Does Dish Care About Blockbuster Movies at Home (Mail) Service?

[hemway]

Dish/Blockbuster forced me to cancel my BBM@H subscription and take my business to Netflix (great business model) because they couldn't provide the service I was paying them for. Before you all jump on me saying that you do get additional HD channels with the package making it worth the extra $10, let me say that I never watched any of them and only subscribed to the package because I was a Blockbuster customer prior to Dish buying them and ruining their service.

Is there anyone out there from Dish monitoring this forum who can answer the question, "Does Dish Care About Blockbuster Movies at Home (Mail) Service?" Based on the postings in this forum it appears they don't.

I'd go back to a standard Blockbuster or even the BBM@H plan if the service was better but I'd hate to waste my money only to find out that the service is as bad today as it was when I left at the end of last year. I only use the service for new DVD releases and rarely order older titles.

Anyone from Dish care to respond?

 

[Tampa8]

You are not someone who will want the Blockbuster package, I say stay with Netflix. You are trying to make it something it is not in my opinion. The main draw is the programming, with home delivery as a bonus, not the other way around. It isn't meant to have TV programming etc... like Netflix and doesn't have the inventory of Netflix. For someone like myself, it's fantastic I watch many of the channels and get a Blue-ray here and there for no cost delivered to my home.
Are you not happy with Netfix?

 

[hemway]

If Netflix didn't have the 30 or sometime 60 day wait for some of the new releases, I'd be happy. If Blockbuster was able to mail me at lease one new release a week so I could at least exchange it at a store, I'd be happy but before I left Dish/Blockbuster, I was getting only one new release mailed to me every two weeks. It wouldn't have been bad if you could keep swapping DVD's at a store but you can't.

Maybe that is what they need to do, allow you to do multiple store exchanges and take the pressure off the mail service.

 

[Tampa8]

It may not take two weeks, but it's true from time I receive a disc, to time it is returned to a store, then get another new one, that is more than a week. Maybe not two weeks, but I get your point. In my case I don't really have time for more than a couple a month so I'm good.

 

[Bobby]

I mailed a BD back last Tuesday, they emailed me that they received it on Friday. My next BD is still processing, I might receive it Friday! It's a good thing I don't depend on this service, I only have it because I am, and have been, subscribed to what was Platinum....

 

[Coach Knight]

Maybe that is what they need to do, allow you to do multiple store exchanges and take the pressure off the mail service.

The local stores have a plan where you can have unlimited in-store exchanges (nothing by mail). I believe it is $15 per month, half price for the first month. If you lived close enough to the store, you could probably get a lot of value from this, as it isn't all that unlikely to think you could watch several movies in one day with something like this.

 

[satjay]

The local stores have a plan where you can have unlimited in-store exchanges (nothing by mail). I believe it is $15 per month, half price for the first month. If you lived close enough to the store, you could probably get a lot of value from this, as it isn't all that unlikely to think you could watch several movies in one day with something like this.

Your right on the price for the local store. Our local store gets a lot of traffic, I think the instore plan and for those who have the dish plan keep traffic going in the store.

 

[Mochuf]

Your right on the price for the local store. Our local store gets a lot of traffic, I think the instore plan and for those who have the dish plan keep traffic going in the store.

I went to Netflix years ago because Blockbuster and other b&m stores didn't have all that much in stock. When I signed up with Dish 2 1/2 years ago (our 1st ever pay-tv provider) I went from 3 disc to 1 at a time. I then dropped Netflix mail order (kept streaming) when discs by mail were added to my Plantinum package. I was stunned to discover that the stores have even less now than they did before! We visit a Family Video store that's a mile away from the BB store and it has at least 50% more discs and their discs are at lower price points than Blockbuster. I rented discs for the Hell On Wheels and Breaking Bad new releases plus Wrestlemania XXVIII. Those are items that aren't even available from Blockbuster in-store or by mail! So for me, that $15 store deal isn't much of a deal. I get one older release disc by mail each week and I trade it in for a new release at my store. So I get two movies per week, which is plenty for us right now.

 

[satjay]

Yeah I don't think I could sign up for the instore 15.00 per month I don't think that would be a great deal for us, Especially now with summer. With blockbuster being close to our house I see the Dish/blockbuster plan as a bit of added value with our tv package.

 

[navychop]

You are not someone who will want the Blockbuster package, I say stay with Netflix. You are trying to make it something it is not in my opinion. The main draw is the programming, with home delivery as a bonus, not the other way around. It isn't meant to have TV programming etc... like Netflix and doesn't have the inventory of Netflix. For someone like myself, it's fantastic I watch many of the channels and get a Blue-ray here and there for no cost delivered to my home.
Are you not happy with Netfix?

Hear! Hear!

My feelings exactly. And I get discs quite quickly. I'm only watching SG-1 right now. And I've discovered I can see many of them on Amazon for free as a Prime member. So I might try that out, but I suspect the disc will be better for our one episode a night watching. Not sure Amazon PQ will be as good, and it won't have the extras the disc has.

 

[satjay]

Just went to our local blockbuster to exchange disk and look what we have, Dish set up with Hopper

 

[Mochuf]

Hear! Hear!

My feelings exactly. And I get discs quite quickly. I'm only watching SG-1 right now. And I've discovered I can see many of them on Amazon for free as a Prime member. So I might try that out, but I suspect the disc will be better for our one episode a night watching. Not sure Amazon PQ will be as good, and it won't have the extras the disc has.

Stargate SG-1 is available in HD from Amazon Prime Instant Video. But for only seasons 8-10. Netflix has all seasons available in HD streaming. The HD from Netflix isn't up to BD quality. It does look almost as good Dish HD though.

 

[navychop]

I think I saw some season 3 there. Havta check, as one of the season 3 discs isn't available from BB. But thanks. Although I think I'd rather just skip the missing disc than sign up for Netflix. It would only be for the one disc.

 

[hemway]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The in-store unlimited $15 a month plan would have been good if they didn't close the store that was just down the road. I also agree that the in-store stock isn't what is used to be. There were a few occasions when I went to exchange a DVD for another DVD but they didn't have a copy of what I wanted so have to check the next day. Not as bad as waiting 2 or more weeks though. For the record, the next closest store is 6 or 7 miles away (not to far) but in areas I usually don't go near. One of them was on my way home from work, but once my work contract ended, I no longer go by the store.

I guess I'll just wait for someone from Dish (may one of their monitors) to answer my original question then make a decision.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have stopped ordering movies from Blockbuster. Waiting 2 - 6 weeks for a disc is NUTS.

 

[hemway]

And you know a lot of people at Dish.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I don't see Blockbuster dvd by mail by next year . I see it only being a streaming only business for just DISH customers.

 

[Peter Parker]

I think tat al of the services want to push us to streaming. Netflix certainly encountered resistance but they and all of the others will try again.

 

[odbrv]

Streaming is ok if it has the same # of movies available at no extra cost. Right now Dish is charging $6.99 for what I get free from BB via the mail. In additon the # of titles available for streaming is about 5% of those available via mail.