Comments on: Videots closing down tomorrow

By: Front Row Video to close after 26 yearsBerkeleyside | Berkeleyside

Front Row Video to close after 26 yearsBerkeleyside | Berkeleyside — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:27:41 +0000

[...] closing of Front Row comes soon after the closing of Reel Video on Shattuck and Videots on College. Blockbuster (which recently filed for bankruptcy protection) on Shattuck, and Video [...]

By: Videots will honor customers, DVDs to Rockridge Library – Berkeleyside

Videots will honor customers, DVDs to Rockridge Library – Berkeleyside — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:41:58 +0000

[...] Videots closed in February, it asked customers to mail in a form to exchange their credit for DVDs. When a few months passed [...]

By: Neal

Neal — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:50:00 +0000

The May edition of the Rockridge News (not yet available online) said that the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library had purchased Videots’ collection of DVDs, and was in the process of inventorying and tagging them so they could be put on the shelf.

By: Another video store closes down: last days for Reel – Berkeleyside

Another video store closes down: last days for Reel – Berkeleyside — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:36:51 +0000

[...] First Videots, now Reel. Perhaps not surprisingly given the way home movie watching is trending, Reel Video on Shattuck is closing down in a few weeks, according to a story in SF Weekly today: Employees at the 13-year-old store were recently told the store is closing and will be gone in a matter of weeks or months, SF Weekly has learned. While Reel looks for all the world like an esoteric, independent store of the sort Bay Area customers love to patronize — and feel good about patronizing — it was actually bought by Hollywood Video in 1998. “They let us do whatever we wanted. We were kind of forgotten about,” said longtime clerk Andrew Purcell. [...]

By: local neighborhood guy

local neighborhood guy — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:23:55 +0000

yes – i too have been screwed out of a refund for my credits.

yes – the local convenience stores are going the way of the dodo, but

no – it was not cool at all that the owner did not refund the locals who continued to patronize him nor did he offer to exchange dvds or anything to try to resolve the situation in a kosher manner. it was not the customers that made his business go bankrupt, it was those who were NOT his customers. it is too bad that those who were loyal to the store got screwed!

not cool robin!

By: Move over bricks and mortar stores; here come kiosks – Berkeleyside

Move over bricks and mortar stores; here come kiosks – Berkeleyside — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:27:55 +0000

[...] stand-alone DVD stores are having a difficult time in this economy (Videots on College just closed and rumors are that Blockbuster is struggling) there is a new contender in town: RedBox DVD [...]

By: Frances Dinkelspiel

Frances Dinkelspiel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:37:04 +0000

Please know the library is NOT buying the Videots’ collection.I was told that by one of the store’s sales clerks but got a call from the library telling me it was not true. I have not been able to track down a phone number for Don Hussman, the store owner, to find out what is going on.

By: Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:33:38 +0000

Probably not strictly legal. It really depends on what ultimately happens, I suppose. Someone might be able to go to small claims court, but of course in reality, it’s not worth most people’s time to do so. (Although if anyone out there is really stuck on the priciple of the matter, don’t let me dissuade you!) Nor, I’m afraid, is this likely to get any attention criminally–the Alameda County DA’s consumer fraud unit usually has bigger fish to fry. (Of course, you can always call.)

Personally, I’m prepared to chalk it up as really lousy behavior by a hypocrite. Maybe karma will bite him.

(PS — gotta love the fact that I’m paying twice, since those are my property tax dollars the Library is using to buy the Videots collection…)

By: Anthony Newton

Anthony Newton — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:38:19 +0000

Is this kind of thing legal? Should the Berkeley DA office be notified?

By: Chris Nelson

Chris Nelson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:48:33 +0000

Like Mr. Wilson above I too had been spending $20-$40 to renew my credits with Mr. Hussman (aka “Mr. Hustle”, apparently) and was completely taken by surprise last week when I stopped in to rent a DVD. Mr. Hussman all but closed his shop overnight without warning, took our money, and ran. How else to see this? And, it was only a few weeks prior that Mr. Hussman encouraged me to apply for more credits – what a scam-artist. I don’t know what recourse we have now as the “send in a post card and I’ll reimburse you with some DVDs” is a joke. The community was doing its best to support this business – a real gem in Elmwood – and deserved classier treatment than this. The younger employees working there were cool and I like going in there. Very disappointing move on Mr. Hussman’s part, and I hope he’s held accountable for running off with our money like this.