I just canceled my Blockbuster Online Total Access Premium membership — their top tier membership, I might add. I just received an email message letting me know — very cheerfully, I might add — that my price was going up. By just under 50%:

As a BLOCKBUSTER Total Access subscriber, it’s always easy to have the right movie during this holiday season with more than 75,000 titles, including great new releases

[ * * * ]

To continue to bring you the unmatched convenience of both online and in-store DVD rentals, your monthly subscription fee will change from $24.99 to $34.99. This adjustment will go into effect on your next billing cycle on or after December 27, 2007. The benefits of your subscription plan will remain the same.

I think the only sane reaction to this is “bite me.” I don’t think I would have found this half as insulting, however, if it hadn’t been couched in a lot of happy talk about how great their service is.

Now, at first I thought I had been singled out as a heavy user even though I’ve been holding on to their DVDs for several days before turning them around. But no, this appears to be a general rate increase. I’d love to see the metrics on how many people hit the roof when they open their email tomorrow.