Friday, July 21, 2006

Anyone know what happen to Family Pass (Mentura)

Just a little over two years ago we signed up for DVDs through the mail with Mentura. It was great to get DVDs without having to go down to the local Blockbuster store or the library. About a year ago Mentura became Family Pass. We continued to enjoy good service.

Sometime in the last couple months it looks like they have gone out of business. The web sites no longer work and the phone numbers have been disconnected. Does anyone know what happen?

We're thinking about getting a similar service. I know about Netflicks. Are there any other companies that you would recommend, or warn people to stay away from? Thanks.


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11 comments:

Derek Cate said...

Some friends of ours have used Clean Films http://www.cleanfilms.com/welcome.phtml and have enjoyed it. Their twist is they send you an edited DVD to make sure no film is worse than PG or so. I've not used it myself so I can't speak of their library or anything else.

ChristineMM said...

For a while we did Clean Films which was edited for content/entertainment movies. I liked it but we just don't watch that much entertainment; they didn't have non-fiction/educational content.

I have a close friend who LOVES NetFlix and a bunch of other acquaintences (all HSers) locally who also love NetFlix.

I have TiVo and Direct TV with a ton of educational channels so we use that in lieu of NetFlix.

Henry Cate said...

Thanks for the feedback. I'll check it out.

I have found a couple web sites with lists of companies like Netflick. So it looks like there are lots of options.

Anonymous said...

We were also members of Mentura, when it changed to Family Pass, we weren't too thrilled, service and quality went downhill; now out of business. CleanFilms is also going out of business. Depending on what you're looking for, you may try ChristianCinema.com for great viewing choices, or pick carefully from NetFlix or Blockbuster. These two definitely require parental supervision. ChristianCinema has a wonderful library and they are fast on their turnaround time!

Henry Cate said...

Thanks for the suggestion to check out ChristianCinema.com.

Anonymous said...

We signed up for Family Pass when
it first started and loved it.
I was very surprised and disap-
pointed when it went out of
business. I just signed up for
a Netflix free 2week trial and
immediately canceled. I would
require adult supervision, as
the previous person mentioned.
I didn't like how Netflix put
The Lion, The Witch, and The
Wardrobe right next to Broke-
back Mountain on their opening
page of movies. Also their
"Faith and Spirituality" section
wasn't what I was expecting.
I know you can be selective, I
just hate to give them my
business when I know what it is
like with a clean company like
Family Pass

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update on Mentura/family pass... i was wondering what the heck happen????

thanks for some other options. Sure will miss them.

Anonymous said...

I found this homeschool DVD rental company: http://www.aplusvideorentals.com/

Haven't tried them, so I can't say anything about the service...

Henry Cate said...

Thanks for the suggestions. It does look like a possibility.

We haven't gotten around to signing up with another service. There are times when I'd like to watch a movie, but for the most part I'll use the internet or read a book to be entertained.

Anonymous said...

Mentura/FamilyPass was a startup company that relied on venture funding to grow its business into profitability. When Netflix sued Blockbuster over its patent on DVD rental by mail, investors were no longer willing to invest in that business model until those legal issues were resolved. Without the venture capital needed to sustain the business in the short-term, once funds dried up, the company was forced to close its doors for good. Another victim of our broken patent system.

Henry Cate said...

Thank you for the explanation. We enjoyed Mentura and were sad to see it go.