I’m gobsmacked, I’ve just qualified for a two month free trial of LOVEFiLM by virtue of buying a new DVD/Blu-ray player on Amazon.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the offer, but I already have Amazon Prime which gives me Amazon Video. Whilst I’m sure that there’s the odd DVD available on LOVEFiLM by Post that’s not available on Amazon Video, the thing that really surprised me is that LOVEFiLM is still going. The quaint idea of video rental by post is something that surely has no place in today’s world, especially as my new DVD/Blu-ray player is a smart WiFi device which, you’ve guessed it, supports Amazon Video anyway.
There are two reasons I won’t be taking up the free trial. Firstly I can’t be bothered when I can watch movies on demand anyway. Mainly however it’s because LOVEFiLM cost £7.99 per month for Prime members after the end of the trial and if I forget to cancel it by the 23rd of June then they’ll start billing me automatically.
I don’t like supposed “free” trials that automatically bill me if I forget to cancel. Neither do the government – In the recent Spring Budget 2017 they stated that a Green Paper will be “Developing proposals to protect consumers from facing unexpected payments when a subscription is renewed or when a free trial ends“.
Still I’m amazed, we’re well into the 21st Century and video rental remains a big enough business that Amazon continue to operate one. If you are interested in two months’ free LOVEFiLM by Post (and are disciplined enough to remember to cancel before you get billed), simply buy a qualifying DVD or Blu-Ray player from Amazon. Full terms of the offer are available on the Amazon website.
(Just to further demonstrate how bizarre a concept (even in Amazon’s world) a video by post rental service is, if you click the link for LOVEFiLM Terms of Use on the offer page, it takes you to the Terms of Use for Amazon Video – their streaming service!)
4 Responses
I subscribed to LoveFilm originally and switched to Amazon Prime when they bought them out. I’ve found there are a TON of movies available to rent on DVD that aren’t available on Amazon video. Stuff that I want to watch anyway. Netflix covers a decent portion of those (but is an additional cost). Other than some awesome Amazon created shows (like Lucifer – which I can’t recommend enough), Netflix is better on the whole. I’d suggest that mixed with LoveFilm for the best “coverage”.
To rent a recent release movie to stream within a 48 hour window costs upwards of £3.50 and more if you want the HD version. Stream 2 recent release movies per month and you have paid the price of a Lovefilm DVD subscription which includes an HD blu-ray option. Films on Netflix or Amazon Prime normally appear a minimum of 1 year after cinema release and there is no gaurantee that a film will be made available or which of the services will obtain the streaming licence. I am not a great film watcher though and subscribe to the streamed services for the ad free binge viewing experience of american TV series boxsets. If however you enjoy watching the newest and latest movie releases and at the same time only want to subscribe to only one streaming service then an add on Lovefilm DVD subscription seems like a no brainer (to me anyway) to gain maximum access to all movies.
Huge selection on lovefilm vs streaming. Also — later stuff on there. The rights issues with streaming are very hot right now, but those old unloved discs keep coming out and are just as good to watch!
I have and use regularly the lovefilm dvd service. don’t forget not everyone has superfast broadband and are able to watch the streaming service, I have heard numerous complaints from people on 5 live who don’t even get 1mb broadband despite paying the same as the rest of us. Plus amazon’s streaming service tends to concentrate on newer films / tv series so you may not be able to watch any older ones you may be interested in.