Beware DVD rental by post

[mamhaf]

This is a warning, because I've had my fingers burnt to the tune of £40.

I took out a free trial subscription to Cinema Paradiso DVD rental (although the fact it was a free trial isn't relevant) and ordered two DVDs which we watched and I posted back in the envelope supplied.

Cinema Paradiso is claiming they never arrived, and because I don't have proof of postage, have debited £40 from my credit card.

I've cancelled the service and complained to Royal Mail who've compensated me to the tune of a book of first class stamps - again because I didn't have proof of postage.

Now, the whole idea of these DVD rental contracts is convenience - order online, watch DVD and keep it as long as you like, then pop in the postbox.

I'm sure it probably did say somewhere in the small print that you have to get proof of purchase in case of it going missing, but I wouldn't have done it if I'd realised that.

So - caveat emptor. I've written a pleading letter to my credit card company hoping they might refund me, but am not holding my breath.

£20 per DVD (they were old ones too - Kramer vs Kramer was one) is a rip-off amount to charge me anyway imo and I do wonder if it's a scam because I cancelled the account first after the free trial (I was trying a few companies out before, in theory sticking with the one I though was best)

Be warned if you have one of these contracts though - make sure you get proof of purchase.

Ive never heard of that company. I have never had a problem with blockbuster or tesco dvd rental. One got lost with blockbuster and I informed them and that was fine. No problem. Blockbuster also sent me a free disk over the holidays as a Merry Xmas thing...so SOME dvd rental companys are crap.
Others are quite good.

Really sorry for you about this

I had amazon for 2 years - 2 dvd's a month and nothing ever went missing. Never once got proof of postage as there's a postbox outside my house and like you it was all about convenience for me.

You have to get proof of posting if you are sending back your final discs and want to cancel your account, standard procedure for all of the mail-order dvd rental companies.

You do not have to get proof of postage during the period of your membership, if a disc goes missing in the post you simply have to sign some paperwork so that the company can pout in a claim to Royal Mail.

No scam involved - and yes it is in the small print but if you are committing yourself to a contract you should read the small print.

I get mine from Lovefilm, which used to be Amamzons DVD rental.
This is what it says in their T&Cs for "cancellation by customer and termination by us"

Please note that it is the customer's responsibility to ensure that all discs are returned, and all discs must be returned to us before the cancellation will be confirmed. All references to "return" or "returned" in these Terms and Conditions mean that we must have received the discs in question. All discs must be returned before the next billing date following cancellation to avoid any further charges. Once all discs have been returned, the cancellation will take effect immediately and a confirmation email will be sent to you. We reserve the right to charge a replacement cost of up to £2010 for any non-returned DVDs, £17.50 for any non-returned Blu-ray or HD DVD discs and £5025 for any non-returned games media. To avoid problems, we advise obtaining a certificate of posting free of charge from your local Post Office when you return our discs to us. Please note we do not provide refunds or credits for any partial subscription periods

It doesn't say anything about chargin for missing films for people who haven't cancelled.

Obviously its not £2050 to replace a disc, I don't know what happened there, it was fine when I previewed it

I had one go missing with love film just ahd to sign a form and that was it

mamhaf - you have already done a thread about this two months ago and didn't get any sympathy then. Please get over it.

omg this really shocks me ~ALHOUGH - we lost one with amazon years ago and were not charged

i loved amazon and no others quite match up

I've used Love film for ages, no probs. One did go missing and I didn't even have to sign anything. Certainly didn't debit my card.

Not looking for sympathy - far from it, my fault for not reading the small print.

And I do suspect it's a scam - very strange that my final discs should've gone missing.

But I did want to warn others that it's a good idea to a) read the small print b) get proof of posting if you'll be charged if it "goes missing".

Good to know you've got the time to look up old threads lalalonglegs.

fwiw,didn't think mamhaf was looking for sympathy or hand holding.merely a cautionary tale

dont think it merited a search of past posts either

yes it is her tough titty,but ouch £40 has to hurt

mamhaf i am grateful for the heads-up

Good to know that you are still banging on about it two months after it actually happened .

how ironic! if mamhaf is still "banging on" that you are still responding 2month on

I had quite a few that didn't turn up. I clicked the 'I sent this back more than three days ago and you have not received it' option and they sent the next ones on my list. This was Amazon. Haven't had a problem since it changed to lovefilm.

The charges seem OTT for the discs involved - but I bet they have to pay more for the discs if they being bought for rental. I've never heard of the company but £40 is very much an ouch.

Chalk it down to experience and put it behind you if you can - life is too short etc etc.

I don't see why the OP shouldn't raise the subject again - there's no rule against that on mn as far as I'm aware!

Although this is an old blog I just wanted to settle a debt with Cinema paradiso: bad service gets advertised better than a good one...
I too received a nasty letter from Cinema paradiso. They are not concerned with sending dvds in time or responding to email communication. They are concerned with sending dvds out after I canccelled and sending me threatening letters afterwards! Do not use them!!!

Sorry about that hlore - I do think they're a very dodgy company... and there's more stuff saying the same sort of thing if you search..

www.reviewcentre.com/reviews106035.html

cinemapardiso treated me badly was with them since lovefilm closed
about 2 months back they started to lay blame at my door for all faults and problems for discs that failed to play or lost or never even arrived
the desisions were final the were no answers to any of my questions the service got worse the turn around got slower and the faults were allways mine i sent 4 discs back in one envelope and they logged 2 arrived and 2 arrived 2 days later i once sent 6 discs back in one envelope and they called me a liar said it could not be done
and went i complaind they wanted me to pay for all loses even those that failed to arrive

Erm this thread is nine years old

😂😂😂 Thanks @19lottie82, I was wondering who still rented DVDs by post these days!

when out in the sticks live streaming is not good sometimes
but there again they charge the same as a good connection typical bt

I'm aware that this thread was started 12 years ago, but I just wanted to give my 2p's worth.
I have been with Cinema Paradiso ever since LoveFilm closed, so 3 years now, since 2017, and they have been nothing short of excellent.
The discs arrive quickly, the discs I post back and received quickly, and I have never been blamed for any losses.
I would highly recommend Cinema Paradiso for DVD/ Blu-Ray rental. They are now the only company in the UK that provide this service, and I honestly don't know how they keep going as I'm aware most people stream movies now. I personally always prefer watching on a disc, and when I get bored of movies, I can get episodes of Fawlty Towers, Mixed Blessings and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em to pass the time.
Cinema Paradiso may not have been great years ago, but they are nothing short of excellent now.

I think to be honest, anyone who is trying to run a DVD postal rental service these days is flogging a dead horse. HTH.