localglo.be: Video Island Interview with eConsultancy

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Video Island Interview with eConsultancy

3 Comments:

At 4/20/2005 03:35:00 pm, Anonymous said...: This is a comment I sent to chris@e-consultancy.com

I just read your article on Saul Klein (Video Island/ Screen Select).

Whilst on paper what he has achieved is to be applauded, what you do not mention is the very poor customer service his newly merged company offers. I and several others (annual subscribers) have had little or no response from Screenselect. A very similar story to EBuyer!

For example items since November 2004 are frequently shipped in sub-standard packaging, delays in shipping of up to three days, a computer system that quite frankly has a mind of its own and the usual non-existent help route.

I am a project manager in computing and if I was to offer a similar service I would quickly be unemployed.

I would be interested in some pointers on how to contact Mr Klein or one of his colleagues regarding the misleading statements in his advertisements.

I post this comment and hope others will read.

Mergers for market share are driven by one thing money alone and the hype spun around will draw more clients - but once there do they honestly get value for money. I can only speak for a small group who are very dis-satisfied - but I am sure that there are many others.

These large corporations hide behind small print 'Yes we promise this, but......'
At 4/20/2005 07:29:00 pm, Anonymous said...: To add to my last comment.

Following emails from Screenselect the choice is obviously down to the customer.

Quote: - Taking into account the package price you pay of £14.99 this gives the past three months an average of 73 pence per rental. We do feel that although you have experienced problems we have offered relevant explanations, we have stated our policy on turnaround and disc selections and also been honest in our short falling in Customer Services. In previous emails to us you have said that you feel your money would be better spent with a competitor such as Blockbuster. I am more than happy to offer you a refund on your previous months payment and close your account so that you may try them as an alternative as I feel that your service at an average cost of 73 pence per DVD will not be matched.

There we have it quantity vs quality , but do these new Net based DVD companies also adopt quantity thresholds?
At 4/21/2005 01:02:00 pm, Anonymous said...: I did some research regarding ScreenSelect and other DVD rental companies, the results are amazing.

http://www.digitallover.co.uk/index.htm

Top 5 dvd rental companies (april 2005)
Position Company 1 at a time 3 at a time Titles Free Trial Promo Code Rating Read Review Free Trial

ScreenSelect
£9.99 £14.99 30,500+ 1 Month (worth £12) ARMGO

Blockbuster
£9.99 £13.99 24,000+ Two Weeks N/A

LoveFilm
£9.99 £14.99 16,000+ 14 days N/A

DVDs 365
£9.99 £14.99 16,000+ 14 days N/A

Quote - Screen Select are by far in a way the best DVD rental company in the UK. If you're looking for an efficient, fast, reliable, dvd rental service then you should look no further. I've been with Screen Select for over yar now and have trialled them alongside lesser well performing companies such as Blockbuster and LoveFiLM but Screen Select continue to provide the highest standards of service.
Their website is excellent, it gives you plenty of ideas for films to watch, with "most wanted", and "latest releases" charts, it has an excellent search facility should you have a specific DVD you would like to watch. More often than not the wait for your next DVD is one working day after they're received it. This means if you are on the one film at a time package, you can request, watch and send back a movie in 3 days.
They have the greatest number of titles on the market and this makes for wide variety of films one can watch from comedy to horror they've got it all. They're the best place to start with DVD companies, and the free trial means there's no obligation.
Quote - Blockbuster are undoubtedly the second best dvd rental company out there. Unfortunately they've recently lowered their free trial period from 4 weeks to 2 weeks. I found this disappointing as I think this may give reason for many people to be dissuaded from what is a really excellent service.
They have a vast number of titles, more than most people are ever going to need and the turn around time of DVD's on their part is great. The website is fairly ease to use, the search facility isn't bad at all so more often than not you will find the film you're looking for - if you have one in mind and they stock it.
They're competitively priced which is a major draw, along with the excellent service and large number of titles they really are a reliable choice. I suggest you try them and find out for yourself
Quote - I find Love Film expensive which is one of the main reasons for my bad review. They don't have as many titles as my top two choices which is another reason why I rate them as I do. Their service isn't bad at all, it actually rivals both Screen Select and Blockbuster they have a quick turn around time.
The website is good, it's clean and has an excellent search facility. I would like some more ideas on films to watch though, I am a film fanantic and love watching DVD's so I often struggle to find new and different titles to watch. I would disagree with some of the reviews given on the website, this has led to me renting several titles that I really wouldn't have if without reading the reviews.
Quote - DVDs365 particularly unhelpful, when I've trialled with them and didn't receive a title I asked for I was answered with a standard reply which wasn't that great when you're on a 14 day trial deciding whether you would like to use a company. I would have thought they would be more helpful.
Their website to me is a little dated, they have a large number of titles, half the number of their leading competitor but that's not to say you won't find titles to watch. 16,000 titles is more than enough for some people's life time. However if you have a penchant for a certain genre you may find you can exhaust the better titles in that genre and end up watching drivel. To say leaving DVDs365 was a long process is an understatement. I've spent short time ending year long relationships than ending my time with DVDs365 and they still wanted to get back together (they keep emailing me) 2 months after we broke up!
This is an independent review but when I drilled down, Blockbuster, Love film and DVDs365 seem to be having the most complaints, making my issues with SS somewhat minor in comparison.