Audio Video News

To widespread derision, Blockbuster has reinstated late fees for program rentals.

The late fee kicks in after five days and accelerates at the rate of $1 per day until 10 days, when it flatlines (as Blockbuster itself may soon be doing). A spokesperson said that an average customer keeps titles 4.7 days, after which "they are keeping that title away from somebody else." Oh, and it's not a "late fee," it's an "additional daily rate."

"Sounds like the definition of late fee to me," commented Slashfilm. An even more acid comment came from Gizmodo, which commented in its headline: "Blockbuster Digs Itself a Deeper Grave, Brings Back Late Fees."

While Blockbuster likes making rules, it's not so enthusiastic about following its own rules when they favor the high-def-conscious consumer. As I recently learned, much to my consternation, Blockbuster Rewards coupons for "free monthly non-new release movie rentals" do not apply to Blu-ray. At least that's what local store personnel and online customer service told me. The coupon itself tells a different story. It neither specifies DVD or excludes Blu-ray. It simply states: "This coupon is good toward one (1) Free non-New Release Movie rental at any participating BLOCKBUSTER (R) store in the U.S."