So for people who work/have worked in video stores, what's the go with late fees? Sometimes they offer me 50% off, other times they offer nothing, tonight I had to ask for a discount and only got 25% off. It's all over the place!

I assume there's guidelines for staff as to how much to take off - so how much can it be reduced? I don't mind paying late fees but obviously would like to pay the least possible.

dunno, i just seed for as long as possible hey

sif pay late fees, why not use netflicks ?

is that any good? what does it cost you?
you still have to send them back - isn't that a pain?

last edited by thermite at 23:16:03 28/Jul/09

just return them on time.

you get a thing with the dvd which you post it back in, its included in the price
you just drop it in the mailbox whenever you get a chance

if you order two dvds and you only return 1, you can only rent 1 more dvd
if you return both, you can get two more dvds - you pay per month i think so its in your best interest to rent them, watch them and return them

would be good if they had games too
also can you quit at anytime?

have you figured out the internet yet or what

http://www.quickflix.com.au/PricingAndPlans

would be good if they had games too

found 2 places that do games
http://www.gameplay.com.au/
https://www.movieguys.com.au/Secure/SignUp.aspx

but they are a bit exy

I read that tequila, doesn't say

When I want to watch a DVD it's generally a spur of the moment thing, I don't think Netflix would really work for me.

I don't mind paying late fees but obviously would like to pay the least possible.

return them on time and you wont have to pay late fees.

Worst responses ever. Doesn't ReverendEvil work or has worked in a vid store?

Someone respond to the actual query, not looking for other options (although I will check them out).

rev works at video sleazy

How late was it? Our store just has set prices that clock up each day. Like an overnighter is $3.95 each day over, 3 night one is $1 a day over and weeklies we don't start charging until three days late. If someone brings back a new release like two weeks late and that's $3.95 per day which ends up being f***ing expensive. So instead of charging about $50 for it we just charge what it costs to buy a new copy which is around the $25 mark.

Dunno if that helped you but I guess all stores have their own late fee policy. And also depends if the person is a real douche bag as well.

Sounds like it's pretty loose depending on the store. The Video Ezy I go to actually has a sign up now that says '50% off late fees if you pay when you return them'.

Dude - if you're talking about the Video Ezy in Taringa, then yes, you are entitled to 50% off your fees if you pay when you return the DVD, which is absolutely WIN. If you are paying your fees at some other time (which you should obviously never do), it's probably completely random depending on how cute you are, but most likely the official line will be that you have to pay full fees.

Oh, the Video Ezy fees are charged at the rate that you rent them. I can't remember the exact prices (cause I only go on $1 Tuesdays), but if an overnighter is worth $5, you'll be charged $5 for every day late. If a weekly costs $3, you'll get charged 3/7 per day late. All of which I think is quite reasonable.

Don't forget, their day ends at 6pm. So get your s*** back before then or esle they can be carnts and charge you late fees. The huge exception is weekly movies, where they give you one day leniency without fees.

dont they have one of those late drop off bins out the front?

Not sure who you're talking to teq, but yes they do. So what?

If you throw the DVD into the late drop off bin so that it lands behind a plant or computer or cardboard cutout of eddie murphy - then you can say they dropped it there months ago.

Yeh, that way THEY will owe YOU a late fee. BOOM

Oh, the Video Ezy fees are charged at the rate that you rent them. I can't remember the exact prices (cause I only go on $1 Tuesdays), but if an overnighter is worth $5, you'll be charged $5 for every day late. If a weekly costs $3, you'll get charged 3/7 per day late. All of which I think is quite reasonable.

The question wasn't if late fees are charged, it was what was the go with the differing late fee discount when you pay the bill.

Every video store I've been with have offered us lower amounts to pay if we pay the amount then and there. It ranges, I've had a $100 (f***ing ex room mate) overdue fee that only cost me $20 "Whatever you've got spare and I'll wipe it" and I've had others that have wanted like 80% of it to wipe it. I guess it's like those Goodlife Gym memberships, everyone pays a differing amount.

Here is another tactic - go to the store and spend half an hour and get like 50 movies, and take them to the counter, and when they mention the late fees WALK AWAY and leave them the trouble of finding the 50 correct spots to put those movies.

Then do it again the next day.

+1 for netflix (or other online dvd)

so .. the 6pm thing doesn't apply, you can take it in anytime before i dunno, 9am? or whenever they open

The 6pm thing is so the DVD's can go back on the shelf and be rented again that night. From when I used to work with Rev at Sleazy, I don't think fees actually kicked in until the next day, as on busier nights, sometimes the returns bins would get full and so they would not be processed until well after 6pm. We used to try to clear out the bins before we left so there were none sitting there in the morning which would attract a fee. Anything that went in the overnight chute = fee.

Heh, I used to be a member of Video Ezy. I hired the DVD on tuesday after 6pm, and would return it the next week, also on tuesday after 6pm and hire another one in it's place. This went on for some time until one day they decided that since I was doing my business in the evening this would somehow incur a late fee. I didn't pay it, left the DVD I was going to hire there, and never went there again. Also now they've shut down - coincidence? The universe has a way of punishing those who wrong me.

yes please give us the secret time at which the overdue rental fee "clicks over". I always thought 6pm was bulls***.

I used to work for Video Flicks and later Blockbuster.

To answer the OP, I would charge people what I thought was a fair thing based on their excuse, whether it was a new release etc and whether they approached the late fee as a decent person or as a total douche.

Video Flicks had a less draconian approach than BB and I think it worked better giving staff discretionary powers. That way there was room to move.

For example, person 1 returns overnight movie 1 week late due his granny dying and having to attend funeral or similar. I would in this instance waive all fees. Person 2 returns o/n rental 2 days late and says upon return "they are late, can I pay?" BAM 1/2 price. Person 3 keeps videos for several days overdue and then next time they rent wants to argue about it and causes me a headache - It's full price for you my good man and maybe next time you are looking for a title oh no we don't have it cos I stashed it under the counter when you weren't looking.

It's good customer service to give people a break and you always get regular customers who you look after if they are cool.

One guy I used to work with would charge people late fees, take their cash but then waive it on the system and buy KFC for dinner. He was quite the entrepreneur.

I used to love that job.
Oh and the 6pm thing is BS but it does help so that the store can rent the DVD again that day. We used to shut at 12 midnight and people would return tapes at 11.55pm - no late fees. It's just too hard to police and you get into petty arguments if people are 5 mins late etc.

last edited by IncrEdible_vEgetable at 17:26:12 29/Jul/09

The question wasn't if late fees are charged, it was what was the go with the differing late fee discount when you pay the bill.

Syco, if you read my other posts I also addressed that question.

As for the 6pm thing - that's VE's official line. I have been charged for returning a DVD after 6pm (at like 8 or 9 or something). Did I complain? No, I paid the fines, double checked the policy with the staff, and now I return DVDs before or close to 6pm.

I have also returned DVDs just after 6pm and not been hit with a fine. I assume their computer system would say, "$0.50 fine owing on DVD returned at 6.15pm", or something similar, in which case they would waive the fine.

Like I said before, there are official policies, but at the end of the day, it's all about how much cleavage you show when it counts.

PS. Protip: stick to renting out weekly rentals and you'll never have to worry about huge fines. Don't be suckered in by the psychological marketing tool of "NEW RELEASE". So f***ing what if it's new? Doesn't mean it's any good. Go check out all the films that everyone loves that you've "never had time to watch before". There is so much utter s*** that gets released, you're better of finding older classics that are genuinely good movies than new movies that are half decent.

last edited by BillyHardball at 08:59:52 30/Jul/09

One guy I used to work with would charge people late fees, take their cash but then waive it on the system and buy KFC for dinner. He was quite the entrepreneur.

I think you used the wrong word starting with E

PS. Protip: stick to renting out weekly rentals and you'll never have to worry about huge fines. Don't be suckered in by the psychological marketing tool of "NEW RELEASE". So f***ing what if it's new? Doesn't mean it's any good. Go check out all the films that everyone loves that you've "never had time to watch before". There is so much utter s*** that gets released, you're better of finding older classics that are genuinely good movies than new movies that are half decent.

Seconded. Live behind the new release curve and you'll save so much f***ing money it's not even funny.

live in the bit-torrent curve and you'll save even more

AMIRITE

dunno, i just seed for as long as possible hey

lol of the day !!!!!!