MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS?, What does your store require?

[Victor Franqui]

SpecialFX
When I first opened I only copied the primary applicant's driver's license, and had them fill out a standard form.

After 6 months and about $600 of unpaid late fees, I began to require a credit card (all info on the member card including acct nbr and exp date and the signed statement that I was allowed to charge their acct if they incurred late fees and did not come in to pay).

In lieu of a credit card, I required a $20 membership 'fee'. So many people complained it was unfair, so I changed it to a credit card or a $20 deposit, which after 90 days, customers in good standing can ask to have the $20 applied as a credit to their acct. This works fairly well, but cr cards customers feel slighted!  

HOWEVER, I find many people are giving me credit cards that are already maxed out! (Got one last week with an exp date of 04/06 and thought I was safe-- they kept 2 NR VHS and 2 NR DVDs for 14 days and when they finally dropped them in the nite drop, I attempted to charge their cr card. It was 'declined'!! Can you believe it?

New plan I am considering: Requiring people with credit cards to charge $25 to their account, $5 member fee and $20 credit to their acct towards rentals. Not certain what I will do with customers who don't have credit cards or "don't believe in credit cards" hehehe--we know what THAT means, don't we?

[Victor Franqui]

Vifra

I believe that it is important to charge a membership fee I do no know how blockbuster and video avenue are in the states but in PR they both charge memberhip fees. Blocbuster is 19.99 a year and video avenue is 9.99 and yet people pay it so I believe that independants should charge a fee to.

[Victor Franqui]

Pat

I'm having the same problem with people. I have people who's late fees are like $35 dollars. They won't come back here to pay it, Or will they come and rent again here. I had this one couple rent out two movies, One was Two Week's Notice on VHS and the other was Hey Arnold The movie on DVD. They never returned it. After phone calls and phone calls after weeks went bye, I went to their house, Never got it back they guy said oh maybe i dopped it off in the wrong store. Yeah, Right. So i took the lose, What am i gonna do, Take them to court? Yeah right. Another guy rented out The Recurit on VHS never returned it.

I opened up my video store on April 4 2003, I don't charge member fee's and i don't take their credit cards. Now i'm thinking of taking the D.L. and credit card. But then what happen's if someone gives you a credit card maxed out, Like what happened to the other guy. I don't know, I'm new to this and learning as i go.

The weird thing is i rent out games to the kids that live around here and they always return it, I get low life adults and they don't return it, Go figure.

Pat
Video Zone
Bristol, CT 06010

[Victor Franqui]

Hardcopi

The largest chain in this area is Family Video and we kind of model ourselves after them. We require a phone number and a drivers license. We take the drivers license and fill out the form ourselves. If they give us a different address we still write down the old one. It is the one the DMV has in their system after all. We don't require credit cards because that can become VERY messy.

I have been in business for slightly more than a year and have found that if people are willing to pay late fees they will. If they are not it won't matter. If you charge it to their card and they dispute the charges (on the off chance it actually goes through), then they can simply dispute the charges and then the only recourse is court.

I use late fees as a weeding out process. If someone runs up a huge late fee and doesn't pay it then they at least won't be coming back in to rent again now will they?

And as for the crack about people who don't believe in credit cards "We know what that means" well I hope you don't use that attitude with your customers. After all I don't use credit cards. Never have and never will. They are a money pit pure and simple.

Late fees are a significant part of business. They generate a lot of revenue and they also keep unstable customers from lasting too long. So far in the year in business I have only lost one movie (Bubble Boy). The rest I have all gotten back.