Netflix: An ongoing log (1 Viewer)

[BryanV]

I am so upset :frowning: because I have been a netflix member since I think 2000. I have been one of their biggest advocates over the past few years selling the service to all my friends, co-workers and even random strangers on the street. Last year I was on unemployment for a few months after a big lay off and I spent a lot of that time renting movies. During that year netflix had a price and subscription plan change and I remember threads at the time saying that this was because it was costing them more in postage then what they were taking in from some members. Later that year or early this year they had another price change and that is when I noticed the "throttling" issue where my DVD's would not be reported next day like they used too. Also, when they are reported, they are not sent the same day as they used to be, they are now (if received on Monday) "Shipping Tuesday". The other thing that bothers me is that they do not work weekends. If I mail a movie back on Friday there is no way that it will be reported received until at least Monday. So I wanted to see Sin City but I did not want to pay $6 to rent it from a walk in Blockbuster or Hollywood. As always, a big name new release at netflix.com had the eternal "long wait" tag. I went to blockbuster.com signed up for a free trial not only was Sin City available for on-line rental, but they sent me some coupons for two in store free rentals so I got to go and rent Sin City the next morning. I could'nt conceive that the evil Blockbuster who I hated for so many years would have better service than Netflix or a comparable selection so I decided I would keep the two week trial and cancel at the last minute (a lil' revenge for all those late fees I paid in the last 15 years). I was shocked to see that they had the turnaround time that netflix used to have and they also, and I can not stress this enough, WORK ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Today I went to my netflix Que and changed my plan to 1 out unlimited, just to keep my giant queue and to supplement any titles that blockbuster does not offer. My one conciliation is that Blockbuster is no longer owned by Viacom I would hate to think I would be putting my money into a pool that supports MTV (yech). Netflix don't let one of your oldest and steadiest customers go over to the dark side, get off your ass and get to work on Saturdays, get my movies to me like ya' used ta'.

 

[WillG]

I'm having the Netflix issues that have been described. It seems obvious that they are now intentionally delaying the received date for the discs I send back. I live one day by mail away from my shipping location and when I was a new subscriber my discs were usually received the day after I mailed them. Now in the past month or so, it is a 2 day minimum from when I mail to when they are received in. My discs are received in early in the morning on the 2nd day, so it seems obvious that my discs are still getting there the next day but they are now delaying the received date. I don't like the idea of paying the same monthly rate for intentionally diminished turnaround. I wonder what would happen if I cancelled my subscription and then rejoined. Anyone try this with any success?

 

[Elijah]

I have heard of people having success with this, and it is supposed to work, however I would think that Netflix would be looking at the mailing address as well (this wouldnt change if you canceled and re-signed up), and not just the email address.

 

[danak]

WillG,
I'm a long time member and I find Netflix is sometimes delaying shipping a day and sometimes shipping the same day they receive a title. It drives me a little nuts because it's inconsistent. You just have to ask yourself if you are satisfied with the number of titles per month that you are getting. I'm currently on the 8-at-a-time plan and usually manage about 30 titles a month so it's saves me a lot over renting from a Blockbuster store (I've decided to cut back to half that for awhile so I can time to watch the new TV season)

Dana in MD

 

[Jacob McCraw]

This has started happening to me as well. I thought I was just being paranoid so I felt I should check the HTF for similar stories. The part that bothers me is that I just had a baby girl and thus have less movie time than before. I switched from the 6 at a time plan to three at a time and that's when the slowdown started. Coincidence? I'm not so sure anymore.

 

[Edward Mann]

I've been a Netflix member since they opened (1999?), and have had to report three returns as lost in the mail during the last month. The interesting part is that the same day I reported each one missing I got an email within a couple hours stating the disk just showed up in the mail!

It's pretty obvious they are throttling, I used to have three day turnaround and now I'm lucky if it is six or seven days.

 

[TonyD]

the best week i had was...

i mailed back 4 dvds on fri.
received the next 3 on mon.
watched them had them in the mail mon.
got one more on tues.
sent it back right away after watching it.

got the next 4 on thurs.
sent them back right away that day.
got 3 back on sat.


i'm tempted just to put about 15 or so "dummy" dvds at the top of my q and just get them and send them back as soon as i get them.

 

[TonyD]

also i am hearing an ad on the radio saying 50,000 and counting in stock.

 

[Ted Todorov]

How do I find out which version of a particular title Netflix has? The cover shots are too small, and the description doesn't mention the studio.

Is there an e-mail address where one can ask?

As for turnaround, I am a brand new New York City based subscriber -- I was sending 3 back on Monday, they would be received on Tues., and I would get the second batch by Wed, and again the cycle repeats through Saturday -- so I would get 6 DVDs per week on the 3 DVD plan. I guess I shouldn't count on this lasting, huh?

Ted

 

[Elijah]

Well dont let our bad experiences prematurely spoil your. Netflix experience. While there is no denying that Netflix has pretty much shanked us and others in its customer pool; We (the "cheated" and vocal) comprise a very small % of Netflixs' tens of thousands of customers. Just going by the the numbers, there is a good possibility that your service will never change, and that you will continue to see the same turnaround time.

As for which version of a film is carried, I tend to think that they carry multiples. Example: I just rented Brazil and when I received the disc I was suprised to see that it was the Criterion Edition. I didnt see any mention of this on the listing page at Netflix, so I went back to see if I missed something. When I did, I read a review saying something like "Dont waste your time on this version, definitely go rent the Criterion Version". So I am thinking that they could get multiple versions of certain films based on if they have to re-order (due to breakage, or loss) or whatnot. I do know that for certain titles I have seen it says something like "Directors Cut" or "Extended Edition". I dont think there is a set way to determine this other than through trial and error.

 

[Reginald Trent]

Nils Luehrmann,

Maybe this will help answer your questions.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9378588/site/newsweek/

 

[Scott-S]

Add me the the list of folks beeing "throttled"

The other issue is how badly scratched up these disc get. I think they need to re-think the way they are being shipped. I have had 2 discs get to me phisically cracked. And most others are really scratched up a skip alot when played.

 

[MikeGale]

I've had some slow turnaround problems with NetFlix, but it's nothing compared to Blockbuster. I subscribed to both because each had movies the other didn't have (e.g. NetFlix doesn't carry "Hell Is For Heroes" starring Steve McQueen while Blockbuster's selection of the Ealing studio stuff is pathetic). In our family, we usually watch the disks immediately and send them back a.s.a.p. I live in L.A., and both NetFlix and Blockbuster returns go to the exact same post office in Santa Ana. When I send back disks at the same time, Blockbuster always receives them a day later than NetFlix. This ALWAYS happens, and since they go to the same post office, it means Blockbuster is simply taking their time processing. Blockbuster has been losing money ever since they started their "no late fees" policy in their stores, so they may be trying to make up some of their losses by slowing down the online rentals. Regardless, I am able to rent at least 50% more movies from NetFlix than from Blockbuster because of turnaround. For this reason I cancelled my Blockbuster subscription two weeks ago.

If you're trying to decide which service to use, I'd vote for NetFlix -- they have a bigger inventory and more shipping centers, which means there will probably be one closer to you than Blockbuster. (I spent the summer in Santa Barbara, and NetFlix had a facility in Oxnard, just 40 miles away, while Blockbuster shipped from Las Vegas, adding an additional day to and from.) Blockbuster might be better for you if you live in a big city and are only interested in renting mainstream, current DVDs: because they have fewer overall subscribers, you usually can get a newer title quicker. However, NetFlix is better about sending your movies in the order of your queue, assuming they're available. Also, Blockbuster's website often says they have a movie, but when you put it in your queue, it says "coming soon" which means they might get it sometime in the future...but maybe not (I've had "coming soon" next to titles for 6 months, while NetFlix has them in stock). Finally, this week there have been news reports saying that Blockbuster may seek bankruptcy protection, which is probably not a harbinger of good service in the future.

 

[Ted Todorov]

I've had the Criterion Pickpocket DVD at the top of my queue since it was released (2 months ago?) and it hasn't budged from "Long Wait" status. I have another DVD near the top which hasn't budged from "Very Long Wait"...

Anyone have similar experiences? This getting very annoying.

Ted

 

[TonyD]

i just added it to my q and moved it right to the top.


"now"

 

[EricSchulz]

There are two movies in My queue That have done the same thing..."very long wait" since they were released (one a Sherlock Holmes film, one a gay movie). Usually it does not take this long for them to shift to a different status.

 

[danak]

Ted,
Madagascar has been on "Long Wait" status at the top of my queue since it came out on DVD. I don't think I've ever had to wait this long to get a new release (on the other hand, I haven't asked for every new release)

Dana in MD

 

[TonyD]

i just added Madagascar and moved to the top and it is "now" too.
have you tried removing them them adding them back again.

 

[Ray H]

Yep. I've had Cinderella Man at the top of my queue since it was released almost two months ago. Hasn't budged from its "Very Long Wait" status.

Also, they've been shipping out my last few discs from their facilities in San Jose, California on the other side of the country. Rather inconvenient since I'm sure distribution centers closer have films like The Island.

 

[Scott-S]

Yea, I have had Madagascar and 40 Year Old Vigin on my list since they were released, and they have always been long, or very long wait.

I go through a lot of discs with their service, so I assume that I am having my priority dropped. Like they say in their fine print, people who rent the fewest discs get priority on new releases.

I will be dropping them for a month, then re-starting again. Ususally when you drop them, they offer you a free month to sign up again