trial is shorter too I think - also LoveFilm have the nice habit of adding a shedload of titles to your selection when you sign up so best to be wary about that!

(in reply to AndyT)
Post #: 19
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 27/10/2005 6:56:51 PM   
ariel

 

Posts: 2
Joined: 8/10/2005
I use screenselect and so far the service has been ok. Turnaround of DVDs is generally fast and reliable, but it can take some time for new big releases to turn up (clearly they are not buying enough copies of popular movies). On the plus side, there is a genuinely wide selection to choose from and they do seem to be on top of getting in the more obscure new releases promptly.
 
Customer service is pretty rubbish, I agree with other comments that the first company that improves on that side of things is going to be a winner in the long run.
 
Also agree that the site has a few technical gremlins floating around, but overall not too bad. The most annoying thing for me though is the database. If you search under anything but the exact film title, you are in for a lot of fun and games. Both the search functionality and the data input is horrible (by which I mean the quality of the data as input by screenselect staff). I get around this by using the IMDb, but I shouldn’t really have to rely on another site for finding things, when I pay them good money. All the other services I have tried are just as bad in that respect. Again the first company that actually spends some time and effort on that side of things will gain customers easily.
 
Still way better than going to the local rental shop and good value for money, so recommended with some reservations.

(in reply to Our_Tayta)
Post #: 20
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 27/10/2005 10:03:06 PM   
Sober


Posts: 182
Joined: 1/10/2005
From: West Midlands
 Another thumbs up for Blockbuster here. I heard stories about how once your free trial comes to an end everything goes pear shaped. Well that hasnt been the case for me really.
I knew the time had come to try out online rental when I was a day late with Choices and I was fined £3.5...in total I paid over a tenner for two films that weekend. The weekend after we got two films and it cost us £8. Complete rip off.
Thank god for online renting.

(in reply to ariel)
Post #: 21
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 2/11/2005 8:22:54 PM   
rich


Posts: 4139
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe
 Screenselect have been faultless

(in reply to Sober)
Post #: 22
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 5/11/2005 12:00:53 PM   
Tech_Noir

 

Posts: 20203
Joined: 12/10/2005
I have a year's free rental with Lovefilm.com after winning a Skillset competition. They can be slow at times but the choice is good.

< Message edited by Tech_Noir -- 5/11/2005 12:01:17 PM >

(in reply to AndyT)
Post #: 23
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 15/11/2005 11:28:12 PM   
spankthecat

 

Posts: 2
Joined: 11/11/2005
try www.swopex.com you get the DVDs and games for 99p and you get to keep them or swap them for another one. I've just joined and it's great though I may well be the only member. I got my DVds in 24 hours.

(in reply to Tech_Noir)
Post #: 24
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 16/11/2005 8:49:21 PM   
alan_povey

 

Posts: 78
Joined: 17/10/2005
From: Ellesmere Port
 I have got a couple of free trials going on at the moment. One with Lovefilm and the other with moviestream. I signed up for Lovefilm last week and it took them three days to ship me Constantine which was 5th on my list. Only this morning I set up my moviestream account and this evening I check my e-mail and both my first and second choice films are on there way. Very Impressed. Hope the quality will continue for the rest of my trial.

(in reply to spankthecat)
Post #: 25
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 19/11/2005 1:10:48 AM   
Isaac Newton


Posts: 302
Joined: 30/9/2005
I think that blockbuster have improved a lot recently

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Post #: 26
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 28/11/2005 12:06:29 AM   
Sexual Harassment Panda


Posts: 12723
Joined: 30/9/2005
I've not used them personally, but a friend uses Tesco's online rental service, they have a huge selection, and good prices, and they're supposed to be quite quick aswell.

(in reply to Isaac Newton)
Post #: 27
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 29/11/2005 8:01:25 PM   
sharkboy


Posts: 6032
Joined: 26/9/2005
From: Belfast
 Tescos is just ScreenSelect with added clubcard points.

That's the problem to some extent - when I started online rentals about 18 months ago there were plenty of choices.  In fact using the free trials alone could get you well over a year's free rentals.  Then came amalgamation after amalgamation and now we're basically left with Blockbuster, ScreenSelect, and LoveFilm, with a few smaller companies trying to keep afloat by offering a better service.  As I stated earlier, I'm using MyMovieStream as well as ScreenSelect, and the smaller of the two is consistently the best in terms of top choices and quick turnaround times (in fact the crap search engine and unfriendly site are its only downfalls).  But I don't expect to see it around for long - it will either be bought out or crushed by the big boys.


_____________________________

WWLD?

Every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless

I left in love, in laughter, and in truth and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit.

(in reply to Sexual Harassment Panda)
Post #: 28
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 4/12/2005 10:15:46 PM   
MT

 

Posts: 1
Joined: 4/12/2005
ive been with screenselect for a while and can't fault them. quick turn around and haven't had any probs so haven't needed to contact them so no idea what their customer service is like.



(in reply to Chopper)
Post #: 29
RE: Best Online Rental Shops (Please advise) - 5/12/2005 7:46:30 PM   
NadaPlissken


Posts: 1297
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: Hobb's End
 Another vote for ScreenSelect.  I used to be with Blockbuster, but they sent me one broken/scratched/faulty/snapped/incorrect disc too many.  

_____________________________

Ross Kemp invented Spain.

(in reply to MT)
Post #: 30
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