Three Flaws With Renting DVDs from Redbox

Redbox is a DVD rental system that allows you to rent movies for only $1.00 a day from wherever you can find Redbox machines. It's a beautiful idea in theory, but I see some flaws in it. I'm not going to completely bash it, but I will say that Redbox is not for those who are lazy. If you are diligent about getting a movie, watching it that day, and returning it, then you'll have no problems with the $1.00/day fee that they assess you. If you treat it like Blockbuster and not return it for a week... that $1.00 becomes $7.00... remember, you had it out for seven days. Redbox charges you per day that you have the rental out. It's a great way to take advantage of those who won't return their DVDs promptly. You have to know that you'll watch the movie within 24 hours, or else you'll continue to pay for it.

So for those of us that are diligent and won't run into the problem with returning videos in a prompt manner I wanted to address three issues that keep Redbox behind its competitors such as Netflix or Blockbuster Online:

Flaw #1 - Limited Selection.

Perhaps this is how they keep their prices or overhead down, but most Redbox machines I've come across have a limited selection as far as what movies are available. It's not so much that it's a bad selection, just a limited one. This is probably due to you being able to get the movie out of what looks to be a former vending machine. I'm sure those machines can only hold so many DVDs at a time.

If you're looking for wider selection consider Netflix or Blockbuster Online.

Flaw #2 - No online viewing ability.

This is probably my biggest problem with Redbox. Though the prices are reasonable with Redbox, I'll pay the extra money to have online access to movies through another carrier. I'm currently subscribed to Netflix. Some of the movies that are in my queue are available to see on-demand. I like this option because I can watch straight from my computer whenever I want to. I'm not pressed for time, and if I don't finish it I can pause it and come back to it later. With Redbox I'm pressed to watch it sometime within that 24 hour frame.

The website overall for Redbox is more informational than anything, which I guess is okay given the nature of what the business does. I think that's another reason why I like Netflix though. Netflix's website not only gives me information about each movie, but also gives me movies similar to it that I might like. Though I have to create a profile, it generates listings of other movies that may interest me. For the real movie buff this is a beautiful feature. Redbox comes across to me as fitting for those who just like to watch movies every now and then, or want to get caught up on the previous movies that were good some months ago.

Flaw #3 - Not all Redbox machines are outside of the store.

You want me to come out of the comfort of my home... return this movie within 24 hours... okay, I have no problem with that. My problem comes in when the store I got it from doesn't have a box outside of the store. Granted to avoid the extra penalty I have to have the movie in by 9pm so most major retailers are open until at least 10pm, some even 24 hours... but there are some people who have to go to stores that aren't as forgiving about that timeframe. Or even if you get the movie on Saturday night and then need to return it on Sunday... most stores don't have the later hours on Sunday that they do on Saturday, so they may have to investigate where else they can return that movie.

Is this a huge flaw? Not likely, but it's a flaw all the same. I would think it would be decided that either all machines be in the respective store or outside. If they're inside, then they need to comply to store hours as far as when the movie can be returned. If it's a 24-hour center like Super Walmart or Super K-Mart, then perhaps you can keep the time of 9pm as the return time for a movie.