Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Miscellaneous Questions (anything you can think of)


Got any questions that don't have topics? Just drop it here and if it's something to start a new thread, I'll do it. I've had some questions that I've been answering within our e-mail contact but I am getting the questions several times now. Just drop it in guys and let's see who else responds.

Thanks,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

123 comments:

Gautam Talluri said...

I have just bought 2 kiosks from DVDNow. Anyone who has luck placing a kiosk in an office space? If so, how is it doing?

Unknown said...

Hello Everyone,

Has anyone placed machines in apartment complexes or convenient stores? If so, how are they working out?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I asked Mark Rudolph from DVDNow for you. Here are his comments for you:

We have several kiosks situated in office buildings.

The kiosks rental fees are setup with Calendar Based fees to charge fees that do not penalize customers who rent on Friday’s but cannot return until Monday as the building is closed down.



Mark Rudolph
Operations Manager | DVDNow Kiosks, Inc.

Anonymous said...

Ok Mike here is a question. Can I deduct the cost of going to a movie theather to watch some of the movies that I may buy for my kiosks? I don't know if anyone has a tax advisor that has answered that one.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I would say that's a question for your tax accountant. I am not in the position to comment on that.

Mike
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Hi, why is it that we can't use an HD TV DVD for the monitor on the kiosks? DVD NOW told me we have to use a regular TV with DVD and they are bulky and big.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

O.K., let's look at your question. It really isn't necessary to have a HD monitor. You will upload videos in less than HD anyway. There's no nead for a high def monitor. I know that my H.D. T.V. plays both HD and Regular videos and I am sure that the monitor that you'd put on the machine would too. It is unnecessary though since your video's aren't uploade in HD anyway.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Movie Night In said...

Ok I'm having problems with printing the Art, I'm using a HP inkjet. When I click the art how do I make it fit onto the 5x7 HP photo paper can you please help. I do not have photo shop.

Deion

Joe Fusco said...

Question about the Connections site. I may have to call tech support on this.

The first page customers come to on the Connections site has the new releases that are in the machine. I just put Indiana Jones and a few others in that are not out until Tues. I like putting the phyical movie in so when customers enter the slot number it tells them they have to come back Tuesday. But these movies are showing up in Connections as available. Is there a way to change this on the site or at least get them out of the new release catagory.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I agree. It should show up but maybe have some kind of way saying "unavailable" on it. I think I will forward your e-mail to the guy that handles that kind of thing.

Thanks for bringing it up.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Joe,
Here's how I print my 5x7 slot art work. I save them in a folder and go back and select them. The are then pulled up in "microsoft picture editor". When I hit print, I get the option from my printer to print in the 5x7 mode. That should work for you. I had Microsoft Picture editor on my computer when it was new. If you don't have it, you can probably download it. You don't need Photoshop.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

cddiller said...

Is there any way to set up a custom rental price for specific slot numbers or titles? I know how to change sell prices, but I can't seem to figure rental prices out.

Joe Fusco said...

How do you change sell prices for individual slots. I thought you could't do that. I hate having to sell a Barbie movie i paid 10 bucks for at 24.99. It may sell better at say 13.99

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Hi Joe,
I just received a return e-mail from the developers of the software. I think they agree with you on your question and are now looking at helping all of us out.

HERE IS THE FORWARD I RECEIVED FROM THEM.

"Let's patch the connection so the DVDs has not been released do not show up on the new releases page"



Question about the Connections site. I may have to call tech support on this.

The first page customers come to on the Connections site has the new releases that are in the machine. I just put Indiana Jones and a few others in that are not out until Tues. I like putting the phyical movie in so when customers enter the slot number it tells them they have to come back Tuesday. But these movies are showing up in Connections as available. Is there a way to change this on the site or at least get them out of the new release catagory.

Joe

cddiller said...

Joe - When you click on "Machine Details" for one of your kiosks, then "Slots" you can click "Edit" and update the sell price of any DVD.

Joe Fusco said...

Thank You

Is that sell price I change the same if it's a sale from the start AND a sale after rental period (mine is 14 days).

Thanks again
Joe

cddiller said...

Joe - I believe it is the same. If they keep the DVD the entire 14 days, instead of being charge 14*Your Daily Rate, they will be charged the sell price (same as if they had bought it initially).

Joe Fusco said...

Just one more question on this. Say I want to get rid of movies and want to sell them for 9.99. Is this possible since my sell period is 14 days.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

You can sell them for anything you want. You own the movies and they are your property. You don't have any contracts..

Mike W.
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Has anyone ever placed a kiosk in a mall?

Kyle B. said...

Hey Everyone,

I am a new owner of DVDNow kiosks, seasoned only two weeks, I wanted to ask a question I know it is different for everyone but I just wanted to know on average how many rentals do you get a day. I am not comparing your locations to mine, however I would like to know what you all have come to expect? Right now for the first week I average 7 rentals a day between two machines (one at a grocery store the other at a apartment complex), I believe that this will pick up as my locations establish themselves. How long did it take for your machines to "establish" themselves? I am really hoping that things pick up, can you all shead some light at the end of the tunnel for me.

Kyle B. said...

Advertising your kiosk? What methods have you all found to be the best ways to get your kiosk out there? I printed up some coupons for both my locations, and the first night free was a big hit at a college student based apartment complex, but that only lasted like a day or two. I really would love some ideas for my apartment complex, because my numbers are not what I would like. The other is at a grocery store with about 1000 foot traffic a day and I am doing much better over there, but what can I do to better my kiosk over there? I would love all suggestions, thanks a million!

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Hi Kyle,
Two things that my stores have done is advertise on their boards outside and they have put my ad in their weekly flyers. I did the ads myself and they placed them in their flyers. Ricci's Convenience Store has the rentals listed outsider thier store so everyone in the hard of the town sees it! Remember, just as I have mentioned in some of my old blogs, "The best cheerleaders are the employees in the store"

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Joe Fusco said...

Mike
I uploaded 1 trailer to the umg site. It was very hard to find a trailer to download. On most links I right click on and chose save target as I get an HTML doc to save and not actual file. Where do you download trailers from.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I take them right off of Youtube. If you download the software that I have a link set for on this blog. Look for DVDSoft Freeware.. It will be on the Youtube download Topic. If you download that and copy and paste the url into the line that asks for the video to download, and have it converted to an AVI file, you can load it directly into UMG. It's very easy to do. I put it there so I don't have to do a bunch of them every month.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Chet said...

does anyone know anything about the software updates that DVDnow is supposed to be doing, ie-returning movies to any location??? anyone know any of the other updates coming and when we will see these???

i would like to see a customer be able to rent or buy multiple movies in one transaction instead of two or three different ones

any other ideas?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

The updates are constantly being worked on. I can assure you that the software company is always up to something. The only reason you don't see them yet is because they are still in the test mode with certain people that are willing to try them in the real world. I have done a few beta tests on my machines with some of the software and sometimes it works, other times, we find bugs in the software. I know that the developers don't send the updates to all the machines until they work. Can you imagine the mess with all the machines if the software didn't work right?
On your second question: If someone rents 3 videos on one transaction or preauth, then all three have to come back at the same time. I'll pass your message on to a couple of guys that might give us a little more feedback.

Sincerely,

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

cddiller said...

Why would one need to find trailers on YouTube? Is this for your website or something?

I've been able to use the search function in Connections to build my own trailer playlist without issue.

Click on a Kiosk. Click UMG/Trailers link. Click Edit. Then search for a movie title and add it to the playlist.

Now this may be different if you have commercial advertisements playing as well, but that would be unfortunate since this is so easy.

-Chris

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Chris,
How do you think the trailers get into UMG? They are put in by people like me and others that load them in. I pull them off of Youtube, convert them to mpeg files so you can upload them. DVDNow and MovieMate do not upload them. It's everybody that own's Kiosks and has access to UMG that does that. I posted the software in the lower left corner that pulls the video from Youtube and converts it to a video file so you can upload it. If more than just a handful of people add videos, it makes it easier for all of us.

Sincerely,

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Chet said...

ok, one transaction was bad wording on my part. what i mean is after you select a video, it would be nice to see the machine ask if you want to rent another one. that way, the customer doesnt have to insert their credit card two or three times to get the two or three movies. kind of like a shopping cart online or similar to redbox's checkout feature.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

So what you are saying then is that the machine remember the credit card number and if it asks you if you want another one and you say yes, it does another seperate transaction? If that's the case, then others can't rent while someone just rented a movie. That's the beauty about these machines. Several people can rent and not have to wait in line like the Redbox machines. I realize it is sometimes a pain having to swipe your card several times, but it's still better than having to return all the movies at one time. What if someone just left the screen when it says, "want to rent another one?" and they left the kiosk without closing it out. Then, the machine owner would be liable for someone else getting a movie on someones card. Could be more of a can a worms in my opinion. I can't see how something like that can be done without affecting other areas of the rental process that is already in place.

Sincerely,

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Joe Fusco said...

Sometimes a trailer that I want is not on the site. I'm still looking to get the Alvin and Chipmungs movies (Trick or Treason and Thanksgiving)on there. Plus on the UMG site you can preview a trailer. I was wondering why Rush Hour 3 was playing on my kiosk when I didn't put it on. By previewing I found one of the files were labeled wrong.
Mike-
I tried the Youtube way with the movie Stuck and came up with a file thats 8 MBs. I see most files on UMG are in the 15 to 50 MB range. Is this going to be good for the 20" screen?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

That's why I put the freeware software on this blog. So you can upload the videos to UMG for yourself. If you use the software and can find the video on Youtube, you can load the video by yourself. Also, the videos uploaded to my larger screens are just fine from UMG. Yours will be too. Remember, the customer isn't going to be right in front of the big screen. On the small screen(on the machine), they'll be ever better.

Maybe I need to videotape how to do it and post it on the site?

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http:/readydvd.com

Chet said...

the way i would do it is BEFORE you swipe your card it asks you if u want another movie. so you press rent,then select movie 1, and then before the swipe your card screen comes up, it asks if you want another movie with a yes or no screen. if no, then it just goes to the credit card screen, if yes, then it asks what number you want to rent. then you swipe your card and the machine then gets your two movies.
just a thought. the swiping twice thing is just a hassle that might push people away.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Interesting, as long as it's two separate transactions so they don't have to bring the movie back at the same time. Also, what if someone else wants to slip in really quick and get a movie while you are looking? I can see your point though. Having to do the card thing can be a pain to people.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Joe Fusco said...

How many trailers do you show for your kiosk? Is there a limit? I know it's 100mb per file but how big is the hard drive in these machines? Trailers do help alot with rentals, especially with the 20" screen. I put trailers up for Baby Moma and 21 and that same day they rented. 21 never rented before (Oct 2 was my first day) and Baby Moma only once.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I think I have 15 running right now. I'm not sure, but it looks like you can load several. Joe, send me a picture of your kiosk, I'd like to add it to the bottom of this blog. I am going to see how many I can put on the blog. Anyone else, send me your too with a description. send it to me at service@readydvd.com

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Joe Fusco said...

Will be taking an updated picture tomorrow.

Chet said...

does anyone else have problems with the metallic stickers that dvdnow provides? i got a bunch that are total garbage and peel up by themselves. i went to a machine to load new titles for tomorrow and there was three movies sitting in the machine with the sticker not adhered to the box, more like sitting on the box so a light wind could have blown it off.
its really starting to upset me that this is a problem.
personally i think dvdnow should make the face of the sticker the sticky part and then we could stick them on the inside of the plastic cover. that way there is almost no way the sticker comes off and we can also reuse the cases.
just curious what everyone else does since these stickers are so undependable?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I haven't had the problem that bad. I have had the clear part come off though. I tear it off all the way and stick another sticker over the top. I told Mark Rudolph about it. I'd call him and let him know what you are going through. They are pretty good about taking care of us with their products. Call the 877 number and hit extention 705

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

iCinema DVD said...

How do you guys deal with customers that get DVD that do not work?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

When they call us, we use it as an opportunity to tell the customer how our machines work and that we stand behind our product. We give them a code for a free movie rental and put them in our NEWSLETTER that's offered by VPD. It doesn't happen much at all. I think it's happened maybe 5 times in the last year.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

iCinema DVD said...

On average, how much a month do you pay for your merchant account?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

It's at or under 10% with Roy Neese and it was around 20% with Global.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Hi, I think we finally have our first kioks location at a resort. Please what do you all put on the kiosk as far as instructions or other info to the folks who will be renting DVDs? Thanks, Diane

Anonymous said...

I think we finally got our first kiosk location in a resort. what do you all put on your kiosks as far as information/instructions for folks who rent your dvds? thanks

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Diane,
Look under the DVDNow Webart and Kiosk Art. I posted a few of my slot inserts that we have in each of our machines. Hope that gives you an idea.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Rich said...

Do your research …

I’ve seen a lot of comments from folks looking to enter into this business. You’re asking the same questions we all did. For instance … How many rentals can I expect? How many copies should I carry? Etc.

Like Mike has pointed out; there are lots of variables. First try to find kiosks in locations that are similar to where you might place a kiosk then monitor the kiosks. Most (if not all) kiosks have a web page associated with them; including a physical address. Use the web to determine what the population density is around the kiosk and what kind of neighborhood it is in. The kiosks web page will tell you what movies are stocked and how many copies are available. You don’t have to be an expert data miner to do this but it will take some time.

Here’s an example:
I Google “mydvdkiosk.com” and get 402 links (not all are useful)
Finally I find a good match … http://newdvdnow.mydvdkiosks.com/member/overview
They have two kiosks; but I’m only interested in one location: 406 W Noble St, East Canton, OH, 44730, US (http://newdvdnow.mydvdkiosks.com/member/machineDvds?machineId=S100-B305). I copy and paste the data into Excel (paste special text only). Using Excel functions I store the data in a more sensible manner. I do this twice a day for a couple weeks. Now interpret the data … the kiosk holds 110 DVDs. The operator will change some of the inventory (usually every week). Although this will not give you exact figures it will get you very very close. Of course you should do this for more than one location.

Good luck and happy mining.

Rich said...

Hi Box Office,

I have asked DVDnow and MovieMate for this feature many times … in addition to a better transaction experience for our customers, it would also reduce our credit card fees.

The Box Office said...
ok, one transaction was bad wording on my part. what i mean is after you select a video, it would be nice to see the machine ask if you want to rent another one. that way, the customer doesnt have to insert their credit card two or three times to get the two or three movies. kind of like a shopping cart online or similar to redbox's checkout feature.

Rich said...

Hi Box Office,

We print our own lables. I get the blanks from Staples (they have gold and silver). This allows us to use our own brand, phone #, and web adress. And it's a lot cheaper too.


The Box Office said...
does anyone else have problems with the metallic stickers that dvdnow provides? i got a bunch that are total garbage and peel up by themselves. i went to a machine to load new titles for tomorrow and there was three movies sitting in the machine with the sticker not adhered to the box, more like sitting on the box so a light wind could have blown it off.
its really starting to upset me that this is a problem.
personally i think dvdnow should make the face of the sticker the sticky part and then we could stick them on the inside of the plastic cover. that way there is almost no way the sticker comes off and we can also reuse the cases.
just curious what everyone else does since these stickers are so undependable?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

The potential problem with that could be bad though. What if someone got a phone call after they hit "yes" on the rent another selection and they left really quick. The next person in line would be able to rent on their card. I don't like the standing in line to use a machine idea like Redbox has either. If I see something and someone else is looking at a movie, I'd like to just get mine while they are still looking. Just my two cents..

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Curtis said...

Hello
Question? Thinking about putting Flat Screens on my kiosks. Does any on have any data,information or experince on how rentals are affected on Kisoks with Flat screens vs. Kiosk without.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Curtis,
Read "How to go about Advertising"
Joe has already addressed your question. Here is the URL.. Copy and paste it into the browser or simply click on the left hand side where it says "How to go about Advertsing"

http://dvdkiosk.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-go-about-advertising.html

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Curtis said...

Mike
thanks for the direction.

Rich
I was under the impression that the DVD now stickers are magnetic or marked in some way so the Kiosk can read them. I tried regular address style labels and they don't work, How are the ones at staples different?

Thanks
Curtis

Rich said...

Curtis (and anyone else that is interested) send me your email and I'll email your specifics on creating your own tags. I'm taking Mike's advise and not publishing these specifics on the web.

cddiller said...

How do you all sell your older titles that you've removed from the kiosk? I haven't sold many directly from the kiosk, so I looked in to Amazon.com but the commission they take is outrageous! Is there a better option?

Curtis said...

Cddiller
I too had the same question, I checked into ebay but the hassle of watching and shipping was just too much. One of my C-stores has agreed to sell them for me. I put them in a new case, make sure the DVD is is good condition, srink wrap the case and she sells them for $6.99, I keep $5.50 she keeps the rest, I just started so I can't say how well it's going. For a tax write off you can also donate them to a public library

Curtis

cddiller said...

Thanks, Curtis. Those are some good ideas. I'm in an apartment building right now, so I don't have the C-Store option. I'm doing some research on Google's shopping pages. Seems to me they aren't charging anything (or at least much less than Amazon). We'll see how this goes. Downside is that listing is only active for 30 days.

Joe Fusco said...

I tried amazon and ebay. Movies don't move on ebay. Amazon may have more of a fee but they go very fast. Amazon is the place people shop for movies. Very simple to set up and upc code gives full description.

I bought a bunch of older movies to load up in the beginning (oct). Most of these are being sold on Amazon. Others I get from VPD I compare with Amazon to the $5.50 buyback. Believe it or not, the straight to DVD movies sell better on Amazon than the hits
Example
Noelle 14.99
Beer for my Horses 9.99
Hulk 8.00

Problem with getting the straight to DVD is that they don't rent, so I don't get them anymore.

Joe Fusco said...

Does anyone use accounting software, such as Quicken or quickbooks to track rental and sales income and expenses. Is there special software for rental business. Something that will take the Connections reports that can be exported to excel.

Like how much I spent on a certian movie purchase, rental and sale income from that movie and total profit made from it.

Anyone use accounting software for any of this.

DVDNow CHicagoland (Tom) said...

Within Connections, there is the cost management feature that can track the costs/revenues for a given title. This seemed to be a lot easier that setting it up in Quicken. I do use Quicken as my accounting software but I just don't track it at the level.

DVDNow CHicagoland (Tom) said...

Is there anyone that is NOT subscribing to the Connections software. I was considering dropping this but I don't know how I would figure the revenue that was being generated by each kiosk. I need this detail for a commission back to the host location owner. I use Yourpay and I don't think that has the details either. Any ideas?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

We personally rely on the connections software for everything. It breaks down everything so we know what's going on with each Kiosk. It makes our job very easy. Just our two cents.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Curtis said...

I use quick books pro, but I also use the repots in connections SW to help track the data. I don't know what moviemaker or the other DVD kiosks use but to me connections is the heart of the DVDnow Kiosk. I don't know how I would run my business without it. My 2 bits

Joe Fusco said...

Thanks for the input. I was able to create excel files from VPD and connections data (the csv links will do this, copy and paste data like movie name and amounts into another excel file). Add in movies purchased from other sources and some tweeking to find out how each movie is doing. May be alot at first but once it's established it's just a matter of adding movies weekly.

If you know formulas in excel you can take the difference between rental and sale income, from connections, and purchase price, in VPD and others, to get gain or loss.(tax would have to be taken away from connections figures)

Then these number can be put into Quickbooks or Quicken. I don't know if they will do the calculations above.

Anonymous said...

I see that the tv for Picchioni's IGA Roundup, MT Smaller Grocery Store is one that is mounted with the DVD NOW sign still up. Most of you all have the regular tvs not the new HD type tv's with the small base and lightweight narrow tvs. I have one of the new tvs and need to find out how to mount it with the DVD NOW rental sign still up. we installed our first kiosk yesterday and can't figure out how to get the TV up high enough to avoid the power outlets on top of the kiosk and be seen over the DVD NOW sign. Can anyone help?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Keep reading the blog... Look to the left and click on "Advertising and Large Screen"... There's an entire section for you to read.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Unknown said...

Mike,
Can you explain the 3C and merchant account? Where do we look to see if we have any declined transactions, merchant account or 3C? Is there an easy way to view a daily report, other than the connections page? I really don't get the 3C vs. merchant account.

Thanks,
Stewart

Unknown said...

The internal speakers are very muffled when the door is closed. It is almost impossible to hear the trailer. Is it possible to mount external speakers on top of the kiosks?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

We do not use 3C's. We actually prefer Your Pay. You'll have to contact 3C's. DVDNow can probaby point you in the right direction. Call Mark Rudolph, he can point you in the right place. It's probably not a good idea going over steps on this blog anyway. We called Your Pay a couple of times for help. They were pretty good about it.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Mike its Diane. We have been to our target and don't see anything like what you are describing. Please can someone post a picture of the shoe organizer you are using so we can try and find it somewhere? We have 2 TVs we need to get mounted. Thanks so much

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Yes, you can mount external speakers outside the machine. If you mount a larger screen on top of your machine, you'll get plenty of sound. There are other ways people have done it. Example. Drilling a larger hole on the outside of the kiosk and covering it with a mesh netting. I wouldn't suggest that though. They are sealed for a reason. The dust stays out of the machine when they are sealed. I'd get a screen on top or put some speakers on top. DVDNow can also give you some ideas on what they have seen in the past.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Diane,
Try posting your question where we discuss "Advertising, Large Screens". Also, you don't have to just go to Target. It's a basic shoe organizer. There have been others on the blog that have found them. Go to Lowe's or Home depot. Take a measurement. I promise you they will have them. I don't have any pictures off hand and I am not close to my machine. If anyone else has one, send it to me and I'll post it.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Hi our kiosk is showing offline. Its Christmas evening. Does this mean the internet is down at the location or could it mean something else? Thanks

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Internet is down to your kiosk or there's a software glitch. Most likely it's the internet provider that's down.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Joe Fusco said...

If I remember tonight I will take some photos and send to mike. I got the shoe holder at target.

Anonymous said...

Joe that would be so helpful to have a picture! on another topic, we called DVD NOW for after hours tech help and never got called back. I called today too and no one called back or answered the phone there. Anyone ever had them drop the ball like that for tech support?

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Diane,
I believe that they sent out a mass e-mail saying that they'd be out for the Holiday. I wasn't sure how long though. I know that Mark Rudolph is out of the office until the 7th of January. I believe he said that Brent Johnson was going to be on to help out. Did you e-mail Brent too?

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Mike and Joe,those pics of the top mount really helped. Thanks again.

I didn't get anything from DVD NOW about holiday hours but I understood that there would be tech support even on holidays for certain hours. I did call during those hours and again today with no one answering or calling me back. I worked for an online biz before and we always had tech support 24/7. Thats the way it should be with a biz like this.

thanks again, Diane

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Diane,
I guess I've never run into this problem before with DVDNow. I would e-mail Mark Rudolph and let him know your concerns. If you don't have his e-mail address let me know by e-mailing me at my normal e-mail address. I'll provide it for you. I don't want to post it online since there are way to many e-mail harvesters just waiting to spam people.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Has anyone ever done a case study on a DVD Now Kiosk?

cddiller said...

How do you all handle scratched DVDs? I've just had my first really bad one returned. The case is all chewed up and the DVD has a deep scratch nearly all the way around it. Do you try to investigate to find the culprit and recoup some money? Do you just charge someone flat out (I'd be hesitant to do this)? Or do you just eat the cost and chalk it up to the cost of doing business?

Thanks!
Chris

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I fix the DVD with my DVD Resurfacing machine and put it back into the Kiosk. If it is so bad that there's no way to fix it, then I write it off as a business loss. Unfortunately, that's what you have to do. It's not worth messing around on for me.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

I know this is a general question, and not every movie is the same, however I will ask anyway. Generally how long (days, weeks, months) do you keep a movie in a kiosk for renting?
In other words generally how long should I wait until I replace a DVD with a newer release?

Unknown said...

Mike,
Can we start a thread about pricing? I am considering going up in price. I am barely breaking even. My numbers are steadily increaseing as comfort levels go up. I am currently at 1.49 and .99 each additional night. I am considering increasing the first night to 1.99 but don't want to shoot myself in the foot. I would also like to see what people are pricing out for advertising.
BTW - I am pretty much alone. There is a REDBOX in the WAL-Mart here but I have never seen anyone at the machine.

Unknown said...

Mike,
Can we start a thread about pricing? I am considering going up in price. I am barely breaking even. My numbers are steadily increaseing as comfort levels go up. I am currently at 1.49 and .99 each additional night. I am considering increasing the first night to 1.99 but don't want to shoot myself in the foot. I would also like to see what people are pricing out for advertising.
BTW - I am pretty much alone. There is a REDBOX in the WAL-Mart here but I have never seen anyone at the machine.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

No problem, It has now been added to the left of your screen.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Hi, we are going to add games to our kiosk at the Univ of Central florida student center but games don't upload using the last 6 digits of the UPC code. Anyone know how to upload games? thanks fellow DVD Kiosks owners.

Diane

cddiller said...

I guess I'd enter 000000 and select "Unspecified Title". It will be a little tougher to track in Connections and you won't get any Rental Performance info but that's what I've done with DVDs where the UPC wouldn't enter (I initially loaded a bunch of my own older movies into the kiosk to save on initial inventory costs).

-Chris

Curtis said...

I have had a problem that at first I thought was a fluke but it has happened 5 times now.
A customer rents a DVD and the pre authorization of $7 is held out of their account. When the customer brings the DVD back, they are charged for the # of rental days and the transaction is closed. However the $7 pre authorization is still being held out of their account. The customer is upset and rightfully so and they call me.

I called my merchant service account provider and they are telling me it’s a terminal software problem, something to do with how the transaction is closed out.
I called DVDNow and as good as they about everything, I am being told there is nothing they or I can do about it.

It has been explained to me that the customer’s bank is the entity holding the money and the bank can hold it for up to 30 days before releasing it. It’s still in the customers account they just can’t use it.

The worst part about this it happened to the assistant manager of one of my stores and she is not happy. Anyone else had this problem? And what have you done about it?

Anonymous said...

Hi cddiller and thanks for your help. I also found out from DVD NOW that if you want to load games, you can send them the name, game system and last 6 digits of the UPC code and that way you will be able to track rentals when you upload the games. Diane

Ryan Leonard said...

I am about to open my first location of my DVD Kiosk sometime next month. What are some good “Grand Opening ideas”?

For example, I plan to rent a popcorn making machine and give away free popcorn. Also I will give free rentals to customers who fill out a card with their contact information.

Does anyone else have and promotional ideas like this?

Anonymous said...

Hi, how do I download trailers to my hard drive so I can load them to UMG? I have tried several times with no success.
Thanks, Diane

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

This is going to require more than just posting it online. I have the free software posted on the left side of this blog that I convert Youtube videos to Mpeg format. If you do that Diane all you have to do is log into UMG and upload them. I can't add the code to upload on this site for fear that someone gets it and loads a bunch of stuff that's not supposed to be on it. Call the folks at DVDNow and have them run you through it. It's actually pretty easy, once you do it.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Mike, its Diane. I will upload that software. I have the passwords for UMG site just couldn't seem to figure out how when I found the trailer I wanted to save it so I could upload to UMG. Thanks as always, Diane

cddiller said...

Hi Mike,

Have you ever thought about changing your blog to a forums? This might make it easier for you to keep similar topics together and for us to find all the information on a specific topic.

Just a thought...
-Chris
Movies on the Go

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Yeah, I've thought about it before. I also have built two other Forums that were done with Phpbb and they turned into nightmares. Also, they were tons of work. This blog works pretty well. I try to post most topics on the left side (as you can see).. I am also doing this on my own time with the Ford Dealership too. I have to prioritize what I do. You guys are all important in the spectrum of this business but the dealership pays my bills. This is a side business... Yes, I do profit from it, but it's not enough to pay all of my bills. I like what I do... I may buy more Kiosks in the future but as of right now, it's a Tax write off and residual income. I also don't want to start having to pay for hosting and other expenses that come up. Since this is all free and the only thing invested is my time, I'd rather keep it that way.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Curtis said...

Mike
You mentioned a DVD resurfacing machine, what kind so you have and where did you get it.

Curtis
Quick Pick DVD

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

If you go to http://dvdrepairmachine.com It's a zdag101 It works pretty well.

Mike

Unknown said...

Pre-Authorization
When we first installed our kiosks we had a $1.99 pre-authorization. Soon we discovered that our CC charges were out of control. Here’s why …
When a customer swipes their card you are charged $.08 ($.05 from First data and $.03 from Merchant Services). This is just the gateway fees. Let’s say you’re charging $1.99 for the first night and $.99 additional. The customer keeps the movie for two days. When returned the kiosk has to get another authorization because the total charges ($2.98) exceed the original pre-auth ($1.99) so you are charged another $.08. In an effort to reduce our CC charges we increased the pre-auth to $5. We feared going higher thinking we would lose renters.

But after suffering over $1200 in losses in one year (most of which came from a kiosk we have placed in a low income neighborhood) we increased our pre-authorization from $5 to $15. The other thing we saw was that declined transactions usually came in 3’s (e.g. customer/thief rents 3 movies and does not return them; when you try to collect there’s no money or CC account is closed).

The only change we’ve noticed so far is no more declined transactions :-). Our rental counts look about the same. I should also note that when we changed the pre-auth we also changed the max DVD out from 3 to 2. And changed the convert to sale from 10 days to 7 days.

Anonymous said...

Hello Mike and Everyone, we need to create a flyer for our UCF Kiosk. Do you all have any examples you could send me to my email address or post here? Thanks for all your help!

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Hi Diane,
Look under "Kiosk Art and Ad Examples" on the left. Joe Fusco sent me a few examples and I posted them.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Unknown said...

Map of kiosk locations now available!

I’ve put together a map of all the kiosks I’ve been able to locate (about 250 locations). I have found another 41 kiosks that are not on the map because they have shown no activity for sometime. For those looking for used kiosks; there should be some available … stay tuned.

The map still has an issue; it starts zoomed in on the last location I added. So you may have to zoom out first. If your location hasn’t been added or needs an update just email me … richcomeaux@yahoo.com

http://dvdpremier.net/KioskNetworkLocations.html

Sometime this weekend the map will move to its’ permanent home, the DVD Kiosk Network Page (for lack of a better name).

The DVD Kiosk Network page is intended to:

1) Direct prospective customers to an independently owned/operated kiosk near them
2) Direct prospective kiosk operators to this discussion group
3) Provide a place to advertise used kiosks for sale (free listings)

There will not be any blog or discussion area on the web site as we already have a great one, thanks to Mike, and I’m not crazy like Mike (sorry Mike but you got to be a bit crazy; blogs take a lot of work and make you a target for occasional tongue lashings from nut jobs).

I’m open to other ideas of things we could add to the site but please keep in mind that I’m not looking for a lot of work and it shouldn’t be anything already covered by this discussion/blog page.

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Rich,
This is pretty cool. I have two machines in Great Falls. Any reason why the one on 6th Ave. North doesn't show up?
This is a nice tool to see the competition in your area. Good Job. When you get the URL that's permanent let me know and I'll just post it as a link on the side.
Nice Work

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Oh yeah, the nut jobs will now find their way to you. Cause I'm going to direct them that way.
Ha Ha

Mike

Anonymous said...

Hi Rich, re your map is pretty cool. I have 2 kiosks in central florida. They are at 1952 pegasus circle; Orlando, FL32816-3250, in the UCF Student Union Center and at
Terra Verde Resort at 109 Madiera Beach Blvd; Kissimmee, FL 34746. Thanks for doing this for all of us.Diane, Freedom's Door

Anonymous said...

Hi, we have had our kiosk on location for only 6 weeks and so far we have had to replace the exchanger and as of last night we had a jammed dvd problem which althought dvd now ejected it manaully didn't fix the blockage. Is this typical of the kiosks? problems on a regular basis? thanks diane

cddiller said...

Hi Diane,

I've had my unit for about 5 months and I have never has any issues like those. From my experience and what I've heard from talking to other operators, your experience is not typical. I'd work with DVDNow to make sure it's fixed or that you get a replacement unit.

-Chris
Movies on the Go, LLC
Twin Cities, MN

Curtis said...

A Bad Debt question, Of late I have been losing a few DVD's. after the customer has had the DVD out for the max # of days, The CC is declined. How do you all deal with it, I am looking into using a collection agency. Is it possible with First Data to get the address of the credit card user?

Thank you for your input

Curtis
Quick Pick DVD
Ogden, UT

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Hi Curtis,
You need to capture the preauth. Also, you need to black list this customer. Our preauth is high enough so we take the loss and write it off as a loss at the end of the year. You can also call First Data and have them walk you through the options. We capture the preauth in "your pay" I am not sure if you are sest up with 3C's or Your Pay. It's pretty easy

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Curtis said...

I have 3C (which by the way is about worthless)
But their early cancelation fee is so high, I can't afford to jump ship. I would also like to switch to the service you have recommend but the up front fees are a bit much for me.

I called first data and they are helping me with some sort of on line access.
I will ask about capturing the pre-auth.

What is "your pay" and who offers it?

Next thing somehow a box got put back without a disk in it tonight. go figure.

Thanks Mike

Curtis
QPDVD

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Your Pay is your other choice from 3C's. I can't see how anyone can put a dvd box in your kiosk without opening the front door. Call me if you want to talk about it. Once you learn how to tackle some of the rough ends to this business, it's smooth sailing.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

Curtis said...

Ok here is an update, for those who are using 3C as their gateway.

They have a web page called
web2pay. I just got all set up. This web page allows the kiosk owner to refund transactions and capture the preauth in case of theft or default. It is very easy to use and hopefully it will help me recover a few of my recent loses. To get set up call Palo at 630-288-2754 he is the DVDnow rep for 3C and by far the most helpful person I have talked too.

Mike Thanks for your help today.

Curtis
Quickpick DVD

Curtis said...

So what "major" store let Bolt out of the bag?

Unknown said...

What are ya'll averaging per day on initial rentals? I think most of us have similar overhead with the exception being the percentages we pay the location. I feel I have a machine that is under performing and am considering moving it.

Curtis said...

I work into mine backwards; I work up what my overhead is per machine I figure in

Cost of movies – include stolen DVDs
Loan (if you have one)
DVD Now – connections
Credit Card Fees
Internet Costs
Location Costs

Add all that up and divide it by 30 days. That number is your cost per day; next I figure the average rental fee. I divide the total rental income for the month by the number of rentals. Next I divide the total per day cost of the machine by the average rental fee and that tells me how many rentals I have to average per day to break even. I need to average 10 per day or about $25/day per kiosk to show a small profit.... I am not there yet.

After running some specials and free coupons for a month or so, I watch the average rentals, if the kiosk is not showing a steady increase in rentals each week over the first few months, I start looking to make some changes.

Mike has stressed location, location, location, After 7 months in the business and 4 bad locations I could not agree more.

Anonymous said...

I cannot seem to find a spot for my question. I am looking for replacement parts for one of my DVD Now Kiosks. SImple replacement parts like speakers to the more expensive Linox box. One of my machines was purchased used from a previous DVD NOW owner and I am unable to get any type of warranty for the machine. Does anyone know of other companies for replacement parts? Thanks so much!!! Mike you guys rule!! Phyllis

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

Hi Phyllis,
That shouldn't be a problem. I don't have your number or your e-mail address. I can get you to the appropriate party. Also, if you get in touch with Mark Rudolph, he can help you out as well.

Sincerely,
Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

vince said...

Hey mike,
Do you have a contact of the person who would be able to help me to find a place for me to deploy my kiosk?...i can't find it, i remember being told that he charges , i guess $1000 per kiosk, is that right?...i appreciate if you can help me to locate his name and number.
Vince

Unknown said...

Hi Vince,

You can contact:

Alex Gallner
800-741-1521
www.kioskplacement.com
agallner@kioskplacement.com

Mark Rudolph

Unknown said...

Hi Mike,

I noticed the post by Rich back in February where he posted this link: http://dvdpremier.net/KioskNetworkLocations.html

That link doesn't work. I saw that you said you'll post the permanent link. Do you know if that map and web page is still up somewhere?

Thanks,
Daniel

Mike at ReadyDVD said...

I'm not sure whatevery happened to that link. I don't think reads the open blog anymore either. It might be something you want to post in the Private Blog.

Mike Weiland
http://readydvd.com

JJ_G said...

Hello my name is Jonathan Gentry, and I am a young entrepreneur from Oklahoma. I have been researching DVDNOW for 6 weeks. All I need now is some bottom line numbers from someone who has been in the DVD kiosk business. Im not asking for any type of personal information just books from someone, preferrably from the past three months. My bank is wiling to wave the collateral i would need to finance if I can show them some real numbers. Again i don't want personal information just books kept from the past three months.
If any one is wiling to help me out I would very much appreciate it.
Sincerely
Jonathan Gentry
Young Entrepreneur