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YOUNG Bahraini entrepreneurs and movie buffs Hasan Haider, Ali Al Rayes and Latifa Al Awadhi are taking DVD rental service in the kingdom on a fast forward with their new online venture.
Devoid of late fees and due dates and free of the hassles of visiting a store, the Film2Go service promises unlimited DVDs at just a click of a mouse.
The service - for BD20 per month - does not even require you to be present at home to return or collect your choice of films and will do away with the misery of forgetting to return your DVD on time!
Films are ordered online and after viewing can be simply placed in a secure 'FilmBox' installed outside every subscriber's residence ready for collection.
Managing director, Hasan, 23, said: "We are harnessing the power of the internet to make people's lives more entertaining. Convenience is at the core of our service.
"We have an ever-expanding selection of over 3,000 DVDs that includes the latest releases in English, Arabic and Hindi and popular television series. They are delivered to you and picked up within one to two days.
"All this is available for a fixed monthly fee of BD20 for three DVDs at a time. You can take a unlimited number of DVDs during the month. There are no registration or cancellation fees, late fees, no cost per DVD, no deposit and no extra charges whatsoever."
At the core of the service is the company website www.film2go.net. It, added Latifa, 21, enables subscription through credit cards, ordering and returning titles. The entire selection is available online and can be searched by the genre, titles, actor and director.
Complete details of every movie can be viewed and the website provides system generated recommendations based on the movies rented and rated.
Latifa, the marketing director, said she has always been a TV and movie fan and was not wholly satisfied with the services offered by other rental outlets. "We felt that a service needed to be created to take the hassle out of watching your favourite programme or movie - who wants to worry about going to pick one up after a stressful day at work?
"And, there's nothing more frustrating than being fined for not returning a DVD on time!"
A subscriber is provided films from a list he or she has generated which can be continuously changed on-line. Subscribers are also free to post their movie reviews on the site.
Director operations, Ali, 23, added: "Our present collection is based on top-rated movies, personal interests and local research collected from suppliers and rental companies. Our subscribers may want to see other films. We therefore offer a 'request a movie' feature through which subscribers can ask for any movie or TV series they would like to see.
"Our online transactions are 100 per cent safe and secure. While we encourage customers to transact through the net, on popular demand we will soon be starting a 'payment by cash' service.
"Customers subscribing on behalf of their children can prevent access to 'R' rated movies. Every subscriber gets an email as soon as movies are delivered.
"The film boxes are insulated from wind, water and heat. The boxes are bolted on your walls and it is not easy for anyone to walk away with them."
The Bahraini trio from Adliya are already thinking of the demands of the next generation and are planning to add Blu-ray movies and video games to their rental collection.
