Easing up on the Throttle

Curiously, Blockbuster Online seems to have recently cut back on what had appeared to be a very aggressive system of throttling. The change seems to have begun near the beginning of 2010 and has continued to the present time. For whatever reason, Blockbuster appears to be easing up a bit.

This sounds like a positive story, but it is not. Blockbuster should not be praised for sending out DVDs in a reasonable timeframe. This is what they should have been doing all along. Praising Blockbuster for not throttling for a few weeks would be like praising a thief for walking out of a mall without stealing anything.

So, why would Blockbuster Online ease up on throttling their customers? At this point, the answer is unclear. It is possible they found themselves getting into legal jeopardy. Maybe too many customers were canceling their subscriptions. Maybe outraged customers were speaking out and tarnishing the Blockbuster brand. Who knows?

If you have noticed changes in Blockbuster Online's behavior during 2010, please post your comments below. More importantly, if Blockbuster Online is still throttling you, please let everyone know right away.