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ScreenSelect Customer Comments |
Roy from Cirencester on 2006-11-23 Rates them:  
Just in case anyone is considering Screen Select be aware that any good things you may have heard about that company cannot be assumed to still apply since they were taken over by "LoveFilm". After two years with Screen Select I have just cancelled my subscription. |
Steven from Walsall on 2006-11-13 Rates them:
Can't believe all these silly 1-star reviews... what do you people want - blood? Lets be realistic, for 12.50 a month you can pretty much expect to recieve 10 - 15 titles to pop thru your letter box, depending on how quickly they despatch/how quickly you watch. Thats a quid a movie. Pretty good value people, yeah? I've been with them about 6 months now and yes, i've had a couple of discs which were damaged but as soon as i reported it they sent me another title from my selection, i didn't need to wait for them to recieve the damaged disc. Thats pretty fair i think. As for turnaround times well if i post one back on Monday and get a new one Wednesday i'm happy. They also say right from the start that you need at least 10, preferably 20 titles on your rental list to keep things comeing thick and fast, so it doesn't take a genius to work out that titles from the top of your list might not come in the first week of release now does it? Give these guys a break, they're doing a pretty good job! |
Jo from Burgess Hill on 2006-10-24 Rates them:
I have been with Screen select for about 3 years with no problems at all. This last few weeks they have merged with lovefilm. I have been waiting 5 days for an allocation of a new dvd after a return. Screen select used to turn around their dvds same day. I will be looking to change companies now as the service is rubbish |
Mr from Surrey on 2006-10-09 Rates them:
I my opinion Screenselect and Blockbuster are the two outstanding rental firms on the net. I am a member of both currently on their 5 disc deals. Blockbuster don't have a monthly limit. Screenselect do...which is 40. I have reached my limit a few times so Blockbuster wins on that point. Screenselect have extras discs for some titles whereas Blockbuster don't so I'll give screenselect a point for that. However this is the real breaker for me. Blockbuster post the extras discs with the feature together. That would count as two discs with Screenselect. 2 points for Blockbuster as that effectively saves you money. Their 5 disc deal is cheaper by £3 with Blocbuster than it is with Screenselect so another 2 points for that. Screenselects service is not the promptest. Blockbusters is, always. I don't like their plastic envelopes though as these are non recyclable in my area so my vote goes to Screenselect for using recyclable envelopes. Screenselect give user opinions about the titles which is important too in my opinion. My vote goes to Blockbusters. They started late but are now the best. They save you money and deliver titles more promptly than Screenselect. I've been with Screenselect fo nigh on 2.5 years now. It's time for a change however much I hated Blockbusters stores and service within those stores. They seemed to have embraced this new model extremely well. |
Alec from Weymouth on 2006-10-08 Rates them:
Had a good experience with this company, used their free trial and found the service quick and easy. I did cancel well within the 2 weeks though and was careful to get proof of postage on returns. They have the best site making it easy to find films. I note with some caution that they have changed their terms and conditions since I tried them. With all these companies it pays to check terms carefully before signing.
Ps don’t get stung by postadvd.com worst conmen on the net.
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Scott from Hawick on 2006-09-22 Rates them:
Why isn't there a 0? I signed up for 2DVDs and it went quite smoothly. Even though I live in a remote park of Scotland I still enjoyed a four day turnaround. The problem started when my wife sent a case back without the DVD. It took four weeks for them to finally say send it back in a blank case. In the meantime I was paying for 2DVDs but only getting 1. Responses to my numerous emails took about a week. I understand why they don't show a telephone number. I threatened cancellation at the beginning of my next month and the DVDs stopped altogether. Not a very good outfit. Very "back of a transit van" like. |
Stephen from Brentwood on 2006-09-19 Rates them:
I can't believe all these one star reviews are of the same company. Most of these reviews seem to be for short period experiances with the company. I can't defend the free trial ones as this is obviously reprehesible. When giving a site like this a rating you have to take into account what the other sites are like. They all delay to a certain extent but over the last two years I've rated 340 films and that's not including the "worthy" slower ones like Death in Venice or Broken Flowers. Imagine renting 340 films from Blockbusters on the highstreet. The bill would be astronomical! They do have the occasional customer service fiasco but in the long haul it's more than worth it. Blockbuster have all the same problems and more but somehow score higher. They do give a count of DVDs rented in the current billing cycle - it's on the My Acount page.
You have to time it carefully to get two dispatches a week. You have to send films back on Monday or Tuesday which gives you three days of turnaround before the new ones arrive between Friday and Saturday. It helps not to fill your most wanted list with bang-up-to-date movies (I have a lot of old Bogart and Cagney film in my list and the mix is nice - To have and have not and Munich today).
I understand people's complaints I'm just trying to say that if you adjust to the particular way these companies run most of the problems don't become problems any more. I used to expect all the lastest and only the lastest and since that didn't work I've discovered Bogart, Kurosawa and Studio Ghibli so I'm happy.
None of the other rental sites are any better, I know because I've tried most of them in the last two years alongside Screenselect i.e My Screenselect account is two years old my Blockbuster account is two months old.
Blockbuster makes it hard to rate films and find films unless you already know what to look for, Amazon and EasyCinema are too expensive, LoveFilm is as yet untried and the rest have the same problems but more so and with limited selections.
As for Martin from Watford 2005-12-12 they do make it very clear that it is a subscription based service. Like a Gym membership, Sky TV or an ISP, they charge you whether you use the sevice or not.
In short this is my experience with the best the UK has to offer. |
Susan from Lancashire on 2006-09-13 Rates them:
I just want to add my comments that this company can not be trusted. I had a free trial and then took out a paid three month subscription, after which I cancelled in good time and sent my disks back to reach them by the deadline date. I was still charged £9.99 and no amount of reasoning has made them budge. I have decided to write off the £9.99 for the exact reason mentioned earlier by another member... I would not trust them not to do the exact same thing again and thereby simply to FORCE you to stay a member. WHAT A GREAT SCAM. Deal with them at your peril and be warned that even the credit card companies will not necessarily refund you as it seems to be OK to be a scam artist as long as you say so in your terms and conditions. |
Simon from Birmingham on 2006-09-05 Rates them:
Absoloute Sh*t.. Free trial ended Dvds were sent back yet still a charge. then on activating to use the month i had been charged with they billed me again.. yes £29.98 for a very poor 1 month DVD rental service. ABSOULOUTE SHOCKING. I Hope they are taken to Trading standards |
Tim from swynnerton on 2006-08-31 Rates them:
ScreenSelect started out as being a very good choice, turnaround of dvd's was excellent. I'm on the 2 dvd unlimited monthly package the fast turnaround meant I could of ten have up to six dvd's a week. Suddenly the service has gone into decline it can now take up to a week after returning dvd's before the next ones arrive, and the priorty system has turned into a joke. Service continues like this and I will be out within the month! My favorite error was when they indicated they sent 2 dvds, one arrived waited for the other, only to discover it was listed as returned on the website!! |
jerry from gloucester on 2006-08-29 Rates them:
been a member for a couple of years - speed of dispatch has now become ridiculously slow - used to recieve upto 25 dvds a month - now its about 10 - this is on a 3 dvd account.it used to be possible to view a history of all your dispatches on their web site,but this facility has been removed,so its harder to keep track of how many you recieve!looking for an alternative.they are the same company as lovefilm and tescos dvd - who knows how many others? |
Tony from Dudley on 2006-07-10 Rates them:
I joined screenselect for one reason, their monthly subscription for 1 dvd, was cheaper than renting 2 Xbox 360 games from blockbusters, so took advantage of the month free.
I added 5 360 games to my selection, as top priority, and then added a selection of movies. I have probably received about 12 dvd's so far in my trial, 4 of which have been damaged. I am still waiting for them to send a top priority (360) selection.
Today I have removed all the dvds/games from my selection, returned the disks i had at home, and as soon as they have on their site "awaiting allocation" will be cancelling my account.
I have had 4 recommend a friend vouchers, 3 for £10, one for £25, every single one has gone straight in the bin, i would not recommend this "service" to anyone. |
Richard from Berkshire on 2006-05-15 Rates them:
I was stupid enough to buy a years 3 disc at a time subscription upfront because I thought their service was very good. What a mistake! The minute they get your money you hardly ever get a same day turnaround and forget about getting any latest releases they all go to the free trial customers. Even though I also had a problem with Blockbuster in getting top titles (as with all these on- line rental companies once you start paying) they did not fail in turning 120 discs around on the same day in 4 months of rentals. Screenselect advertise themselves as #1 and compare themselves to "a quality automobile: ever reliable, faster than the rest", this is simply not true and are blatantly lying in their advertising, they are more like a car bought from Arthur Daley. As far as I am concerned Blockbuster are #1 because you are getting what they advertise unlimited rentals. I have sent loads of emails and made several phone calls to their customer service, but all I ever get back is contradictory and lying replies with the standard replies that have nothing to do with the problem (e.g. blaming the Postal Service). Their fair use policy should be changed to "If you are able to watch more than 3 films a week we will limit your service even though we say unlimited rentals". |
Harry from Bath on 2006-04-28 Rates them:
I have to agree with all the other negative comments on this Company. Our initial trial period was brillient, so I-we signed up for the 3 month pre-pay option: ie pay for 2 months up front and get 3 months supply of Dvd's. We signed up for the 3 Dvd's at home package. What a mistake that was!!!!
The service is appalling quite frankly and we have yet to get 3 discs at home at any one time. The policy now, apparently, is to send out your discs and when they receive it back to send out another on the day FOLLOWING receipt of your returned discs. All this on what amounts to a 4 day turnaround by them as they do not work weekends. (Monday obviously being the day that they receive back all their discs, I assume) So it's from a Tuesday to a Friday that the business really happens. We get our discs normally on a Tuesday, sometimes Wednesday. We get 2 discs despite paying for 3 at home. We send them back almost straight away but because of the new policy we have to wait until the following Tuesday and-or Wedneday for some more. It works out as NOT 3 discs at home at any one time but 3 discs per week!!!
Email complaints..... forget it. Just a standard stock answer that they must have pre-formed in their computers. All crap. Telephone contact... forget it... as a previous writer has indicated, ARROGANCE springs to mind. This company is big so what do they care. They have my pre-paid cash up front so what the hell. Top choices...... forget it. The wording on the 3 choices offered is so worded that it means nothing. Whether 1st, 2nd or 3rd choices you get what they want to send you. Our top choices are now some 6 weeks old and we are still yet to receive any of them. By the time we get to see them they'll all be on the Tv anyway!!
My recommendation. Steer well clear of these people. Customer service is well down the list. If I could give a minus rating then I would, and I'm still with them, until the start of July anyway and then I/we are off!!!!!..... NEVER to return. This Company stinks!! |
Bluto from MK on 2006-04-11 Rates them:
Beware!! Beware!! These theives will dock your credit card a months money even if you are a member for 30 seconds. Despite sending you emails to say they will not charge you, they take the money anyway. 'it is their policy not to give refunds'.
This is fraud, If it happens to you then simply inform you card company and you will get a FULL REFUND, despite what they say.
They bully you into joining and steal from you to keep your custom.
DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THEM, THEY ARE A SCAM COMPANY.
you have been warned. |
shagun from kingston on 2006-04-05 Rates them:
Just awful
Never got a top choice
and then the same thing happened to me as what happened to others - I wanted to cancel my trial - and sent back 2 videos at the EXACT same time - from the SAME Place - they received one, did not receive the other, I got charged for an additional month. They then DID receive my other title, and still no refund. Customer Service is RUDE and ARROGANT. And in the end of it all, I always got my intermediate titles, NEVER once did I get my high rated titles. Will not use them. Not sure if there is even a decent company around!! |
Russ from Peterborough on 2006-03-22 Rates them:
They've been very good all the time I've been with them and was nearly tempted to take them up on the "pay for 3/6/12 months in advance and get a reduced rate" offer that they have been so heavily plugging, but didn't get round to it.
Good job I didn't as as less than one week after the offer expired, they introduced revised terms and conditions.
If you read the small print, they are now introducing a "fair use policy" which will no doubt slow down your DVDs and probably cripple the service as per Lovefilm.
I pity the poor b*ggers that have committed themselves for 12 months. A dirty trick to pull!
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Rebecca from Aberdeen on 2006-03-22 Rates them:
I have been a Screen Select customer for roughly four months now. At first I was very happy with the customer service I received, then as so many others have said it all started to quickly go down hill. My husband and I use the term 'throttle' after reading a news article accusing Netflix of using this tactic with their customers. My main problem with Screen Select is this: if you claim that a service is to provide unlimited DVD rental, then provide this service. If however you really only plan to allow your customers to rent a certain number of DVD's in order to maintain your profit then be up front and inform your customers as to exactly what this magic number may be. At least this way I am not left completely frustrated by your company and resorting to sending emails voicing my complaints only to receive a (lame) response of company policies that doesn't even relate to my complaint. |
Steve from Banbury on 2006-03-16 Rates them:
Took the free trial to evaluate the service after reading all the bad reviews here. Service was fine, as far as my trial went. Got the DVDs I wanted, in roughly the order I wanted them, however I was disappointed at the cancellation process. In the terms it says you need to cancel on the website, however when you click the link in your account page, all that is there is a telephone number you need to ring. Seems designed to catch people out, especially if you're cancelling right before the end of a month to get as many DVDs as you can for your money. It feels like a dirty trick, and not a very customer friendly approach at all. |
Chris from Stoke on 2006-03-14 Rates them:
The joker in the pack. After having problems I ran a trial between the SS and Tesco service (same company). A film that had been #1 on the SS list for ages eventually arrived through the Tesco a/c, even though it was #10 on the Tesco list! Customer service is the worst I have ever encountered! Turnaround is appalling (up to a week in their hands) and they blame the Post Office every time! Avoid at all costs. |
James from Cheltenham, on 2006-03-09 Rates them:
Can anyone point me in the right Direction, I am trying to get details for THE DVD BIZ LTD who i believe have now merged with ScreenSelect, I have had DVD BIZ taking money out of my account and dont know who they are and how to stop it, After looking on the web a few days ago I found a chat forum that had information on it all, but i lost the link, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can someone help me,
Thanks, James |
Wormbaby from S. Wales on 2006-03-09 Rates them:
I have been with this company for just over a year. The strange thing about them is they seem to have multiple personalities. You can go for weeks, even months of great service but then be let down by weeks, or again months, of very poor service. I had a problem with discs not playing for about three months but then I haven't had one since. Some months they are very quick to dispatch so that their policy of a 4 day shipping period is upheld sometimes beaten, but other months I've wait 7-8 days. My biggest problem with them is discs going missing. I have rented 176 dvds to date and of those I have reported 7 as not arriving. I actually had a period of where 1 was going missing almost every week. Up until the last time it had been fine. I accepted that these things happen especially with the amount I was renting from them and just waited for a replacement to arrive. However the last time I reported it I was sent an e-mail practically accusing me of stealing from them and a threat of my subscription being cancelled if it happened again. Well, it has happened again and I now find myself wondering how to approach these people. I never acused them of just not sending discs out and stealing my money, so why should I be treated as if I am stealing their property. I fully expect it to be the fault of the Royal Mail and I wonder why it is that they don't see that too. I does hawever make me wonder how much it happens and whether it is such a rare occurence as they would have me believe. I mean if it's that rare then why is there the option on the site to report a missing disc? In all they can be a good company but it seems they have no loyalty to their long- term customers, and right now it seems as if they want to get rid of me for something I can't actually control and that they have no proof of. My advice about joining this company is that if you do, expect to have to leave them after a year. |
Lauren from CAMBS on 2006-02-15 Rates them:
Great website, more realistic to arrange films in three categories rather than numerically, which can lead to false expectations. Good delivery of titles, maybe better availability of new releases would help, but still having tried some others, these are the ones I'm staying with. |
Pete from Bristol on 2006-02-13 Rates them:
I've been a customer of Screenselect for about 14 months.
I find the service from amazing down to down right pathetic.
They can go from getting discs turned around and replacements delivered in 24 hours, to "awaiting allocation" without explanation for a week.
Their favorite trick is that I send back 3 titles in the post at the same time, in the same post box and they book one in the next day, the next one a few days later and the last one a few days after that. I email constantly for an explaination and they blame Royal Mail EVERYTIME!!!!
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Dee from London on 2006-02-02 Rates them:
I'm very surprised at the bad comments Screenselect have received here! I've been with them for over a year now and have never had any problems. I've always had a super quick turnaround, no stalling, if I send a disc out, the following day they receive and send out a new one which I receive the day after.
I've never had problems changing package options, I've always been fairly billed and their selection is massive. I keep about 10-20 titles as first priority and very rarely will I receive a second priority film (and never a third). Service is slow around Christmas time, but that's to be expected what with all the public holidays.
They've sent me 3 month gift vouchers to give as gifts for Christmas time, and my friends have been happy with the service and surprised with the turnaround.
I'm not sure what to make of the variable customer reviews but what I know is that the service I've received was awesome.
There was one time when the wrong disc was supplied in a case, so we had to wait awhile to get the movie we originally wanted (i guess they had to chase up where the right DVD had disappeared to), but they sent us a replacement DVD same day.
And the comment "Note: their dvd plans have changed recently and on the 3-at-a-time the limit is now 10 dvd's out a month max, so not 'unlimited'" - is incorrect. They have the option of a 3-at-a-time with a limited number of rentals in a monthly period, or you can pay more (about £15) to have 3-at-a-time with an unlimited number of rentals in a monthly period. I've just double checked this.
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InTheKnow. from Kent on 2006-02-01 Rates them:
Here's what ScreenSelect do, and all the other online rental companies for that matter, all top titles and recent releases are reserved for new customers, in order to make them think what a great service they’ve joined, then after a short while when the new customer has become an established customer they will start sending out less and less DVD’s and certainly no top titles, established customers can go F**k themselves as far as ScreenSelect are concerned. I imagine ScreenSelect and all the others have a 50 50 ratio of new customers joining and established customers leaving, then whenever you leave one of these rental companies because of the poor way you’ve been treated they then send you emails trying to lure you back. The dozy sods, what a way to run a Business!
So here’s my top tip: never stay with any DVD rental club for more than 2 months, move around, thus getting all the top titles, and being treated like a lovely, shiny, special new customer!
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Mike from lincoln on 2006-01-19 Rates them:
the best online dvd rental company in the UK! they have the biggest dvd selection of any company and you can find any dvd on current release as well as all the much older films, if not you just mail them and they find it for you.
new dvd's are nearly always sent out the same day they receive your old ones back although (because they have a full 24 hrs to send out a new one under their contract) every now and then a new one will be sent out the next day. however I have never had to wait past 24 hrs for my new one to be sent out except at christmas. returned dvd's also always reach them the next day I have never experienced any 'stalling'.
email support is excellent, you always get a personal reply from your question and you can even ring them if you want. occasionaly a dodgy/unplayable disc is received but not often and understandable considering the volume of discs they are dealing with each day. also if you receive a dodgy disc you can report it instantly online and a free allocation slot comes up straight away so a new disc can be sent out that day.
I have been through loads of online dvd rental companies and can honestly recommend screenselect as the best of the lot.
..used to also subscribe to LoveFilm who were second best to SS until they introduced 'Fair Use'(or something along those lines) which meant you never recieved a new dvd the day they received your old one back and not even the next day after that usually! None of that with ScreenSelect I am pleased to say! and no I dont work for ScreenSelect just receive a very good service from them! |
robbed from london on 2006-01-19 Rates them:
Tried to cancel FREE trial 3 days before expiry but they delayed receipt of final dvd. Since was forced to be charged £9.99 decided to reverse cancel request as thought paying for subsequent month. Message states NEXT payment to be charged immediately so looks like they ALWAYS get a monthly fee for providing no discs as ONLY way member can cancel deal. This HAS to be illegal. National Trading Standards have no contact email; can anyone help? |
Scream At Select from Bath on 2006-01-18 Rates them:
Months free trial 20 12 05 payment due 19 1 06 so not full month. Cancelled 16 1 06 but they slowly sending final dvd and demand it back to them 18 1 06: 2 days before trial should end!NOWHERE on site does it warn you need about one week notice needed to cancel so Free Trail ONLY ever 21 days NOT 31. Deceptive practices + the Start Fast policy entraps then slow service results; Classic drug dealer tactics. AVOID! |
ruggedtoast from london on 2006-01-17 Rates them:
I feel I have to stand up for the old 'selecta here. People have been giving them one star. One! Hear me now - The diabolical Lovefilm never sent me a new movie or anything in my top 15 for weeks. They appeared to have an inventory comprising solely of 20 year old foreign movies as that was all they would send out AND they tried to debit my credit card when I was frozen and their customer service was useless AND I STILL DIDNT GIVE THEM A ONE!.
Screenselect send me new movies reliably and top choices about 75% of the time. They have a huge library of vids. They dint list movies they dont have and they havent misappropriated my credit card details, double billed me, lost any of my DVD's or done anything to stress me out. They seem to stall sending out my discs OCCASIONALLY and on the whole I can get 3 to 4 DVD's week which, like the vast majority of users, is all I have time to watch anyway. I dont know if Id have much luck getting many more out of them but on the whole I consider this to be fair value for my 15 squids a month.
So come on, give SS a chance. (One?!) |
John from Bath on 2006-01-12 Rates them:
awful service. the free trial is not a free trial at all. my dvds were sent back in perfect time and i recieved confirmation of this but still they charged me. |
Raymond from London on 2006-01-10 Rates them:
Turnaround is so poor! If Screenselect posts a DVD today, you are guaranteed to receive it the following day but when you return it, it takes up to 2 to 3 days before they acknowledge
the returned DVDs. It happens all the time! Can it be possible that Royal Mail gets LAZY everytime you return a DVD? Seems like a slowing tactic to me. Still, nothing can be worst than LOVEFILM! Of all the big 3 ( Blockbuster, Screenselect and Lovefilm) Blockbuster is a bit better than Lovefilm and Screenselect but thats precisely it! just a BIT! |
Maggs from Southampton on 2006-01-05 Rates them:
I am shortly to terminate my subscription with Screenselect as they are taking the complete p**s. A favourite trick of theirs is list your shipped titles as "awaiting allocation" for anything up to two days. Awaiting allocation when I always have over 80 titles on my list? I assume that Screenselect have only one copy of each title, indeed on discs that I have rented twice I even recognise the scratch marks!
I used to be with DVDs365, great service , great turnaround and friendly customer service. I will now try mymoviestream.com but how long before they too are assimilated into the Screenselect collective?
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pippa from monmouth, uk on 2005-12-30 Rates them:
Agree with many customers here - i have been a member since dvds365.com and screenselect merged and it's been downhill since then - note i was never a free trial customer because i came from somewhere else so it has deteriorated WITHOUT anyone trying to impress me as a new customer. Similar to many users here-i NEVER get my top priority discs despite having about 40 titles in my list, they unvariably only send me priority 3 - cannot remember the last time i got a disc from them i actually felt excited about watching. Their selection is very poorly displayed - forget trying to even find out whether theyve got any new arthouse/indie films, they are so cleverly hidden away! new releases section rarely updated. Am about to try free trial of lovefilm... how do these companies get it so wrong??? |
nigel from croydon on 2005-12-27 Rates them:
DO NOT FALL FOR THE FREE TRIAL SCAM, have a friend who worked there and their unofficial policy is to delay booking in your last dvd until the billing date is due regardless of when you returned it. Guarantees them at least 1 month fees, even though you're no longer using the service. Absolutely no way of getting your money back. Contacting them is fruitless, they ignore anything they can't answer and just send stock email replies. Shame about the fire. |
Martin from Watford on 2005-12-12 Rates them:
I signed up with them a couple of months ago but never took out any DVDs as I just haven't had the time. Let me repeat that - I HAVE NEVER ORDERED ANY DVDS AS YET. Well surprise surprise they have taken 9.99 from my debit card even though I haven't used their service. This is going to get cancelled immediately. How can they charge me for a service I have never used???. |
Andy from Edinburgh on 2005-12-09 Rates them:
I get the same level of service as a previous customer explained. 2 discs a week on a two disc unlimited!!! how is that unlimited?? they stall the discs at every chance they get, dont waste your money with screenselect the bunch of Robbing B***ards that they are go somewhere elese as I am, block buster or mymoviestream looks to be a far better choice |
Al from London on 2005-12-06 Rates them:
Much of the same for me Im afraid - The trial period is very nippy and fast turn around - once this is complete the turn around is EXACTLY like this:
you post disk back on monday (for eg). they notify its recieved on tuesday (sometimes wednesday). They then put a low prority disk in the post ON THURSDAY and you get it on friday. So for me I get 2 DVDs a week, maybe 3. It is laughable how obvious the transition between trial and transition is. DONT USE THIS COMPANY |
Bob Carolgees from Birmingham on 2005-12-05 Rates them:
Same story here, very, very poor. Great during free trial then as soon as first payment taken instantly rubbish. They fail to report DVD's as returned for 4 days and then claim to have posted new titles which don't turn up for another 4 days. You can't prove anything because they can blame the post, this company sucks big time. As for the comment at the top of this page where it states they have changed the service to Max 10 per month, well thats news to me? My account states 3 DVD's unlimted and Screenselect have not contacted me to confirm otherwise.
****WARNING**** DO NOT JOIN THIS BUNCH OF ROBBING COWBOYS ****WARNING**** |
Doug from London on 2005-11-30 Rates them:
They are refusing to let me cancel. I have notified them more than once that I wish to cancel and have returned all DVDs to them, yet they continue to charge me, telling me that I have not complied with all their terms and conditions. This is simply not true and I have notified Trading Standards of their practices. Don't use this company. |
Carlos Botecas from Wales on 2005-11-22 Rates them:
I have been with them for a year now and their turn around in the begining was great, now they take over a week to send a dvd out where they only use to take three days. They also send out series DVD in the wrong order. Customer Service 'I use the term loosely' No help at all. Feel let down by there unwillingness not to help fix there miss take, sending the dvd series in the wrong order, after four weeks still nothing. I have Vol 3 & 4 but need Vol 2 before I can watch the others, will they send it??? not yet... after 4 weeks and counting.... feel so let down. |
ArrGee from London on 2005-11-21 Rates them:
After reading the reviews here and having previously used them at my old house, I took the Time Out free month trial with some trepidation. But I have had 16 DVDs in less than a month and cepting Batman Returns, all my top picks including Star Wars Ep III within days of its release (previously they had an embargo on new DVDs for trialists). Wonderful choice, everything I wanted and stuff that I now do want. Sadly promotion code TIMEOUT seems to have just ended (19/11), but you never know! |
DVDrr Editor from Glasgow on 2005-11-14 Rates them:
Another update from the editor here. I'm still using these guys. In October I had 15 rentals, mostly new titles. In September there was a problem. 3 discs took 8 days to arrive. I reported them missing, replacements came pretty fast, and then a few days later the 3 missing discs appeared. Probably laying at the bottom of a bag in a sorting office. I still recommend these guys...there's far worse dvd rental companies out there. |
Martyn from Oxford on 2005-11-13 Rates them:
It's pretty much all been said here, but be in no doubt, apted stated by Jhinga Lala from London, 'These guys are crooks' .... Well said. In my own words, 'THESE GUYS ARE CROOKS'. Tried to rip me off by charging me twice, unfortunately for them they hadn't figured on the efficiency of Barclaycard, so I was able to scupper their thieving ways on this occasion. Unfortunately they weren't going to take it so they ripped my off again via my switch card! They're customer service is an utter disgrace. They have a spaghetti of small print and sit waiting for any opportunity to steal YOUR money, that's a fact. If you ahven't been there, then my advice is don't there's plenty of alternatives out there. |
Tony from Ripon on 2005-10-28 Rates them:
Only just started with these guys after leaving Tesco - only to discover that they're one and the same - just branded differently - ah well will make use of free trial but I suspect once the honeymoon periods over it'll go the same way as Tesco did in that it'll become difficult to get latest releases and popular titles. Was very disappointed with first two discs - both scratched and unplayable for parts of the films. |
Rob from Herfordshire on 2005-10-19 Rates them:
I've had quite a good run with them (about 7 months) but in the last few months, they just don't get the top priority titles sent out. I got sent a third priority today, with an email saying something like "This title is one of your top choices.... enjoy!" So I decided to send them an email saying that I wasn't too happy with the speed of priority 1 titles, and their email seems to be wrong - "am I misunderstanding something" I tried to ask them.
After navigating through their labrynthine website to actually send them an email - it locked up with an error message everytime I tried. I had to type out the message three times. I eventually printed it out and am sending them a letter in the post instead. I have gone from a slightly upset customer to a very dissatisfied customer in the space of a morning (hence looking at this website with the intention of cancelling my Screenselect membership and joining someone else) |
Jon from Kent on 2005-10-16 Rates them:
I can't believe there are people giving these "rip-off merchants" more than 1 star.
Let's look at some Q&A's:
Q - Is 12 discs a month really good value for money (based on 3 disc = £14.99 package)?
A - No. (There are rental shops out there who can easily match this and you get to pick them yourself and without the worry of being charged for missing discs in the post).
Q - Do they give refunds for partial months when you cancel?
A - No. (Other rental companies do this).
Q - Do they provide a free service for suspending your account?
A - No. (Other rental companies provide this service at no extra charge).
Q - Do they provide extra time to return discs when cancelling?
A - No. (They will charge your account for another month while other companies give you extra time after you cancel).
Q - Do they send you the top titles in your list?
A - No. (I was with them for 3 months and I never got any discs from my top 10).
Q - Do they provide a good customer service?
A - No. (I have spoken to them and they are very unhelpful).
Q - So why are they a successful company?
A - I really don't know.
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Andy from Scotland on 2005-10-15 Rates them:
I have just had a seven day turnaround whihc is useless the service screenselect provide is rubbish do not join save your money and go somewhere else. |
cathy from bognor regis on 2005-10-13 Rates them:
I, too, found the service fanastic during the trial period and in the first month. A big effort was made to send my first choices and the turnaround was speedy, discs being sent out within one day of receipt. I know they have since had a fire, but things seem to have gone downhill since the end of the month in the same way I experienced with Tesco rentals - very old titles sent and a slower turnaround, usually day after receipt or later. |
Charlotte from Hill on 2005-10-11 Rates them:
I've had two accounts with this company. A second only because another company merged with them. When I tried to cancel this second account, I sent back all the discs (which was at my six a month limit anyway) after cancelling and weirdly enough, they sent me another disc out. Not only had I had my maximum for that month, I'd cancelled days before and had two days left until my next payment. Mistake? Bit of a coincidence. So they got another months payment out of me.
But I'm gonna let that slide. Because my first account with them which I still have has a fantastic turnaround. 9/10 times a DVD is dispatched the same day. Their customer services is better than any other company I've been with. They're always polite and quick to reply. I rarely get new titles, but that's likely because I have a massive ammount of old/unpopular titles on my list too. They have a great selection, although I really wish they did games too.
Compared to other companys:
ITVmovieclub - Terrible customer service and very slow turnaround.
Lovefilm - Not bad. But not quite as fast and helpful. |
uggedtoast from london on 2005-10-02 Rates them:
As a refugee from the dismal service of Lovefilm, Screenselect didnt have to do much to impress me. Unfortunately its hard to give an objective overview of their service due to the fire. Before the fire they were quick and good with with top choices.
After that they slowed down and there was a period last week when no one was getting anything. Theyre still good with top choices though and Ill give them an 8 in the belief that theyll sort out their dispatch troubles. |
Kate from Wiltshire on 2005-09-29 Rates them:
Started off fine, but when I tried to cancel there are a number of steps to take "are you sure" asked about five times in a row. Eventually capitulated and went on a "payment holiday" only to discover they bill you for that luxury. It was certainly not clear in the small print. Have tried Amazon since, & apart from their lousy customer contact facility have been pretty pleased. |
Jhinga Lala from London on 2005-09-28 Rates them:
They are crooks! I signed up for a 6 DVD free trial, and when I cancelled after just 5, they gave me two days to return the DVDs or said I'd be charged? How can you charge someone who is on a free trial, and hasn't even completed it yet? Also, I cancelled on a Friday evening, and the discs had to arrive at their office by Monday, which is very tight. It's not really their service that annoys me - it's their attitude and policies, which although not stated anywhere, are clearly designed to rope you in and make it difficult for you to get out withouth some kind of overpayment. |
Paul from Leeds on 2005-09-22 Rates them:
The free trial period was great but as soon as I signed up and started paying the service deteriorated. I have had 1 dvd in the past 3 weeks. Pathetic. |
JEFF from SOUTH WALES on 2005-09-21 Rates them:
This company needs looking into by trading standards, ok they had a fire so i had one dvd i almost two weeks, then they want to pay me compensation for my loss, One weeks extra rental and with terms attatched ie i must take out another months rental to get my compensation, I rang customer services, they didn't want to comment any further to my complaint of the conditions attached to the refunded week. What a bunch of criminals,They wouldn't even give me a refund for september even though i had only recieved one dvd from them . Do yourself a big favour and stay away from screenselect and their add on companys ie tesco dvd etc. |
raff from Brighton on 2005-09-18 Rates them:
They have the worst customer service who accused me for selecting movies without me knowing what I am selecting, only to defend their free error database system, (as one of their jerks (costumer service) ‘Marc’ believes that their system doesn't make any errors!!)
When I decided to quit their mockery service, they warned me if they didn’t receive the 2 DVD they sent me (and still in the post to be delivered to me) the same day I quitted their service, the greedy will charge me for the whole month!!
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James from Macclesfield on 2005-09-16 Rates them:
I was with DVDs365. Very very good. Then they merged with ScreenSelect. ScreenSelect are averaging one DVD a week per DVD sent back. They still have excuses about a recent fire, but they've e-mailed to say this is no longer a problem! I've asked for a free month to compensate me for their poor service (waiting to hear their resposne). I would really consider looking elsewhere, I am! |
Steve from UK on 2005-09-13 Rates them:
This is what royal mail say about first class mail:-
"We aim to deliver most First Class mail by the next working day, including Saturdays. If you're sending mail far away, catch the early morning post so it's more likely to be delivered the next working day."
From my experience with screenselect, DVDs received from them almost always arrive the next day ie. they post in their evening post and I receive in the following morning mail and if not definitely the next morning.
When returning DVDs it's different - they are guaranteed to take longer even if they are posted before the morning collection from the postbox, screen select still dont record them as received promptly - they always take a few days to get back to them - very suspicious.
I was lucky if I got 3 disks per week. Turnaround was slow due to their lack of logging received DVDs back onto their system on the day they get them.
Worth trying but watch out for stalling as per desribed above. |
Greg from London on 2005-09-07 Rates them:
Having been lured back for the second try with a promotion, I was, lets say not surprised. Starts off with a bang but fades very quickly. When you complain, you get the automated standard copy/paste responses. Turnaround is terrible, waiting 2 days if you're lucky! (although that is still streaks ahead of LoveFilm, where you wait for weeks!!), and you'll wait months for new releases! I believe they've recently merged with movies365, and their service has just deteriorated more! |
Nigel Owen from Nottingham on 2005-09-05 Rates them:
Been a member for at least a year now. Recommended. Top disc nearly everytime. Turnaround 3 days max. A few faulty discs but replacements always turn up next day when logged. |
Jason from Grays, Essex on 2005-09-04 Rates them:
I would agree with the above poster in that anybody who gives this company above 1 star must work for it.
I cancelled my account and still got billed 2 days later even though they confirmed the cancellation and had all the dvd's back.
even more shocking - and quite possibly illegal - is that when I signed up, I paid with a credit card. When they billed me after cancellation, they'd somehow gotten hold of my DEBIT card details and took the money from my bank account !
They're going to get every chance to refund the money tomorrow(5th September) then I'm going to war.
They've shafted the wrong person this time. |
Jackie from Liverpool on 2005-08-31 Rates them:
I joined ScreenSelect for the free trial. I have to say that from the outset I did not get my first choice rentals and subsequently cancelled my mebership when it became apparent that the only titles I was being sent were the disney films for my daughter to watch. To add insult to injury I have just found that they have charged me £14.99 even though I was still in the free trial period. I have only just started to e-mail to try and get a refund but after reading all the other reviews I do not hold out much hope! |
Andrea from London on 2005-08-31 Rates them:
This is basically a repeat of most of the above as I found when I read the above reviews, teht they are overwhelmingly negative and for largely the same reasons that I experienced myself. So, to put it briefly:
1) The 'free-trial' is a transparent scam. I signed up for this trial on 12/7, was immediately charged on 12/8 for a full month, though I only recieved four out of six of the discs I requested. None of the discs were my first priority, even though these were clearly designated on my selections list as immediately available.
2) The customer service is non-existent. All of my complaints and questions were met with what were obviously boiler-plate e-mails chirping how much Screenselect hoped I would "start to enjoy their service". No, seriously.
3) Finally, the selection isn't actually that great in reality. They may have over 35,000 titles to choose from, but they aren't necessarily available for dispatch. Equally, about 60% of these titles were utter rubbish and would be the sort of job-lot filler you'd be used to sifting through in your average Blockbuster visit.
So, to sum up. DO NOT, NOT, NOT SUBCRIBE TO SCREENSELECT! IT WILL ONLY BRING SEVERE DISAPPONTMENT AND FRUSTRATION AND SUCK THE FUN OUT OF THE WHOLE DVD RENTAL EXPERIENCE.
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Chris from west yorkshire on 2005-08-28 Rates them:
Started off teriffic. Got all the top titles and an incredible turn around time. Was getting 6 disc a week and was really impressed. Unfortunately this didnt last. Now in month 3 and have'nt had one priority title to date.- 6 day turn around time. Have had 4 discs in 12 days!Not impressed. Will be leaving at the month end cos ar'nt taking this rubbish. Do yourself a favour and just take the free trial. -Dont bother to sign up cos you will get the same deal. Service became much worse after merger with DVD 365! |
Puneet from Slough on 2005-08-25 Rates them:
Agree or not, screenselect is after your money. I got the screenselect's subscription as a free offer for using boots.com products. I was charged even though it was free. The customer service is almost non-existent. Even if they reply by mail they keep on repeating the same thing over and again. More importantly they dont think its important to answer all oif your questions. I would suggest to all the potential buyers to think twice before using screenselect.co.uk. and beware dont ever use the free offers as they will make u pay for those by their tricky conditions. I have been having a though time communicating with the customer service. You wont fine a contact number anywhere. All you can get is an email. But the worst part is that they simply refuse to refund even if they have charged by mistake or their abrupt dispatching system. |
tony from somerset on 2005-08-24 Rates them:
recieved the first of my films ok and also the second lot though some werent the ones i choose and then waited and waited for more titles that hadnt arrived before the trial date ended so gave up on them. |
Andrew from Glasgow on 2005-08-23 Rates them:
Well, after a really good trial period where discs were being sent on a very regular basis and a one day turn around I decided to subscribe for 6 months. What a mistake that was, after the month the turnaround slowed down to a two day disc turnaround. They started delaying when they recieved them by a day (althought they would not admit to it) I also stopped recieving my top priorty titles and started getting my second and third choices. Now I get the oldest titles on my list althought and they are never my fist choice, but they say they run through the list finding the first availible title. Rubbish they look for the oldest and in least demand titles as they keep all the new titles for new customers on the trial to try and get them to join up. When asked about this they denied it and if fact wrote back a very abusive letter to me. Told me that if I was unhappy I should just leave, they dont care about their customers so what ever you do do not join up.
Here a copy of the email they send in reply to my comments above.
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Thanks for your email regarding your ScreenSelect account.
We do not receive a high volume of complaints. Our number is listed to allow customers to call us for many reasons, billing queries, lost discs, compliments on our excellent service etc.
We do not hold on to discs and advise incorrect delivery dates. Could you please advise how you know we do this as this is untrue. If you truly beleive we are deceiving you we would suggest you close your account. We do not need to change our terms and conditions, or hire more staff as you suggest.
We would like to note that your email return notices are set off. You are not advised when we receive a disc back from you so can you please advise how you obtain this information.
Please be advised the priority system is not intended as a way of queuing your selection exactly in the order you wish to see them. It is only intended as more of a 'preference' system, by which customers can indicate the titles from their selection they would prefer to be sent at the time their last return is received.
We are never able to guarantee that we will be able to send you any one particular disc (or priority of disc) first, as we only have a finite stock of any disc and simply cannot do so. This is especially true of new releases, which are always the most heavily requested of the finite stocks we have.
Because we know it is not possible for us, we don't make that guarantee at any point, this is why we have a selection list system and not an order queue.
We will always dispatch you a priority 1 DVD if it is available, but if not we will dispatch a priority 2, and if that is not available, then a priority 3.
We cannot imporove the service you have received and would suggest you cancel your account before your next bililng date as you appear to be very unhappy with our service.
If you have any further questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact us, otherwise we hope that you will continue to enjoy using ScreenSelect in the future.
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If you want some advise get the free trial then leave do not give them any of your money as you will regret it. |
James from London on 2005-08-12 Rates them:
They have a very good selection of films but it seems that a lot of them are never available. After 8 months I am still waiting for titles that have been relatively popular but are still shown as 'temporarily' unavailable. The first month I was quite happy with their service but since then the number of dvds I received each month has gradually decreased and I never receive first choise films. Most of the dvds are from my second ot third choise list and I very rarely get the chance to watch a new release. I'm assuming that they probably don't have enough copies to send to all their customers. Is it that hard for them to make more copies? Maybe they haven't got a professional dvd copier yet. You can get a used one for £1000 and each copy wouldn't cost more than 50p! Their lack of efficiency and poor customer support can be very annoying and I think this will be my last month with them. Anyone who hasn't tried them yet just take advantage of the free trial period and then leave! |
Jim from Edinburgh on 2005-08-11 Rates them:
One quick look at the reviews here, clearly shows the amount of ScreenSelect employees out there.
Why do I feel this way?
Well anyone giving this company any more than 1 star has to work for them.
I'm lucky to get 3 discs a week, because they have capped my account -- So much for unlimited discs.
They want all their customers to keep the discs for days (rather than returning them when they have been watched), so if you are a customer who likes to watch a movie then return it the same day -- Don't Do It -- They will punish you for it.
I'm counting the remaining days that I have left, so that I can tell them -- GOOD RIDDANCE !!
I've calculated that I will have received 12 discs for 1 month with them.
Some might think that £14.99 for 12 discs (at the bottom of my list)is good value, but I think this is really poor.
REALLY BAD COMPANY !!!
DON'T JOIN THEM !!!
SPEND YOUR MONEY ELSEWHERE !!! |
The DVDRR Editor from Scotland on 2005-08-10 Rates them:
Having tried all the dvd services in the last 2 years, I had stuck with dvds365 as my main choice. Now that they've been acquired by this company, all previous dvd365 customers are now with screenselect. Certainly in the first month with them they've been great at disc turnaround. We'll see how the |
