Wired News: Swap DVDs Online for a Buck - Peerflix (reviewer not too impressed)

"Then I relied on my co-workers to provide a few of their unwanted flicks for the test. They brought in some older but critically acclaimed films, As Good As It Gets and Amadeus; a mediocre action movie, Mission: Impossible II and a very, um, 'niche' film called Trekkies 2.

But just as I was getting jazzed about trading DVDs, the system ground to a halt. After several days, the collection I had cobbled together was not generating any interest, and sat in a pile on my desk. At the same time, it was frustrating to navigate through the system's occasionally buggy and clunky website.

Billy McNair, co-founder of Peerflix, said most DVDs are usually requested within 10 days to two weeks, depending on the titles. New releases like The Aviator, which just came out on DVD, are snapped up immediately, he said.
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While the transactions didn't work, I noticed I had been charged $5 the next day. McNair said when a person fully activates her account by typing in credit card information, the company charges $5 toward five pre-paid trades. But this was unclear to me, the user.

At the same time, I had one peerbux inexplicably credited to my account -- apparently a bonus for becoming an active member. This was not explained either until I talked to McNair." (full article at link)

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Great idea, but sounds like the systems and to keep it working and making things simple and clear to customers needs a lot of massaging. I'll stick to downloading my stuff off the net...er... BORROWING LEGALLY PURCHASED DVDS from friends... yeah... that's the ticket...
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