Movieconnect charging for lost DVDs.

[intalex]

Furgy, I think you probably wanna avoid them altogether. Free-trialling is very risky with these guys as I have seen a few different posts in other forums indicating that they simply won't let you cancel without paying.

Taliesin71, I'm well surprised to hear that Lovefilm have taken over 9 months to get a Royal Mail claim resolved. From what you wrote, it seems that your current loss as a result is the 6 weeks' usage remaining on your account. But did they also charge you for the lost DVD? On your account, is it still listed under your "DVDs at Home" list or have they at least written it off from there?

[robo]

Hello all!

I've been with Lovefilm and Screenselect. Both times discs have been lost in the post and have taken around four months to sort.

If they have stopped deducting payments from your card and said that they are going to refund you, what is the issue exactly? ?

[intalex]

The issue is that the payment which they took from me was unauthorised (against my will) in the first place. I find it out of order to charge someone some money purely speculatively, i.e. without first being sure (and having evidence) that they owe it to you.

Then to specifically quote a timescale to refund those unauthorised charges and yet fail to deliver over a period equal to more than twice the promised timescale only leads to a lack of trust. The signs are that they think I'll get bored and give up chasing them (their responses to my emails indicate this).

I have officially given them 7 days to refund my money, out of which only 4 are left, or to get ready for going to the Small Claims Court. It's not about the money, it's all about the principle. That will cost them the court fees on top of refunding my subscription fees. Hate to pull this off during Christmas, but they haven't left me with any other choice.

By the way, I have never heard of any online DVD rental company holding a customer accountable for a DVD they never received in the first place.

Oh, and of course, to accuse me of stealing it didn't make me very happy either.

[robo]

Sounds like a conspiracy theory Intalex. I think you are taking the situation too personally. The way I have interpreted their responses to you, they are saying to you that the your account will be closed and the money refunded when they know what happened to the disc. I mean the trial lasts for two weeks - not really alot of time to build up trust on either side!

Besides, it's the run-up to Christmas - how many articles have you read lately about companies not being able to deliver because of overload? Surely the Royal Mail goes a bit wobbly...



PS: Be careful Intalex, I've seen this situation before. By saying these things you are running pretty close to giving them a reason and the evidence to file a defamation case against you...talking £50,000+

[intalex]

Robo, I have had every other person agree totally that I have been treated unfairly. You are the first one to speak in defence of Movieconnect, which I am happy with as long as you can actually provide me with valid points in their defence. But let me summarise the situation for you a little:

(i) i may appear to be taking this situation too personally, but i am just totally against the idea of anyone taking my money without proper justification, whether it's £5, £50 or £500.

(ii) they should not have charged me the money on the assumption that i may have stolen it rather than it being lost in transit. that to me appears to be an act of pure bitterness because i cancelled my free trial. as well as the possibility of the DVD being stolen or being lost, there's always a possibility that the DVD was never sent out in the first place. that possibility has just been discounted.

(iii) they should have honoured their promise of getting this issue sorted by the end of October. Instead, we're in mid-December. Christmas doesn't come in October (or even November for that matter) so Royal Mail's current overload is no excuse.

(iv) as for scaring me with a defamation case, i am not making up any stories or stirring things up in here. i am stating exactly what i have faced from these guys. that is what these consumer forums are set up for. stating facts and getting opinions/advice from other people to try and help protect each other from unfair treatment. if there was anything illegal about what i'm saying, i think i would have heard from the forum moderators by now.

now let's hear a good valid point in Movieconnect's defence of this situation.

[robo]

Not an unsurprising response. I think you should be open to different opinions and balanced discussion, but it seems you have convinced yourself that you are right.

Going to Court and presenting your view to a judge is far removed from doing it in a forum of like-minded people. Court isn't a poll of four...certainty won't perpetuate fantasies.

Simply put:

Disagree with you and what you say in the posts. Think you are frustrated because of what you believe will or will not happen and the length of time it is taking to close your account and have the fee refunded.

Don't think the reasons have any basis in the law your claim will be judged on.

Going about damaging their reputation doesn't reflect on you very well.

Good luck, let the forum know how you get on!

[intalex]

If you think that their actions/responses which I have stated in here will damage their reputation, then that just proves you agree that they are doing something wrong with their actions/responses. If you think that these actions/responses are totally correct and there is nothing wrong with them, then that won't damage their reputation will it?

I'm stating the facts in here, and other people will come in here and decide what to make of these facts. Some will even choose to write their opinions in here, but if they disagree with the majority, they will do so using supportive reasons if their opinions are to earn any credibility.

You have given your opinions here and I've read them. And don't get me wrong, I certainly would have given some thought to your opinions if you had backed them with any good reasons. I haven't seen any come out from you yet. It's almost like hearing a Tottenham fan say that Tottenham are currently the best team in the world with no reasons to back that statement. (No offence Spurs fans, you certainly have the potential)

You say other online DVD rental companies have resolved such issues for you in about 4 months, and you say it so casually as though you were totally fine with waiting those 4 months. If what you are saying is true, then maybe you are someone who is less bothered about the principle of letting someone take your money without any justified reason.

Your total support for Movieconnect makes me wonder if you are part of that company. You are, after all, a new member with no previous posts. If you were just a consumer like the rest of us, I really doubt you would join this forum just to defend a company exhibiting such actions/responses.

And please don't come back telling me that you are starting a new trend in consumer-led defence of questionable behaviour by online DVD rental companies.

Give me a little more time, I'll let you know once I have my money back.

[robo]

Your righteousness is astounding! You don't seem to get it - nothing in your logic is grounded in anything but emotion and how you feel you have been wronged. Reason why I am contributing to this chain is because I don't think its right when people hi-jack forums as their own personal hobby-horse.

What is the motivation for any of these companies to operate unreasonably? Movieconnect (like the others) must send 000s of movies and you are they only one on the internet waving a red flag and writing about a bag of dirty tricks...just doesn't add up!

All I am saying that if a company was up to no good, there would be more noise than just one guy riding around.

There's another review site that makes a good point, "Warning - For Every Bad Review There Are A Hundred Satisfied Customers".

[intalex]

I started this topic in this forum, so it is obvious that I am going to update it with more information as things develop. There are quite a few people speaking up against Movieconnect in this forum as well as many other forums out there. From these, I can compile a decent list of tactics that have been said to be used by Movieconnect on their cancelling customers to try and make whatever extra money they can from them, but I won't write here about something I haven't experienced myself.

Someone in this forum stated that perhaps some online DVD rental companies feel "ripped off" when people sign up to their free trial and cancel before the end of the trial. Now that would be a good enough motive to operate unreasonably with free-triallers, don't you think?

But anyway, let's hear your real opinion. Just answer the following two questions without any bias:

1. Do you think that all of Movieconnect's actions and responses which I have stated here are fair and fully justified? Base your answer on the following facts:

(i) Speculatively charging me money and, in the process, suggesting that I might have stolen the DVD?
(ii) Promising to close my account by the end of October, and yet failing to deliver this promise even as late as mid-December?
(iii) Failing to provide me with a definite timescale for closing my account by telling me that it will happen "in due course"?
(iv) Refusing to chase up a Royal Mail claim which was lodged back in September?
(v) Refusing to let me chase up the Royal Mail claim?

2. Now tell me if you think I have acted reasonably with them. Base your answers on the following facts:

(i) I did not report this transaction to my bank even though the charges were unauthorised.
(ii) Despite being angered by accusations that I might have stolen the DVD, I still gave them the time they said they needed (until the end of October) to satisfy themselves with the Royal Mail's verdict.
(iii) I even waited an extra month (until the end of November) for them to resolve the issue before finally losing my patience.
(iv) I have offered them a final 7-day period to resolve the issue if they don't want me to file a claim in the Small Claims Court.

Also, in your opinion, how long should I wait before pursuing matters further?

[bazwaldo]

[intalex]

Cheers for the support Bazwaldo, Robo definitely seems to be one of MC's staff, and I bet he already knows who I am.

So Robo, here's a piece of advice for you and your buddies at MC:

You are better off scrapping the 14-day free trial offer altogether if you are going to be bitter and act inappropriately towards free-triallers.

[Furgy]

Lol, if robo is one of MC Staff, and it does seem likely as he is a new member, it really is sad they would stoop so low and be so sad to waste their time doing what they are doing./ Maybe they should spend less time on forums trying to look good and more improving their service/

[Marty73]

The above is a joke.. someone should hang!

[robo]

Testing to see if my contribution is posted!!!

[robo]

Hi all,

Wondered how long it would take the gang to arrive!

Sorry that the criteria for discussion appears to be how long the membership has been and how many posts. If its any consolation, I have read other posts in the forum and it seems that a double standard is being applied here.

Sorry to disappoint you, but again the wrong conclusion has been jumped to. My relevant background is in large business, so I know both perspectives and from the quality of posts probably have a better appreciation. I would estimate that the free trial disappoints the vocal minority / serial (ab)users / headline seekers, but on the whole works very well for the majority. On the flip side, maybe worthwhile to aviod attracting the above minority. Who really knows?

The thing that really intrigues me is that there has been phrases like "is this legal?" and "this is unfair", but no credible support i.e. law precendence or reference to successful arguements to say why this is so.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the contributors aren't providing the full story. Is there anything you may have kept quite about guys? Something that may not make such creative reading?

Maybe there is a trade going on of "losts" discs being sold on Ebay? Have heard of it happening...