The end of xtravision?

JohnMarston

I can only hope they're taken over, not sold off.

Its ok for city folk to get up on their high horse and say 'good riddance' , but to the people who live in towns, its their only source of video and games, especially given how bad broadband speeds can be, making streaming and downloading a hindrance more than a help.

smcgiff

Closings Movings a-plenty. Would be sad to see them go as I (and I'm sure many others) worked there during my student days.

I was the officious prick that insisted you had your ID

JohnMarston

smcgiff wrote: »

I was the officious prick that insisted you had your ID

That was you!? I was clearly over 18 for fup sake! :mad:

smcgiff

JohnMarston wrote: »

That was you!? I was clearly over 18 for fup sake! :mad:

Regret my over zealous ways now. Besides Broke Back Mountain would not have answered the questions you had.

Hope that worked out for you

Frank Black

Palmerstown branch has closed .

BESman

I find it funny the amount of people on here that were saying how profitable Xtra-vision is and that they'd never go under. You should always take what a manager or someone connected to the company says with a pinch of salt.

An examiner was appointed to the company at the end of April. For the economically illiterate, this is a bad thing. Xtra-vision owe money to people who want to liquidate the business so that their debts get paid. Xtra-vision went to the court to prevent their creditors from closing the business and the court thinks there might be a chance that Xtra-vision will survive so its allowing it protection from its creditors for a fixed period of time, usually 100 days. But examinership is usually a sign that a business is in serious trouble and I wouldn't be surprised if it closes soon. I think the tell tale signs had been there for awhile, opening hours had been cut back, shit collection in a lot of stores and closing down or selling off of stores.

I think everyone likes to pop down to Xtra-vision for a browse now and then but they're operating in a dead industry. As a lot of people have pointed out, there are so many alternatives now. Also, I think renting in general is a thing of the past. I'd say students or those in house shares are the only groups that rent regularly. The majority of the population have probably invested in Blu-rays and the like and will either fork out the modest €20-€30 to buy the actual movie or else download it.

smcgiff

BESman wrote: »

I find it funny the amount of people on here that were saying how profitable Xtra-vision is and that they'd never go under. You should always take what a manager or someone connected to the company says with a pinch of salt.

An examiner was appointed to the company at the end of April. For the economically illiterate, this is a bad thing. Xtra-vision owe money to people who want to liquidate the business so that their debts get paid. Xtra-vision went to the court to prevent their creditors from closing the business and the court thinks there might be a chance that Xtra-vision will survive so its allowing it protection from its creditors for a fixed period of time, usually 100 days. But examinership is usually a sign that a business is in serious trouble and I wouldn't be surprised if it closes soon. I think the tell tale signs had been there for awhile, opening hours had been cut back, shit collection in a lot of stores and closing down or selling off of stores.

I think everyone likes to pop down to Xtra-vision for a browse now and then but they're operating in a dead industry. As a lot of people have pointed out, there are so many alternatives now. Also, I think renting in general is a thing of the past. I'd say students or those in house shares are the only groups that rent regularly. The majority of the population have probably invested in Blu-rays and the like and will either fork out the modest €20-€30 to buy the actual movie or else download it.

As part of their restructuring proposal I understand they are looking to get a sizeable reduction in the rents they are paying, as part of a plan to get more investment from shareholders. This may have happened already.

As for a dead industry, I fear you might be right. BUT, with a prolonged recession renting might be a viable option once more.

DjFlin

Hal Emmerich wrote: »

which is?

Well, the Xbox has the Zune streaming service. The PS3 has Qriocity (I don't have a PS3, but I know US and UK PS3 owners have access to this, just assumed we did too).

cosmicfart

Xtravision will be around forever just like Chartbusters

Gavin "shels"

black francis wrote: »

Palmerstown branch has closed .

Closed down the Sunday before last, that was in the second batch of 9 shops that closed down. The first batch of 9 closed down the Sunday before hand.

LighterGuy

there used to be a girl with such a great ass working in xtra vision ongar.

now, her ass isnt that hot


(lol ... lol)

Richarz

Xtravision may not be as successful as it once was, but it does be busy on weekends.

Liber8or

I get the feeling a lot of Xtra-vision staff are posting in this thread...

It is also a possibility that the direction of the business may change from predominantly renting, to perhaps, retail? A lot of shops already do this, but maybe the brand name can offer something to customers in terms of familiarity and (dare I say) reliability?

Blu-rays are the way to get people renting. For those who download, downloading a Blu-ray takes time, quite a bit and it runs up your download limit. If Xtra-vision encouraged customers to buy Blu-ray players, and offered the rental of blu-rays cheaper than that of DVD, they might see more moving with the technology and therefore coming to the store to rent such technology.

Jumping Jake

jimlingk wrote: »

Let me clear up a few things up for readers of this thread as I believe that a lot of what is stated here is contrived conjecture possibly posted by people still working within the company. The truth is that Xtra-Vision is a dark, suspicious business deep down. Their motives are puzzling. Now I'm not having a go at the average employee that works behind their counters. Most of these people are grand, sociable individuals that do very well to maintain their sanity in the face of the overwhelmingly dysfunctional bureaucracy that prints out their payslips. Without wanting to get into an aggressive tirade, which I could easily choose to do considering I'm feeling a tad unstable as I type this, that company is bad.

I will explain my situation. Or rather, for the sake of legal worries, I will explain Tom's situation. Tom worked in a city branch of Xtra-Vision, part-time, for under two years. Inside that space of two years a large sign, advertising the shop's availability for lease, was placed above the door. Tom was uncomfortable with this and in no official sense was the issue addressed. Months passed. The store seemed to get more deserted by the day, especially after the Christmas period. The occasional customer would come to the counter and ask Tom what the large sign meant about the future. Tom, a pragmatist at heart but an optimist in the workplace, would feed the customers a white lie based on speculation he had overheard before starting with XV.

"Oh, sure I reckon they want to move to a more central location. Parking is difficult here. If we moved down the road to the main street business would pick up a little. I guess that's their long-term plan. I'm looking forward to it. Customers won't have to march up this hill anymore, sweat pouring off their backs, just to return a DVD."

The customers would smile and leave happily. Fears allayed. But Tom's weren't. As the year pushed on, the inevitable happened. Tom and his co-workers would joke about how artificial the company's face was, how they grin and bare it, when they're obviously in a lot of trouble.

"Ha! They'll pack up overnight and all that will remain will be a tumbleweed and an empty shop."

And that's pretty much what happened. It was announced that the company was basically fu...finished with it's smaller, less important branches, everything had to be packed up and that would be that. Tom felt a little sad. Sure, this wasn't his dream job but he was a shrewd saver and was able to live quite well off the twenty or so odd hours he'd do a week. He thought:

"Ah sure, I'll probably have to go on the dole for a couple of months before I can find something else."

He hadn't been on social welfare before and though he thought it was borderline pathetic, for an able-bodied man in his twenties to beg for bread, what had to be done had to be done. This is where the real troubles starts. The shop closed up, as was mentioned before I started rambling on about Tom's wrestles with the acceptance of socialist grain. Tom assumed, well that's that. Better grab the ID cards, gas bills and...oh wait, that bloody P45!

Rings the ex-manager. He tells him to ring H.R. H.R. mention something about a voluntary redundancy scheme. Ok, though Tom can't claim redundancy being there less than two years. Seems like an odd process for a guy that just wants to be released but if those are their methods, let it be done. Problem though. This horse manure won't be resolved until way after those seven working days in which you need to prove you don't work. Crikey, that's a bit of a ball...spheres. Guess he'd better ring someone and ask them for a simple letter of mutual termination, as the P45 won't be in the postbox for at least a month. Refusal. Flat-out refusal. H.R. guy:

"You were offered work in another branch and you refused it!!"

Tom urinated out of his rectum, only very briefly, as he heard this. Here was a human resources employee, the men of formality, systems and laws, telling him of a job offer that had not happened. Truth was, he knew about these hours. Seven hours a week in a branch further away, which was overstaffed besides. Tom, being a nice chap, took it for granted that another would need those hours. Leave it, don't be a pest. It was the right thing to do. The initial problem however, was that he only found out about this supposed job offer by accident. Baffled one day, he dizzily strolled to one of the branches to find out how he would acquire that P45 he cherised so much.

"Oh we have hours for you, Tom."

- "Hmm, that's strange. My workplace closed down a week ago. No-one contacted me."

So unless he hadn't been there by accident, he would never have heard of this. The image of Milton from Office Space, with his empty pay cheques, popped into his head. Now to get right up to date, Tom got back onto H.R. today and was barked at by some little pup who sounded like a something that rhymes with 'sick'. I've completely lost the point of what I was trying to say here. Long story short, not only can they not employee people anymore, they also won't let poor Tom out. Tom scratches his head. What did he do to deserve this. Did he say something out of place some day. Some little wisecrack that filtered down and was overheard by someone in upper management who took offence. Why are they pyschologically raping him? Yes, the hyenas are circling around the watering hole. Tom is a deadite. His stomach makes strange sounds now. Is that from nerves? Is it the starvation of surving on nothing but cigarettes, whiskey and cheap cans of tuna. I don't know. I just don't know anything anymore.

You sound like an intelligent guy and you seem reluctant to get the doel so listen to this advise if you know what is good for you.

Considering your experience I see no reason why you can not gain employment in another electronics store in the city. Print out your CV and hand them into shops in town. Smyths, for instance, are always looking for people, I know this as I worked there for years and it does not reek of corruptness like the Xtravison you describe. Try Game, Gamestop, HMV, etc. I'm assuming you're from Cork and you know the city well, just go in some morning and you'll have a call for an interview in no time. There is no point dwelling on the miseries your former place of employment and thrust upon you, they are clearly not worth any more thought.


And yes I did create an account just to say this, but the thought of someone killing themselves over a petty store and some 'sick' HR person worries me, so I am hoping that you will actually read this and just get over what they have done to you, because life is not worth wasting time on such morons.

tallaghtmick

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

They have a great offer at the moment 2 dvd's 2 cans of pop and a bag of popcorn all for €10:rolleyes:
No thanks xtravision i will watch the 2 movies on the net got my popcorn for 89c in Lidl and will get my 2 cans of pop for 66c at buylo, total cost €1.55.

who says pop in this country :pac:

jimlingk

Jumping Jake wrote: »

You sound like an intelligent guy and you seem reluctant to get the doel so listen to this advise if you know what is good for you.

Considering your experience I see no reason why you can not gain employment in another electronics store in the city. Print out your CV and hand them into shops in town. Smyths, for instance, are always looking for people, I know this as I worked there for years and it does not reek of corruptness like the Xtravison you describe. Try Game, Gamestop, HMV, etc. I'm assuming you're from Cork and you know the city well, just go in some morning and you'll have a call for an interview in no time. There is no point dwelling on the miseries your former place of employment and thrust upon you, they are clearly not worth any more thought.


And yes I did create an account just to say this, but the thought of someone killing themselves over a petty store and some 'sick' HR person worries me, so I am hoping that you will actually read this and just get over what they have done to you, because life is not worth wasting time on such morons.

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I'm not from Cork. I'd prefer not to reveal my location as my friend Tom is still within the vile clutches of their supposed employment though he hasn't worked for weeks now.

Regarding Tom, welfare officers tell him he can't receive any payments until the end of this month due to that fact that not a single senior XV employee has the stones to state that his job will be terminated. The other day he received a letter giving, get this, "an estimated termination day" right underneath what says "estimated redundancy payment: €N/A". This basically means he's due nothing, he isn't being offered enough hours to survive off of and even the welfare officers find the whole thing peculiar, one such officer stating: "Xtra-Vision need to get their thumbs out".

And don't worry about Tom offing himself. He might be very angry right now but if he can get through the next month without starving to death (and fingers crossed not getting evicted), he may pursue legal action against the company. What they're doing to people is flat-out wrong. You wouldn't even treat a lowly animal this way.

Korvanica

I heard that the Milltown branch is closing now too.

mikom

tallaghtmick wrote: »

who says pop in this country :pac:

The weasel?

moveablefeast

xtra vision is the devil. end of. It is by far the worst company i have ever had to work for and unfortunatly still work for. As for them closing down, i think we all know that it is inevitable, i just wish those spinless Head Office leeaches would just have the dignity to tell us so we can start making other plans. I have worked for the company 3 years as a part time member of staff and they are the most thankless employers out there. staff work there asses off in the store to finish an ever mounting mountain of work everynight and all we here from head office is how are sales are bad, we didnt do this properly we are personally not selling enough dvd's.. like is OUR fault people aren't renting. a company that gives written warnings to staff for not renting enough dvd's even though no one is renting anymore is ****ed. Head office cant look at themselves so they constantly criticise staff over menial things as if thats going to solve anything.

good riddance xtra vision.

Guy:Incognito

moveablefeast wrote: »

xtra vision is the devil. end of. It is by far the worst company i have ever had to work for and unfortunatly still work for. As for them closing down, i think we all know that it is inevitable, i just wish those spinless Head Office leeaches would just have the dignity to tell us so we can start making other plans..

You hate them, they are horrible to work for and you reckon it's inevitable that they will close down, yet your waiting for them to tell you they are closing so you can go get another job

7sr2z3fely84g5

moveablefeast wrote: »

like is OUR fault people aren't renting. a company that gives written warnings to staff for not renting enough dvd's even though no one is renting anymore is ****ed. Head office cant look at themselves so they constantly criticise staff over menial things as if thats going to solve anything.

its like that in every retail type job,you get ahead in management by being an arrogant w@nker..

moveablefeast

The point is that xtra vision has a limited lifespan, and are probably the most infuriating companies to work for. sly tactics such as head office types arriving in store, searching camera's for no apparant reason then trying to discipline and fire staff members who have worked there for over 5 years over technicalities and rule's that even the managers didnt know they were breaking. they are firing us now so that they dont have to pay us redundancies or give us any privalages that we are entitled to.

it really just makes me sick

CMpunked

I walked into my local HMV the other day to buy a cd (yes this is going somewhere). I was kinda amazed at how small the cd section is as opposed to what it used to be. My cd wasnt in stock, even though it had been released the day prior. The man serving told me i could order it and it would be in pretty quickly, so i did.
This was a saturday and i got a phone call monday at lunch to tell me the album had come in.
Since seeing this thread its struck me that hmv have done what xtravision can not.
Maybe its because they are an irish company that they seem to be set in their ways like some old irish business people, ignorant of moving forward in their approach.
Anyway, HMV seem to have moved away from the section that they were always number one with and have become number one in other sections; games, pre owns, shirts, movies etc.

What have xtravision done?
Brought in sh!t tvs, sh!t expensive accessories, put an over emphasis on pre ordering games that are going to be more expensive than the competitors and offering no incentive to do custom with them.

I feel sorry for the staff who have to put up with the crap ive heard they deal out (from on this thread and personally).

flutterflye

Good riddance.

Can't stand that place.

Kev_ps3

I take it all of ye nerds watch yer film on a laptop? f**k that

theteal

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

I take it all of ye nerds watch yer film on a laptop? f**k that

do the games consoles not stream media across the home network these days? its very handy

I only use xtravision for renting a new game release that you know will be cleared in a couple of days and has no muliplayer/sh!t multiplayer - which as things stand, has happened twice, ever

CMpunked

Kev_ps3 wrote: »

I take it all of ye nerds watch yer film on a laptop? f**k that

yep. And then streamed to my hd telly through a hdmi.
Do you know they are even making tellys now that already have downloadable movie content on it?
You may call it nerdish all you want, but it is the way forward.

JP Liz V1

Quite a few stores have closed already

W.Shakes-Beer

Well I can back this up also, I too am an ex-employee there, I left last November as I couldn't hack their bullshít any longer, plus I had mountains of college work.

The management and Head office tossers are the most heartless, conniving and dishonest bunch I've ever come across.

They haven't got a clue what store level is like while they sit in their comfy offices (not for much longer).

They crucify the staff and treat them like shíte because of their mistakes. They put in a €10 million new system which was supposed to be the most extraordinary thing ever. But no, it was a piece of ****, was slower than the old system, more bugged, didn't help any more and was an absolute joke and i think they know it themselves.

The problem with the company is they got a bit carried away, dived in the deep end, pushed part time, minimum wage staff to try sell broadband and billpay to people who didn't want it. The staff had enough to do without that ****e, especially when hours were cut. Basically a snowball effect took hold.

Its not even them that I feel for, they'll have their pockets lined nicely, its the full time staff that I feel sorry for, thats their way of life and they are all very pleasant and shouldn't have to deal with the shít that management and head office throw at them.

Bollox to them

flutterflye

Another ex-employee.

I actually don't know where to start, or finish.

Any shop myself or friends worked in was very poorly run and managed, with a turnover of managers which was beyond a joke.

The staff would have to get used to a new know-it-all useless manager every few months, and vice versa.

The hierarchical nature of the company didn't really seem to work either.
There was always someone above someone else - blind leading blind, and taking all the problems out on those below them.

Staff aren't trained correctly in any respect, and usually are expected to take on more than their job description because their manager, and everyone above him, don't know how to do their jobs.

Underpaid, over worked, treated like dirt, untrained, poorly managed - that about sums it up.

(And while I'm not a nerd! Of course I watch films online!)