November 1, 2004
Adventures in Retailing - Blockbuster Video
Posted in Adventures in Retailing by Steve | Comments (4)
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I'd like to start a new feature on IHateMyCubicle.com
I'm going to call it Adventures in Retailing.
These are going to be intermittent posts whenever one of us encounters one of those incredibly bizzare episodes where you just can't believe what just happened between you and the retail representitive.
My first installment in this series involves a mis-communication between myself and several Blockbuster Video employees.
It begins with my 3 children and I at the checkout counter attempting to checkout 4 DVDs. Every time I go there they look me up in their computer and they say with a look that is a combination of astonishment and disgust, "You have 2 accounts". And I have to say "Yeah, use the one that has been actively checking out videos". They stare at the computer some more and finally figure it out. So I charge it and OF COURSE the charge card receipt doesn't come out. So, now the dude has to actually unplug the computer that the cash register is hooked up to in order to reboot it. After about 10 minutes I get my receipt and movies and head home.
When I get home, about a 10 minute drive, my daughter informs me that the dufus forgot to remove the security thingy that allows you to open the case. So I call the idiots and the girl who answers authorizes me to completely destroy the case if I want to or else I can bring them back in and get the security strip removed. Amazingly, she also informs me that she will post an $8 credit to my account, (I'd like to make a prediction here.... This girl is way to smart to be working at this store much longer). I use several tools to try to gain entry to the case, but it is to no avail. All I end up doing is removing the clear plastic covering and the paper insert with the description on it. So, I head back to Blockbuster and when I get there I make sure I get the douche who didn't do it right in the first place. I'm amazed once again, when he seems to remember me. I tell him he forgot to remove the thing and he looks at the one DVD case that I have semi destroyed and I can see he's not happy and I tell him Kristen gave me the go ahead to use lethal force if necessary to get the DVD out. He removes the security thing and hands them back to me and mumbles, "Sorry bout that". Unlike Kristen on the phone, he wasn't about to give me any kind of credit...... Bastard!
My wife is returning the movie in question, Cinderella Story, the next day and she makes a point of actually going in the store and explaining the whole situation to them and they say, "Ok, no problem. Thank you". You think that's the end of the story, but Oh No, the best was yet to come.
A week later a computerized recording calls my house and says in a voice that sounds like the WOPR from War Games... "Our records show that you have not returned the movie, Cinderella Story, and it is now 5 days overdue." I'm screaming at the computerized voice.... "BULLSHIT!!!!". So, now I'm pissed. I call over there and get a girl who was either high or brain damaged. I try to explain the situation to her and she says, "Let me go look for it"...... My wife returned this thing a week ago..... Where the Fuck is she going to go look for it??? She comes back about 2 minutes later and says, "I can't find it". I explain to her again that it is in a grey DVD case and that the paper insert and clear plastic covering are gone from it. She says, "Oh, it's just the DVD. Let me go look for it again." I'm like "NO! it's in the normal case they come in, but the paper on the outside that is yellow and blue that says Blockbuster on it and has the description of the movie and the barcode and the clear plastic covering that goes over that paper are gone. I CUT THEM OFF!" She says, "But the DVD is still in a case?" At this point I go into some trance for an indeterminate period of time like they do in TV shows and I'm thinking to myself, "Where in the world do they find these people? What must the job interview be like? 'Hello, I'm Jim, the store manager here at Blockbuster. Are you breathing? It would appear you must be since you're sitting somewhat upright...... You're Hired!'
Then I came out of the trance and she broke the silence by saying, " Don't worry about it. I'll look around for it. It'll turn up". How can you argue with this logic? So, feeling totally worn out, I just say, "OK", and hang up knowing that at that very moment the Blockbuster mainframe computer is dialing my house to tell me "CIN-DA-RELLA STOOOREE is now SIX days OVER-DOOO".
BLAST FROM THE PAST! Links to entries with similar content, maybe...
Adventures in Retailing - Blockbuster Video Part II
Adventures In Retailing - Fry's Electronics
Parachutist releases video of near-death fall... Thanks for the video Gamera & Kevin!
Video and Audio on your PSP! This app even converts video to PSP compatible MP4!
Has anyone seen the video of this? Know where I can get it?
Send to a friend!
Comments
Where do they get these people you ask? Look around yourself. These Bozo's (no disrespect to the real Bozo) are the people who have yet to apply for a city, county, state, or federal government job.
I will not patronize Blockbuster because it is exactly like getting a drivers license renewed.
I hadn't thought about that, but you are right except the people at Blockbuster smile while they're fuckin you over. The ones at the DMV just look like zombies that hate their lives.
May the whole world bow to you genuises... Give yourselves a royal kick to the balls and wake up. The staff you get to meet are a bunch of kids working for a shitty system. The system knows its shit but all you guys do is complain about the kids who aren't used to having to deal with egotisical assholes who think the whole world MUST serve it's every need in a prompt and orderly manner. Forget that they're people too, lets fucking yell at them becuase they screw up. Cause everyone else is perfect. Moral of the story Blockbuster staff represent the humans who aren't recognized as such. Whiny Blockbuster customers = people who don't recognize they reeking of their own shit. What can you do about it? Well, don't go to Blockbuster then it will go bankrupt and be out of your superficial problems. And then you can spend your entire day bitching about something else because what else in the world do you know what to do?
Actually there are behind the scenes knowledge that led to the questions you were asked. First off BBV checks the chelf to see if it is there then they told you no, and you commented about not having the cover so they checked in mis-match which is where everything goes that isn't complete so it can be matched up with either disks that were left out or sometimes idiot customers actually just drop the plain dvd in the drop box thinking BBV has to know who it belongs to even though there are 100 copies of it and most are check out, which means there is no way in hades short of calling every customer that rented it to find out who it belongs to. Then the last place they may have looked was the place they stick movies that are lacking the barcode which would have been on the clear plastic cover you probably threw in the trash. Chances are they had no idea who the disk belonged to when it was brought back. Although you call them idiots it does sound like they were a lot nicer than you were and that they were doing exactly what they were suppose to do with one exception. The girl never should have offered an eight dollar credit for the mistake. One movie free sometimes but two free isn't something you are suppose to do unless you were one of those irrational irate customers that won't shut up for nothing. Think about everything in context. The original transaction was messed up which distracted the cashier and they accidently forgot to remove the yellow locks, a completely understandable mistake and it happens on occasion, just like everyone in the world makes mistakes. You tried to get the case open anyways because you wanted to watch the movie but it didn't work. You did not think that they needed ALL of the cover to check the movie back in because all you care about is if you get to watch it which is understandable. Then you return the case and cover without the plastic covering that goes over the case which means you returned it without any way of anyone knowing who it was checked out to. You get an automated call asking for the movie so you call BBV and demand that they find the movie, the person at the store follows the usual protocal because most of the time if a movie is returned and not checked in then it was missed on check in and is probably on the shelf. Then you add information to the story to where the worker realizes that there was probably no way to check in the movie so they look for it else where. They probably have a few copies of Cinderella Man in file that do not have labels or are missing the disk and so on and there is no way to know for sure which one it may be if any of them, so they get your account info and put it with the copies of Cinderella Man till a manager can make a decision upon if they are going to let one of those be considered the one you checked in or if you are another customer trying to scam them. So you are told it will turn up just to get you off the phone because by the tone of your post it is obvious that you wheren't exactly nice about it. So instead of trying to understand why certain things were done or why you were asked certain things you assume that all BBV employees are idiots and you are so self empowered by the experience that you even post something about it on the net to further fuel your desire to be held above the rest. Trust me it isn't the BBV employees that are idiots it is usually the customers!
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