Adam C. Hegedus

I recently received an email from the folks over at Blockbuster.com, letting me know that they have decided to change their online plans. Now, I don’t have time to watch too many movies since I spend most of my time chasing Maggie around, so when we signed up, we chose the smallest plan. Until recently, the $5.99 plan at Blockbuster.com included 2 online rentals, 2 exchanges for in-store rentals, and 1 e-coupon for a rental at any time. $5.99 for a total of 5 rentals per month… a good deal. A great deal in fact, and quite frankly the whole reason I went with it.

So when I saw the new plan details, the first thing that I noticed was that the prices were going up.

Ok, I’m good with this. I understand that Blockbuster wants to make money. I’d rather not pay more, but I realize that prices go up. But what I found interesting was that no where in the email, the web site or the fine print was any mention of the e-coupon. Certainly they wouldn’t raise the price and decrease the number of rentals… I thought I’d better email customer support:

I recently (8/17/07) received an email stating that the membership plans for Blockbuster.com are changing. My current plan is such that I am eligible to receive up to 2 DVD’s in the mail per month, plus free in store exchanges for a total of 4 DVD’s per month. In addition, I have available to me a single e-coupon per month bringing the total number of rentals to 5 per month. It appears from your email and literature on the web site that my plan will increase in cost from $5.99 to $7.99, however I don’t see any indication that the e-coupon will continue to be made available. Is this correct? From what I’m reading, not only will I be paying more, but I will also not receive the same value from the plan. Since I do have options with you competitors, I’d appreciate if you could clarify the configuration of your $7.99 plan.

Respectfully,
Adam Hegedus

To which I received the following stock response:

Hello Adam,

Thank you for contacting Blockbuster Online Customer Care.

I apologize most sincerely for any inconvenience this has caused you and I appreciate you taking the time to notify us of your concern, Adam. Total Access-1 at a time limited, 2 rent(s) a month
2 in-store exchanges/month allows you to receive 2 DVDs per month with 2 in-store exchanges for $7.99 plus applicable taxes. Unfortunately, eCoupons are no longer available. We recently enhanced our membership plans to provide our subscribers with a wide selection of options. With Total Access Premium, for example, you get more free in-store rentals than ever before. Instead of having to print e-Coupons, we’ll scan the barcode on your return mailers at your local store in exchange for a free in-store movie rental. If you love games, we’ll even give you a discount if you bring us your online envelope.

Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.

Respectfully,

Babylyn
Customer Care Associate
Blockbuster Online

So there you have it. Not only is Blockbuster raising the prices of this plan, but they are in a single motion, lowering the value. Pay more, Get less. I’m ok with raising prices, but at least give me the same deal. For an extra buck I can now sign up at Netflix and get unlimited rentals. That sounds like a good option to me.

The politicians in Pennsylvania finally did something right. The Penguins are staying in Pittsburgh.

Thank you!

Last night, my company (Good Steward Software) bought out all of the tickets to a showing of the movie, “Amazing Grace”. There were 125 tickets which were given out to friends and family. Needless to say, because there was free stuff involved, the theater was packed. I was really excited because with a 17 month old at home, Carrie and I don’t get out much! So we were able to procure the services of a baby sitter for Maggie, and we got to go out on the town (or at least the movie theater) for a few hours.

I didn’t really know what to expect for a few reason… first, I had no idea what the movie was about. Second, I’m not a huge fan of historical movies. I like movies in general, but my favorites are usually more action filled, or gut busting comedies. Ok, fine, so I like to be entertained when I pay the 8 bucks to see a movie… sue me. Anyway, I went in not expecting much… and left truly inspired.

The film tells the story of William Wilberforce, who began the movement which eventually ended the slave trade in England in the late 1700’s. What is truly amazing about this story is the persistence and determination that Wilberforce maintained throughout his life. The battle that he faced was one that didn’t last a few months or even a few years. This fight, the fight that Wilberforce knew to be right, began in 1790, and ended with the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act shortly after his death in 1833. Even after being laughed at so many times, he never gave up. That, my friends, is heroic.

There were so many great lines in the movie too, but my favorite was spoken by Wilberforce to who would become the Prime Minister. He said, “We are still young enough to believe in the impossible”. I hope I never get that old.

It’s been a while since I’ve last posted here, so I thought I’d step up and write. The last few months have been busy ones…

switchers

I’ve decided that I’m going to dawn a new moniker…. the switcher. That’s right, I’m buying a Mac! I’ve been a windows user since 3.1, been working with PC’s since high school, was an IT person for 3 companies working with windows… and now I’m going to what was once the dark side. I clearly remember telling my wife (girlfriend at the time) that her mac was like a boat anchor. Unfortunately she remembers it too, and likes to remind me of that comment. I’ve eaten my words. I can’t wait to get a new macbook pro! I’ll be sure to post how my experience is.

switchbacks

The 24 Hours of Big Bear was a great success! Team Mudbuckets had a pretty good showing, finishing 16 laps (about 192 Miles and 19,200ft of climbing). We managed to finish 53rd out of 161 teams overall, and 17th out of 49 teams in our division. I’m really pleased with how we did, and super happy with how I did personally. As I mentioned in a previous post, when I tried out the course a month before the race I completed it in 1 hour 52 minutes. In my first lap during the race I managed a blistering (ok, blistering for me…) 1 hour and 37 minutes. My biggest fear during the race was getting in the way of faster riders, and there were plenty of them there! I didn’t have a single bad experience, people were really polite and friendly and everyone was there looking for a good time. And I would say we were successful!