Monday, January 11, 2010

Redbox Offers Free Movie Promo for Hours


I am a fan of redbox thanks to their convenient locations and online reservation system. But it struck me as a bit ridiculous when I read the tiny print on a promotional offer I received for a free movie last week due to heavy holiday returns that clogged some of their kiosks in the NJ/PA area. See I received the notification that I was being offered a free movie rental via e-mail at 7:04 pm on Thursday January 7, 2010 and the small text at the bottom of the message notified me that: *Offer expires 11:59 PM Central, January 7, 2010.

Too bad I was already comfortably at home watching the BCS Championship game and no amount of freebies was going to get me back out in the bitter cold of that evening. This is an important lesson for marketers however, if you really want to say thanks or offer amends for a service difficulty (and I am not sure that redbox did) think through the timing so people can enjoy it. If you don't have the money to make it right with a free offer then do it another way but don't try to have it both ways, unless you aim to frustrate those customers you were trying to appease.

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