I wandered into Xtra-vision yesterday evening to pick up a DVD to find they had put up the price on rentals again.
I do not think they can justify these price increases, but it’s a free world etc., so I can simply vote with my wallet and go elsewhere… Or can I?
Xtravision’s pricing policies have fascinated me for a good while.
They are a prime example of monopoly at work.
In a town or city where there are competing video stores Xtravision’s pricing per night will remain competitive, or close enough to it.
When they know that they have little to fear from competitors they push the price up.
In the past these price increases were only applied to new releases from the date of the price increase onwards ie. if they had introduced the price increase this week, then only the new releases for this week would be affected, with any older stock still retaining the previous pricing.
This time they have decided to buck that trend entirely and apply the new pricing of €5.25 per DVD per night to ALL stock in what they consider to be the “new” releases section.
The fact that a large portion of those DVDs have been gracing the shelves for 6 months is obviously not something they particularly care about.
Now don’t get me wrong.
Competition, pricing, making money etc., are all good things in their own way, but my problem with Xtravision is not limited to the pricing.
What I find really annoying about them is their total lack of choice.
If you want to get the latest releases then you will be happy, but what if you don’t?
What if you would like to see a slightly older film?
What about arthouse cinema?
What about foreign language films?
Even the films on sale reflect a narrow view of the titles currently available and you will usually find that Golden Discs will have a better choice and probably a better price.
I’ve been thinking of using dvdrentals.ie recently. Haven’t signed up as yet (off snowboarding for a week- but I will when I get back. It does depend on how many DVDs you watch per month though), but last weeks Xtravision price-hike really put me off – they also won’t allow you to bring home 2 new releases for 2 nights anymore. Didn’t stop me, but they’re really gouging their customers IMO.
They’ve been ripping people off for quite some time 🙁
I used to work for Xtra-Vision. They’re prices are rediculous only when it comes to rentals. All other pricing (to guy, previously viewed) is very reasonable. Y’see what they’re doing now is hiking up the price basically as a result of piracy and mainly INTERNET DOWNLOADS. They’re losing out on business BIG TIME from this and statistics (which I hate) show that video stores will be done away with in 10-20 years time. Even less time. There’s been a huge drop in rentals every year for the last 8 years. Huge drops. It’s a buyers market. My advice to you is NOT to rent. Buy your DVD in Dunnes or something, watch it and then bring it back and get a refund! Works every time. and it’s a free rental. otherwise buy your stuff at xtra-vision, if you’re looking for a good offer that’s NOT to rent. most of the stores now are all retail. and the sad thing is the magic of movies is being lost on young people due to these mind numbing computer games (don’t get me wrong–i respect it as an art-form), but the games really have nothing to offer. And neither do most of the films on the top shelves at xtra-vision or chartbusters etc. they’re just the same formulaic hollywood bullshit. you want REAL films go to LASER on George’s St., Dublin. they’re definitely the best for prices, quality and choice. huge selection there, way more than xtra-vision.
Yeah, at this point buying is a fairly good option… for just twice the price of renting you can usually pick up a good dvd. And when I say twice the price I mean *if* you take your dvd rentals back on time, which I rarely remember to do, so it works out well for me to buy 😉
Also, for those living in Cork you could consider going to Chartbusters on Macurtain street who have a good foreign section as well as a reasonable selection of older films… and everything generally cheaper than Xtravision.
Read you piece about Xtravision – I hate them. Have you tried Busybeedvd.com – online rental like nexflix based in Dublin. I’ve used them since March for €9.95 per month I get all the new releases by freepost and there are no late fees. I used code FREE04 got a free 14 day trial and a 20% discount.
Peter
I was having a look at the Busybeedvd site, but I’m put off by there not being tangible contact details. PO Box only is not good enough
Michele
I found that laser video on South Great Georges street is amazing for old movies.They are a life saver for film students, to get those harder to find movies. Their prices arent so bad, though also not to far off from xtravision. They also do deals on 3 old movies for three nights for the price of one etc. The whole downstairs of their store is filled with foreign classics and they also have an extensive documentary section.
-Mariel
Film Student
Mariel – I’ve heard of laser. They sound like the kind of video rental shop that I’d like 🙂
I spent 3/4 of an hour this evening in Xtravision trying to find something to watch. The choice seems to get worse every week.
Michele
I just avoid xtravision, the only good thing they have going for them is the fact that they dominate the video rental system, get a laser account, I think you need recent bills for registration, they also have a new shop on South William Street where their selling off loads of their old movies for cheap (films like breathless, dr.caligari, 8 1/2) I spent around €50 on 4 classic movies last time.
soon there will be no rentals, only digital tv where you order in your movies anyways.
Mariel
I’m not based in Dublin, so Laser aren’t an option unfortunately 🙂
Try http://www.screenclick.com. Online DVD rental service. More movies than Xtra Vision. Free Delivery and no late fees. Find the service excellent and they work with big brands such as Sony. Have phone support from 9-5 also which is great
forget extra vision just uses ares p2p free movie downloads on the internet.
Mike – That would be illegal.
no only are they ripping us off on rental charges xtravision in celbridge are refusing to
give the second disc that comes with some dvds but they still charge you full rental price bit of a cheek i think
where do we get the stats on DVD rental need it for college exercise
i have been using the busybee site i think its great, i received some microwave popcorn with my last batch which i thought was avery nice touch!! they work out to be very cheap, much cheaper then xtra-vision etc..type in free01 and get 2 weeks free trial!!!
guff – I don’t like the fact that there is no mailing address on their website
blacknight- maybe its for security reasons?? they have a contact email address, im sure if you emailed them they would tell you..but as far as value for money its defo the best i think if you are into dvd’s!! beats extra vision thats for sure..
gufff – I think you are missing my point entirely. Why on earth would I email someone to get their supposed contact details? Security reasons? Hello! I am about to hand over MY credit card details to a company. I think I have the right nay the entitlement to know who I am dealing with.
I simply will not deal with companies who do not provide proper details. It’s far too easy to fake domain details etc., and if you want to conduct ecommerce you need to provide your clientele with proper contact details.
try screenclick.com. best online service with address, phone support 9 to 5. excellent cust service and am with them 8 months. xtra vision days are numbered
busybee Mailing Address: Busy Bee DVD, 16 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Dinny – nice to see that they’ve finally decided to put that there.
Hey,
I totally agree on the rental ripoff at xtravision. Their prices have always been higher than the average, even before the advent of downloads. The thing is, there is absolutly no difference between the product they sell ,dvds, and the videoshop around the corner. Its not a better dvd, its not more special or has extra scenes or anything, its the same thing. They believe your paying for the convience as they have stomped their big corporate foot in a rural area and shut “paudies rentals”. Its a blatent rip off, only nowadays they have a more viable excuse to overprice. But the again, if you pay it (I do), what do you expect? You can be sure they’ll slip onto the online market. Lets see em try and rip off there. I went in the other day to set up an account, as xtravision is the only video shop for 3 miles in my area. I handed over my rent book, a bill and was asked for ID. No bother. Had my passport. When the clerk started jotting down my passport number I stopped him and asked him why he was doing that. He said it was policy. I asked if I brought in another id, would he have asked for my passport number, which I would been a little stunned if I was asked for it ad probably wouldn’t have given it..He said “no, but if your handed a passport, you take it.” I know this may be so they can track you for the fifty euro bullshit fine they can send you if you forget to drop it back within the 24 hour period you have paid 5 euros for, but I thought that was a bit rediculious. I said to say I dont want it taken down please, and if they’re was a problem with management to ring me. Received no call. I thought it was damn cheeky. The poor clerk man was only doing his job and I felt mean for putting him in an akward situation, but I just dont see willingly throwing my passport number into the buisness system as a good thing. Hell, your boss doesnt know it, your landlord nor your own damm mother, why xtravision? oops this turned into a rant, but it anoyed me.
They either take your passport or your driving licence, it has to be something they can track. You’ll never get a call back though, management are rubbish for that.
Yes Xtravision is terrible for old/foreign/alternative films but that’s not what its been about for the last few years. I remember when I was younger and the shop was divided up into genres and had a decent enough selection of everything, including foreign movies. Now they’re just lumped into new releases (anything just out to 2yrs old) or anything older than 2yrs. The best thing that can be said for it is that if it is the newest blockbuster you want to rent, Xtravision will have about 20 copies available so you do have a pretty good chance of getting to see it in its first week of release.
It’ll probably be redundant in about ten years time due to screen click, but its trying to counteract that by having moved into consumer electronics, mobile phones and music. I used to work there and mobile phones were a biggie but to be honest, I’d rather buy my phone or dvd player from a proper shop where staff are actually trained in the knowledge of their products (received 0 training, I had to read the Argos catalogue to get some idea of what I was selling to people). I could help people with movies and games all day but anything else – kapput.
One thing though – I see people are complaining about fines – get over it, you drop it back late, you pay a fine, simple as that. (It’s not a “fifty euro bullshit fine”, it’s €5.25 per night you have the dvd) People used to be so crap about that.
Thre is a new player coming onto Irish online rental DVD market called http://www.moviestar.ie the site will be live in July 2006, have done some work for them , looks great, big business players behind them, they will launch with some great offers aswell
Mark – is this an original business or yet another franchise?
Original business, starting from scratch, they will rent DVDs., Games , and UMD for PSP, people behind it have number of other business in Ireland and UK
hello, a real genuine xv staff member here and would just like to clear up the passport comment. firstly you commented on not being nice to the ‘clerk’ even though you knew he was just doin his job….are you some freak who likes goin round upsetting underpaid overworked (we dont just watch movies all day) ‘clerks’ because he cared enough about his job to try and do it right?? secondly your passport details are shared with nobody and more than likely will end up in the shredder within 3 months. xv gets fleeced everyday because of bogus a/c’s being opened up, the strict id is there as a deterrent.
price increases are a part of every business and without them the likes of xv would still be just another video store going down the pan so deal with it and finally if you rent a dvd for 1 night its due back the next day and if you cant manage that you will be fined for an extra nights rental and no more…….unless you were dealing with a ‘clerk’ you previously upset….in that case 50 euro fine would be well deserved.
TRY SCREENCLICK.COM NOW. they were bought in Feb by biggest country in europe and now have an amazing service. 10+ dvds every month with all latest releases. see the offer they have in spar now for 12.99. huge spar tv campaign on at the moment. month from screenclick and wine doritos etc for only 12.99
xtra vision only in business because they sell games and hardware. muppets
Derek – While I may agree with some of your points I don’t agree on the pricing. It would be very different if XV were actually paying their staff well, but they aren’t.
Paco – I’ve heard very mixed reviews about screenclick.
michele, thanx for your thoughts and i agree the pricing could be cheaper but i dunno if your aware of the rental vs retail pricing policy that all the major studios have at the mo?
short outline for ya without boring you to tears:
movie comes out for rent and for sale on the same day.
high street price to buy 20 euro, dealer price, dont exactly know but say 15 euro. xv has to pay upwards of 30 euro for a rental copy because its against the law to rent retail copies so xv has to rent a movie at least 6 times before it starts making money.
hope that makes sense.
bye for now.
Hi Mark, the big business people behind that, are those not the same people that ripped off 100,000’s people in the UK and even here in Ireland with the premium rate phone numbers and eventually were banned from running those companies. – told people they had won a prize but the person had to pay over £10 in phone charges to get a £5 prize? There was a big write up on it in the BBC
Hello, another Xtravision employee in a management position here.
In regards to one point mentioned about how we don’t stock dvd’s over 2 years old, that only applies to SOME stores. My store has:
A FULL back catalogue of comedy, kids, horror, sci fi, action, FOREIGN (tartan asia films) and tons more, all priced at €2.50 for
Xtra vision employee here in a management position here.
In regards to the point about having nothing in dvds aside from the last 2 years worth of releases, that does not apply to all stores.
My store has a full back catalogue of comedy, action, sci fi, kids, foreign (tartan movies) available to customers at a measly €2.50 for 2 nights or 3 for a week for €6.
Also, yes we don’t get paid very well at all, and if you have a late fee, start bringing your movies back. Xtra vision (if you worked for the company) you would see how LENIANT we actually are towards customers.
D
Screenclick? 10+ DVDs per month? Not in my experience (as a member for several months). More like 6 to 8.
And you better not be fussy as to which movie they send you 🙂
(ps it’s €20 per month, not €13.)
Adrian
I heard very similar stories
Michele
just read all the previous comments and spotted moviestar.ie gonna give them a try,currently live in the middle of no where so dvd by post is the best.currently get my dvds by screenclick but no matter what package your on they restricked your supply{return 2 dvds only get 1 in return or return 3 dvds only get 1 or 2 in return or waiting 2 to 3 days for next delivery}also just had a look and seems to be better selection of older movies as well as all the new releases and better web page lay out and cheaper{best of all}
I see there is a new online DVD rental company called http://www.moviestar.ie
Its by Gavin McConnon and Iain McConnon. The McConnon brothers have a few other businesses. The moviestar website seems to be cheaper and have a better selection of TV and new films. The website seems much easier to navigate.
2 things…
busybeedvd rent illegal “not for rental” DVDs.
the McConnon brothers??? need i say anything. why anyone would give that pair E1 i don’t know. see the Mirror story entitled “cheque creeps”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/mirrorinvestigates/tm_column_date=14042005-name_index.html
its a joke what you can get away with
Moviestar is run by the Mc Connon brothers (Gavin & Iain) MY QUESTION TO EVERYONE OUT THERE IS WHY WOULD ANYONE GIVE THEIR CREDIT/DEBIT CARD DETAILS TO THIS PAIR?
Moviestar, whats the catch MC Connons?
EDIT: I\\\’ve removed some of this comment as it is libellous / defamatory
Peter0, it’s those other businesses that make people worried, have to agree with Paco here, I read articale in Sundays business Post
http://www.thepost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=NEWS%20FEATURES-qqqs=news-qqqid=16686-qqqx=1.asp
and to be honest it sounds like these guys are complete scumbags and I wouldn’t give them a single cent.
You wouldn’t happen to be one of the McConnon brothers as you’ve posted on boards promoting this site and its getting slated over there on low levels that they go to to make money
Kindly refrain from making libellous / defamatory comments about Moviestar or other companies. If you want to do that I’d recommend you do it on your own blog, as this is not the platform for it
OH MY GOD!
just received a DVD from moviestar. just like busybee it is a “not for rental” retail DVD. ie it costs a third of the price of the legit copy. what a bunch of jokers. I have just notified warner bros and INFACT in Dublin.
also re the “FREE” dvd player. If you do not pay for 4 months they CHARGE you E45 for the piece of crap dvd player. read the ts and cs. you only get away with things like this in this country. will be on to the business post after lunch re these clowns
Hey.
I’ve been with http://www.screenclick.com/ (previously dvdrentals.com) for over a year now and I love it. The delivery is always prompt and the turnaround from them is swift.
U gotta have a good big list of movies that you wanna see and sure, you don’t know what yer gonna get till the post it but it has never bothered me.
I reckon I get thru about 6 movies on average a month with no hassle…that’s just over €3 a rental and I get the flexibility to watch it whenever I like and never pay late fees.
And the collection is Massive with new additions almost daily.
What can I say?
I am a fan and can only recommend em to any movie fan out there.
Deffo streets ahead of going to xtravision and the likes IMO.
Fozz.
Movie companies will soon be offering DivX downloads for a fraction of the €5.25 price that Xtravision are charging.
Download a movie that is just released in 15 minutes and bobs your uncle. Movies on demand.
You can do this illegally through P/P presently but that is illegal.
Sean – Until we all get really fast broadband downloading high quality DivX is going to be too time-consuming .. I end up buying dvds instead..
Thanks for your comments
Michele
If you have a 3MB connection, you can expect that an average sized DivX movie (650-700MB) would take about 15 minutes from a good fileserver.
Near Video on demand methinks.
By the way this is a good blog site.
Sean
If you have a *stable* 3 meg connection and can get access to a local fileserver that is on a decent network then maybe you’d get a reasonable quality DivX, but for it to be of comparable quality to a DVD it would probably be a lot bigger than 700 megs.. I like being able to lie back on my couch and watch films on a reasonable size screen 🙂
Glad you like the blog 🙂
Michele
Michelle is dead right there.
Speaking of downloads, if u wanna get DVD quality then yer looking at a 4 odd GB download….actual VOB files and the likes.
DivX downloads will do if you just wanna see a movie but if you wanna EXPERIENCE the movie (outside the cinema) then just rent the DVD.
Put it on yer Plasma and yer surrounds and enjoy it how it was meant to be enjoyed.
This idea of downloading the latest blockbuster in a 700Mb avi and watching it on yer laptop is not something I would do and I don’t believe most movie lovers would be interested either.
Ciaran
Which is why I spend so much money on DVDs 🙂
Xtravision can’t hack it, so I get DVDs from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon France, Sendit and CD Wow. I’ve been getting some very nice deals through the Amazon marketplace sellers and am probably saving a fortune on late fees 🙂
wow…just reading down along all those comments…and it so obvious there’s employees placing comments from moviestar and screenclick in particular, trying to promote their companies…LEAVE IT OUT…what bullsh&t…will the pair of you STOP the crap…and let actual users decide what they like and dont like, and stop trying to knock the other companies….its really petty, and doesnt come across to good…do you think we are all fools???? its turned me off you big time….
Gufff, who do you think are the employees of these companies promoting themselves?
I know I gave some pro-screenclick opinions above and I stand by then but I can categorically state that I am in no way affiliated with the company except that I am a customer of theirs.
I have nothing negative to say about Moviestar as I have no first hand experience of em.
I just feel that the whole mail order DVD rentals works way better for me than the over the shelf types (generally referred to as “Xtravision”!).
And my experience with Screenclick has been great.
Not sure if this thread is still going, just stumbled across it, em, I agree that the online dvd in the post is a great thing, less hassle and usually less money, but not everyone has the internet and not everyone wants it so places like Xtra Vision have to keep going! But what do you expect dvd stores to do? Pack up everything? close all stores and try rent all their dvds online instead? There’s tough competition out there, what do other businesses do when their competition gets tough? x
i think your all nuts
Elle – other businesses innovate… Unfortunately in a lot of Irish towns there is no real competition for Xtravision left anymore
i dont really care what the moviestar owners have done b4. if its cheap and legal why not. its not like other companys out there have never done anything illegal in there time
Gary from Celbridge…quit the whining.
No 2nd disc,you pay for the movie,not the special features. What happens when you include the special features disc is people return it,and don’t return the movie. This can be easily missed by staff and you lose half the dvds.
There is also quite an extensive world cinema section in the celbridge store. Only the majoirty of the time someone rents them they bring them back not realising it is in another language. In business you cater for the market,not the whiners like the person who wrote this blog. If you tried to cater for these people,you would be out of business.
FYI,not all new releases are 5.25,the older ones are 4 quid,with 4 of them going for 10 euro for a week. Old movies,2.50 each or 3 for 6euro, 5 for 9euro for a week.
Prices in retail will beat any major dvd/game retailer with the exception of places like Tesco and Dunnes who can afford to sell dvds at a lower prices because it is not their major market.
Brian
You pay to rent a DVD. If the DVD has two discs in the edition you are renting, why shouldn’t you get the second disc?
The Celbridge shop may have a decent world cinema selection, but most of the other Xtravisions I’ve been to don’t.
Michele
michelle, donno whie7ch xtravision u go 2. but any xv i’ve been have decent bit movies in it, although there isnt much world cinema/foreign stuff i hav to say, but remember they’re catering for the irish market, also the facing + business backing they give to the irish made movies is brilliant.
i have seen this company evolve from smelly small tiny rent only stores to mega super stores challenging the likes of high street hmv/virign. im the person who likes to research first before buy & have to say their pricing is very aggressive/competitive, they might be couple of quids more here there but they are cheaper in many areas.
Mark
The problem with a company like Xtravision is that they pretty much dictate what the market gets to see. Arguing that they are catering to the market would be valid if they were a smaller operation.
The company you remember was the original Xtravision – it was bought out several years ago.
As for pricing of films – they’re not that competitive – I often see films cheaper in Golden Discs or elsewhere (Amazon / CD WOW / Play.com )
Michele
thats a bit harsh judging of a business there michelle. online companies doesnt hav 2 pay rates/rents/costs etc. etc. to that extent where a physical store does, whlist a bit dearer prices. Comparing to golden disc,,, my daughter bought a chart cd in GD for 15 and what she got with it??…just her receipt. I just bought a chart cd in XV as they got in to music aswell, same price 15 & i got €5 worth of rental vouchers, hence the better deal?!?
all Sopranos dvd box sets in GD for 49.95, in XV for some seasons 40 quids. better price? interent is at your spare michelle, use it.;)
Mark
The name is Michele with one L not two.
I am fully aware of the costs of running a business, however I see other DVD rental shops (not Xtravision) doing rentals at much lower prices….
Michele
ok…michelle with one l not two.
any place where xv has a competitor alongside em they have exact same rental pricing but where there isnt its 5 quids for rental. yes, its hard on the pocket some times, BUT, its business, chartbuster/movie magic have all done the same but as soon as another rental shop goes in they’re down to earth.
also, i know the history of this co. its actually blockbuster (the ones u see in states/uk)….the reason they kept XV name coz it was 2nd most aware brand in the country after coca cola + blockbuster color is blue which is same as chartbusters which wud hav created consufsion.
anyway, monopoly comes with the size of business michele, see microsoft, shell, see man utd 60 quids for tickets while their neighbour city is 30quids. etc. etc. its sheer business. i wud hav done the same pricing to make profit if it was mine, dont u?
heh there!!
have you tried the online rental sites yet?? it solves all that over pricing issue…
http://www.busybeedvd.com only charge as little as 9.95 for unlimited dvd’s ina month, and theres non of the late fees issue…its a no brainer!!! no rip off at all…
if you enter this number when prompted: 358349 should get you a free month od unlimited dvd’s…give it a go let me know what you think..
see above. busybee rent illegal retail product and should be shut down. see http://www.rentalrightsprotection.org for more info. only proper online service is screenclick
Paco – Unless you have proof to backup that claim I will have to remove your comment
Michele
heh paco….that is very strong allegations you are making and dont think you should come out with such comments…i have had no problems with busybee and have been using them for some time now, i never received any retail DVD’s.
they are bringing something different to the dvd market so why not let them be..i think its great all these online rental companies starting up, they are bringing competitiveness into the dvd rental market which is badly needed!!!! and for only 9.95 for unlimited DVD’s in a month its a no brainer..so the more companies the better for the customer point of view!!!
watevr guff. that is strong allegations ??? u know best obviously. hardly worth the effort
there are lots of comment’s that are relly good and here is my comment:there are lots of things to amouse you on xtra-vishion that is why I gi on it every day after my tea and my real name is dority
hope you get me comment
from
dority
paco u are relly good at ur comment’s
michelle i agree with u totally, xtra vision are a bunch of scammers, i rented out carlito’s way 2 and i was returning it and i didnt notice that i had in the name of the father in there by mistake so i handed the dvd to the clerk no sweats, then i went to rent a dvd 2 weeks later and they told methat i owed £30 in lat fees, so i was on a rampage with the mamager and he said that fair is fair. i said that use were technically renting our dvd at the same time and they still wouldnt budge. i have never went to xtra vision since.
Try this one. Extra vision are magically applying overdue rental costs that are several months old.
They try and tell you there is a €10 cedit limit, and they must have informed other members if your family about the costs who just didn’t pass on the message. Which is a bit strange since it’s always myself who collects and returns the DVD’s. About a dozen rentals and two months later, they spring this cost on you and basically accuse your family of telling lies, and that their system is infallible. I have been renting video’s and DVD’s off them for 14 years, well now they can go fek themselves. Looking at some of the other comments, they’ve grown too big for their boots and have simply forgotten, or have gone past caring that the average joe soap in the street does not appreciate being ripped off. Michael Griffin – cop on while you’ve still got a business left !
I faked my own death for a 5 Euro Xtra Vision Fine.
“Hello, I’m looking for Doyle, Doyle Kowalski”
“Who’s calling please”
“I’m calling from Xtra Vision”
“(quietly sobbing) he..he’s dead”
“Excuse me?”
“(louder uncontrollable crying)HE”S F*&KING DEAD ALRIGHT, DEAD, DEAD, DEAD.
“OK Sir, I’m sorry to hear that”
“(quietly sobbing)OK just cancel his account or whatever yeah, bye”
“There is just the matter of…”
“(Uncontrollable sobbing AAAGGGHHH sorry I can’t really talk now just cancel his account CANCEL HIS ACCOUNT”
“But Sir there is an outstanding payment on…..”
“Listen you c*nt, cancel his account that movie was sh*t it probably played a part in his untimely death”
(Hangs up)
So now I’m going to Chartbusters the staff are a lot friendlier.
Doyle
Killing yourself off is a bit extreme 🙂
Michele
hiya everyone i dont normally respond,but in this case i feel i just have to,i have been working for xv for over 8 yrs and all the staff in our store make up about 35-40 yrs in only 4 staff we are not well paid but you say,WHAT KEEPS US THERE?not only is it a great company to work for but our customers are great,the majority are loyal,honest and dedicated movie lovers.we at xtravision build old fashioned relationships with our customers and provide an individual customer relation which leaves alot to be said for subscribers.Now our prices, im sure you have no problem leaving over 5 euros for a drink at a bar this is only about half an hour experience for one, when many can enjoy a night of entertainment for a measly 5.25.keep enjoying ur lives and stop whinging about services and people who are trying to entertain YOU …
Doyle = Legend, faking your death is brilliant
XV is useless. I’m glad it’ll be gone in 10yrs. The one in Killiney actually tries it’s best to stop people joining.
Bottom line is when you can download a movie for free or buy one for €10 why bother rent one for €5.25
Fighting a losing battle
i work in XV meself to pay my way through college. to all those who are having a rant about paying fines and whatnot, here’s a few points to note –
-the person serving you is only doing what they’re told, so dont be a gimp about paying fines
-the best way to avoid fines is to bring the feckin thing back on time!
-since the buyout its owned by pretty much every media giant in the world, hence the commercial rubbish selection
-if you act like a tosser, you’re going to get the same in return off us
-we check every night that no dvds have been filed away without being put through the computer so balances dont just magically appear
-Jerry, our computers are not infallible, no technology today is, but I’ve been working there a year and there’s been more than one case of a family member keeping something late and not telling mammy/daddy
and thanks amanda for stickin up for the blue shirt brigade…sometimes i hate the job but thats cos of the customers who feel that im there to lick their shoes
hey there….
some heated stuff on this topic alrite!!:)
was just wondering does anyone know the starting off rate per hour in an xtra-vision store these days?
And also is it double time on a sunday?
its for this college thing on “the rates of pay” from the big businesses in Ireland today.
Thanks
8.36 ph starting off, time plus 33% on sundays….hardly a fortune
god i dont understand people nowadays. ive been with XV for 6 months now, and theyre great to work for. ok the money isnt great but i love my job and love da customers. It says on terms and conditions when you sign up that you are liable to any fines that are created by your negligence on leaving dvds back late. Why should xtravision fork out for customers who refuse to comply with the rental agreements? its not that hard to leave a dvd back is it?
and another thing, the staff in xtravision are only doing a job, so when you’re asked to pay a fine theres no point in huffing and puffing about it…the staff didnt run the fine up, you the customer did.
As for the price hikes, ummm inflation??? doesnt everything rise. Don’t cigs, alcohol, fuel increase all the time? Sounds like alot fo the complainers on here are from rival companies who are simply underperforming in comparison to XV
S x
I was just reading through and I wanted to clear a few things up about the rental business. Rental dvds cost on average €42+vat(€50.82) each. A retail copy costs €16.95+vat each. It is illegal to rent retail copys and if you are renting them the company should be reported.
Dvd business’s don’t make alot of money hence the minimum wage.I would love to pay our staff more as they are a great bunch but I cannot afford to do so.The Piracy/online rental has had a huge impact on our business in the last 4 years reducing our takings by half each day, I myself as an owner have very small wage, but I love the business and hope to keep it up as long as I can.I don’t charge as much as XV. I charge 4.50 per night (4.00 LATE). I have a huge stock & appreciate my customers.The only thing about XV that is crazy is their “Exclusives”. I have customers in looking for films I cannot give them because XV has exclusive rights to them. Is this not unfair traiding??
my suggestion would be to point them in xtravisions direction 🙂
canada sucks
Damian,
Unfortunately the technology is moving on.
In a few years, you may as well be renting LPs as renting DVDs.
Last night I watched Grindhouse, the new Q Tarantino movie. On my TV. Perfect picture quality. I downloaded it from the web. You won’t have this movie to rent till the Autumn. Neither will XV.
Downloads are the future.
If I can do it, anybody can do it. This is the problem for you and XV.
Grrrr, I work and Xtra vision and I decided to rent the second disc with 2 disc movies, NEVER AGIAN! We no longer had any copies of Xmen 3, Clerks 2 or Tideland in our store since no one returned the feature disc, just the second one. It became a nightmare of ringing people up to get them back and hardly anyone bothered to return them. Some people claimed they just got the features disc and it was impossible to prove who’s lying.
In short, there is a reason Xtra Vision don’t rent out disc 2s, I found out the hard way.
I’ve just finished up my free one month trial with ScreenClick and I can’t really say I was impressed. Yes it is cheaper than your local XtraVision but you only make a big saving if you watch a lot of movies and can return them immediately. Otherwise the pricing isn’t that great.
For instance I was able to rent 8 DVD’s during my one month trial – if you give them a store rental price of a fiver that’s 40 quid. The ScreenClick price for that plan is 19.99 so yes there is a saving. But that was pretty much flat out watching both DVDs the day they were received and popping them in the post the next day. In normal circumstances anybody with a job, a life or a family wouldn’t be able to do that. And the price remains the same if you rent new releases or older films where older films are generally cheaper in stores.
Also Screenclick are quite slow with their despatch. I sent 2 DVD’s back to them on a Monday, they weren’t registered as returned until Wednesday so the follow up DVD’s arrived on Thursday and Friday. Not that quick.
Personally I wouldn’t bother with a postal rental company again unless the halved their prices which would make it much more attractive and literally annihilate the XtraVisions and Chartbusters of this world.
This is the worst thing i’ve every read, is someone going to give me back the wasted time i’ve spent reading this. Get a life, Really all this over the price of a DVD, good for you to be in this position to complain, if it hurts you so bad why not try and give the money to charity
What’s all this talk of Xtravision? I work for Chartbusters, and many of the non-Dublin stores only charge e4.75 per night for a new release. If you walk up the street XV is charging e5.25. Also, the service in the bigger shops our main competitor can be brutal; we have new members joining up all the time saying they would be waiting 2o minutes in a queue at XV to be served! At least Chartbusters doesn’t rely on rentals and dvd sales as much; the powers that be have the tanning and internet cafes in the stores now. So I have no doubt they’ll survive, Screnclick or no Screenclick. I totally agree with some of the comments; it isn’t the best paid job, but it’s the relationships you build up with the regualrs that makes it tolerable. And if there’s money on your account, JUST PAY IT, and don’t be a little bitch moaning about it. If a DVD you rented isn’t back on the day it’s due back, that means a paying customer can’t come into the store and rent it that night, so it’s only fair- it’s all in the Ts & Cs. You wouldn’t dispute your food bill in the supermarket so why should DVD’s be any different??
I’ve been with Screenclick for over a year, and get 2 at a time. They were great at the start, but that seems to be so you’ll stick with them.
The service has declined since then. I think they don’t have enough staff as the turnaround of dvds is not as fast as it should be.
If your dvds are in the post on Sunday, you may not always get replacements by the next weekend, which is when you need them. I sent 2 back to them last weekend; it’s now Wednesday and they are still not marked as “Returned” on my account. It will be at least Thursday if not later before they are sent to me so there’s only a small chance of getting them by the weekend, as An Post don’t always do next day delivery.
Even taking postage delays into account, they should have been sent to me yesterday or today.
Also, from experience, it appears to me that they have a policy that if you’ve already had 2 in a week, they won’t send you more until the next week.
So when they say that on the 2-at-a-time Silver plan you can get 10+ a month, this won’t actually happen.
I am considering cancelling my subscription!
Me again. Just phoned Screenclick to see what the hold-up is and I was told there were no operators available, and that I could email or leave a voicemail.
I already emailed them but they have not replied to the email.
I wanted to wait to get through to someone, but I was given no option to do this. I was automatically put through to voicemail but got a message saying the mailbox was full. Then I was cut off.
And this is supposed to be customer service?
Mary
For an online business Screenclick are terrible at answering emails. I think it took them about 3 or 4 days to reply to my accounts queries earlier this year.
Michele
As an employee of xtravision, i can safely say the chain is in fact the work of the devil. Owned by a huge american company, they can afford to advertise on radio and tv, but not to upgrade their 25 year old barely functioning computer system. To most people these computers look like some kind of hacker terminal. The shop where i work is understaffed, though its a busy shop in a city suburb. The incentives they offer for staff arent even worth your while trying, as the way its set up the manager will always get the bonus. Yes yes, xtra vision sucks complete balls. There’s easier jobs you could work for minimum wage, with less stress.
Hi Simon,
I’ve just come up with a radical solution to ease the burden of misery you have because of working in xtra-vision………..find another job!!!!!!
simon, as an employee of xtravision, you should know of the new system coming in next year….obviously u dont really care about the job or have any interest in it.
i worked for the company for 7 months before i became manager, the help i have gotten to be where i am now is fantastic, the support from dublin and belfast is fantastic and also from my DM. In xtra-vision, you have the chance to progress providing you show your own initiative and willingness to help the company grow. a reason why alot of stores are understaffed is because XV won’t just take on anybody, the process is long-winded to get the appropriate staff to serve customer needs. you go into any store in ireland, and the majority of the staff working know their job to the T and are enthusiastic in the challenges they face. It would appear Simon that, you are in the minority
ACTUALY HE’S NOT. I TOO WORK FOR THEM AND TRUST ME
WHEN I SAY THIS UNDERSTAFFING IS ONE SEVERAL MAJOR ISSUES THAT A LOT OF MANAGERS HAVE WITH THE COMPANY.
hi people, i think the web based internet home delivery is great but the restriction it has on the amount you rent etc just dosnt work for me cuz i was going to sign up for one of those but then found this place in letterkenny call MOVIEBANK it a 24 HOUR dvd renatl store, the great side is its man by staff during teh day into the nite late enough and i have to say they are very friendly and if i need a good movie they can reccommed one for me and i always enjoy it bet you dont get that on the net based sites ha ha. there prices are so much cheaper then xv is well and far far better offers, think theres a few moviebanks opening around ireland so i say open up cuz it is soo soo handy 🙂 :):) plus one for moviebank minus one for xv and net based lazy money sites :L :L lol
the way i see it , the rental industry is going down the pan very fast.Unless the people in head office in dublin get their collective fingers out there will be no xtraviosion in about 10 years.
I’m a manager in said company, my store is losing money faster than a hippie in holland, and i’m totally under staffed at the moment,very hard to hold onto staff as they are very underpaid,and they get nothing but abuse on a daily basis from the scum of society that frequents our store……..so long story short– can’t wait to go back to college next year and finish my studies(finally).
If ye don’t like xtravision -don’t go there simple as, stop whining!!!!!