Wal-Mart "Cues Up A Rival to Netflix" (1 Viewer)

[Piers C]

See today's story with this link to Cnet:
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-962070.html?tag=fd_top_5

 

[Brian Kidd]

All the cropped movies you could possibly want!! What a bargain!!! :frowning:

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Will they have porn?

 

[Steve Kuester]

Netflix has been great to me, I would never switch from Netflix to Wal-Mart, ever.

 

[Jeffrey Gray]

Oh great...and before you know it, it'll end up driving Netflix into the ground...

 

[Rich Malloy]

I've been a longtime supporter and renter from NETFLIX, but the last few months I've seen their service plummet. I now have four discs in a row that have been "lost" on their way to me, and there were several more before that. Frankly, I don't believe these discs were ever sent to me, because they're never lost going the other way. At any rate, due to this and several other problems with shipping, I've only averaged two titles per month going back to June. In other words, not worth the money.

I'm ready to chuck this service, but thusfar there's no real alternative. While I'm neither thrilled by the Walmart (or Blockbuster) name, I'm glad there's going to be some competition for our rental dollar in this area. Here's hoping for even more!

(And I can't wait for the day I can dump NETFLIX for good.)

 

[Ross Williams]

I've really seen the opposite. Since they added a hub in Tacoma about 6 months ago, I've been able to get about twice as many DVDs from them a month. They have an amazing selection, and are fairly good about keeping stuff in stock. I don't mind if they get competition, I really just hope it doesn't drive them out of business.

I have a Blockbuster 2 blocks from my house that offers a similiar service. But I would never take them up on their deal, they have a 1/100th of Netflix's catalogue.

 

[streeter]

I use greencine.com instead of Netflix. They're pretty good.

I'm afraid Netflix will have a tough time surviving when Walmart and Blockbuster are using their model. Netflix hasn't earned a dime yet...

 

[MikeAlletto]

Netflix is awesome. I've been using them since Oct. 1999! And I've had less than 5 discs either damaged or lost. They've got a Houston hub now so it only takes about 2 days to get a new movie or for them to get a return.

 

[Dmitry]

Rich: I had my share of problems with Netflix shipping, mostly the DVDs lost on their way back (probably somebody raiding the particular mailbox I used to drop them off at as it does get really full) -- until recently. Then all of a sudden four out of five DVDs never got to me. Turns out, the idiot postman is shoving them into the mailbox of a newly signed-up neghbor. Since I couldn't get the postman to change his habit I decided to rent a PO box and I haven't had a problem since.

 

[Felicia J]

I've had good service from Netflix. They recently added a Denver hub, which means I get my new movies a couple of days after mailing back my old ones (I live 40 miles from Denver.)

I don't plan to switch to Blockbuster or Wal-Mart because you can't beat the Netflix selection. Plus, I imagine those retailers will rent out mainly full-screen DVDs.

 

[DeanR]

Rich,

I live in Middleton, MA and I probably rented 150 discs in 1.5 years and only 1 disc has got lost either coming or going. Since they added the Worcester hub Netflix has been a 9 out of 10. I think you should get a PO Box.

Hope things improve for you,

 

[Gary Thomas]

I recently joined Netflix and have been impressed with their web site, responsiveness, and shipping. The only problem I've had was when my dog ate a return envelope!

 

[Rob Tomlin]

I have been a member of Netflix since April, 2000. They have definitely gone through some ups and downs!
Over the last 5 months or so, their service has greatly improved with regard to mail turn around time. No doubt this is due to the fact that they now have a hub in SoCal. They usually receive my returned DVD the day after I mail it! Nice!
They still have far more titles "out of stock" and on "Long Wait" or "Very Long Wait" than I would like to see, but the other mail rental places I have tried are not nearly the value of Netflix.
I recently added up all the titles I have rented over the years at Netflix and divided that by the amount of time I have been a member. I have averaged watching 12.2 movies per month at $20.00 per month. I am paying well below $2 per rental, never have to worry about late fees, and dont have to drive back and forth to the store! Love it!
All that being said, competition is usually a good thing!

 

[Rich Malloy]

I live in Boston, in the same building that has a major Postal hub at the street level, and Netflix hasn't been able to get a movie to me in less than 12 days for the past three months.
What's even more frustrating is that after 10 days, I'll report it as missing, they send another, and then the previous one finally arrives.
This has now occurred four times in a row. In a row! And, despite my numerous emails, I no longer get a response from their customer service dept.
So, I'm averaging two rentals per month for the last three months. It's so frustrating that I'm almost tempted to set foot back in Blockbuster. As you can see, my choices are so limited that I have to put up with Netflix's poor delivery and unresponsive customer service... so, I can't wait for some competition in the online rental business. Bring. It. On.
And don't get me started about how their availability status is so often wrong. I've given up trying to rent a series of discs in order from Netflix after "The Prisoner" fiasco when they sent me the second disc in the series (and in my queue) despite the fact that the first disc had a "Now Available" status. I contacted them, they said to ship the second disc back and they'd ship the first one... and then they shipped me the second one again! And the first one was still pegged as "Now Available".
Alright. Must stop now. Getting all pissed-off again.

 

[Piers C]

Its been interesting to see all the different responses! I sorta threw the link for the story up there and didn't really expect the wide range of opinions.

Full disclosure: I am a Netflix user (only since '01).

First, I want to say to Rich that I'm sorry for the bad experience you are having. Like you, I've also had a bit of trouble with deliveries & lost/stolen discs. I tend to think that no amount of competition will stop these issues, until there is competition with the US Postal Service.

I'm surprised no one has really commented on what the landscape could look like if Wal-Mart successful enters into the rental mkt. From the "Back From Hollywood" thread, its clear that today the studios are already heavily influenced by Wal-Mart as a massive retail outlet for their product. Wal-mart expanding their presence into the rental mkt would be like transforming the 100 pound gorilla into King Kong.

 

[Rich Malloy]

I tend to think that no amount of competition will stop these issues, until there is competition with the US Postal Service.

I think the problem is Netflix's; not the US mail.

Like most of you, I order tons of stuff on the internet... DVDs, CDs, LPs, books, pet supplies. I also frequently trade music with friends, including not a few people on this forum. In a sense, I always have a finger on the pulse of the US Mail.

In short, the only service that seems incapable of shipping their items to me in the time they claim is Netflix. In fact, I believe I'm very fortunate in that I usually receive orders earlier than expected. Except, again, when it comes to Netflix.

In other words, I sincerely doubt that my discs were shipped from Netflix when they claimed, if at all. And, in the past week, I've sent three emails to Netflix customer service requesting assistance on this matter and have thusfar received no response whatsoever.

I have no axe to grind. Do a search of this forum, and I'm sure you'll still find very positive things I've said about Netflix. But lately, I have nothing positive to say about them. And my queries have fallen on deaf ears. I'd rid myself of their service altogether and immediately if there was an alternative.

I can't wait for there to be an alternative.

 

[streeter]

Rich: Have you tried the other on-line rental services?

 

[Rich Malloy]

Color me uninformed! What other online rental services? Any you'd recommend?

 

[Dick]

Since it added a midwest outlet, service to me (in Maine) has been very good. The 2-way turnaround time, assuming I mail back my DVD's one day after receiving them, is now 7 days instead of 10. Anyway, I would stick with Netflix over Wal Mart purely out of principle.