Lose a customer over $1.50

[Dameon]

So I work for a movie rental house. And just to do this lady comes in and thus proceeds the conversation...
Me
SC

Me: Hi, will this be all for you ma'am?
SC: Yes, would you check the movie in the player?
Me: Sure (not an unusual request)
Me: (pulling up customers account) It appears you have a $1.50 late charge.
SC: WHAT? On what movie?
Me: You appear to have a $1.50 late charge for xyz movie.
SC: I turned that in on time! I checked it out twice so I wouldn't have a late fee!
Me: (checking account) Yes, you checked it out on the (blank) and it was rechecked out on the (blank +2days) and then turned in on the (blank) making it three days late and so $1.50 late fee.
SC: I turned it in on time, I am an honest person.
Me: I am sorry ma'am.
SC: You are willing to lose a customer over a $1.50 late charge?
Me: *shrugs*
I wanted to tell her that we have the best prices in the area and the best late fees. I have had multiple people tell me that they will leave and go to the red box or block buster and they ALWAY COME BACK!
(At this point the conversation degraded into her claiming to be an honest person and that she turned the movie in on time.) She demanded to speak to the manager who told her the same thing.
My manager eventually took off the late fee just to shut her up. After that multiple customers who were behind her complained about the way she acted.

[Luna Baby]

I was in a situation similar to your customer's once. We've recently (within the last year) gotten a new video rental store in our town. We were new customers and didn't really understand their video rental periods. Our main problem was that when you rented a video, they just told you, "it's due back Wednesday (or Friday, or whatever day)" and never mentioned the time or gave a rental receipt. Turns out, that time was 12:01 that particular morning and late fees started accruing at that time. We had about 3 movies out at once, dropped them in the drop box on the day we were told and thought nothing more of it. The next time we attempted to rent, I was told, "you have $11 in late fees." It was then that we were explained the return time thing. Since it was my fault for not asking about the exact rental returns, getting a receipt, etc, my response was, "I'll certainly pay the fees, however, you can keep these movies and I won't rent here again. Please cancel my membership." And, I've stuck to it. That was about 10 months ago.

[MoonChild2007]

SC: You are willing to lose a customer over a $1.50 late charge?

I can't stand customers like that! I will tell customers about our policies and bam, they always play the "So I guess what you saying is that you want me to cancel my services" game.

Why do customers insist on putting words in our mouths? Oh! To start an argument so I can get in trouble. Frankly, all i do in that case is repeat what I say and not even bother playing the "guilty party". We do not make the rules nor do we have any countrol over how crappy your life is.

[draco664]

SC: You are willing to lose a customer over a $1.50 late charge?

The correct response to that is "No, but we are delighted to have to deal with one less sucky customer. Door's to your left."

[gremcint]

1.50? that's it, that guy should hear my story:

So we go to rent a couple movies in town. Now in [obscenely small town near where I live] there are only 2 places to rent from, we went to the convienence store this time because I wanted to get some pepsi as well as the movies.

We have not rented from this place for a long time. We pick out our movies and got up to the counter and give our phone number to the cashier (who is the worst mumbler ever btw) and he tells we have a fine, for $28 from 2004.

My mother is with me and apparently remembers an incident where we returned a movie but the clerk didn't check it in and even though we were able to prove it they never took it off.

After we almost walked out without any purchase at all the other clerk told mumbles to override (not remove) it and let us rent the movies.

I still expect to go back and find out we still owe this.

[ThisIsXYZ]

I will tell customers about our policies and bam, they always play the "So I guess what you saying is that you want me to cancel my services" game.

Ooh, so I'm not the only one who's gotten that! I had someone who called in very angry and said 'your associate told me to cancel my account! Wouldn't your CEO like to hear about that!' Sure enough, he'd tried that line, and my wonderful coworker had called his bluff. I have the full story written down somewhere, I'll have to dig it out...

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I hated having to deal with late fees at the video store.

MOST people were nice and understanding about it, they realized that they had brought their movies/games back late and would take care of it. Sometimes we (the clerks) could could write it off if they were called in to work unexpectedly, kid got sick, etc. But some people were hell to deal with.

1) "I gave it to my friend and HE said that he brought it back!!!" Yes, he did, after keeping it for 2 weeks... "The HE should pay for the late charge, NOT ME!" (and yes, I have said this) But you were the one who rented it so you are the one responsible for it... It doesn't matter if you gave it to the Pope to return, it's still your responsibility and your charge. You want your money back, get it back from your friend.

2) "I took it back to your other store!" We don';t have another store in town... you took it to the competition. That's why our movies have the BIG RED STICKER on then that have our name and address on them. THEY don't always call us when they get one of our movies in. Again, your responsibility, your fault, your charge.

(On a side note, WE would always call THEM when we got one of their movies, but the owner of the other store would NEVER call us...

3) We had a few people that lived out of town... On the day that new releases come out, they would rent one of EVERYTHING and then keep it for the entire week, running up a late charge of around $100. THEN come in and try to say that they didn't know that the movies were due back the next day, ALTHOUGH it clearly says on on their receipt AND we had called them every day that they were late!

4) "I have late charges on my account, so I'm going to rent this on my mom's/girlfriend's/buddy's account." No, you're not. You owe us $50 and you have to pay it before renting anything. Plus, I don't think your mother is going to be happy with us if you rent something with "Hot", "Nasty" or "Throbbing" in the title on her account...

5) "My son/daughter would never rent that!" Is this his/her signature? Then yes, they did...

The one that took the cake was a woman who kept a copy of "American Beauty" for an extra day. When she brought it back, she not only refused to pay for the late charge because of the content of the movie (she objected to the scene of Kevin Spacey in the shower...), she DEMANDED that we take the movie off the shelf. I said no to her, she demanded that we cancel her account and stormed out. One week later she was back to rent, and when I asked if she was going to pay her late charge, she threw a screaming fit and left. We had locked her account so that no one could use it, but she never came back.

[EricKei]

Dameon and XYZ - to ^_^

LB -- Please tell me if I am reading this right -- If a movie is due one minute after midnight on a given Thursday morning, they'll tell you to bring it back Thursday? As opposed to, say, telling you to bring it back "Wednesday night" or "BEFORE Thursday"? If it's the former, I'd say it's their fault for not making things clear to you...

[Quitbuggingmeandgoaway]

Back in my adolescent/teenage years in Pittsburgh, the only place left to rent movies was Blockbuster. The Giant Eagle by us (miss those days when Nintendo games were 3 for $2!) dumped their movie rental section (only the biggest stores have them it seems) and I think Blockbuster knew they were the only game in town! Rental rates were exorbitant, late fees even worse! My idiot parents would every new years rent like 4 of the dumbest movies out there.

Eventually in 2003, Family Video came to our town. Their movie prices were $3 for a new release, $1 for nearly new and 2 for $1 otherwise (for 5 days!). I went there usually once a week to rent a movie or two, always great service (and they wiped late fees once without even asking!)

Around Christmas '07, when i was bored back visiting my folks (after two whole days, LOL), I went back to Family Video and rented some movies. I found out I had a $5 late fee which was a dumb error on my part, and again without asking they wiped it off. the next day, i drove by and saw the Blockbuster CLOSED! haha!

I wish they'd get a Family Video here in VA! The best we have is movie gallery which is overpriced!

[Luna Baby]

Dameon and XYZ - to ^_^

LB -- Please tell me if I am reading this right -- If a movie is due one minute after midnight on a given Thursday morning, they'll tell you to bring it back Thursday? As opposed to, say, telling you to bring it back "Wednesday night" or "BEFORE Thursday"? If it's the former, I'd say it's their fault for not making things clear to you...

It was some messed up return date, not really sure of the details now since I only rented from them the 2 times months ago and the second time is when the supposed $11 in late fees occurred. If they'd have just given receipts like BB does, then everyone would know their due dates and there should be no issues. I held firm in that I would pay the fees since technically they were due even though we returned the movies on what we understood to be the due date, however, I did cancel the membership and refuse to go back in there. I just feel it's bad practice to mislead the customer and the lack of receipt gives me a feeling of being misled.

[bainsidhe]

I like how she tells you she's an honest person. Not only does she play the "I may cancel my account" card, she also indirectly accuses you of calling her a liar. Shessh.

[Dameon]

I was in a situation similar to your customer's once. We've recently (within the last year) gotten a new video rental store in our town. We were new customers and didn't really understand their video rental periods. Our main problem was that when you rented a video, they just told you, "it's due back Wednesday (or Friday, or whatever day)" and never mentioned the time or gave a rental receipt. Turns out, that time was 12:01 that particular morning and late fees started accruing at that time. We had about 3 movies out at once, dropped them in the drop box on the day we were told and thought nothing more of it. The next time we attempted to rent, I was told, "you have $11 in late fees." It was then that we were explained the return time thing. Since it was my fault for not asking about the exact rental returns, getting a receipt, etc, my response was, "I'll certainly pay the fees, however, you can keep these movies and I won't rent here again. Please cancel my membership." And, I've stuck to it. That was about 10 months ago.

First of all, its due the day its due. Its that simple we don't care about the exact time, if its due on tuesday then its due before the close of buisness tuesday. Your video store sucks. Second our late fees are either $1, .50, or .25 and our rentals are $3.33, 2.99, .99 for seven days. Hers was three days late. She turned it in during the day sometime before 9pm. So if your problem would have happend with us it would have cost you $3.