3/5

posted May-25-2012

This review concerns Blockbuster's online rental business, which is currently called Blockbuster Total Access. I chose Blockbuster over Netflix because of the monthly coupons for local stores that Blockbuster offered. My service went somewhat well until I moved to a smaller town. It took 1-2 days longer to receive my DVDs. And since there wasn't a local store the coupons were of no use to me other than when I took the time to sell them on eBay. Also, there were many titles that were in my cue for months and they were never sent to me. It seems for titles like those that multiple people are waiting ages for they would buy an extra copy.

During the final month of my subscription I had a couple of problems. One of the DVDs I requested had the proper sleeve, but the disc was something else. No doubt it's easy for someone to get a copy of the latest Batman movie if they rent it and then replace it with their personal copy of Attack of the 50 ft Woman. Blockbuster should perform better quality control. I sent it back and the only thing they did to rectify the problem was send me the correct movie. I think I should have received an extra rental for that month. A second movie I rented at that time was so badly scratched that it wouldn't play in any player in the house. I was unable to watch it and just sent it back.

Rather than bothering to cancel my service, I just didn't update my credit card information once it expired. I still have an account with them years later, but they eventually stopped sending me renewal notices. I probably won't do business with them again unless some form of SOPA passes.

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1/5

posted May-25-2012

This review concerns the Goodyear "credit card." After much research I decided my new tires would be Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. At the time I made my purchase, Goodyear was offering a rebate if the purchase was made with their credit card. I signed up for the card and waited patiently for it to arrive so I could make my purchase. I had hoped when I was approved online that they would email me my card number so I could immediately make my purchase like some companies do, but they did not.

When it arrived about 10 days after applying I noticed the card didn't have an expiration date or any type of credit card logo I was used to seeing (ie Visa, Mastercard, AMEX). I tried using the card at discounttiredirect.com, which is an authorized dealer of Goodyear products, but they didn't accept the card. It was then I realized that this wasn't an actual credit card as advertised, but merely a store card only able to be used at Goodyear service centers. I suppose it's easy for them to offer a rebate when they know you'll be paying full retail price.

Had I read the fine print I may have realized what I was getting, but Goodyear shouldn't call it a credit card when you can't use the credit at any store. Call it a store card, charge card or just a plain ol' Goodyear card, but don't call it a credit card.

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5/5

posted May-22-2012

I looked all over the net, including eBay, to find a set of 6" oval backup lights with 20 or more diodes for a decent price. Global Parts had the best price by far and shipping was free. I even received a shipping confirmation with a tracking number from a real person, not just an automated message. Everything was packaged professionally. I would highly recommend.

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2/5

posted May-20-2012

I've been using PayPal for more than 10 years as both a buyer and a seller. When eBay bought PayPal I knew it would be a detriment to buyers for both customer service and competition. All the major competitors of the time closed down within 3 years. eBay changed all the rules to their favor so now unless you're a big merchant that can afford separate credit card services, PayPal is the only choice for buyers. And they're raking in fees from sellers since sellers are prohibited from asking for payments not funded by a credit or debit card (which avoided a fee).

As a buyer, I don't mind using PayPal outside of eBay for things such as used car parts from private sellers on forums. What I don't like is when they try to violate PayPal policy by charging a 3% fee to the buyer. Either they don't know it violates policy or they're not smart enough to increase the asking price by 3%.

Over the years I've been cheated by PayPal too many times to mention in detail here. If there were a viable alternative I'd use it. Maybe one day the government will step in and cry antitrust.

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4/5

posted May-15-2012

I ordered a set of o2 sensor extensions for my Trans Am. The website does not have a method to type in search terms. I only found the product by clicking several pages of links. They had the best price, but not necessarily the best practices. My only choice for payment was PayPal. I received an email stating payment was received, but I had already received a confirmation from PayPal. Though the product was sent in a timely manner, I did not receive a shipment notification or tracking info. This company is almost, but not quite there. A few easy, minor changes like inserting a search box into the home page and providing tracking info would make each transaction 5 stars.

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4/5

posted May-15-2012

I purchased a new remote start at ABC Warehouse and had it installed by one of their professionals. The advertisements say if you buy a remote start there the installation is free, but that's only if you buy one of the cheapest models that doesn't have door lock/unlock capabilities. I'd expect the products with that feature to be pricier, but they charged an extra $40 to install them on top of the initial price!

As for the remote start and the install I am quite pleased. Even though I chose their second cheapest model I have yet to find the limit of the range. I've started it through a window and across a filled parking lot from 200 yards several times. I've started it inside a hospital through many walls and thick concrete when my vehicle was parked in an adjacent parking garage. It's been three years since the install and I have not had any problems with the starting unit or the vehicle. My only want is that I wish the battery in the key fob lasted longer. Other than that I wish I had done it years sooner.

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5/5

posted May-15-2012

I can't believe what a low price I received on new Magnaflow catalytic converters for my 4runner. A set of two was a full $80 less than the next cheapest competitor and the prices only went up from there. Even eBay sellers were a lot more. No Limit Speed shipped the next day and provided tracking info with the shipping confirmation email. I couldn't be happier with this little known company.

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2/5

posted Apr-11-2012

I ordered the UltraGauge as a cheaper alternative to the ScanGauge. The company shipped the next day and provided tracking info. The item was very professionally packaged. The price currently on the website is after a $9 rebate (how they came up with $9 exactly is beyond me). Redeeming the rebate was a tiresome process. To redeem it online I had to be logged into my account, which timed out 3-4 times as I gathered info. And every time I was timed out I had to re-enter very detailed information about my vehicle to include a couple dozen numbers the gauge put out after first initializing. The whole process could be simplified if there were more time available before timing out, providing the option of saving info before submitting or just not making logging into an account a requirement.

Normally I don't rate a product in the reviews I write because a good or bad product doesn't usually reflect on the company, but this is their only product and it is made to their specifications. To be clear, I can't compare it to ScanGauge since I don't own one. I wanted a gauge to get an accurate speed since I have large tires that throw off my speedometer and also to get real-time MPG estimates. With the speed reading, there is no way to calibrate or adjust the reading to compensate for my larger tires. The UltraGauge showed a speed of about 2% below what my speedometer read even though with the larger tires I was actually travelling about 6% faster than what the speedo read.

As for the MPG, I never kept the device on long enough to tailor it to record MPG because it kept beeping at me every minute or two that I had a trouble code. Even when my dash wasn't throwing a code, the UltraGauge shows pending codes. And I found no way to stop the constant alerts. And I'm not exaggerating on the frequency of alerts. I know I have a trouble code. I don't need to be beeped at for the same code more than once. I have a $13 code puller I bought from eBay if I want to know why my check engine light is on.

Until I get the trouble code taken care of the UltraGauge is useless to me. With all the customization they tout on the website you'd think there would be an option to ignore all trouble codes, or better yet just ignore specific ones. At least let me turn off the beeping! Beyond the problems already mentioned, the final improvement I can think of is to make the shape and size fit into a standard DIN-sized stereo opening. Ever since replacing my double DIN factory stereo I've had a gaping hole where I imagine a ScanGauge would have fit nicely. As I said before, I can't say the ScanGauge would be any better, but I still can't recommend the UltraGauge.

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2/5

posted Apr-11-2012

What can I say? GoDaddy is the biggest, but that doesn't make them the best. I only own a few domains, but I generally purchase them from Godaddy and transfer to another host at a later date. I transferred all my domains when they supported SOPA. The fact that they reversed their stance when tens of thousands of customers started bailing out only proves that they value money above all else, to include political principles.

Even before that I didn't like GoDaddy as a company for all the objectifying commercials they put out. Do they really think men as a whole are so simple-minded that a half naked woman is going to cause someone to buy a domain name? A nudie magazine, yes. But a domain name? C'mon.

This review was modified by TyrisFlare on April 11 2012 07:33:17 PM

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4/5

posted Apr-11-2012

For certain items, Midway USA is the way to go. I have a wholesale account with them, but the discount they give to wholesalers isn't enough of a difference to make a profit so I only buy things for my personal use. So basically for the slightly lower prices I pay I have to place a larger minimum order than the general public to avoid a fee.

For my last order I bought, among other things, a 5-round magazine for my AR to make it legal for deer hunting in my state. Midway offered a brand of magazine that was nearly half the price of the cheapest one I found on cheaperthandirt.com. I tried to buy a folding hunting chair advertised for $18 that cost $29 at my local store. I added it to my cart and saw my shipping quote increase by $20. Even if it was shipping separately from another warehouse, $20 for a small, lightweight chair is ridiculous, so I bought elsewhere for that item. Midway had the cheapest price for an inflatable doe decoy (Miss November), even cheaper than eBay.

So do a little research. There are deals to be had on Midway USA. Plus they support the NRA and any shooter should love that! As for my experience with my orders, they ship the next day and provide tracking info.

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