I never signed up with one of those movie-by-mail services until Blockbuster started offering their Total Access Online service. I liked the idea of being able to return the movies in-store and get extra movies immediately. Plus, they offered a coupon for an additional movie or video game rental each month.
I signed up in June 2007. However, after a few months, I found that stopping at the nearby Blockbuster was a real inconvenience. Also, I don't have much time to watch movies (or play video games), so the no-deadline deal is better for me.
A few weeks ago, I realized that they stopped offering the coupon for a free in-store movie or video game rental. That feature was a significant part of the reason for me to sign up with the plan (although I wasn't able to take advantage of the coupon very often). Well, at least I could still get up to four rentals each month with in-store returns. However, the other day I received an email stating that they are raising my rate from $5.99 to $7.99 per month. That is when I decided to switch to Netflix.
I don't like the fact that Blockbuster lured customers away from Netflix by offering better services at [almost] equal rates, then cut down the services and increased their prices. With my schedule, I can do without the in-store privileges at Blockbuster. I still have my regular membership with no monthly fee. So, I can still rent a video at the store if I wish. (I know that this would be a rare occasion.)
For now, I signed up with Netflix and loaded up my queue. I'll cancel my Blockbuster Total Access membership when my monthly term comes nearer to its end. It was a fine introduction to video-by-mail; but, I have to say goodbye to Blockbuster Total Access Online.
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