Vudu offers ‘rental redos’ in case you hate a movie

We’ve all done it: you start a movie only to realize partway in that it’s actually terrible. If you’re streaming on Netflix or somewhere else, this is no big deal because you can just switch to something else. 

But if you’ve paid to rent the movie, it’s much more of a bummer. Now, not only do you have to find something better, you’re also out the rental fee. 

Walmart-owned streaming platform Vudu has a solution: “rental redo,” which gives users a 30-minute window to bail out on movie rentals without having to pay the fee. 

“Rental Redo is just like having a gift receipt for your movie,” the company explains. “If you decide your rental is not for you within the first 30 minutes, we’ll give you a ‘redo’ so you can find another movie to fit your mood.”

In order to take advantage of a “redo,” you need to call or email Vudu’s customer service team within the first 24 hours of stopping the movie. Then, your account will be credited with the amount you originally paid to rent the movie. 

All in all, it’s a pretty good deal. For users, it makes Vudu a more appealing place to rent films, compared with iTunes or Amazon, which offer no such guarantee. And for Vudu, which needs to compete with those platforms, an account credit ensures that users will keep coming back to its service. 

In that vein, Vudu also revealed a new price-matching policy for its movie rentals. If you find a cheaper rental on a competing platform, the company will credit your account with the difference. 

Your move, iTunes.