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[tedtropy]

I've been a loyal Netflix subscriber for well over a year now. I like the service, no doubt about it, but my biggest complaint is that they don't rent out games. A single game rental at a Blockbuster store is close to $8 these days, so juggling one or two game rentals a week and my monthly Netflix fee kinda adds up.

Now, Blockbuster has their mail rental service. Not only is it three bucks cheaper per month, but you get two in-store rentals each month that can be used towards a game. I've browsed their library, and they seem to have most of the anime and other movies that Netflix does, so I'm incredibly tempted to switch.

For those that may be using the Blockbuster service, or better still, those that switched to it from Netflix: how quick is the turn-around time on shipping? How often do movies get back-logged? And is it generally worth the switch? Thanks.

 

[calder]

I'm wondering about this stuff too. I've been wanting to try out an online rental for a while but I'm not sure which.

So, to piggyback on the thread a bit, anyone in Canada have opinions about which service works best here? I'm pretty sure we don't have as many options but I know there's at least a couple that operate here right?

 

[FeedMeAStrayCat]

I've never used Netflix, so I can't compare.

Blockbuster Online is working great for me, especially as of late. Occasionally, I'll get a movie within like 3 days of shipping out my last one. The usual is around 4 or 5 though, I think. It just depends where you're located, I guess..

 

[swoon]

depending on where you are in location to shipping depots determines which is faster. netflix has a better selection of movies though.

 

[kaching]

Just got a 3 month gift subscription to Netflix for Christmas. With up to 3 discs out at once and turnaround times of 1-2 days, I've more than gotten my share of good value from the gift. Blockbuster Online deal may be cheaper, but either service would seem to ultimately save me so much money on the same number of B&M movie rentals. 22 Rentals over 3 months, would have been in excess of $100 getting them straight from a rental store. So I can't really quibble too much over the difference between Netflix and BO monthly pricing, because they both ultimately save quite a bit over the alternative. The thing that begins to tip the scales in BO's favor are the 2 free in-store rentals per month, games or movies. I think I may very well switch when the Netlfix gift sub is up, which is soon.

 

[tedtropy]

depending on where you are in location to shipping depots determines which is faster. netflix has a better selection of movies though.

Yeah, 30,000 versus Netflix's 35,000, roughly. Still, Blockbuster has the resources to bump their number up to that level...

 

[Brotherman]

Yeah, 30,000 versus Netflix's 35,000, roughly. Still, Blockbuster has the resources to bump their number up to that level...

But Netflix has upped it's selection too. I definitely noticed that they've added some older anime titles that they didn't have before, so it doesn't guarantee that Blockbuster will beat Netflix when it comes to selection yet. The best way to go to decide for now is to look for what they have that you really like when it comes to specific movies and movie genre's. If you have more mainstream tastes than either one will likely suffice. It's when your tastes are more obscure that selection really becomes important.

 

[theo]

I get my Netflix movies next day. I can't see Blockbuster beating this (especially since they are so few and far between in this area.

Netflix has a fantastic selection too.

 

[mrroboto]

netflix for me all the way.

i live in michigan and they have a distribution center here. i get my movies in about a 2 day turnaround. it's great.

matter of fact, i just got "the incredibles" and "final cut" via netflix yesterday. gotta watch those sunday night.

i do wish netflix did video game rentals much the same way. i wouldn't be surprised for them to actually go this route in the future. that's *alot* more potential revenue and memberships for them.

 

[PartlyCloudlike]

I was happy with Netflix but switched over to Blockbuster because it was cheaper. Also, at the time I thought that some of the newer movies on Netflix, like Hero, took too long to become available. But compared to Blockbuster, the amount of unavailable movies was nothing. With blockbuster, at least 80% of the movies I add to my queue are either listed as "short wait" or "long wait." It doesn't matter if they're new or old, whenever I add a movie to my queue I expect it to be unavailable and am pleasantly surprised if I see an "Available Now" status. I'm not exaggerating here either. At one point, I was randomly adding movies to my queue and ALL 25 OF THEM HAD AT LEAST A "SHORT WAIT" status. bullshit

Once this paid month is almost up I'm switching back to Netflix.

 

[Pattergen]

I just started a 4 week blockbuster free trial. It took 4 days for the first three to get here, and Shaun of the Dead doesn't fucking work. My parents have Netflix and they get a next day delivery, and have never had bad DVDs. I live within three hours of them so I'm assuming I'll get the same delivery time.

Netflix, pronto.

 

[SKluck]

I've never heard of anyone preferring Blockbuster to Netflix, so I'll stay with Netflix. The in store coupons are nice, but I'm told shit is always out of stock and wait times are stupid long.

Netflix throttled me, but I can still get 4-5 movies a week, depending. For example, this week I sent 2 out on wednesday, 1 on thursday. Got 3 new movies saturday, their email said I would get 2 sat, 1 mon. Pretty good considering friday was a holiday.

But I do notice the throttling. I don't really blame them though, 4 a week works out to be like $1 a disc.

 

[Maxwell House]

I also have noticed that Netflix has gone on a rampage lately to expand their movie library, especially anime. Right now, Netflix seems to carry more foreign/anime/obscure titles than Blockbuster, which is the main reason I am sticking with them.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

I've been on Netflix for over a year now, and I couldn't live without it. That and they've done nothing in that time to warrant a consideration for Blockbuster.

Netflix!