NETFLIX frustration (transferred thread) (1 Viewer)

[Micah Cohen]

Well, this got canned over in the movie forum, so I'll try it here, as per admin; I figured it'd be moved. I have skimmed thru a bunch of the Netflix threads here and have not seen this addressed directly (altho of course I may have missed it), so please forgive me.

Anyone else experiencing this?

I want to rent THE STING from Netflix. But they only have the old disc shown on the site. They do not have the new remastered widescreen disc shown on the site. Do I go ahead and rent it and see which they send me?

I want to rent NOTORIOUS. But they only have the old PD disc shown on the site. They do not have the new Criterion disc shown on the site. Do I go ahead and rent it and see which they send me?

Aside from this, of course, Netflix is all tops in my book, with great, responsive customer service and great fast turnaround times. I love Netflix. I should have bought stock. I wonder if I should call them up and ask them about this? Anyone else frustrated by this "special edition lag time" at Netflix?

MC

PS - New addition: I could add OFFICE SPACE and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD to this list. Neither new edition is listed at Netflix. I wonder what gives?

 

[danak]

Micah,
This drives me crazy as well, as Netflix gets new specials editions for some things (like the about-to-be released special edition of The Wild Bunch) but not others. The really weird thing is that sometimes they will have the special edition bonus disc available but the first disc is the old edition (see The English Patient as an definite example, and possibly Starship Troopers and Pulp Fiction among others). I have emailed them to ask them about it, but the response claimed that they don't update to special editions if there is an edition already out (which is obviously false for some titles).

To directly answer your first question, I would bet you would get the old edition of The Sting and Notorious

And I wish you would call them about it and see what kind of answer you get (and post it here by all means).

Dana in MD

 

[Micah Cohen]

Thanks for the confirmation, Dana... I didn't expect anyone to see this thread here. This forum is like where threads go to die.

Tomorrow afternoon, I might call them. They usually have great customer service, maybe they will help me.

I sort of feel like this is a non-issue to complain about, but then again SEs keep coming out and replacing older, inferior discs, it just doesn't make sense to not replace them.

More news as it happens. Watch this space.

MC

 

[EricSchulz]

From what I have seen, the SE's that Netflix does carry tend to be those that get re-released with extended footage/deleted scenes, etc. I have not seen The Sting, but was the original release widescreen but non-anamorphic?

 

[Micah Cohen]

The original DVD of THE STING was one of the worst DVDs ever. Pan & Scam.

What's the point?

I'll call them tomorrow and put it to em.

MC

 

[Micah Cohen]

My email to Netflix this morning:


Hi Netflix! You are great! Thank you for such great service. BUT...

Why is it that I can *not* rent newer or updated versions of DVDs, such as THE STING, OFFICE SPACE, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD or the newer Criterion DVD of NOTORIOUS? Instead of the new, "Special Edition" discs, Netflix continues to list older, inferior, sometimes "public domain" discs for rent.

When do the new issues get rotated into the stock? Please respond soon, as I'd like to rent these discs! Thank you!

M Cohen


Maybe I'll get a nice response.

MC

 

[MichaelBA]

Good letter.

Do my dishes, Netflix!

 

[Micah Cohen]

I got a nice e-form-letter back.

Huh.

MC

 

[MichaelBA]

ARGH! Why is Netflix MESSING with me?!

I put BUBBLE in my queue way ahead of the game and as soon as it was released it came up listed as "available."

Then, ALL OF A FRIGGIN' SUDDEN, a few days ago it began showing up as "long wait."

And now... AND NOW... ALL OF A FRIGGIN' SUDDEN, just this morning it is being listed in my queue as "VERY long wait"!

WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! I got in EARLY on this!

What the EFFIN' EFF, Netflix?!

I don't especially care about the film itself. It's the PRINCINPLE of the thing! I got in EARLY, dammit! And they told me straight out, initially, and for about a WEEK too, that it was "available." ARGH!

[Tangent: And why doesn't Netflix carry more Boetticher Westerns?! DAMN!]

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Netflix is unbelievable.

I have been a member for a year now, and in the beginning they used to be very quick when I mailed a title back to the hub that was very close to my own home. I used to send a movie back on MONDAY morning and there'd be an email the next day, TUESDAY, telling me that they received it and were shipping the next title out immediately - and I'd have the new film on WEDNESDAY.

But this week has been pathetic. Just like I used to, I sent back a title on MONDAY, going to the same very nearby hub location, and here we are THURSDAY and there is still no email that they've received it! What a lie. What a bunch of crooks. This has been going on for some time now...

 

[Steve JD]

In Canada we have Zip.ca, and it's excellent. When a special edition of something is released, they usually get it even though they already have the old edition. If they don't get it, we just need to send an e-mail, and they add the new edition to their catalogue asap.

 

[danak]

Joe,
Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble. It's working great for me (I'm in Maryland), as it usually takes one day to get to them and they ship a new one the same day or the next day. Given what I've heard from others, it sounds like it may be that some distribution centers (and the local post office) are having problems.

Dana in MD

 

[Reginald Trent]

Dana,

Please don't use the post office as a scapegoat to try and explain away Netflix's game playing schemes with customers DVDs. I have friends and relatives that work for the post office and they personally placed my DVDs in Netflix's P.O. Box. Yet Netflix took days before it appeared in my quene as returned. Then they showed my next DVDs as shipping the following day as opposed to the same day that they indicated having recieved them. That why I'm a former Netflix customer happily spending my money with Blockbuster.com

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Correct, Reginald. It's so obvious that it's Netflix playing their games, especially when so many of us used to get great service from them, even though the post office hasn't changed. It's always been the same story for everyone -- first we join, we get terrific service for a while, we rave about the great deal and recommend it to others, and eventually we get throttled as Netflix intentionally delays our movies.

By the way -- today, FRIDAY, I finally got the email from Netflix saying they received the movie I mailed back to them at 7:30 am way back on this past MONDAY. This was a very nearby hub which always used to process my returns the very next day (TUESDAY) back when I was still a new baby member.

 

[EricSchulz]

Why don't you drop them then? If the service (or lack thereof) bothers you so much, email them and cancel. Let them know why. I don't think anyone is holding a gun to your head to use them.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Because as long as I receive at least 5 or more discs per month, I'm getting at least my money's worth or perhaps a little more. It's just that they stifle their heavy-renting customers to the point where I will only get 10 films per month instead of the old 20 or more that they used to allow me, so it's still something of a value. But that doesn't mean they're not snakes, and there is nothing wrong whatsoever in voicing our opinions on their con games.

I love the old "nobody's holding a gun to your head" reaction any time a person exercises his right to air a negative opinion about something. I will continue to do so, and as for my "letting them know", you can bet your life I get on the phone regularly to tell them what I think of their tricks. While it may not speed up their throttling scheme, it sure gives me pleasure and ties them up for several minutes.

 

[danak]

They do throttle but it seems only certain areas are getting really bad service. I'm on the 8-out plan and I managed to get more than 35 titles for January, the most ever for me I think.

Dana in MD

 

[Reginald Trent]

Dana,

You would get 8 a week or 32 per month even if they did throttle, so that's not such a great deal. IMO

 

[Scott-S]

I think the reason a lot of us are angry is because Netflix says one thing, then does another. They are still advertising "Rent all the movies you want". This is certainly false advertisement. They lost the court case, but are still doing it. That is why I am mad at them.

As for dropping them, I have no other choice right now because I like to rent TV on DVD. The last time I checked, Netflix had a larger selection.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Ha Ha Ha....!

I have to laugh because today (SATURDAY) I received only 1 movie from Netflix even though they said by email that I'd be getting 2 for Saturday!

This may not seem strange to most, but for me it is, since it always used to be that whenever they said a movie was going to arrive on a certain day, it always used to, without fail. And even better - in the beginning they used to promise it later and it always came AHEAD of schedule!