FS&R: Hey Blockbuster, Ever Heard of Competence?
Contact Johnny
What is Flex, Slugs, & Rigamarole? Click HERE to find out.
I don't ask for much in life. Seriously, I have a few systems that I abide by, and all I expect is that
everybody else accomodate them. Simple, right? Try telling that to the incompetent employees at a particular
Houston, TX Blockbuster.
I'm in Houston for the week, and while I'm here I wanted to get some chores done. Chore #1: Trade in a couple
of DVDs at the local Blockbuster. I know I should have taken care of this in Memphis, but I didn't. That's
life. Every time I've done this in Memphis it has been a fairly painless process. Here's how it works:
- Hand cashier the DVDs I wish to trade in.
- Cashier scans in DVDs.
- $3 credit per DVD is added to my Blockbuster Value Card.
- Johnny and cashier both go home happy.
- If cashier is female then she goes home even happier, having just completed a transaction with the
inimitable Johnny Betts.
- Johnny marvels at his modesty.
That's it. No fuss. Minimal hassle. Autographs all around. Well, apparently my star status doesn't go quite
as far in Houston. Or Little Mexico, as I like to call it. Apparently, here's how THEIR system works:
- Johnny hands cashier his DVDs and explains his desire to trade them in.
- After Johnny fills out the necessary 10 minutes of paperwork, the cashier scans in the DVDs and says they
aren't accepting Malibu's Most Wanted, and they can only give Johnny $2.50 for Mute Witness.
- Disheartened that he can't get Malibu's Most Wanted off his hands (a movie MUCH funnier the first
time around), Johnny reflects upon the $2.50 credit for Mute Witness.
- Johnny knows he would get a MINIMUM of $3 in Memphis, but he decides to go ahead and take the $2.50.
- Johnny hands the cashier his Value Card and kindly asks him to add the credit to it.
- Looking flummoxed, the cashier acts like Johnny just asked for his thoughts on electromagnetic field theory
and explains he hasn't handled a trade-in in a long time.
- Cashier calls store manager and seemingly figures out process.
- Cashier attempts to add credit to Value Card but messes up in some manner. Rather than figuring out how
to solve the problem, cashier says he'll just have to add it to another gift card.
- Johnny begins to lose patience but holds his tongue. He takes a deep breath.
- Cashier screws up his attempt to add the credit to a separate gift card and ends up adding it to
Johnny's account.
- Flustered, Johnny explains that with it being added to his "account" that means he can only use the
credit at that Blockbuster location.
- Cashier confirms that is correct.
- Johnny explains that he lives in Tennessee and will only be in town about a week so this isn't an ideal
situation.
- Cashier asks, "Can't you find something here you want for about $2.50?"
- Johnny considers responding, "Yes, if I can shove this gift card in an uncomfortable location for $2.50."
- Johnny refrains.
- Instead, Johnny asks if they're having the "50% off used DVDs" Thanksgiving sale like the one Memphis
area Blockbusters are having.
- Cashier calls manager and receives word that no, they are not. "It must only be in Tennessee," the
cashier explains.
- Johnny asks if they can just remove the $2.50 from his account and give the DVD back to him.
- Cashier says no, once it's in the system it can't be removed.
- Not in the mood for further confrontation, Johnny sighs and says he'll see what he can find.
- Cashier mumbles a half-hearted, "Sorry about that."
Now can you see how the Memphis system is much more efficient? Once it's in the system it can't be removed?
WHAT KIND OF AN IGNORANT RESPONSE IS THAT?? OK, let's run with that illogic for a bit. That means:
Whenever I purchase an item that $2.50 will be there forever? Wow, since it can't be removed from the system
I should always get $2.50 off any purchase! Uh-huh. I'm sure that's exactly how it works.
And what's with the guy being unable to add the credit to another gift card? What happens if somebody buys a gift
card for Christmas?
"I'm sorry sir, but I messed up when trying to add this to a gift card. I accidentally added it to your store
account instead."
"Um, but this is for my nephew's Christmas gift. How is he going to use it?"
"Don't worry sir, you can just come in with him whenever he wants to use it, and we can subtract his purchases
from the credit on your account."
Is that how it works? Huh? Is that your policy, Blockbuster? Do you train your employees to screw up and
then take the easy way out? Are they told to ignore the customer's desires? Is that your plan for customer
retention?
Thankfully, they had My Date with Drew for just $5.99, and I recall that the Movie Mark's very own
Nikki Bluejeans had recommended it, so that was my choice. But Blockbuster owes me an explanation, an
apology, and $6 of store credit.
Until I receive those three things, I highly recommend everybody head on over to
Hollywood Video and see if they have any good
deals.
I'm not asking for a lot, just employee competence. I know I can't expect a Blockbuster employee to perform
successful heart surgery, but I can certainly expect him to figure out how to add $2.50 to a gift
card.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!?!
|
| READER COMMENTS |
On Monday, November 20, 2006 at 2:02:57 PM Laslo Hollyfeld mused:
"You can't take something off the Internet. It's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool. Once it's in there, it's in there." - Joe Rogan, News Radio. (the only worthwhile thing Rogan has ever said) |
On Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 5:06:15 AM Flipmoot mused:
Man!! Just reading it raised my bloodpressure... it could have been fun to make it extra hard on the guy and ensist on him putting it on your card like you asked him to. Well, I'll never go to that Blockbuster. probably has a great deal to do with the fact that that ocean is to large to cross for a dvd... |
On Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 8:44:46 AM snm mused:
I take pee out of the swimming pool all the time. What you do is that you suck up the water around the spot where it happened, then quickly spit it out in the grass. Yes, you will also get rid of some pool water, but it is a small price to pay. |
On Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 12:08:56 PM FieryMaid mused:
Yep. People are stupid. ::)
Let that be a lesson to you Johnny, quit while you are ahead! Right off the bat you should have said, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were stupid, you really should wear your sign! I'll just wait and go to the Memphis one." |
On Wednesday, November 22, 2006 at 1:14:46 AM feefeemom mused:
Somewhat the same thing happen to me at Target when I was buying a Zune MP3 for my nephew. I just gave up. By the way Johnny, Hollywood have lifetime warranty on pre own dvd's. Better than the 30 days that Blockbuster gives you and they also have $5 specials. |
On Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 9:41:30 PM Prozac4545 mused:
Blockbusters in Memphis are franchise instead of chain stores. They are all owned by the Montesi family pretty much... Hollywood video is alright, but you should check out Black Lodge Video in Midtown. |
On Sunday, March 25, 2007 at 12:36:31 PM HVidgirl mused:
I don't know how it works at Blockbuster, but at Hollywood Video we can't accept any trade-ins that the almighty computer refuses. It has its reasons, I'm sure, and there's no arguing with it.
Also, once a traded-in movie is in the inventory, it can't be removed without selling it back to you, but they could have just repriced it down to $2.50, sold it back and sent you on your way.
Also, tt HV we can't add trade-in credit to gift cards at all, so you would have to come back to that location to use it. We're still better than Blockbuster, though. |
On Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 1:21:20 AM cheekymonkeis mused:
i love your work! how do you have time for this? im glas d you do though.
|
|
