Zip.ca (2004)

A review two weeks in the making!

This summer The Tyee introduced me to Zip.ca, an Ottawa-based DVD rental site. Not to be outdone, I decided to give Zip a whirl myself.

The Promises:
1. Over 24, o00 titles
2. Shipping paid both ways
3. DVDs arrive anywhere in Canada in 1-3 business days
4. No late fees
5. 24.95$ plus your province's applicable taxes
6. No contracts
7. Two week free trial

I'll confess that the two-week free trial was what did me in in the end.

The Drawbacks:
1. You have to have a credit card to sign up.

So I went on a merry-go-round to get a credit card (MasterCard didn't like my multiple addresses), but I did get one.

First, I browsed their titles. I searched for a variety of movies that I couldn't get at my local Blockbuster and initially had a 75% return rate. Eventually, when I stopped spelling things incorrectly, this number grew. Also, as more movies come out on DVD, I am able to get a hold of what I want to see.

Here's what you do:
1) You create a Zip List, which consists of search for titles and then clicking "Rent". Your Zip List is established chronologically, so you would theoretically get the first movie you added first. However, what DVD Zip sends you and when has more to do with the DVD's availability. If you make a list of say, 8 movies, then the nice people at Zip will go through it chronologically and send you the next available title.
2) Sit and wait. Personally, I found my DVDs usually arrived 1 day later.
3) Watch them at your convenience. There are no late fees, so you can keep the titles as long as you want. But . . .
4) You can only have 4 DVDs out at a time. In order to receive more, you have to ship yours back. Inside the envelope Zip sends you is a pre-stamped envelope. All you have to do is drop the DVD in the mailbox.
5) My DVDs were usually back within a business day. Zip sends you an e-mail to tell you what DVD(s) they have received and which ones they have sent out.

Problems:
I really only encountered one problem with this method so far. One DVD I requested arrived in nearly two pieces. I sent it right back, checking the boxes on the envelope to make a complaint, and I went on-line and made a more detailed complaint.
I also received a sequel before I received the first movie. I moved the priority up to ASAP for the first movie, and Zip shipped it the next day. Thus, I do not regard this situation as a problem.

Another plus is the personable and friendly staff. I received what I thought was a mini-series and was shocked when it ended without resolving any plot lines. I wrote in to ask if there was another disc. While I was informed that there is not, the nice lady who wrote to me also added that she too found the end abrupt and unresolved after she watched it. That stuff's just too good.

So the real question is, can you justify the cost? A monthly fee of about $27 may seem like a lot or a little to you. Break it down. I watch about 4 DVDs a week. At Blockbuster, that's about 11$ a week, which is 44$ a month. For me that also involves busing and/or walking both ways and no doubt late fees for too small a selection.

My Zip List now sits about 65 titles, so you can guess which way I went. They have tons of movies, mini-series, and TV shows and exactly what I have been looking for. A