I don't know if you guys have experienced this, but I haven't loaned a movie in over a year.
As a matter of act, I made a promise last Dec 31 that I would not lend a movie to anyone, ever again because I was tired of getting screwed over.

Every one is the same, friends come over, they see the huge DVD collection, and right away they are in there like my house is BLOCKBUSTER and everything is free.

"Say buddy, would you mind if I borrowed these for a few days"
The tones is always the most sincere, the most caring, such a soft and gentle voice, full of trust, the voice that reeks of "I Promise I will return them"

Every single one of those sumbiches was the same.

To get the movies back was a different story, you had to chase them down, drive all over town, excuses after excuses, I finally just said "**** on it"
I even had one couple who denied borrowing any movies, these were the people that turned Habibi into a *****, this is why I am now referred to as the "Movie ****"

I refuse to loan a DVD to even my own mother and brother, and they know why.

So last Friday night I was at the weekly poker game and one of the guys says to me "Oh hey, did you buy Troy on DVD yet? To which I reply "I sure did"

He then asks me if he could come by and pick it up, and I tell him yes.

Everyone was shocked, they know I don't lend to anyone ever again, so they were looking all perplexed.

I said to Kenny (the borrower) When you come to get it, make sure you have $30 with you. Leave the $30 at my house, and when you return the DVD, you can have your money back.

Well, this turned the quiet murmurs into a dull roar, everyone was dumbfounded, mouths open, not knowing what to say, and I ask "WHAT?"

You could tell they were trying to think of a way to call me unreasonable, but they couldn't.

What could be more fair I asked "The new policy for 2005 is changed to borrow anything you want, but you leave a $30 deposit per title, and when you return them, you get your cash back. If you decide to screw me over, then I have the money to re-buy it.

It's pretty simple. This is the best idea I have ever had, now they can't accuse me of being a ***** anymore, and nobody borrows of me anyway because it would eat them up and make them toss and turn to leave $30 bucks at my house.

This applies to books, and everything else that had a habit of growing legs and walking away.

I enjoyed saying no at the beginning until people realized I was serious, each and everyone of them would get this puzzled look when I said "NO", and then they would say "but it's me, Jimmy, you know I'll bring it back" ( heavy emphasis on the I'll) They would become all indignant like I insulted their good name.

I just learned to tell them to **** off, it was great.

I strongly urge you guys to try this if you suffer from unreturned items.

 

Habibi

That's $30 Canadian right?

If I come up to Canada again this summer, can I borrow the truck?
Hell of a deal.

 

I hear you, after all my videos got "lost" (read stolen or un returned) after two years in college I started lokcing them up and not letting anyone borrow them. It sucks but even friends are lazy, incosiderate and greedy. Here is a good story about movies though... I did let my g/f borrow my "Band of Brothers" DVDs to give to her grandfather to watch after he was laid from surgery. Her parents got their hands on them, had them for almost 6 months and when I asked the g/f to get them back she gave them to me a week later but it was a new set. Her parents "lost" them so she felt guilty and bought me new ones (yeah, she's great). Not too long ago I found out that her parents had found the original set and the whole time had felt no need to pay her for either set. I told her she should take the set they have just on general pricipal, no reason to let them get away with a $80 set of DVDs. Moral of the story... I won't even lend movies to the g/f anymore. I'm a ***** but I have lots of DVDs to wattch.

 

I tried this once also. Notice I said once? Well when we were getting slammed with hurricanes here a couple months back, one of my friends asked to borrow "Scooby Doo 2" Alright I said, no big deal. Three months later and four hurricanes down, I get the movie. I open the case right there and it snapped it half. I went bezerk. I chewed them out a good one. Needless to say I drove home with $25 and told them they could keep the movie.

 

When you are in town Adam, feel free to use my wife's Focus, how's that for a compromise?

I've been thinking about getting Band of Brothers, any good? Worth the money?

Speaking of getting screwed over...
My bro was at my house a couple of years ago, on parole, him and his stupid g/f,
They are leaving to go back to Toronto, and they ask me "Can we borrow these DVD's, we'll bring them back next week-end.

I say no, but then there's an argument, he's swearing up and down he will return them, I keep saying "NO"
His stupid biatch pipes in with a great voice of authority and says "I promise I will bring them back myself next week-end, I swear to go" blah blah blah.
It was a lot of swearing to borrow a few movies.

So finally I break down (yes they broke me) and reluctantly agree)

They show up next w/e, no movies, the w/e after that, "oh we forgot"
2 weeks later she calls the cops on him and gets his parole revoked, guess whose DVDs are lost forever??

Now he knows not ever to ask me,,, friking ever again.

I like the guys who you hardly know, and they so nonchalantly ask "hey bub, I gotta move my moms fridge on the w/d, you don't mind if I borrow your truck do ya?

Like they are asking to borrow your shovel or something.

 

band of Brothers is great, the story, the actors, the scenery and effects. It's certainly worth the money, sometimes you can find it on sale for around $50. I've had the friend of a guy I work with (notice I don't even call him my friend...) ask me to borrow my truck for the weekend and then get upset wwhen I said no. I ask strangers to borrow their treasured possessions all the time.

Another good one is the guy who borrows your DVd (or CD more commonly) and when he gives it back its scratched to hell and useless. People who scratch the hell out of DVDs and CDs (especially wwhen they are mine) are a huge pet peeve of mine.

 

I do have one good story though,

My next door neighbor borrowed my pressure washer to clean his deck, and he returned it promptly, with the hose all neatly wrapped up, full tank of gas, and a 12 pack of Coronas to say thanks.

Not often something like this happens.
I still have the beers in my cold room, I'm gonna wait until I open the pool and invite him over to drink them with me.

Then I'm gonna lament how his deck looks dirty and offer to loan him the pressure washer again

 

Band of Brothers- I only have a dozen or so DVD's, and this is the pinnical......... but word of advice, dont sit down to watch it in small bites- set aside about a good 8 hours (Allowing for beer breaks, bathroom, etc) and try for NO distractions... this movie needs to be seen from stem to stern, uninterupted. Enjoy!

 

One of my passions is movies. We have a nice home theater we built over the last 3 years. We have over 500 VHS movies, and as of this past Christmas, we now have over 200 DVDs. I too got tired of having to hunt down friends and family to get my movies back. I drew the line when my "best buddy" returned a DVD that his dog made several puncture holes through chewing on the case. When I asked my buddy WTF? He says to me, "Its cool, he didn't bite the disk itself". Needless to say, I don't lend movies anymore. Many of my tapes and disks are out of print, and can no longer be replaced. I do make the offer of letting them watch the movie at my house if its something you cant buy or rent any longer. However if it a common movie that I see them selling at the Shoprite for $13.99, it's not going to happen.

I found a cool database program called MovieCollector - you connect a bar code scanner to the keyboard port of the PC, then scan the barcode on the back of the DVD. The program then connects to the web and downloads all the info it finds for that movie. This includes all the standard information found on the liner notes, and the front and rear cover art. If you do choose to loan out a movie, you can input who the movie was loaned to, the date, and a notes field. I also wrote a program for my Blackberry that allows me to access the database from anywhere you would have cell coverage. So if I am out at a store about to buy a DVD, I can check my database to see if I already own a copy. (yes, I have bought duplicates in the past, they make great gifts!)

Jim

 

Hi JIm,

I see that program is $40 at their website, do you have any coupon code? Sometimes these guys give you a refferal code.

Where do I purchase the handheld barcode reader? Any computer type of place?

I think I might get this software, I've got about 400+ DVD's and the same in VHS.
When I replace the VHS, I just donate it to a fellow movie buff, at least it makes someone happy.

Thanks

 

Habibi,

Check for an email from me.

Jim

 

You have amil too!

 

UMMM, you might wanna check and make sure that thing still works. The last time anyone brought something back wrapped up all nice and neat saying thanks and bringing beer.....well, need I say any more.

 

Heh heh..... how true. My nephew borrowed my '96 150 to take his gal down to the beach for the day of 4-wheelin. Gone all day.

When I returned home, my 150 was parked right where I always park it, and was washed AND waxed. He even used westly's bleach-white on the BF all-terrains. Red flags were flying left and right.

Next day I take it to work, and while enroute, he called me on the cell- "Hey, thanks for letting me Blah blah blah, oh by the way- you might want to have the 4 wheel drive system checked out- it seems to be malfunctioning..."

I found the first dirt road I could, and threw the lever for 4wd, and SNAP- BANG the wheel is jerked out of my hand and it goes hard left..... Turns out he was running in 2 high on the hard section of beach, and when the rear end started the dig in- at 25 MPH- he reached down and slammed the lever into 4 high. The left front "dogs" on the spindles were sheared off. So now, using 3WD, he limps off and cleans the truck and pretends nothing is wrong... Cost me 600.00+ to have new front hubs installed. Good news is that I had the local shop install the good Warn hubs, with the brass center sections. Needless to say, he dont borrow nuttin no more.