Blockbuster Total Access Vs. Netflix

In a busy world, we still want entertainment. Video rental has become one of the largest ways for us to find that entertainment. When video rental started, you went to the video store, picked out a title, carried it to the counter and paid for it. You then returned it in a few days. If it was late, a fee was charged. That can still be done, though with the explosion of the internet and the things that can be done on it, even video rental has changed.

The two main competitors for internet video rental are Blockbuster and Netflix. Both of these are very similar, but there are a few differences worth looking into when deciding which to use. With cost being virtually equal, those differences should be evaluated to discover which has the most value to its user.

For starters, let's look at how online video rental works. For both Netflix and Blockbuster, their websites are easy to navigate. As you search for movies, you select those movies you would like to view. Selecting them places them into a "Queue." This queue will be used by their system to determine which videos to send. You rank the videos in the order you want to view them, although for both Netflix and Blockbuster, there are no guarantees that your top video will be shipped first. That depends on demand for that video and its availability.

After you have filled your queue, recommended at about 30 by both Netflix and Blockbuster, and you have filled in your shipping information and given your payment information, all you do is wait for your first videos to arrive. Both Netflix and Blockbuster offer plans that range from one video out at a time to four videos out at a time. You should let cost and time available to watch dictate your plan. Videos do not have due dates, though, so you can keep them as long as you want or need.

In about a day, your first videos will arrive. This will vary depending on your distance to their warehouse. Both Netflix and Blockbuster claim to have distribution centers located within about a days shipping of most cities in the US. After you have watched your video, simply place it in the pre-paid envelope to be sent back to the distribution center. Once it arrives there, your next video is sent.

I have tried both Netflix and Blockbuster. I have found pluses and minuses for both programs. I also have determined that both are good and valuable services. So, let's look at the differences.

The first difference is availability of titles. Both Netflix and Blockbuster claim to have many thousands of titles. What I have found is that for the harder to get titles, Netflix seems to have a larger quantity of each title. They both seem to have about the same number of available titles. The problem is that each distribution center may not have each title. At one point, I was looking for a title, "Wholly Moses", which both claimed to have in stock. It sat on the top of my queue with Blockbuster for two months. After many emails with customer service, it was determined that the video must have been on the opposite coast and with no one in my direction renting it, it never would ship. So, I signed up for Netflix and put the video at the top of my list and it arrived the next day. Therefore, due to this and other instances, I believe Netflix has a larger selection of available titles.

The next difference is returns. Blockbuster changed the way movies are returned last year. Rather than having to mail the video back and wait for your next movie to be sent, you can return it to a local, participating store. In the beginning, there were only a few stores which participated, but now almost all stores participate. In returning it to a local Blockbuster store, you are able to trade it for an in-store rental.

The next day, the next movie from your queue will ship, just as if you returned it by mail. Actually, since they aren't waiting for it to be received by them, it's quicker. Netflix does not offer this service because they do not have local stores. This makes the number of possible rentals from Blockbuster per month almost double what it would be from Netflix. Remember, though, rentals through the store are subject to due dates and late fees!

Finally, Blockbuster also offers a coupon good for one free in-store rental per month. Again, Netflix cannot offer this since they don't have stores. This means that you can get more rentals from Blockbuster per month. An interesting point here is that the coupon can even be used for games for systems such as Playstation or Xbox. Initially, Blockbuster's plan offered one coupon per week, but with the advent of the Total Access program, each pre-paid envelope is now a coupon. Still, the one coupon per month is handy to have when you are without an envelope to return.

As for Customer Service, I have never had to contact Netflix. The time I was with Netflix, I never experienced any problems. Blockbuster, on the other hand, I have had much contact with Customer Service. The problem I have had with them is that their answers always seem canned, pre-written. Only about half the time do they seem to sincerely address my concern, and in the case of the videos I couldn't get, they seemed unconcerned. Whether Netflix would have this feel or not may depend on your situation. It almost feels that way with any company's customer service these days.

Overall, I have chosen to stay with Blockbuster because of the ability to return the videos to the store. In fact, I have even taken my videos to the store to turn in, even if I don't want to get my free in-store rental just because my next movie is shipped quicker. The fact that this effectively doubles the number of videos I can get in a month makes it worth much more to me. What we do is to use the mail service for videos we cannot get in the store, mostly TV shows, and then return them to the store for the latest movies.

As you evaluate the pluses and minuses of each service, Netflix and Blockbuster, you must decide what is of value to you. Either way you go, this method of video rental is here to stay and makes finding entertainment in our busy lives that much easier and one less thing to stress about.