Blockbuster Educates Customers on ‘No Late Fees’ Program

Dallas, Blockbuster will respond to criticisms surrounding its “No Late Fees” program by “augmenting customer communications,” the retailer says.

Blockbuster’s No Late Fees program allows consumers to keep movies for more than a week without late fees, but charges the rental as a purchase if the item isn’t returned within a designated time frame. Critics have charged that the name of the No Late Fees program is misleading, and that the automatic purchase is itself a hidden late fee.

Blockbuster cataloged the additional measures it would take to describe the program to customers. Among them are:

• More in-store signage explaining the No Late Fees program

• Information centers equipped with brochures explaining the policy

• Redesigned receipts that include the details of the program, including the sales price and date on which the customer will purchase the rental if it is not returned

• Highlighting of program details on Blockbuster’s Web site

• Reinforced employee training regarding the policy

Blockbuster added that the details of the program already were displayed prominently in locations participating in the No Late Fees program. The program, introduced Jan. 1, is in effect at all of Blockbuster’s U.S. corporate-owned locations and half of its franchised stores, plus its more than 425 stores in Canada.