Screenclick devolve again
After a short period where things were looking up, Screenclick have once again reverted to type, by ditching the lovely simple Netflix-style queue they seemed to be using, and instead instituting some new kind of bizarre homebrew wierdness.
It looks like a queue, with a line-by-line listing of movies — but then beside each title, there are 3 radio buttons: “High”, “Medium”, and “Low”.
The instructions run as follows:
All titles are sorted in alphabetical order within their priority group
- - High: Please deliver these titles as soon as possible
- - Medium: Please deliver these titles as they become available
- - Low: I don’t mind when you send these titles
So what — does this mean that if I put a title in as “High”, I’m going to receive it next, or not, or what? and what’s with the alphabetical order? WTF is going on? argh.
Anyway, I just got out “Amores Perros”, presumably due to this alphabetical ordering thing. not what I wanted at all. What a mess.
Tags: dvds, ireland, netflix, screenclick, tv, usability, wtf
Simon said,
May 2, 2007 @ 2:41 am
Not that their netflix presentation ever worked as advertised. I found that the only way to get any of the films I wanted (as opposed to the ones I’d like to see someday) was to cull the queue.
Now all I get is constant reminders that I need to keep more entries in the queue to guarantee a constant supply.
And what’s the point of pre-booking movies, if 6 weeks after they turn up on screenclick, they still don’t turn up in the post?
bernard said,
May 2, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Hi Justin,
Yup…I have noticed that…I don’t know why they have changed it.
Maybe they are not able to maintain the choices of the subscribers?
Its a little annoying seeing new interfaces every few weeks.
I am not sure if I want to keep my subscription…annoying since we don’t have TV!
bernard
bernard said,
May 2, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
Oh, btw: Amores Perros is not the happiest movie, so that will probably make you feel even more depressed!
:)
Antoin O Lachtnain said,
May 3, 2007 @ 11:02 am
Think about this. The profitability of any rental business is all about keeping the inventory under control. It sounds like the problem is that they just don’t have the inventory to do what you want.
A given movie can really only be sent out 25 or maybe 30 times a year maximum. If they only have one copy of it and more than 2 or 3 people who want to see it, there’s going to be a problem. It isn’t that easy to get extra rentable copies.
Justin said,
May 3, 2007 @ 11:21 am
Antoin — definitely. Unfortunately the result is a poor quality of service.
Simon said,
May 4, 2007 @ 12:25 am
You’d think though, with specific data on the average turn-around time of a customer, the number of customers with a title on their wish list, and a clear indication of interest from people who’ve pre-booked titles, that the usual rental inventory problems could be ameliorated…
Antoin O Lachtnain said,
May 6, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
How would all that data help? How can you predict what demand will be in six weeks time? If the movies aren’t available to buy, how are you supposed to buy them?
Really what you need to make this work is a lot of scale and a lot of bargaining power with the suppliers.
Justin said,
May 8, 2007 @ 6:12 pm
wow, bernard, you were right about Amores Perros. that was grim!
bernard said,
May 8, 2007 @ 10:48 pm
Yup, I told you!
if you want something to change the mood, you could try watching: El Otro lado de la cama (The Other Side Of The Bed) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301524/ http://72.166.46.24/boston/movies/trailers/documents/03118554.asp
And considering it has Paz Vega (from Sex Y Lucia) who IMHO is waaaaay hotter than Penelope Cruz, its a winner!
And it won’t leave you wanting to jump off the nearest cliff, unlike Amores Perros.
bernard
bernard said,
May 8, 2007 @ 11:07 pm
Just checked ScreenClick and, huzzah, they have it:
http://www.screenclick.com/DVDDetail.aspx?Title=The+Other+Side+Of+The+Bed
stick that in your “rental”, “top list”, “rental queue”, “whatever-its-called-this-week” and enjoy it…when you get it.
Also have a look for (but screenclick dont have it) Football Days or Dias De Futbol. Excellent comedy.
bernard
Maria said,
August 28, 2007 @ 9:51 am
Hey,
I’ve been subscribing to screenclick for about 3 months now and up until last week everything was going fine.
Since I returned the last dvd I was sent a week and a half ago nothing has happened- the dvd is still listed as being dispatched to me, they’re not responding to my emails asking what’s going on and their phone line isn’t working.
Anyone have any idea if they’re still in business?!
Maria
bernard said,
August 28, 2007 @ 10:04 am
Hi,
I have been getting DVDs, so I think they are still going…
To paraphrase the Spitting Image Paddy Ashdown “its not a bad service, but its not a great service, its somewhere in between.
Pity, it could be really great..we just about get value for money for the silver package (19.99 a month).
bernard
Maria said,
August 28, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
Maybe it’s just me so!
You’re right- with a bit more organisation and thought it could be great. I don’t live near any dvd shops so I had high hopes but I live and learn.
Maria