MoviePass Discussion

thediamondage · Feb 8, 2018

Interesting moviepass article
http://deadline.com/2018/02/moviepa...illboards-outside-ebbing-missouri-1202280191/

Lot of spin bullshit in there - "Well, we assume 70% of moviepass users bring along a friend who pays for a ticket themselves, and all of them buy a lot of concessions, and we claim credit for it all!" but two interesting factoids.

1. They directly spent $16.7m on oscar nominated movies, which honestly is a drop in the bucket so you can already tell amc/regal/etc really still don't give a big shit about moviepass other than gleefully taking their money for now

2. they have spent $110m on movie tickets since aug 2017. They started with $70m in the bank, they get $15m/mo from 1.5m subs right this month, probably more subs by the end of the month plus all the costco $100 prepaid folks padding their bank account. Still, they are spending crazy amounts of money.

If they can hurdle past May they should be in pretty good shape, but thats gonna be a super rough month with Avengers, Deadpool 2, and Star Wars Solo.

I like the little bit at the end where they said MoviePass is looking at options for IMAX/RPX/3D/etc, that would be fantastic. I'd pay an extra $10 a month if I could see those movies too, but around here the ticket costs tend to be DOUBLE in the evenings.

tshirtblue · Feb 8, 2018

Informative new interview with the CEO of MoviePass, who also worked at Netflix and Redbox...

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/recode-media-with-peter-kafka/id1080467174?mt=2&i=1000401743462

Cpt-GargameL · Feb 9, 2018

So we've (gf & I) have been using Movie Pass since September with no issues. Earlier today my gf got an email from them notifying her that they're cancelling her account for purchasing a premium ticket (paying the difference) and that she will no longer be able to sign up for movie pass ever again (kinda harsh) I've seen people do this forever and had no idea it was not allowed. I haven't received that email myself (at least not yet) perhaps they're going after everyone who has done this very thing.

Apparently it's in the TOS.

metsallica · Feb 9, 2018

Not sure how you could've possibly missed that as it has been explicitly stated by MP many, many times, is listed on their site in numerous places, has been discussed in this thread (and previous threads) hundreds of times, and has been part of their TOS since the day they launched. 2D non-event tickets only. Period. While I'm sorry that happened to your GF, I'm glad they're starting to crack down. The abuse talked about in this thread has been embarrassing and will only serve to hasten the demise of a service many of us enjoy and use legitimately.

Son Goku · Feb 9, 2018

NES said:
I got it for $10 per month but have never used it

seems like a bitch to use if you actually want to see a movie and sit next to a friend in a theater that has assigned seating, which is most of the decent theaters in Los Angeles

correct me if I'm wrong, but it's a HUGE pain in the ass. you have to physically show up to the theater the same day at an earlier time and buy the tickets with your friend...in person

Well ok for that area and if everything is reserved or heavily trafficked that's one thing. For me the theaters are rarely full and usually only have the imax screens or one luxury auditorium that's reserved so it's easy to show up and buy a ticket at the start time

vatstep · Feb 9, 2018

When I try to update my payment card in the app, I repeatedly get a message that it didn't work, but if I back out and try again the card number shown seems to have updated, so I assume it still worked. Has anyone else had this happen and can confirm that the card actually did get changed?

Kirblar · Feb 9, 2018

Cpt-GargameL said:
So we've (gf & I) have been using Movie Pass since September with no issues. Earlier today my gf got an email from them notifying her that they're cancelling her account for purchasing a premium ticket (paying the difference) and that she will no longer be able to sign up for movie pass ever again (kinda harsh) I've seen people do this forever and had no idea it was not allowed. I haven't received that email myself (at least not yet) perhaps they're going after everyone who has done this very thing.

Apparently it's in the TOS.

Yeah, it's to avoid situations where they load $15 onto the card, a normal ticket costs 12 and a premium costs $18. They don't want you using that $3 difference.

Cpt-GargameL · Feb 9, 2018

Kirblar said:
Yeah, it's to avoid situations where they load $15 onto the card, a normal ticket costs 12 and a premium costs $18. They don't want you using that $3 difference.

Ticket's at the AMC or any theater around here actually are $12 for GA as you mentioned but Dolby (which is what I usually go for) goes for $16. I always pay the $4 difference on one of my credit cards.

gagewood · Feb 9, 2018

vatstep said:
When I try to update my payment card in the app, I repeatedly get a message that it didn't work, but if I back out and try again the card number shown seems to have updated, so I assume it still worked. Has anyone else had this happen and can confirm that the card actually did get changed?

I tried updating my card a few days ago and ran into the exact same thing. I found a few discussions on reddit confirming this is common and that, as long it shows the stored card # as the new one you just entered, it was updated despite the error message.

My billing date is in one week so I guess I'll find out for sure. :p

Kirblar · Feb 9, 2018

Cpt-GargameL said:
Ticket's at the AMC or any theater around here actually are $12 for GA as you mentioned but Dolby (which is what I usually go for) goes for $16. I always pay the $4 difference on one of my credit cards.

The big Dolby theater at my local Alamo is covered by MP. Just not 3D shows. (its also only a $2 difference tho)

BlkSquirtle · Feb 9, 2018

Cpt-GargameL said:
So we've (gf & I) have been using Movie Pass since September with no issues. Earlier today my gf got an email from them notifying her that they're cancelling her account for purchasing a premium ticket (paying the difference) and that she will no longer be able to sign up for movie pass ever again (kinda harsh) I've seen people do this forever and had no idea it was not allowed. I haven't received that email myself (at least not yet) perhaps they're going after everyone who has done this very thing.

Apparently it's in the TOS.

How did you do it? I bought my ticket outright at the kiosk then go to customer service and have them exchange it. Haven't been banned yet (hopefully ever)

Kirblar · Feb 9, 2018

Killthem said:
How did you do it? I bought my ticket outright at the kiosk then go to customer service and have them exchange it. Haven't been banned yet (hopefully ever)

That's how you do it while not getting caught.

thediamondage · Feb 9, 2018

Yeah tons of people posting on the moviepass sub-reddit that their account has been banned for a few alleged violations - picking one movie in MP but actually buying a higher priced premium ticket (against MoviePass TOS) or buying concessions with the moviepass card. Many saying they never did what MP claims, who knows.

It seems like MP is feeling the heat now and starting to worry about cash, because these cancellations are probably going to blow up a bit and people will push the narrative from "Is moviepass a great deal?" to "Will MoviePass wrongly cancel my sub with no recourse?" A few of the people cancelled also bought the $90 costco pass so thats a big limbo issue, will Costco refund their money or did they pay $90 and basically get scammed after 2 months?

And before someone replies with "... stick to the rules and you will be fine", a lot of people are absolutely claiming they never violated any rule and still got a ban. Could be telling the truth, could be lying, but given how bad the customer service is, if you get banned there is literally nothing you can do right now. Calling them won't apparently lead to anything, reps can't do anything about it.

Kirblar · Feb 9, 2018

Internet rule 1: When people say they didn't violate a rule, they're normally lying.

Cpt-GargameL · Feb 9, 2018

Killthem said:
How did you do it? I bought my ticket outright at the kiosk then go to customer service and have them exchange it. Haven't been banned yet (hopefully ever)

I just go to kiosk and try to for Dolby or IMAX and what happens is that it only charges the MP card $12 and change and the machine says that there's a balance of $4 and I use my CC to pay the difference.

BlkSquirtle · Feb 9, 2018

Kirblar said:
That's how you do it while not getting caught.

Phew

Cpt-GargameL said:
I just go to kiosk and try to for Dolby or IMAX and what happens is that it only charges the MP card $12 and change and the machine says that there's a balance of $4 and I use my CC to pay the difference.

Yeah I suggest you dont do that on your card anymore. My way seems to work pretty fine...for now.

easter · Feb 9, 2018

Most theatres here are smart enough to have a stamp that reads "no exchanges or refunds" that they leverage for moviepass.

Cpt-GargameL · Feb 9, 2018

Killthem said:
Phew

Yeah I suggest you dont do that on your card anymore. My way seems to work pretty fine...for now.

Yeah, definitely doing it how you do it from now on.

Carthago Delenda Est · Feb 9, 2018

I'm not really worried about getting cancelled since I'm month to month. Between my wife and I we have five different cards to use and three different addresses. If it gets cancelled, I'll just renew.

I don't buy premium tickets or anything though. Morally, I just can't. I do usually have them split the cost on our two cards 50/50 and occasionally they mess up and charge uneven amounts though. That's rare so I guess it's probably all fine for us.

BlkSquirtle · Feb 9, 2018

easter said:
Most theatres here are smart enough to have a stamp that reads "no exchanges or refunds" that they leverage for moviepass.

If you buy at a kiosk nothing to worry about.

thediamondage · Feb 9, 2018

Carthago Delenda Est said:
I'm not really worried about getting cancelled since I'm month to month. Between my wife and I we have five different cards to use and three different addresses. If it gets cancelled, I'll just renew.

I don't buy premium tickets or anything though. Morally, I just can't. I do usually have them split the cost on our two cards 50/50 and occasionally they mess up and charge uneven amounts though. That's rare so I guess it's probably all fine for us.

Thats exactly the situation people are saying they got cancelled for, split charges. I've done it too but nothing so far. I expect for moviepass to cancel both my cards soon. Also be careful of re-signing up, they have banned again people who got banned previously and signed up again (but then again a lot of other people are skating through just fine on their second or third signups).

Its all just confusing and opaque, with moviepass giving out no information on why the ban happened and not really having any system in place that protects users. Movie theaters themselves are EXTREMELY disorganized and moviepass expects all of them to work "right", and that never happens. I've seen a TON of times where movie cashiers will tell older moviepass users to just buy 2 tickets (on $5 discount or senior discount days) so it "adds up" to the full retail value of the ticket, just because their boss probably told them to milk moviepass for all its worth. Totally false and wrong info but it sucks that moviepass feels that the user should be on the hook, because the way they have implemented buying tickets is so fucking ridiculously sneaky and underhanded because theaters don't wanna work with them.

Link · Feb 9, 2018

So let me run a situation by you guys. When I go to the movies with my gf, I'll order two tickets at the kiosk and run my MoviePass card, then pay the difference for the second ticket with my debit card. Since MoviePass loads a couple of extra dollars, it also pays for some of the other ticket. Will they void my account for this? Should I just make two separate purchases to be safe?

Tophat Jones · Feb 9, 2018

My friend and I see movies constantly with this thing, and it always feels like stealing. We rave about it to our friends and still none of them have gotten it, we think they are crazy. We talk to strangers about it in line for movie tickets and they always give us this apprehensive look like there is some catch that we aren't telling them or something.

I really hope this thing isn't just around for a year. I love it.

metsallica · Feb 9, 2018

Link said:
So let me run a situation by you guys. When I go to the movies with my gf, I'll order two tickets at the kiosk and run my MoviePass card, then pay the difference for the second ticket with my debit card. Since MoviePass loads a couple of extra dollars, it also pays for some of the other ticket. Will they void my account for this? Should I just make two separate purchases to be safe?

We don't know for sure. They might. When I go to the movies with others we always buy in separate transactions. Makes sitting together a little more annoying, especially if something is quickly selling out, but the alternative isn't worth the risk.

Tophat Jones · Feb 9, 2018

Link said:
So let me run a situation by you guys. When I go to the movies with my gf, I'll order two tickets at the kiosk and run my MoviePass card, then pay the difference for the second ticket with my debit card. Since MoviePass loads a couple of extra dollars, it also pays for some of the other ticket. Will they void my account for this? Should I just make two separate purchases to be safe?

Does it say anything about this in the terms of service? Never even thought about that possibility, when I'm buying two tickets for a date I always do two transactions which is annoying. If Moviepass if giving you a certain amount of money to spend on a ticket per day, then I don't see an issue, unless explicitly stated. I'll probably start doing this.

Sly Chimera · Feb 9, 2018

Kirblar said:
Internet rule 1: When people say they didn't violate a rule, they're normally lying.

Internet rule number two: when people say they didn't lie about violating a rule they are normally still lying.

thediamondage · Feb 9, 2018

Link said:
So let me run a situation by you guys. When I go to the movies with my gf, I'll order two tickets at the kiosk and run my MoviePass card, then pay the difference for the second ticket with my debit card. Since MoviePass loads a couple of extra dollars, it also pays for some of the other ticket. Will they void my account for this? Should I just make two separate purchases to be safe?

You aren't supposed to do this and a couple of people are saying they got banned for doing exactly this in the past. This is called split payments. Its easy for them to tell too, since they loaded say $15 into your account, they know tickets cost $14, but you used the full $15 (they always seem to load an extra 10% for some reason, they probably don't know which counties tax movies). They also I believe get the split payment total amount, so for example if your total was $28 (2 x$14) and you charge $15 to the first and $13 to the second, we all think thats cool and fine because its still $28 end of day, but moviepass sees it as a violation of ToS on BOTH cards now - they will see the $28 total charge, the $15 charge on first, and $13 on second and all three numbers are not the normal amounts. They've been letting it slide for months now but I dunno anymore.

Unfortunately because they just sent out a mass ban email with no details or anything we really have no idea what triggered it, maybe everyone in a few zip codes got banned because of bad data, maybe its a few specific movie theaters, who knows.

Link · Feb 9, 2018

thediamondage said:
You aren't supposed to do this and a couple of people are saying they got banned for doing exactly this in the past. This is called split payments. Its easy for them to tell too, since they loaded say $15 into your account, they know tickets cost $14, but you used the full $15 (they always seem to load an extra 10% for some reason, they probably don't know which counties tax movies). They also I believe get the split payment total amount, so for example if your total was $28 (2 x$14) and you charge $15 to the first and $13 to the second, we all think thats cool and fine because its still $28 end of day, but moviepass sees it as a violation of ToS on BOTH cards now - they will see the $28 total charge, the $15 charge on first, and $13 on second and all three numbers are not the normal amounts. They've been letting it slide for months now but I dunno anymore.

Unfortunately because they just sent out a mass ban email with no details or anything we really have no idea what triggered it, maybe everyone in a few zip codes got banned because of bad data, maybe its a few specific movie theaters, who knows.

Good to know. I'll be sure to make two separate purchases from now on.

Ebisu · Feb 10, 2018

It seems the rumors were right: Moviepass $7'95 a month now, limited offer, with an initial $19'95 charge.

metsallica · Feb 10, 2018

So 115.35 vs 119.40? Not much of a deal. The 89.95 offer from last fall remains pretty killer.

BastardSamurai · Feb 12, 2018

I made a similar ask in the "MoviePass lowering price promo" thread, but I'll ask a deeper version in this discussing. I did a quick search for "family" and didn't see it immediately addressed, but feel free to point out what I missed.

If I wanted to get my family of four into this, I'd need to have four separate memberships, right? This is for myself, wife and two kids, so on principle, $40 a month to see a movie every weekend would be worth it.

In terms of actually doing it, each person needs to sign into the account on a device to buy a ticket and then swipe their card at the theater, right? My wife, one kid and me have smartphones, so I guess that's three memberships, and one of us will have to log out, and log in as the other kid to purchase the last ticket?

What else am I overlooking?

Compbros · Feb 12, 2018

BastardSamurai said:
I made a similar ask in the "MoviePass lowering price promo" thread, but I'll ask a deeper version in this discussing. I did a quick search for "family" and didn't see it immediately addressed, but feel free to point out what I missed.

If I wanted to get my family of four into this, I'd need to have four separate memberships, right? This is for myself, wife and two kids, so on principle, $40 a month to see a movie every weekend would be worth it.

In terms of actually doing it, each person needs to sign into the account on a device to buy a ticket and then swipe their card at the theater, right? My wife, one kid and me have smartphones, so I guess that's three memberships, and one of us will have to log out, and log in as the other kid to purchase the last ticket?

What else am I overlooking?

All of that is correct.

metsallica · Feb 12, 2018

Accurate, yes. And you're not supposed to do the log out and log a different account in thing, each person is supposed to have their own device. I actually had a long convo with their CS about this. That said, it DOES seem to work (as evidenced by some posts in this thread) but it's not something they want you doing. In fact, they gave me a hard time because my GF didn't have a data plan, though the app works fine on wifi provided it can place you close enough to the theater.

https://moviepass.zendesk.com/hc/en...2-Can-two-accounts-share-the-same-smartphone-

Compbros · Feb 12, 2018

I've been logging in and out on two separate accounts since day one. I don't think they care as much as the premium ticket thing.

Gordon Shumway · Feb 12, 2018

Just sharing..

BastardSamurai · Feb 12, 2018

metsallica said:
Accurate, yes. And you're not supposed to do the log out and log a different account in thing, each person is supposed to have their own device. I actually had a long convo with their CS about this. That said, it DOES seem to work (as evidenced by some posts in this thread) but it's not something they want you doing. In fact, they gave me a hard time because my GF didn't have a data plan, though the app works fine on wifi provided it can place you close enough to the theater.

https://moviepass.zendesk.com/hc/en...2-Can-two-accounts-share-the-same-smartphone-

Ah, thanks for pointing that out. Hmm, while my youngest doesn't have a phone yet, I do have a phone supplied by work. I guess my personal Android phone can be my account, and my work iPhone will have the login/membership details of the other kid.

metsallica · Feb 12, 2018

compbros said:
I've been logging in and out on two separate accounts since day one. I don't think they care as much as the premium ticket thing.

Yeah, I know it's possible (others have done the same in this very thread) but you never know what's going to set these guys off.

BastardSamurai said:
Ah, thanks for pointing that out. Hmm, while my youngest doesn't have a phone yet, I do have a phone supplied by work. I guess my personal Android phone can be my account, and my work iPhone will have the login/membership details of the other kid.

Probably the best course of action. I'm subscribed as is my s/o; it's pretty great!

ZiggyPalffyLA · Feb 12, 2018

So I signed up on Day One when they announced their price change but my order seemingly didn't go through, so I signed up again under a different email but using the same CC. I ended up receiving 2 cards in the mail and ever since I got my card I've been charged twice every month (I've never used the second card). I've reached out to Moviepass through their CS email system and their CS Twitter but I've never heard back (it's been months and I've tried MANY times).

I don't want to dispute the extra monthly charge through my bank because my worry is Moviepass will close my account and/or cause problems for me using their service. Is there a customer service number I can use or should I just go ahead and do a chargeback through my bank?

Original Junior · Feb 12, 2018

I used app cloner to make a second version of the app so I can have two accounts logged in permanently.

metsallica · Feb 12, 2018

ZiggyPalffyLA said:
So I signed up on Day One when they announced their price change but my order seemingly didn't go through, so I signed up again under a different email but using the same CC. I ended up receiving 2 cards in the mail and ever since I got my card I've been charged twice every month (I've never used the second card). I've reached out to Moviepass through their CS email system and their CS Twitter but I've never heard back (it's been months and I've tried MANY times).

I don't want to dispute the extra monthly charge through my bank because my worry is Moviepass will close my account and/or cause problems for me using their service. Is there a customer service number I can use or should I just go ahead and do a chargeback through my bank?

I've had the best luck contacting them through the app itself. Otherwise, open a ticket here: https://moviepass.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

They sometimes take a while to respond, but they will respond (especially if it's billing-related). My yearly switch didn't go through, my billing date got messed up, and I got double-billed, and they fixed all the issues and refunded me. Took a month or two.

ZiggyPalffyLA · Feb 12, 2018

metsallica said:
I've had the best luck contacting them through the app itself. Otherwise, open a ticket here: https://moviepass.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

They sometimes take a while to respond, but they will respond (especially if it's billing-related). My yearly switch didn't go through, my billing date got messed up, and I got double-billed, and they fixed all the issues and refunded me. Took a month or two.

Thanks, I'll keep trying.

ZeoVGM · Feb 12, 2018

This company has some of the worst customer service I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

overcast · Feb 12, 2018

Gordon Shumway said:
Just sharing..

Interesting that they're planning +1, couples and family packages in the future. Would easily do 15 for me and my GF.

mrmoose · Feb 12, 2018

BastardSamurai said:
Ah, thanks for pointing that out. Hmm, while my youngest doesn't have a phone yet, I do have a phone supplied by work. I guess my personal Android phone can be my account, and my work iPhone will have the login/membership details of the other kid.

The TOS also states something like each cardholder has to be over 18.

BastardSamurai · Feb 12, 2018

mrmoose said:
The TOS also states something like each cardholder has to be over 18.

Welp, where's the damn family plan?!?! LOL

shintoki · Feb 12, 2018

My last post in this thread, but I've had to cancel my card, report to the BBB, and file a dispute. My first for both a dispute and report to the BBB

The application ceased to work on the 1st, call in to manually check in has failed all three times I've attempted at the theater, I have been told I should jailbreak my phone to update the app, been told they will not do a refund because they got charged late for a film I saw in Jan, been hung up by a CS agent, have spent over half an hour to check in to a film which failed, had a CS agent laughing about a "gay" film, been accused of using the card with the receipts to show I used my own, A CS online that typically takes 15-20 minutes to get a rep, Was not given a service ticket when I called in and had to call back for it, and largely just been a painful process.

I had 5 months of great use and no issues, but seriously fuck this company the minute an issue arises. Airlines are more fucking helpful.

mrmoose · Feb 13, 2018

That's one of the reasons I feel like this is a quick sell out/cash grab once their user base hits high enough numbers to tempt someone to buy (I think they already hit the incentive numbers for their investor). If they really wanted to grow their company, they'd invest at least somewhat in customer service. I'm not saying they should spend a mint, but at least hire a few guys while you're boasting that you've grown to like 20 times the subscriber base or whatever. It ridiculous that the easiest way to get an answer is to tweet something out.

Spectromixer · Feb 13, 2018

That is ridiculous. I didn't even realize they had a Support Line/phone number.

metsallica · Feb 13, 2018

I mean, this is a company that is still based out of a WeWork communal working space... what, 8 years later? They "coasted" with tens of thousands of subscribers (I made friends with the CS rep - yes rep - through the in-app calling feature in those days!) and now they have 2 million. How do you staff up something so precarious? Really, I'm asking, as I have no idea. I don't envy their challenges.

louiedog · Feb 13, 2018

I just got an email from Alamo Drafthouse

Dear Friendly Alamo Drafthouse Customer,

We need your help! We are conducting a market research study to understand if our customers might be interested in an subscription service that would let you watch unlimited movies at Alamo Drafthouse for a flat monthly price. Would you mind answering a few questions? Your input is greatly appreciated.

This survey is short and shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation!

Yours,
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Team

MoviePass Discussion

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

Alt Account

One Winged Slayer

Alt Account

Alt Account

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

Self-Requested Ban

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer

One Winged Slayer