Late charges

[Spiffy McMoron]

I went to rent a movie Saturday at The Movie Studio near the University. My girlfriend picked out Over the Hedge (Steve Carell is awesome! ) and I went up to pay.

Now, I don't rent movies that often-I've been close to this store for a couple of months, and this was the second time I've rented there. First time I rented, I returned the movie late, and had about $3 in late charges. I get up to the counter, they bring up my file, and they wipe the late charges off my file.

That's something I expect would happen if I rented often, but this was really unexpected. Others who work at a movie store: can you/do you do this often?

[Jester]

I had something bizarrely similar happen today, but not with movies.

Way back near the beginning of Fantasy Fest (around October 20th or so) when I was shopping for costumes downtown, I went over on my meter, and wouldn't you know it? I got a parking ticket.

Gnashing of teeth and rending of hair ensued....but I had no one to blame but myself. So I figured I would pay it when I got around to it.....sometime after Fantasy Fest.

Well, I kept forgetting and putting it off. Now, the original ticket was $25. After ten business days, a $5 late fee gets added on. After another 10 days, another $5. So I figured today, when I went in to pay, I would be owing 35 bones for my stupidity. That is not, however, what happened.

I walked up to the "parking collections" desk in the city hall, and waited....and afer a few minutes, a young lady back aways from the counter said, "What can I help you with?"

JESTER: "Well, it seems I was a moron, and I must now pay you for a parking ticket I incurred."
YW: "Do you have the ticket with you?"
JESTER: "Well yes, yes I do."
(Young lady takes the ticket from my proffered hand.)
JESTER: "It also seems that I took a while to pay it, and I have incurred some late charges I must also pay you."
YW: "Don't worry about the late charges."
JESTER: "Um, what?"
YW: "Don't worry about the late charges. That will be $25. "
(Jester turns to his niece, who is with him running errands, and gives another surprised look.)
JESTER: "Cool! Here ya go." (hands the young lady the correct change)
YW: "Thank you."
JESTER: "No, thank you. And if ever you feel like having a cold frosty beverage, stop by [the new restaurant] at [my hotel]. I am a Supervisor there, and your first drink or two are on me."
YW: "Thank you again, then. I just might do that."
JESTER: (to niece) "Well, today is starting off rather well, wouldn't you say?"

I was thinking this was just a lucky break. My way-too-wise-for-her-years 13-year-old niece later opined that the young lady "had a thing" for me, which I personally didn't see. I wouldn't mind, of course, as (a) my dating life lately sucks big time, and (b) said young lady was rather cute.

Mind you, I was not just a day or two late...the parking ticket was easily 20 days or so past due. I figure that either my niece is right, or the fact that I was not an asshat to the young lady put her in a good enough mood to cut someone a break. If the latter, I figure the young lady, who works in parking collections, probably is sick to death of people who are complete dickwads to her because they are angry about parking tickets that they themselves incurred, and enjoys the occasional nonasshattery.

Guess if she stops by the restaurant I may have more of a clue....until then, I will just gladly take the break I got and smile. Apparently that smile is working for me.

[ladyklack]

That's something I expect would happen if I rented often, but this was really unexpected. Others who work at a movie store: can you/do you do this often?

I've worked in a video store for over six months now. From my personal experience, late fees are pretty easy to get rid of. It's "the thing" we do to make angry customers less angry. That being said, I'm more likely to take off the late fees off for nice customers and note it as a "customer satisfaction" deduction. On the other hand, however, it's also good business to give discounts to new customers. Makes them regulars pretty quickly.

[NightAngel]

We have to watch how many credits we give- or else.

That being said yes, back when we still did the late fee thing sometimes we'd give newer members the benefit of the doubt and clear them.

Personally, I am more likely to just do something nice for a customer for no reason if I've had a rotten day with other customers and a customer is particularly nice or makes me laugh.

Maybe that's terrible of me but I really don't care.

[Maevis]

I work at a video store and there are several reasons I'll void late fees.

1. If it's the first time someone has been late
2. If they have a realy good/interesting story to tell about why they were late.
(I've heard some amazing stories...I'm sure many of them weren't true...but they kept me greatly amused, and a happy clerk is a more lenient clerk.)
3. They normaly take responsibility for themsevles and pay their late fees when they occur, but look like they've been having a bad day or ask politely for them to be waived.

Late fees are often negotiable so long as you are pleasant and polite and they aren't excessive. (Void too many fees and you get a write up).

Reasons that I WILL not void fees for:

1. The person has cussed out the new CSR when she/he doesn't even have the rights to void the fee or is just generaly verbaly abusive.
2. The person is habitualy late and whines every single freakin' time about it. They need to grow up and take some responsibility for their own actions. It's not like the store policies haven't been explained to them 100 times.
3. When the person SWEARS that they returned the movie and can remember returning it in EXACT detail, only to discover that it is still at home in their DVD player..."but...but...you're not going to charge me a late fee for that, are you?"

[Tuxian]

We have to watch how many credits we give- or else.

Having worked for your employer, NA, I have this to say.

Who designed that computer system such that once you scan something, if someone changes their mind it requires a manager to credit it out, instead of (as Hollywood Video does) building a ticket, and then posting the transaction to the account after it's cashed out?

[symposes]

bleh Blue rental place got me once.

I wanted to rent Grosse Point Blank.
I went through 3 different branches before i finally found a copy. I rent it, and another movie. watch them both, and return them the next day.

About a month later i decide to rent something else, i go to my normal branch, and they tell me i have a 10 dollar late fee for something i rented from a different branch, and I had to pay it, they couldnt tell me what it was for, because they couldnt bring up the exact info.

I told them i have returned everything on time, every time. But nope, not good enough.
They do me a "favor" and lower it to 5 bucks. I should have told them I didnt want to do business with them anymore. Some employee at the other branch more then likely decided to wait a day to check in the stuff, just to tack on a latefee, that or decided they didnt want to bother checking things in. And some other employee did it the next day.
Yea, "favor". Considering i donot keep movies/games etc past return time.
I know people who work these jobs hear that all the time, but that doesnt make it a lie just because of that. I mean hell, two of the cheap movie rentals, like what 2 bucks? and i have a 10 dollar fee?
bleh.

[Maevis]

I Some employee at the other branch more then likely decided to wait a day to check in the stuff, just to tack on a latefee

This is a fairly common misconception that people seem to have regarding video stores.

There simply is not enough benefit for a company nor it's employees to tack late fees on to an item that is not late. The employees would receive absolutely no benefit from it. They do not get paid commission for collecting on fees, plus then they have to deal with angry customers. From a long term financial standpoint it is much better to have customers who are happy and therefore rent frequently than it is to have pissed off customers who get a late fee and then never return.

About a month later i decide to rent something else, i go to my normal branch, and they tell me i have a 10 dollar late fee for something i rented from a different branch, and I had to pay it, they couldnt tell me what it was for, because they couldnt bring up the exact info.

That must be a CSR and customer nightmare. Sooo grateful that I only have to deal with straightening out fees that are for my store only.

[Maevis]

Oh, and here's an "Is it plugged in?" question for you:

Which branch did you return the movies to?

I'm assuming that you returned them to the branch that you rented them from, but at the same time, it's pretty common for people to return items in "on time" but not to the correct store, (which means they can't get checked in...but then, you still should have gotten a call to let you know that).

[MadMike]

About a month later i decide to rent something else, i go to my normal branch, and they tell me i have a 10 dollar late fee for something i rented from a different branch, and I had to pay it, they couldnt tell me what it was for, because they couldnt bring up the exact info.

I had a similar problem with this one store I used to rent from. I rented something from them, returned it on time, and thought nothing more of it. Then I went to rent again, and I was told that I had returned my last rental late, and owed a fee.

I wasn't sure what to say here. I was certain I hadn't, but didn't know what to say without sounding like the idiots who knew damn well they had returned their rentals late, but didn't want to pay. I did manage to get the charge removed, but then the next time, it happened again. This time, they claimed it was 11 days late.



OK, I can see possibly returning something a day late without realizing it, but 11 days?

I'd know if I had returned something that late, and also, wouldn't they have started calling me before it got that late?

I eventually got that one straightened out too, but I stopped renting from there after that.

Not surprisinly, the place is no longer in business.

[M_Sinistrari]

Oh, and here's an "Is it plugged in?" question for you:

Which branch did you return the movies to?

I'm assuming that you returned them to the branch that you rented them from, but at the same time, it's pretty common for people to return items in "on time" but not to the correct store, (which means they can't get checked in...but then, you still should have gotten a call to let you know that).

Also depends on if the stores have a policy in place for returned to wrong stores. At the video rental place I worked, because it was easy to get confused as to which store a rental came from since we had about 5 stores stretched across the one main thoroughfare, we'd call the other store so they could check it in and then mail them the movies when we could.

I once got a few tapes returned that were from another state and called those in. We all had a good laugh over the distance since I was in Illinois and the movies were from Alabama.