I have a couple questions for you guys.

1) Are the dvd's just like the actual retail dvd's that you would buy at the store or are they those cheap rental dvd's with the cheesy menus and no bonus features?

2) Is netflix the best mail rental service available or is Blockbuster or someone else better?

Thanks.

The Netflix movies are usually just like retail disks. But sometimes movies are sold on two disks: one for movies and one for special features. In those cases, since with Netflix one queue slot is one disk, you have to rent them separately. I personally have been very happy with Netlflix. Others have been happy with BB. BB gives you rental coupons for your local Brick and Mortar store so that may be of some value. On the other hand, Netflix has a good selection of obscure and foreign and old films which might be important. I've always had rapid turnaround with Netflix but then again, I'm not renting 50 DVDs a month, ripping them, and sending them back each night, so I am not a candidate for account throttling.

1) Are the dvd's just like the actual retail dvd's that you would buy at the store or are they those cheap rental dvd's with the cheesy menus and no bonus features?

The discs are the same as if you were to buy them at any retail store. Like was said earlier though, you have to rent the movie and bonus features seperately, unless the bonus features and movie are on one disc.

2) Is netflix the best mail rental service available or is Blockbuster or someone else better?

Thats all a matter of opinion. I personally have had a great experience so far with netflix. I have been with them for roughly 2 years. I rent around 10 to 14 discs per month and have a turnaround time of only 3 days.(The time it leaves my mail to the time I have another disc.)

I agree with the above two posters. I have had a netflix account for over 5 years now and have been very happy with them.

As far as which is better. I think BB is probably better at having a large quantity of the most current movies while Netflix is good at having older movies, classics etc. Basically Netflix does have ALL the movies, but not as many of the current ones so you may have to wait longer for those.

In addition, BB lets you come into their store for those times when you just have to have it now.

I'm guessing that Blockbuster might be better for those who want to see the latest movies and Netflix for those that enjoy foreign, classics etc. and are willing to wait a bit (sometimes a couple of months) for the limited supply of current releases to make their rounds.

My 2 cents:

Both services start out nicely but if you expect to get a decent quantity/volume of DVD's per month you will end up disappointed.

I had Blockbuster. At the beginning they were fine. Then it took longer and longer to get DVD's. I switched to NetFlix. Again fine at first then it took longer and longer. It now takes 10 days to turn around 3X DVDs and we watch them the night we get them and send them back the next day.

Perhaps you should search on the recent debacle of a lawsuit / faux settlement with Netflix.

My 2 cents:

Both services start out nicely but if you expect to get a decent quantity/volume of DVD's per month you will end up disappointed.

I had Blockbuster. At the beginning they were fine. Then it took longer and longer to get DVD's. I switched to NetFlix. Again fine at first then it took longer and longer. It now takes 10 days to turn around 3X DVDs and we watch them the night we get them and send them back the next day.

Perhaps you should search on the recent debacle of a lawsuit / faux settlement with Netflix.

I just wish the FTC would force them to drop the "unlimited" from their advertising. I don't have a problem with them not wishing to loose money on high volume customers, but either say that they have limits or not. Otherwise it is false advertising to say that their service "unlimited".

b2b

A friend used BB for a while but got broken discs quite frequently, so he quit and signed on with Netflix. I have received maybe 1% broken with Netflix but overall I have been happy despite some account throttling, mainly manifested by the "Very Long Wait" status message for most new releases in the queue. Still, the overall number of choices are good and I'm not impatient to see most of the newer releases anyway.

Dan

HD-DVD discs will soon be available on Net Flix, which means the entire "HD format crisis" can be resolved in practical terms for typical Hi def movie viewers basically for the price of one extra HD dvd player, e.g. less than 500 dollars for Toshiba players - assuming for example they were planning to bet on Blu-ray anyways

I just canceled BB and signed up with Netflix. As said before BB start great then
slowly took longer to get moves, and would not send movies in my order even
though it was shown available. Also movies were sent and the next day showed
back up at BB as returned. We will see if Netflix turns out to be the same.

I have had the service for 2 years now and although this has happened in the past, it has just lately starting happening repeatedly, and often (for the record I have over 100 movies in my queue so they should always have something that is available and ready to ship):

I return a movie, Netflix gets it the next day or the day after that. About midway through the day they receive it, they show a message on the screen of "Your next movie will be shipping today". I check back later in the day and that message is replaced with the specific movie, except it now says it is shipping tomorrow - "Star Wars Ep IV is ready and we expect to ship it to you tomorrow".

Sometimes it does get shipped tomorrow, but other times I go back the next day to check and the movie is now pushed back yet another day.

I find this very frustrating. I have emailed Netflix customer support but they do not give any help whatsoever. I guess my only option is probably to vote with my $$$ and go elsewhere. The trouble is I really like Netflix...when they are efficient about mailing stuff out.

Anybody else experience this and if so, did you find any solution?

I have had the service for 2 years now and although this has happened in the past, it has just lately starting happening repeatedly.............. Anybody else experience this and if so, did you find any solution?

Just you, me and anyone else who wants more than 10-12 movies a month on the the 3 at a time plan :mad:

Anybody else experience this and if so, did you find any solution?

That starting happening to me alot and it annoyed the hell out of me. My solution was to switch to BB. Its not perfect. I hate when then ship random stuff from the middle of my queue, but it doesn't annoy me nearly as much as the netflix throttling. Its also nice to have the two free in store rentals a month and now for $7 more a month I also get two movie tickets -- still a few dollars less than I'd pay for a matinee. If throttling becomes a problem with BB, I will probably switch back to Netflix.

I mailed in two yesterday, and they had to get them both today. One new movie shows up as "Shipping Wednesday". They may be starting to throttle me, it's tough to say. I'm on the 4-out plan, so I'm assuming they'll be keeping me at about 4 per week - which is what I want.

larry

All it took was one walk into a Blockbuster to see they sanitize the movie selection for Joe Mainstream and that was the end of them for me.

Netflix has been fantastic the year I've had it and they truly cover a lot of ground with their library. They have more obscure titles than the best of my local stores and other than a no p0rn policy, they don't censor the selections. I don't want Disney or other bible thumpers to decide what I can and can't watch and Netflix has anything I've looked for so far.

With the 3 disc subscription, I can easily turn around 3 a week, if I was more efficient I could probably avg 4-5.

With the 3 disc subscription, I can easily turn around 3 a week, if I was more efficient I could probably avg 4-5 Please try to do 4-5 per week. :) I doubt you'd get very far, but it would be interesting to see what happens. That would put you under the $1.50 per disc threshold that seems to be what they shoot for as a minimum.

larry

netflix is better than anyone else, imho. they need pron though.

The last 2 or 3 weeks, I've been getting the shipments the next day after receiving my returns. Frustrating, but at least I still get the new releases. This week I will be getting Dune: Extended Edition and Corpse Bride. I might switch to BB so I can go to the store to pick up new editions. I really wanted to see Flightplan, but I missed that one and now it is a very long wait.

I really like netflix for the most part. However, they tend to stick with the original release of most movies. They don't have any superbit versions of most movies and when a movie is re-released as a "special edition" they don't always get them in.
I've been hoping to get Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and some other older movies in widescreen for my son to watch, but they only have the fullscreen version. I emailed them but I got a canned response about original releases only. I know that's not entirely true, because some of their dvd's are special editions. It's just really hit and miss.

With all of that said, however, I couldn't be happier as far as turnaround time goes. I almost always have something to watch when there is crap on TV and I only have to walk to my mailbox. How cool is that! :cool:

I've been with Netflix since 2000, and couldn't be more pleased. I live in a rural area, and there are no video rental stores within 25 miles. So Netflix is extremely convenient for me.

And even though I live in a rural area, I get unbelievable turnaround. I put one in the mailbox at home yesterday morning. Netflix had it back today, and shipped the next one in my queue today. I'll have it back by Thursday at the latest. I commend them for their service, but I also have to say kudos to the USPS...and No, I don't work for the post office.

Please try to do 4-5 per week. :) I doubt you'd get very far, but it would be interesting to see what happens. That would put you under the $1.50 per disc threshold that seems to be what they shoot for as a minimum.

larry

It would last about 2-3 weeks and then they will slow you down.
I just stopped Netflixs because of exactly that.

I don't want Disney or other bible thumpers to decide what I can and can't watch.And I don't want to be limited to whatever crap the fashionable elite in Hollywood wants to ram down our throats. Netflix makes us both happy.

I've been with Netflix since last May.
I was on 3 a month over the summer, switched to 2 a month once the new TV season started. This month I've had two times where I would send a movie back, they would get it the next day, but not ship my next DVD till the day after that. The first time it happened, my queue said it would ship that day, then when I checked in the afternoon, it said it was shipping the next day. The second time was this week. I sent a movie back on Monday, it got there Tuesday, and my queue said my next film would be shipping Wednesday. I sent a feedback reply about the first one.

But the pop-up info window says:


A movie in Shipping status means we have chosen that movie to be the next one shipped to you. Generally, we ship all movies within 24 hours of their entering Shipping status. Please note that due to inventory issues a movie may occasionally be in Shipping status for up to 2 days. If this occurs, we will automatically cancel the shipment and add the movie back to your Rental Queue.



Last year I had Season 1 of Battlestar Galactica in my queue even before it was released. The first disc was "very long wait" for maybe 6-8 weeks, so I left feedback about them needing to get more copies if people had to wait 2 months just to see something. I also threatened to cancel my subscription, IIRC, because it was ridiculous having to wait that long for something. Disc 1 changed to Long Wait soon after, and I got disc 1 very soon after that. Maybe they listened, maybe it was a coincidence.

I think inventory and when you get DVDs depends on your local distributor and whatever they have and when. I know there is a new Netflix dist center in my area, because it popped up late last year two buildings down from where I work (about 15 min from home).

Other than a few issues, and having to wait a long time for a few things (finally am getting Wedding Crashers this week, still waiting on Serenity), usually if I put a DVD in the mail on Friday or Saturday, it arrives there on Monday and I can get a new Tuesday release delivered on Tuesday. If I miss getting something in on Monday, that's when I have to wait extra long to get it. But I looked at my rental history, and I returned 10 DVDs in January, on a 2-at-a-time plan. $1.50 a rental. Not bad. But I like the selection as well. They have a lot of independent, foreign and documentaries that aren't as widely available. I wouldn't have enough to rent/watch with just the major releases if it weren't for the smaller, indie, foreign, documentaries and all the back catalog stuff they have.

It would last about 2-3 weeks and then they will slow you down.
I just stopped Netflixs because of exactly that. Where are you going to rent DVDs for cheaper than $1.50-$1.75 a disc and have the same selection? Out of curiosity, what are you doing now? Blockbuster?

larry

Long time netflix user - switched to Blockbuster as soon as I learned thay had a distribution center in my town. A bonus has been the 2 instore rentals / mo.

Well, I am in the 12th day of my two week trial with the three out plan and have only received four movies thus far. I am not real impressed. I watch the movies the same day I receive them and return them promptly at a post office early the next morning on my way to work.
I had envisioned being able to rent five movies per week. Perhaps I had my sights set to high.
I sent Netflix an e-mail asking if 5 movies per week is too high of an expectation for the three and out plan. I also asked them if there was anything else I could do to speed up the process.
I guess we shall see what happens.
I didn't think 20 movies per month on the three and out plan was too high of an expectation.

Craig
:( :(

Before the postal increase, the x-out plan seems to correspond to x-out-per-week. We'll have to see if Netflix does anything wrt the extra postal costs. Less than $1 per disc is not going to happen. Ask your local rental places to rent you discs at $2.50 per disc and to keep them as long as you want (don't forget to mention you want them to order discs that Netflix has and they don't) - and see what they say. :) Don't forget to add in gas and time. I'm not picking on anybody - just trying to point out that Netflix isn't that bad a deal. :)

larry

20 movies out - you are never going to get that

I just checked my complete rental history going back to 2003 (its stored under preferences on Netflix.com)

The most I was ever able to rent in a month (I should say the most Netflix ever sent me in a month, because the slowdowns have always been on their end) was 13. The least I ever was able to rent in a month was 9. There were only a couple 9 months, just about every month was 12 or 13 total and this is on the 3 out plan.

That puts it at $1.53 per disc my cost. I guess that is fair considering I dont have travel time or gas cost to get to the video store. Someone else here mentioned that Netflix will slow you down on purpose if your per disc cost starts to get below $1.50, and I believe them.

I haven't been a member very long, but if I can average $1.50 per disc with the 4-out plan I'll be ecstatic. So far, $1.50 seems to be what's happening once I got past the 2 week promo love affair.

larry

It would last about 2-3 weeks and then they will slow you down.
I just stopped Netflixs because of exactly that.

I've definitely turned over the 3 within a week for 6 in 7 days, though I've only done it maybe twice when I first subscribed.

I wouldn't be surprised if they throttle them if you are a 'regular', hadn't thought about it.

I've got a distribution center locally (next county), could that have an impact? I do know when they send them from the out of state centers it slows down the pace a lot, some of the more oddball movies have come cross country. "Last House on the Left" hung me up for a week as it was coming in and out of TN and I'm in NJ.

I've got a distribution center locally (next county), could that have an impact?

When the distribution center near me opened, I noticed a nice decrease in turn around time. I went from a 5-6 day turn around to a 3 day turn around. In just a couple of weeks time and some severe throttling it took my disks just as long to travel 8 miles as it did for the disk to travel 800 miles. That's when I decided to switch to BB.

Before the postal increase, the x-out plan seems to correspond to x-out-per-week. We'll have to see if Netflix does anything wrt the extra postal costs. Less than $1 per disc is not going to happen. Ask your local rental places to rent you discs at $2.50 per disc and to keep them as long as you want (don't forget to mention you want them to order discs that Netflix has and they don't) - and see what they say. :) Don't forget to add in gas and time. I'm not picking on anybody - just trying to point out that Netflix isn't that bad a deal. :)

larry



20 movies out - you are never going to get that

I just checked my complete rental history going back to 2003 (its stored under preferences on Netflix.com)

The most I was ever able to rent in a month (I should say the most Netflix ever sent me in a month, because the slowdowns have always been on their end) was 13. The least I ever was able to rent in a month was 9. There were only a couple 9 months, just about every month was 12 or 13 total and this is on the 3 out plan.

That puts it at $1.53 per disc my cost. I guess that is fair considering I dont have travel time or gas cost to get to the video store. Someone else here mentioned that Netflix will slow you down on purpose if your per disc cost starts to get below $1.50, and I believe them.

No, but I do feel I am being throttled already and I am not a heavy user. Is 20 movies per month heavy usage when you are on the 3 out plan? I don’t think so. I think anything beyond and average of 5 rentals per week is pushing it a bit. I see some complaining that they don’t get more than 50 per week. That is just ludicrous. I am not going to jump the gun. I am going to give things a month to pan out. That will be 6 weeks if you add the free two week trial. That should be plenty of time to give an evaluation. If things don’t shape up, I am going to BB.
At this point I am looking at 3 or four movies per week on the 3 out plan. In my eyes… that is just un-acceptable.

Craig

I haven't seen any BB average cost per disc numbers. Has anybody else?

larry

I live on the Island of Maui and the distribution center is on the Island of Oahu. I usually drop my returns in the mail drop box at the Mall where I work. The Postal Gal :p drops our mail off any where from 12:30 to 2:00 pm. She also picks up the mail in the drop box during her stint ay the mall. Now, I do not know what time those people at Netflix start work. :rolleyes: But when I check my e-mail in the morning before i head off to work (6:30-700am) I have an e-mail saying they have received my dvd's I mailed the previous day. Pretty darn good in my book. :) By the time i get home my selected dvd's in my queue are on their way and arrive the next day. I have the 5 at a time plan. 95% of the time their is a not a delay on shipping off my queue. Sure at times I might not have my movie as soon as i would like. But thats life. If I only lived in a perfect world. :eek: All in all I am very happy with Netflix. :D

I use Netflix. I have the 3 at a time program and it takes me app. 2 weeks to get the three. I'm sure there must be some problem with the mail in my area. I hope this will get better.

Is 20 movies per month heavy usage when you are on the 3 out plan?I'd say it's heavy use for sure - somewhere between 2.5 and 3 times what the average NF subscriber gets. It is certainly possible to watch that many DVDs, especially as a substitute for regular TV.

With the priority scheme that Netflix uses and occasional shipments from remote distribution centers, I think you would be hard presses to consistently get 20 discs per month on the three-out plan.

Just a question for all who presently rent from BB or netflix. The BB in my area seems to only have full screen versions of most DVDs. Is the BB online inventory the same. I have a 16:9 screen and really don't want to rent anything in 4:3 if there is a wide screen version.

Also, has anyone noticed that the day of the week on which you return a movie makes any difference with respect how long it takes to get a new DVD? Due to our work ours, my wife and I really only get to watch movies on the weekend. If I can't reliably expect monday to friday turnaround, then that is a deal breaker.

If you watched 3 movies on the weekend and returned them on Monday you'd have to live in a pretty remote area not to get new DVDs on Friday - mail comes on Saturday too. For the 3-out plan, don't expect more than 3 movies per week. Don't forget, the first 2 weeks are free!

larry

Yes, I have fairly quick turn around no more that a few days. One thing I noticed that slows the turn around is make sure you place the disk in envelope so you can see the bar code through the slit n the envelope.

I'd say it's heavy use for sure - somewhere between 2.5 and 3 times what the average NF subscriber gets. It is certainly possible to watch that many DVDs, especially as a substitute for regular TV.

With the priority scheme that Netflix uses and occasional shipments from remote distribution centers, I think you would be hard presses to consistently get 20 discs per month on the three-out plan.


20 movies per month on a 3 out plan is heavy use.?.
I don't think it is. When we receive a movie in the mail, we watch it that night and it is in the mail by the next morning.
Think about it.
I come home from work around 5PM. You pick up the mail out of the mail box and notice you have a movie to watch. So, you sit down. Have some supper with the family and read the paper. At about 6:30-7pm you pop in the movie and it’s over by 9pm give or take a few minutes. On the weekends we can easily sit down and watch two movies in one afternoon or evening. I can easily see where I could watch 20 movies in a month with-out even trying. It is very easy for us to get the movie back in the mail (drop movie off to local PO) the next morning on the way to work so we can receive our next movie we have queued ASAP.


Craig

Yes, I have fairly quick turn around no more that a few days. One thing I noticed that slows the turn around is make sure you place the disk in envelope so you can see the bar code through the slit n the envelope.

You know, I wondered this as well. I noticed the slit and that the bar code lined up so I have been putting my dvd's in the mail this way. I was actually wondering if this was a no-no thinking that is why my movies are coming and going so slow.

Craig

20 movies a month may not be heavy use to you but Netflix doesn't care about that. To them 20 movies a month is a money losing proposition if you are on the 3 out plan, and they aren't going to let you get away with it. You try it and let me know but I bet you money that after a short while you start seeing the same "shipping today" "shipping tomorrow" slippage and hijinks that I am seeing.

3 movies a week every week on the 3 out plan is an almost perfect average of what I have gotten over the last 2 years. I was hoping for more but it didnt work out that way.

20 movies a month may not be heavy use to you but Netflix doesn't care about that. To them 20 movies a month is a money losing proposition if you are on the 3 out plan, and they aren't going to let you get away with it. You try it and let me know but I bet you money that after a short while you start seeing the same "shipping today" "shipping tomorrow" slippage and hijinks that I am seeing.

3 movies a week every week on the 3 out plan is an almost perfect average of what I have gotten over the last 2 years. I was hoping for more but it didnt work out that way.


:(

Maybe I will have to step up to the 4 out plan.

Craig

As I mentioned before, from others have said, and if you look at their pricing structure you'll have to go to the 5-out plan if you want 20 movies per month: 4 weeks x 5 movies = 20 per month. I don't know where the extra 2 weeks per year fit in... :)

larry

[QUOTE=nebrunner]You try it and let me know but I bet you money that after a short while you start seeing the same "shipping today" "shipping tomorrow" slippage and hijinks that I am seeing.QUOTE]


I'll take ya up on that bet!!!! :D I am on the 5 out at a time plan and I can get 10 movies out in a week without a problum. Maybe every 6 or 7 weeks I might get a slow period on shipping' but that doesn't happen that often and is short lived when it happens. :mad: Mind you there are 3 of us all with different tv/dvd players in our household. :eek: Netflix rocks for us :cool:

I'll take ya up on that bet!!!! :D I am on the 5 out at a time plan and I can get 10 movies out in a week without a problum.


Right, I believe you. We were talking about the 3 out at a time plan though.

20 per month on the 3 out plan doesn't seem out of line. I know I was getting even more than that 1 or 2 years ago. I've slowed down on the movie watching lately. I guess I've seen everything I want to see :rolleyes: . But seriously, I think it depends alot on how close you are to a hub, and which hub you're close to. I live in the SF bay area and if I ship a movie or movies on a Monday, I get my next shipment by Wednesday without fail. Netflix started in the Bay Area, so I wonder if the local hubs are larger, with more selection. I don't really know, just speculating.

20 per month on the 3 out plan doesn't seem out of line. I know I was getting even more than that 1 or 2 years ago. I've slowed down on the movie watching lately. I guess I've seen everything I want to see :rolleyes: . But seriously, I think it depends alot on how close you are to a hub, and which hub you're close to. I live in the SF bay area and if I ship a movie or movies on a Monday, I get my next shipment by Wednesday without fail. Netflix started in the Bay Area, so I wonder if the local hubs are larger, with more selection. I don't really know, just speculating.


Yes... I agree. I don't think 20 movies per month is out of line either. I sent Netflix an e-mail. I stated that I wanted to receive 20 movies per month. I simply asked them if the 3 out plan was adequate.

You are right... could be something to do with the hub location. Mine is Lansing MI. At least that is what the return address says on the self addressed envelope we receive from Netflix.
I am actually going to try a different post office. I actually pass :rolleyes: three :rolleyes: local post offices on my 23 minute journey to work.

I received two movies last night.
Dropped em in the mail this morning. Lets see how quick the turn around is.

Craig

Yes, I have fairly quick turn around no more that a few days. One thing I noticed that slows the turn around is make sure you place the disk in envelope so you can see the bar code through the slit n the envelope.I used to think that, but mostly I don't bother and they acknowledge my returned movies the very next morning after I mail them. I live just a few miles from Netflix's home office so distance from the hub couldn't be an issue. To me, it seems they are purposely holding off mailing the next movie by one day. Usually by around noon after they have received my returned movie, I see the next movie and says 'shipping'. Later that day, it will say 'shipping tomorrow'.

Anyone out there still paying $20 for 4 movies out?

Netflix always seems to carry the widescreen version, when available.

I have always been very happy with their service, and do not generally encounter "smoothing" (throttling). Of course, I am not an insanely high-rate renter, and I could care about new releases. I have some 500 movies in my queue; that's the value of a service like this. I set up a list and movies I am interested in just arrive at my house.

All these questions are heavily discussed on hackingnetflix (where the smoothing discussions also bore me). Look it up, or subscribe to the rss feed.

Just wondering if I have a problem. I have received 29 movies from Netflix in 6 months; that is less than 5 a month. I am on the 3 a time plan. What should be the average of movies a month I should receive? I view the movie and send it back the next day. I guess BB would be a better choice for me. The movies which I receive are in good condition. I have 70 movies in the queue. Any advice appreciated.

Joe,
Do the movies at the top of your queue have "Now" availability? Also, if you have a 2 day trip from your mail to Netflix that wouldn't help, especially if you send in one movie at time.

larry

I am in River Ridge, La. When I receive the movie, it is usually only one at a time. The movies that I order have always been available. If I do receive more than one and send them back together; they will usually come back one at a time. Thanks for the reply.

Just wondering if I have a problem. I have received 29 movies from Netflix in 6 months; that is less than 5 a month. I am on the 3 a time plan. What should be the average of movies a month I should receive? I view the movie and send it back the next day. I guess BB would be a better choice for me. The movies which I receive are in good condition. I have 70 movies in the queue. Any advice appreciated.

You are getting ripped.
You could probably get as many with the 1 out 9.99 per month plan.

5 a month on the 3 out plan is just wrong.
Be sure you are sending your dvd's back with the bar code on the white dvd envelope showing through the little slit on the red return envelope. I now have a dvd out in limbo because I have a feeling that I didn't do this on this particular disc. :(
The movie was sent about 6 days ago and still does not show it has been received. Ticks me off because I could have probably received another movie by now.

Craig

Yea, 5 a month is not right. It's a tad cheaper than video store prices, but not what others are getting from Netflix. The over-under for the 3-out plan is 12/month.

larry

One thing I have noticed with Netflix is the way they have their plan pricing structured.
The largest price increase between the first four plans is $3. Then, pricing jumps from $17.99 for the 3 at a time (unlimited), to $23.99 for 4 at a time (unlimited). Why?? Really strange.


Craig

$24 - $18 = $6. 1 extra disc per week is 4 x $1.50 = $6 Kinda funny how each next hop up is $6 more than the previous. Coincidence? You decide. :)

larry

$24 - $18 = $6. 1 extra disc per week is 4 x $1.50 = $6 Kinda funny how each next hop up is $6 more than the previous. Coincidence? You decide. :)

larry

:rolleyes:
Ok smart a$$...

1 out at a time is $9.99 (unlimited)
2 out at a time is $14.99 (unlimited) That is a $5 increase. Right?
3 out at a time is $17.99 (unlimited) That is a $3 increase. Right?
4 out at a time is $23.99 (unlimited) That is a $6 increase. Right?

What math are you using?

I still am trying to figure out the logic here...
Usually companies try to entice you to order more by charging you less as you move up the price scale. AKA quantity discounts.


Craig

Be sure you are sending your dvd's back with the bar code on the white dvd envelope showing through the little slit on the red return envelope. I now have a dvd out in limbo because I have a feeling that I didn't do this on this particular disc. :(
The movie was sent about 6 days ago and still does not show it has been received. Ticks me off because I could have probably received another movie by now.

Craig

I have never put the bar code out, unless I did on purpose. I doubt this has anything to do with it. I think it even says to put the DVD sleeve right-side-up in the envelope.

If they haven't received it yet, report it missing. I have reported DVDs missing when they don't get there the morning of 2 days after I send it (weekdays, anyway). Ie., if I send it on Monday, it should arrive on Tuesday. If they don't show it received by Wednesday morning, I report it missing.

If you report it missing, they will send out your next movie, whether or not that DVD ever makes it there. Sometimes they just get lost in the mail.

I have never put the bar code out, unless I did on purpose. I doubt this has anything to do with it. I think it even says to put the DVD sleeve right-side-up in the envelope.

If they haven't received it yet, report it missing. I have reported DVDs missing when they don't get there the morning of 2 days after I send it (weekdays, anyway). Ie., if I send it on Monday, it should arrive on Tuesday. If they don't show it received by Wednesday morning, I report it missing.

If you report it missing, they will send out your next movie, whether or not that DVD ever makes it there. Sometimes they just get lost in the mail.

Thanks for the tip...
I reported it twice though. ;)
Still no acknowledgement from NF as to have received my missing dvd. Still no acknowledgement from NF as to have received my missing reports. :mad:

This company needs to get its crap together.

Craig

:rolleyes:
Ok smart a$$...

1 out at a time is $9.99 (unlimited)
2 out at a time is $14.99 (unlimited) That is a $5 increase. Right?
3 out at a time is $17.99 (unlimited) That is a $3 increase. Right?
4 out at a time is $23.99 (unlimited) That is a $6 increase. Right?

What math are you using?

I still am trying to figure out the logic here...
Usually companies try to entice you to order more by charging you less as you move up the price scale. AKA quantity discounts.


Craig
Sorry. I was going from 3 to 8. The first two never came into play for me.

It would be interesting to see how many you could get on the 1-out plan.

larry

I tried reporting a missing DVD and it wouldn't let me until it was something like 4 days or so after the projected date. The DVD did come, I was just used to next day service from the P.O.

larry

Sorry. I was going from 3 to 8. The first two never came into play for me.

It would be interesting to see how many you could get on the 1-out plan f

larry

I downgraded my package from the 3 out at a time to 1 out at a time for $10.59 per month, (as I got HD-TIVO & started recording movies in my que & removing them from netflix) & average about 6 out per month! This comes to about $1.76 per movie, which sure beats the local Blockbuster in terms of price & selection. So I find that to be a very good value & well worth it!

Steve

Steve, that's not bad at all. I'm happy paying less than my video store - $3.99 plus tax!

larry

Steve, that's not bad at all. I'm happy paying less than my video store - $3.99 plus tax!

larry

Yeah, I agree! I would even be willing to slightly pay a premium for rare or foreign movies on DVD, but most B & M places I have been to, rarely have them! I have even printed & brought my Netflix que of 500 movies with me & rarely do they have obscure titles. So Netflix is by far the way to go! (though I wish they didn't cap the que at 500, ha! But one could just create another que for overflow!)

One other thing, would anyone know or have a link or a contact within Netflix regarding a question I have. How do they determine their listing as far as audio soundtracks? Many times I check & it lists Dolby Digital & when I check a movie on like amazon.com or IMDB.com it will say that it has a DTS soundmix & when I get the movie it does have DTS. I just wonder how accurate their info & listing is. I would find such accurate info very helpful in deciding to rent certain movies from Netflix.

Steve

OK… I called NF in regards to a disc that was apparently lost in the mail.
I was tired of it tying up my queue as they would not ship another one until they received it. So, not only did they free up my queue so I can now receive 3 DVD’s again on my 3 out plan. But they also gave me a bonus rental so I can have another free rental. :) This made me feel better.
While on the phone with the NF rep, I asked him if receiving 20 DVD’s per month on the 3 out plan was too high of an expectation. He said it should not be a problem. He stated, that it was best to get them all sent out by Monday morning. If I got all three discs sent out by Monday, they would receive them in a day or two and get my next movies sent right back out.
Has anyone tried this and had any success?


Craig

OK… I called NF in regards to a disc that was apparently lost in the mail.
I was tired of it tying up my queue as they would not ship another one until they received it. So, not only did they free up my queue so I can now receive 3 DVD’s again on my 3 out plan. But they also gave me a bonus rental so I can have another free rental. :) This made me feel better.
While on the phone with the NF rep, I asked him if receiving 20 DVD’s per month on the 3 out plan was too high of an expectation. He said it should not be a problem. He stated, that it was best to get them all sent out by Monday morning. If I got all three discs sent out by Monday, they would receive them in a day or two and get my next movies sent right back out.
Has anyone tried this and had any success?
Craig

It's all BS. Go to their site and read their terms of service agreement. They come right out and state that they will throttle your account.

Allocation, Delivery and Return of Rented DVDs

We reserve the right to allocate and ship DVDs among our subscribers in any manner that we, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine. In addition, we will, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine the quantity of DVDs we purchase for any particular title and the level of staffing and number of shipments to be processed at each distribution center. As a result, we may not always send you the top choices from your queue, and we may not ship out your next DVD on the same day that we receive one from you. At present, our goal is to ship you the DVDs listed highest in your queue. Also, we currently try to ship you DVDs from the distribution center closest to you so that you get movies quickly. Often, on the same day that we receive a DVD from you, we will ship the next available DVD from your queue. In certain instances, your next available DVD will not ship until at least one business day following our receipt of your returned movie. This can occur, for example, when your top choices are not available to you from your closest distribution center or the number of shipments to be processed by the distribution center on that day has been exceeded. When this happens, your DVD will likely ship on the next business day and may come from an alternate distribution center.

Some people may slide for a while but they will catch up and start throttling your account in some way ("in our sole discretion" = you watch too many movies). I had great service for 6 months and it has gone straight downhill in the last 2 months. For example, I mailed 2 DVD's in early Monday morning from the same city as the distribution center. It took until Thursday for them to say they "received" them.

It's all BS. Go to their site and read their terms of service agreement. They come right out and state that they will throttle your account.

Allocation, Delivery and Return of Rented DVDs

We reserve the right to allocate and ship DVDs among our subscribers in any manner that we, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine. In addition, we will, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine the quantity of DVDs we purchase for any particular title and the level of staffing and number of shipments to be processed at each distribution center. As a result, we may not always send you the top choices from your queue, and we may not ship out your next DVD on the same day that we receive one from you. At present, our goal is to ship you the DVDs listed highest in your queue. Also, we currently try to ship you DVDs from the distribution center closest to you so that you get movies quickly. Often, on the same day that we receive a DVD from you, we will ship the next available DVD from your queue. In certain instances, your next available DVD will not ship until at least one business day following our receipt of your returned movie. This can occur, for example, when your top choices are not available to you from your closest distribution center or the number of shipments to be processed by the distribution center on that day has been exceeded. When this happens, your DVD will likely ship on the next business day and may come from an alternate distribution center.

Some people may slide for a while but they will catch up and start throttling your account in some way ("in our sole discretion" = you watch too many movies). I had great service for 6 months and it has gone straight downhill in the last 2 months. For example, I mailed 2 DVD's in early Monday morning from the same city as the distribution center. It took until Thursday for them to say they "received" them.

It probably is... but if that is the case, then they will loose my $$.
Until then, I will give them a chance.
Four days to receive the dvd's when mailing from the same city!!!
Can you drop the off directly at the distribution center? :D


Craig

It probably is... but if that is the case, then they will loose my $$.
Until then, I will give them a chance.
Four days to receive the dvd's when mailing from the same city!!!
Can you drop the off directly at the distribution center? :D


Craig

But if you get too many movies in a given month than THEY lose $$$! I forgot the exact formula but its out there, on what Netflix costs are & how many movies is their break even point per month per customer, where below X amount per month are their best customers & they make the most $$ on, & above X amount of movies per month are there worst customers in terms of profits & they actually lose $$$$ with these customers. Anyone have a link or info handy? It is very interesting.

Bottom line as far as I am concerned is that there is not a more cost effective B & M or online locale to rent movies!

I'd like to see a link too. Maybe the hackingnetflix site has it. From what I've read here from empirical data the price is about $1.50/disc to us. Postal rates have gone up too.

larry

Why bother with renting movies anymore? If you have cable or satellite you can purchase a movie for 2.99 or 3.99, record it to DVD (a DVD -R costs pennies) and you not only watched a movie of your choice but you have your own copy of it for archiving and later viewing. No return hassles, no waiting for movies in the mail or standing in line, watch what you want anytime you want etc. I haven't rented a movie in years--can't imagine ever going back to that arcane system.

Why bother with renting movies anymore? If you have cable or satellite you can purchase a movie for 2.99 or 3.99, record it to DVD (a DVD -R costs pennies) and you not only watched a movie of your choice but you have your own copy of it for archiving and later viewing. No return hassles, no waiting for movies in the mail or standing in line, watch what you want anytime you want etc. I haven't rented a movie in years--can't imagine ever going back to that arcane system.

If any cable provider or Sat provider allowed the purchase of vast libraries of movies, would seem they would make a killing!

For example, I would love the opportunity to purchase ALL of the 500 movies in my Netflix que for $2.99! But this would simply be a supplement & NOT replace Netflix as it would still cost quite a bit more.

BTW, what cable or sat provider do you have? Are you given the choice to purchase & record 100's of movies? Or is it just the most recent?

I have DirecTV & did purchase Madagascar for the kidz for $4.99 I believe, but thought it was well worth it, since it was in HD & I recorded it on the HD-TIVO & the kidz can watch over & over! Hopefuly D* will have even more HD movies via pay-per-view in the future!

But if you get too many movies in a given month than THEY lose $$$! I forgot the exact formula but its out there,

Try this one...

http://www.manuelsweb.com/netflixcalculator.htm

Why bother with renting movies anymore? If you have cable or satellite you can purchase a movie for 2.99 or 3.99, record it to DVD (a DVD -R costs pennies) and you not only watched a movie of your choice but you have your own copy of it for archiving and later viewing. No return hassles, no waiting for movies in the mail or standing in line, watch what you want anytime you want etc. I haven't rented a movie in years--can't imagine ever going back to that arcane system.

Not a bad idea if you want to keep the movie and the movie on cable/sat equalled DVD quality. PQ of SD movies from cable/sat are "OK" at best. This is sorta like MP3s vs CDs played on decent audio gear. There is a difference.

larry

Not a bad idea if you want to keep the movie and the movie on cable/sat equalled DVD quality. PQ of SD movies from cable/sat are "OK" at best. This is sorta like MP3s vs CDs played on decent audio gear. There is a difference.

larry

Agreed.

Craig

Not a bad idea if you want to keep the movie and the movie on cable/sat equalled DVD quality. PQ of SD movies from cable/sat are "OK" at best. This is sorta like MP3s vs CDs played on decent audio gear. There is a difference.

larry
I have standard Directv right now, will be moving to hi-def soon, but I have found that the picture quality on the PPV movies and premium channels like HBO is quite good and on par with commercial DVDs. Although the signal is somewhat compressed, you are still getting near the NTSC standard of about 450-500 lines of resolution. Most people cannot tell the difference btw a commercial DVD and a DVD recording at the best quality of the same movie. The blockbuster movies are shown widescreen. Obviously PPV is limited to recent movies, but for older movies you have HBO, Starz/Encore, Cinemax, IFC, Sundance and TCM. The large majority of rentals are recent first run movies anyway.

Try this one...

http://www.manuelsweb.com/netflixcalculator.htm
Interesting. But that data was based on what Netflix said in 2003. $2.00 per disc. Most empirical data now looks like $1.50 per disc. ATM I'm at 4-out plan and only plan to do 4 per week. We'll see what happens.

larry

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/ is an invaluable resource too for those that are interested!

i have had netflix for about a year and a half. I have been pretty happy with the service. Only had 2 damaged discs--they sent replacements immediately. they usually turn around in 2-3 days--only a few times was it more. When we first got it we used it religiously and the first month we saw 19 movies through them with the 3 at a time plan. that is $1 a movie when you figure the sales tax. Since then we have still been averaging 10-12, still way cheaper than Blockbuster, Hollywood video or even the local grocery store rentals. I did some research before I went with Netflix. There are a few articles that were written comparing Netflix to Blockbuster and WalMart--all of them recommended Netflixbased on selection and turn around time. Plus, I had some friends that already had it and they were having good luck as well.

Over the last few years I have gotten more and more into independent, off-the-wall or what I like to call "artsy-fartsy" movies and I have found Netflix's selection to be adequate. There have been several that I wanted that they did not have, but none of the major local video chains had them either. Typically this is because it is not released on DVD and was/is a direct to Video release. However, there were exceptions. Still, the selection is better than you will find anywhere else that I have found, not perfect, but the best easily accessible solution.

I really enjoy it and I really don't know anyone couldn't find it better/easier/cheaper than renting from your local store.

I have standard Directv right now, will be moving to hi-def soon, but I have found that the picture quality on the PPV movies and premium channels like HBO is quite good and on par with commercial DVDs. Although the signal is somewhat compressed, you are still getting near the NTSC standard of about 450-500 lines of resolution. Most people cannot tell the difference btw a commercial DVD and a DVD recording at the best quality of the same movie. The blockbuster movies are shown widescreen. Obviously PPV is limited to recent movies, but for older movies you have HBO, Starz/Encore, Cinemax, IFC, Sundance and TCM. The large majority of rentals are recent first run movies anyway. I have both DirecTV (now only basic) and Comcast cable. Even if the PQ was as good as current DVDs and OAR was available for all movies, the selection is just not there.

larry

I have standard Directv right now, will be moving to hi-def soon, but I have found that the picture quality on the PPV movies and premium channels like HBO is quite good and on par with commercial DVDs. Although the signal is somewhat compressed, you are still getting near the NTSC standard of about 450-500 lines of resolution. Most people cannot tell the difference btw a commercial DVD and a DVD recording at the best quality of the same movie. The blockbuster movies are shown widescreen. Obviously PPV is limited to recent movies, but for older movies you have HBO, Starz/Encore, Cinemax, IFC, Sundance and TCM. The large majority of rentals are recent first run movies anyway.


Hmmm...
I am getting Stars and HBO as premium channels and it does not come close to DVD in my opinion. Of course the HD feed does, but not SD.
I have a Toshiba 16x9 RPTV that is about 3 years old that we watch most of our SD satellite tv from. Then we watch all of our HD and DVD down stairs in the theater. While satalite is certainly watchable, it does not compare with DVD in my opinion.
DVD just looks much more crisp in my opinion.

Craig

I have got an idea - tell me if this would do anything to speed up service or if it would just mess them up, maybe even slow it down -

usually the Netflix po box in my own town is where they get shipped to and from, but sometimes I will get one that takes several days to get here and its from out of state, sometimes across the country. then you watch the movie and drop it back in the mail and of course the netflix envelope is pre printed with the return address, again way out of state and it takes ages to get it back to them.

Here is the idea - what if when mailing it back you covered over the pre-printed address with the local in town Netflix PO box? It would get there the next day instead of taking days to mail.

Good? Bad? Illegal?

I have got an idea - tell me if this would do anything to speed up service or if it would just mess them up, maybe even slow it down -

usually the Netflix po box in my own town is where they get shipped to and from, but sometimes I will get one that takes several days to get here and its from out of state, sometimes across the country. then you watch the movie and drop it back in the mail and of course the netflix envelope is pre printed with the return address, again way out of state and it takes ages to get it back to them.

Here is the idea - what if when mailing it back you covered over the pre-printed address with the local in town Netflix PO box? It would get there the next day instead of taking days to mail.

Good? Bad? Illegal?

Sounds intriguing! But I would contact Netflix first before attempting it! Not familiar with how they track or supply inventory for each factility. But considering they have numerous national facilities, sending it back to the closest one seems like the best option for the fastest delivery! Keep us posted if you decide to do it or call first.

I have both DirecTV (now only basic) and Comcast cable. Even if the PQ was as good as current DVDs and OAR was available for all movies, the selection is just not there.

larry
Agreed. For me, Netflix is all about selection. Also, with cable/sat/ppv movies you get none of the bonus features. I often enjoy the bonus features (sometimes more than the movie itself), so really there's no comparison. I'll take the "arcane" system until something is as good or better.

Here is the idea - what if when mailing it back you covered over the pre-printed address with the local in town Netflix PO box? It would get there the next day instead of taking days to mail.

Good? Bad? Illegal?I've been doing this for some time. Just make sure that you replace the PostNet barcode as well as the PO Box/City.

My technique is to print out the local Netflix address as an "envelope" using Microsoft Word; photocopying a return envelope with your local distribution center address would also work. I then cut out the replacement address and Postnet fields and fasten them onto the Netflix mailer with transparent scotch tape.

Another strategy which some people use is just to double-up the discs in one of their return mailers addressed to the local distribution center and throw away the mailer with the remote address.

Why bother with renting movies anymore? If you have cable or satellite you can purchase a movie for 2.99 or 3.99, record it to DVD (a DVD -R costs pennies) and you not only watched a movie of your choice but you have your own copy of it for archiving and later viewing. No return hassles, no waiting for movies in the mail or standing in line, watch what you want anytime you want etc. I haven't rented a movie in years--can't imagine ever going back to that arcane system.There are very few movies that I want to watch again - at least not anytime soon. So for me, renting from huge selection at Netflix forabout $1.80 each is a lot better than deal than PPV from a limited selection at $3 or $4. More important, Netflix is a standalone service, whereas PPV is not even available until AFTER you've already paid $30-$60 per month to your cable/satellite provider.

I have Netflix plus over-the-air HD plus a mythtv recorder for OTA HD. YMMV, but I don't think there's any better deal for $18 a month.

I have got an idea - tell me if this would do anything to speed up service or if it would just mess them up, maybe even slow it down -

usually the Netflix po box in my own town is where they get shipped to and from, but sometimes I will get one that takes several days to get here and its from out of state, sometimes across the country. then you watch the movie and drop it back in the mail and of course the netflix envelope is pre printed with the return address, again way out of state and it takes ages to get it back to them.

Here is the idea - what if when mailing it back you covered over the pre-printed address with the local in town Netflix PO box? It would get there the next day instead of taking days to mail.

Good? Bad? Illegal?

I've done it both ways. I didn't even put on the new bar code, just scratch it out with a pen. The P.O. will put on the correct bar code.

The best method is to mail 2 or even 3 discs back in the same envelope. I have about 10 extra envelopes sitting on my desk.

Skip

Agreed. For me, Netflix is all about selection. Also, with cable/sat/ppv movies you get none of the bonus features. I often enjoy the bonus features (sometimes more than the movie itself), so really there's no comparison. I'll take the "arcane" system until something is as good or better.
If I'm into a movie so much that I'll wade through hours and hours of bonus features that is more than likely a movie I'd buy anyway on sale at BB for 17.99 or so.

If I'm into a movie so much that I'll wade through hours and hours of bonus features that is more than likely a movie I'd buy anyway on sale at BB for 17.99 or so.Of course I don't know whether I'm going to be into a movie "that much" until I get the disc. I'm not knocking your choice, but it would cost me $200 per month to follow your model, buying 11 discs per month for $18 each.

Try this one...

http://www.manuelsweb.com/netflixcalculator.htm
Not sure if that's the same Manuel who trolls over at Hackingnetflix, but if it is then I wouldn't trust any data from an application he's written. He's been a constant and vocal Netflix basher for a very long time and has caused many long arguments on Hackingnetflix. Not in any way unbiased.

Again, not sure if it's the same "Manuel", but I have a feeling...

That tool seems to be more of a joke or gag than any real data. Putting in my actual numbers yields a result that isn't true. I think he meant that to be funny.

http://www.manuelsweb.com/netflixcalculator.htm

I put in how many dvd's received during a 1 month period and how many I expect to rent the following month. I went back 6 months into my accout and it is no where near what his formula puts out as. I have not had my "returned dvd's" shown as being received 2 days later afer i have shipped. 99.99% of the time when I return a dvd, it has been recevied the very next day. Mind you, I live on Maui and they have to be sent to Oahu via air service. Even when I send them back with a NJ address on the envelope they are sent to Oahu and not to NJ. Every once in a while, maybe twice a month, I will not reveive my dvd on the day they estimate the arrival to be. Have always got them the following day.
On a side note, I used his netflixcalculator and selected the 3 at a time month plan (I am on the 5 at a time plan) and selected 10 dvd's a month recevied and expect to rent next month. this is what his netflixcalculator said;
Your turnaround time will be more than 1 week. You have exceeded our secret limit. We are currently denying we have received your rentals by 2 days and delaying shipping your rentals by 1 day. Next billing cycle we will deny receiving your rentals by 4 days and delay shipping by 2 days.

Even when I send them back with a NJ address on the envelope they are sent to Oahu and not to NJ.As island residents themselves, maybe the postal workers in Hawaii are a bit more attentive to that "Nearest Netflix Facility" header than they are back on the mainland. Here in Colorado they seem to ignore the header and always send the discs back to whatever city the label says.

As for poor Manuel, he truly suffers from Netflix Derangement Syndrome. In his eyes the Netflix allocation algorithm is a corporate scandal rivaling Enron.

As island residents themselves, maybe the postal workers in Hawaii are a bit more attentive to that "Nearest Netflix Facility" header than they are back on the mainland. Here in Colorado they seem to ignore the header and always send the discs back to whatever city the label says.

As for poor Manuel, he truly suffers from Netflix Derangement Syndrome. In his eyes the Netflix allocation algorithm is a corporate scandal rivaling Enron.



Maybe and maybe not that postal workers are a bit more attentive here in Hawaii. The Postal Service has a Computer Assisted Mail Sorting Systems that integrate voice and barcode address recognition tools. They use this system in Hawaii.
As I stated before. I have sent back dvd's addressed to different locations thru out the US, and they all end up at the Oahu facility. I cannot beleive that on the mainland they still have people that still sort the mail by hand when the envelope has a barcode on it. Nor do I beleive that a postal workers collects all Netflix envelopes that are destined for the mainland and reroutes them all to Oahu. Here on Maui we always get the latest and greatest gizmos last.
Maybe some local Post Offices just need some type of a sorting software upgrade that will route it to the local Netflix and not what is written on the return envelope. I really don't know if that might be the case. Just pure speculation on my part.

However, I do agree with you about
Manuel... ;)
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Maybe not "death," but Blockbuster Online may have just put a nail in the coffin of Netflix. They upped the in-store coupons from 2 per month (each coupon good for 1 month) to 1 per week for a total of 4 per month (each coupon good for 1 week).

Lets see, spend $17.99 per month for BB Online, and get 4 coupons worth $17. The 4 in-store is almost a certainty for getting a new release each week... something I had difficulty doing with Netflix (I was throttled).

-T

Ya never know. However, for me, not having to go into a store is a plus; even if BB was on route I travel daily. Are the in-store rentals "keep as long as you like"?

larry

Maybe BB is doing different things in different areas, but all 4 of this month's coupons were good all month for me. I like that it gives me more options when it comes to impulse renting, but Netflix still gets movies to me faster than BB Online. I will switch back to Netflix after our free period is over.

Most likely the effect will be neglible.

Many people don't want to go to a b&m.

Eddie

Maybe not "death," but Blockbuster Online may have just put a nail in the coffin of Netflix. They upped the in-store coupons from 2 per month (each coupon good for 1 month) to 1 per week for a total of 4 per month (each coupon good for 1 week).

Lets see, spend $17.99 per month for BB Online, and get 4 coupons worth $17. The 4 in-store is almost a certainty for getting a new release each week... something I had difficulty doing with Netflix (I was throttled).

-T

Sounds more like the death of BB online. When you have to give away product to keep/get customers you're on a slippery slope if it doesn't work.

Sounds more like the death of BB online. When you have to give away product to keep/get customers you're on a slippery slope if it doesn't work.

Or their approach is similar to what the Cable companies did to combat D* and E*: make your product cheaper than the competition's product.

But I did wonder why they upped the free in-store coupon count... could be that BB Online is in trouble.

-T

The one per week doesn't include games!!! They have not been happy with people using there 2 a month on games. They are trying to intice people into their new plan that they hope will save/make them more money.

The BB in store coupons sounds interesting. In my situation, I like to show current releases when I have guests over. Unfortunately new releases are hit or miss with Netflix. At leat I can go pick up a new release at the local BB.

Skip

I was given a choice to either keep my 2 movie/game a month or 4 movies (4 weeks).
I still haven't decided.
The game rentals are nice but my Blockbuster can never keep games in stock for rental so I always end up leaving empty handed. I can always find movies to rent.

That's a heck of a deal from BB. I have been using both Netflix and BB for about 10 months and in my experience the service is identical between the two. I average between 11-12/month from either service. The closest BB store is about a half hour away so I never use the coupons, but for people that have one close by, that would seemingly be a deal breaker. The free coupons would definitely be the best way to get new releases like 704set mentions. I definitely don't see it being the death of Netflix, but it could prompt them to make some changes.

I'm staying on the 2/month plan because I don't want to go to the store. The way it is now, I get those 2 free ones one trip a month. I don't want to have to go 4 times/month to fully take advantage of the new deal.

Also, getting 2 movies at one time works for me. I think with only 1 free movie, when I go in the store, I'd end up paying for an additional one at times. Maybe that's the scheme, give one and hope people browsing will want more than just the one movie?

After years of milking customers out of millions in hard line enforced late fee's, I wouldn't be suprized if more people went with something other than Blockbuster, even if it cost a little more. Just out of spite.
How many times did I go to rent a movie and hear "Sir, were you aware that there is a late charge on your account?"
I brought a playstation game back one day late and they had charged my account the full 5 day rental fee as a late charge. When I pointed out the obvious larceny that was taking place, the dumb robot behind the counter informed me that "it is the only way a game can be entered in the system as late and can't be changed."
And then there was the time I guess they rented someone a movie on my account by mistake and then told me I had never returned it. It was a movie I never did, nor never would have rented.
I fought it until it was going to go on my credit. Nice way to treat a customer. It was the last money I ever gave them.

I love my netflix.

I have been very pleased with Netflix since I joined in June of 2002. My only beef would be the fact that new releases are taking too long to get!!!

Rather then renting 6 a month from Netflix for $35.99, has anyone tried renting 3 a month from both Netflix and BB for a total of $$35.98? Seems you would watch more movies over a month's time plus you get the 1 free in store rental per week from BB.

Skip

Rather then renting 6 a month from Netflix for $35.99 You mean 6-out-at-a-time. It's roughly 24 per month.

larry

Rather then renting 6 a month from Netflix for $35.99, has anyone tried renting 3 a month from both Netflix and BB for a total of $$35.98?

That's what we've done--and we highly recommend it if you want the ultimate in service, flexibility and selection. With NF anything above the 3-out plan is a diminishing return. We added BB last year when they offered several months of free membership if you quit Netflix--then continuing you on whatever your current rate and plan was with NF (14.99 3-out) plus the 2 in-store rentals--so we did. Often a title on "long wait" in one is "available now" in the other, NF has the lead shipping new releases when they are actually new, plus as has been mentioned elsewhere BB online historically stocked more Criterions, special editions, collector's editions and multiple releases of the same title whereas NF too-often stubbornly sticks with the originally released version, even if it has been surpassed by a newer release. NF has gotten better in this regard--i.e. I was able to get the new 2 disc Wild Bunch from them first, BB shows it still as "coming soon." If you can afford both, it's the best of all worlds, and we probably average about 18 discs per month for each service, though we don't actually keep a count until it's obvious NF has throttled us, and that's not including the 2 to 4 extra with BB.

BB and NF both have distribution centers locally, turnaround time is comparable until NF throttles us.

We live in an area with a ton of BB stores, so the new 4 coupons a month, even at 17.99, make a sweet deal even sweeter--we never cared about games--so if there is a new release one of us doesn't want to wait for we just drop by a store, since we have 6 within minutes of our house. It's also nice to be able to go into a BB B&M store and use a coupon to get a multi-disc set--which would ordinarily take up two rentals with NF. Whenever Netflix throttles us we just quit and rejoin--my wife and I flip-flop--and it is back to new release priority and quick turnaround times.

After years of milking customers out of millions in hard line enforced late fee's, I wouldn't be suprized if more people went with something other than Blockbuster, even if it cost a little more. Just out of spite.
How many times did I go to rent a movie and hear "Sir, were you aware that there is a late charge on your account?"
I brought a playstation game back one day late and they had charged my account the full 5 day rental fee as a late charge. When I pointed out the obvious larceny that was taking place, the dumb robot behind the counter informed me that "it is the only way a game can be entered in the system as late and can't be changed."
And then there was the time I guess they rented someone a movie on my account by mistake and then told me I had never returned it. It was a movie I never did, nor never would have rented.
I fought it until it was going to go on my credit. Nice way to treat a customer. It was the last money I ever gave them.

I love my netflix.

I agree...
It is way to inconvenient for me to use BB because I can't always get the movie back in time. I hate it when I have to pay $8 to rent one movie. :mad: I still owe BB and Video Watch late fee's and won't go back unless I absolutely have to.

I don't know the details of the deal the OP is speaking of, but if it involves late fee's, its not a grat deal.


Craig

I don't know the details of the deal the OP is speaking of, but if it involves late fee's, its not a grat deal.

Blockbuster was sued (by the New York attorney general, among others) for their "End of Late Fees" false advertising. They are now required to tell the customer exactly what that means. I don't know if the terms have changed since this time last year, but the "End of Late Fees" actually meant this:

* If a movie wasn't returned in 6 days, there's a late charge.
* If a movie wasn't returned in 30 days, you just BOUGHT the movie.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7327309/

I don't know the details of the deal the OP is speaking of, but if it involves late fee's, its not a grat deal.

Craig

As Gecko85 just voiced, there are fees associated with in-store BB rentals (or any other B&M Video store for that matter).

BB B&M Policy: rent any movie for the specified time (2-day, 7-day, etc), and return the movie by the specified time. The movie can be returned up to 6 days late without penalty... but on the 7th day the rental becomes a purchase. If you have the receipt, you can reverse the purchase, but there is a restocking fee.

For me, I have no problem returning movies because I pass a BB on my way to/from work. And the 6 day buffer period is nice to have.


* If a movie wasn't returned in 6 days, there's a late charge.
* If a movie wasn't returned in 30 days, you just BOUGHT the movie.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7327309/



Not exactly, but see my comments to Craig. Oh, I read the article you linked... one guy actually thought he could keep a movie indefinately! He's probably the same sort of guy that thinks he does not have to make a credit card payment if he does not physically receive the bill for a given month.

-T

Blockbuster was sued (by the New York attorney general, among others) for their "End of Late Fees" false advertising. They are now required to tell the customer exactly what that means. I don't know if the terms have changed since this time last year, but the "End of Late Fees" actually meant this:

* If a movie wasn't returned in 6 days, there's a late charge.
* If a movie wasn't returned in 30 days, you just BOUGHT the movie.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7327309/


Ya... that's what I thought... late fees = bad deal for the consumer. ;)

Craig

Most likely the effect will be neglible.

Many people don't want to go to a b&m.

Yeap, that would be the real Netflix target audience. I will not drive to and from a video store for any reason and haven't for years, especially a Blockbuster as they carry very little that isn't big-budget Hollywood or bad comedy. My wife and I's combined work and school schedules make it very inconvenient to chase store business hours plus they never have what we want on the shelf. Netflix however, we've had for years now and we've never been "throttled" and we get three discs twice a week (rip and return).

I will not drive to and from a video store for any reason and haven't for years, especially a Blockbuster as they carry very little that isn't big-budget Hollywood or bad comedy

Personal tastes and appreciation will always vary, but I guess we're just lucky where we live--my last eight BB in-store rentals using their "free" monthly e-coupons have been for:

'The Royal Tenenbaums' 2-disc Criterion
'Rushmore' on Criterion
'Broken Flowers' (the week it was released)
Krzysztof Kieslowski's 'Blue' (hadn't seen it in so long)
'Charade' Criterion 2004 re-release
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (the week it was released)
'Heat' 2-disc SE
Wong Kar-Wai's '2046' (the week it was released)

Granted, this is anecdotal, a snapshot of the last 8 coupons of one person who also generally dislikes most Hollywood dreck, but by going into the store I got three 2-disc sets (which would ordinarily require 6 rentals online), three new releases and two titles in superior versions (Rushmore/Criterion, Charade/Criterion) which NF doesn't even stock--so one with less than Hollywood mainstream tastes can clearly use this new BB offer (17.99 3-out plus 4 in-store e-coupons per month) to their advantage, proximity to a store and schedule permitting, of course.

Netflix however, we've had for years now and we've never been "throttled" and we get three discs twice a week

You've been lucky, those of us who have been throttled, and knew firsthand the games Netflix played years before they were forced to admit it and change their TOS--have a slightly different historical perspective of NF management practices and truth in advertising.

Netflix however, we've had for years now and we've never been "throttled" and we get three discs twice a week

Are you getting this on the 3-at-a-time plan?

I get throttled on netflix but I still manage to get 3 movies a week and have it timed so that I get most new releases on tuesday, so Id have to say Im still pretty satisfied with netflix service even though I went from getting 20 movies a month to 12.

Plus I like netflix's selection alot more, they carry alot more obscure titles which is what I get to fill in the blanks between the big blockbusters released on tuesdays.

I get throttled on netflix but I still manage to get 3 movies a week and have it timed so that I get most new releases on tuesday, so Id have to say Im still pretty satisfied with netflix service even though I went from getting 20 movies a month to 12.



I fully expect to get 20 movies per month from NF on the 3 out plan. (give or take a movie or two per month)
I have only been using the service for a little more than two weeks so I can't really get a gauge on it right now. Right now, I am a little bit behind that pace.

Craig

Craig,
Why do you expect to less than $1 per disc when everybody else averages (or is limited to) $1.50?

larry

I fully expect to get 20 movies per month from NF on the 3 out plan.

Craig

You really should curb your expectaions or you're heading for a disapointment.
If you time everything right, 15 is probably the best you can hope for (5 groups of 3 over 4 weeks)...

Here is the response I just got back from them, in reply to my complaints about the delays in shipment. I was surprised to note that they are now honest about slowing you down on purpose. Past emails from them have denied that. I guess this may be the result of them losing the class action suit.

Dear Chris,

Thanks for your message.

In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we give priority
to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service. As a result,
those members who receive the most movies may experience that (i) the shipment
of their next available DVDs occurs at least one business day following return
of their previously viewed movie, (ii) delivery takes longer, as the shipments
may not be processed from their local distribution center and (iii) they receive
movies lower in their Queue more often than our other members. By prioritizing
in this way, we help assure a balanced experience for all our members. Those
that rent a lot of movies get a great value and those with lighter viewing
habits are able to count on our service to meet their limited needs.

When we ship you another DVD we automatically and promptly send you an email
letting you know that it's on the way and telling you the estimated arrival
date.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks,
robert,
Netflix Customer Service .

I have standard Directv right now, will be moving to hi-def soon, but I have found that the picture quality on the PPV movies and premium channels like HBO is quite good and on par with commercial DVDs. Although the signal is somewhat compressed, you are still getting near the NTSC standard of about 450-500 lines of resolution. Most people cannot tell the difference btw a commercial DVD and a DVD recording at the best quality of the same movie. The blockbuster movies are shown widescreen. Obviously PPV is limited to recent movies, but for older movies you have HBO, Starz/Encore, Cinemax, IFC, Sundance and TCM. The large majority of rentals are recent first run movies anyway.

bottom line -- no OAR and crappy selection that doesn't give me a choice of what to watch = no sale.

and just fyi, directv is the worst HD provider available..Their channels are horribly compressed

You really should curb your expectaions or you're heading for a disapointment.
If you time everything right, 15 is probably the best you can hope for (5 groups of 3 over 4 weeks)...

15 per month

I think this is really a reasonable expectation as the norm, with an occasional 18 - 20 dvd month one in a while.
We shall see. I have been told by some that I should not expect to see more than 12 per month on the 3 out plan. That is just a pathetic expectation if you ask me.

Right now, Netflix is new us. So, I am sure after three of four months and my viewing has curbed because the newness has worn off a bit, I will be more than happy with 15-18 movies per month.

Craig

There are two BB stores that are convenient to me. The selection they offer is TERRIBLE! And the other, superior stores (some actually had knowledgeable sales people!), are going away. If you want more than the latest Hollywood releases, you unfortunately are stuck with Netflix.

- Michael Bate

15 per month

I think this is really a reasonable expectation as the norm, with an occasional 18 - 20 dvd month one in a while.
We shall see. I have been told by some that I should not expect to see more than 12 per month on the 3 out plan. That is just a pathetic expectation if you ask me.

Right now, Netflix is new us. So, I am sure after three of four months and my viewing has curbed because the newness has worn off a bit, I will be more than happy with 15-18 movies per month.

Craig

11-12/month is what you should expect. They'll be good to you the first month or so, but it will drop off.

Personal tastes and appreciation will always vary, but I guess we're just lucky where we live--my last eight BB in-store rentals using their "free" monthly e-coupons have been for:

'The Royal Tenenbaums' 2-disc Criterion
'Rushmore' on Criterion
'Broken Flowers' (the week it was released)
Krzysztof Kieslowski's 'Blue' (hadn't seen it in so long)
'Charade' Criterion 2004 re-release
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (the week it was released)
'Heat' 2-disc SE
Wong Kar-Wai's '2046' (the week it was released)



That's really odd, they must allow individual franchisees to control inventory. Locally the Blockbuster stores have aisle after aisle of multiple copies of at best the top 100 mainstream movies. Nothing at all for releases more than say two years old unless it was something as sanitary as Sleepless in Seattle.

The selection locally is also super sanitized/censored and they don't even stock unrated movies. A recent example, The Aristocrats.

I'll stick with Netflix, I have no real issue with their throttling policy, it hasn't effected me and for the 3/out program I feel I get my money's worth. It's lots cheaper than the rates the last decent local place was charging before it went under. Their library is pretty amazing too, I haven't had any trouble finding what I want unless it was some grey market title.

Blockbuster here is $5/rental as well, they are way off the mark. As far as TOS games go, they expire you if you are inactive for 90 days just to get you to sign the latest revision of their TOS...which is nearly long enough to require a retained attorney.

11-12/month is what you should expect. They'll be good to you the first month or so, but it will drop off.

You are not the first person that has told me that.
It will be interesting to see how things shape up over the next few months.

If NF can not even turn over each movie I receive more than once per week. Especially if I get them back in the mail the next morning, then there is definitely something wrong.

Craig

In my first few weeks my DVDs were turned around immediately. I was on the 3-out plan and then after a couple weeks they started to delay a day or so. I upped to the 4-out plan and now it looks like they want to keep me at 4 per week. If they get more than 1 early in the week they hold them for a day or so to make sure I can't turned them around in the same week. I'm not complaining given the price, selection and convenience.

larry

if anything, this is the death of Ballbuster -- they are getting really desperate.

I received another coupon in the mail saying that I can rent as many movies as i want for 2.99, which is $1 off their regular $3.99 price. They are losing customers and losing them pretty quickly.

If you want more than the latest Hollywood releases, you unfortunately are stuck with Netflix.

No you're not--BB online in many respects has had a deeper, more diverse, collection than NF, especially with respect to non-mainstream selections, which is what I mostly rent: Criterions, Asian titles, double disk special editions and collector's editions. I think NF has closed the gap in the past year and the disparity is not as great as it once was, but it never tilted in favor of NF. Now the two are merely comparable.

I'll stick with Netflix, I have no real issue with their throttling policy, it hasn't effected me and for the 3/out program I feel I get my money's worth

Me, too--I'll stick with Netflix, even if you are throttled, NF is still a fine deal--very nice selection at $1-1.50 a disc. However, BB online for the same monthly NF fee is the better deal for me when you factor in the 4 free e-coupon rentals each month.

That's really odd, they must allow individual franchisees to control inventory. Locally the Blockbuster stores have aisle after aisle of multiple copies of at best the top 100 mainstream movies. Nothing at all for releases more than say two years old unless it was something as sanitary as Sleepless in Seattle.

Kingsqueak--no doubt the value of the in-store e-coupons depends on where you live--our area is considered affluent, more educated, liberal-leaning, dense with colleges, the arts, etc. There's a lot of competition here. I grew up in central Jersey and visit often--so I know full well what you are probably up against, unless you live near Princeton, which I bet probably has better BB in-store diversity than even we do.

If NF can not even turn over each movie I receive more than once per week. Especially if I get them back in the mail the next morning, then there is definitely something wrong.

Craig, you're a NF newbie, so you will be forgiven your naivete. Post back as your year progresses. Enjoy the perks of being a newbie and look out for the warning signs, like when you mail your discs back Wednesday, you live near the distribution center so you know they're reliably received on Thursday--but for some reason they are not logged in until Monday and your next discs don't ship until Tuesday. Then you'll know you've been throttled.

I'm actually a "newbie" in NF terms right now as well, even though I've used them for years, since we recently did the quit/rejoin song and dance, again, after being throttled unusually hard, again. Now, three movies previously tied up on "very long wait" in my former queue--Cafe Lumiere, Junebug and the Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith Odeon concert--are on their way to me. It's nice to be a newbie.

Also, no one should be wishing for the impending demise of BB stores or their online service--get over the fact you paid late fees to them rather than signing on with NF years ago like the rest of us did--today, fewer options means less competition, higher prices and less incentive for NF to try any harder then they currently do.

if anything, this is the death of Ballbuster -- they are getting really desperate

Actually, what they're doing seems to make good business sense to me: the e-coupons get you into their stores, which you wouldn't otherwise go into--you're limited to stock on hand and possibly tempted to make other purchases or rentals--which in turn help the bottom line of the store. That's savvy, not desperate: leveraging one of the advantages they have over NF--the B&M stores--while at the same time providing everything NF does online for the same price. Even if you just used your BB e-coupons for the Hollywood titles and new releases--and ordered the more eclectic and obscure stuff online, it's win-win.

All the in store coupons in the world can't make up for not having the same selection as Netflix. Netflix carries many more indie or foreign type films that BB doesn't. That is what seals the deal for me every time.

I've rented "indie or foreign type films" for years as well JATWolf--give a few examples of what you think NF has that BB doesn't? Take a category you know well and list a few titles which would support your sense that NF carries "more." Even if they did, which I doubt--based on my being a customer of both services--more is not necessarily better. Off the top of my head, because I've rented them in the past couple of months, BB has the much better Leon the Professional Deluxe ed with director's cut, the Reservoir Dogs Anniversary edition, the Pulp Fiction Collector's edition, Sling Blade CE with director's cut & Billy Bob Thornton commentary track, the Clerks 10th Anniv discs--NF doesn't, and when they do have a single disc from these sets, it's usually just the bonus disc and not the main disc--which often has been improved, remastered, has had DTS or commentaries added, in the newer edition. NF all too often sticks with the original release disc long after it has been surpassed. See for yourself. Otherwise, both services have all the same Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Ozu, Shinoda, Park Chan-wook, Kieslowski, Bresson, Zhang Yimou, Takeshi Kitano, whomever, to get deeper in any of these categories--you have to go to Nicheflix.

As I've written previously on this thread--NF has done a better job lately--they realized BB stocked all the Criterions so now they do as well.

You guys are lucky. With one week turn around (without throttling), I don't even get 10 discs a month with 3-out at a time. I don't like the fact that I'm paying twice as much as those who are getting 20.

Maybe not "death," but Blockbuster Online may have just put a nail in the coffin of Netflix. They upped the in-store coupons from 2 per month (each coupon good for 1 month) to 1 per week for a total of 4 per month (each coupon good for 1 week).

Lets see, spend $17.99 per month for BB Online, and get 4 coupons worth $17. The 4 in-store is almost a certainty for getting a new release each week... something I had difficulty doing with Netflix (I was throttled).

-T

First of all, the reason I went to Netflix is that I never was able to get new releases at Blockbuster.
Left Blockbuster over 3 years ago and haven't missed them since. They could give me 10 coupons a month and I wouldn't set foot inside. Netflix rules!

First of all, the reason I went to Netflix is that I never was able to get new releases at Blockbuster.
Left Blockbuster over 3 years ago and haven't missed them since. They could give me 10 coupons a month and I wouldn't set foot inside. Netflix rules!

Hear, hear!

As fast as BallBuster is losing customers as a result of their horrible customer service, poor product selection and GOUGING with late fees, this is a customer that will never, ever, never go back to BB.

Most likely the effect will be neglible.

Many people don't want to go to a b&m.

Eddie


I probably wouldn't except there is one within a hundred yards of my home, another on the way to work and a third on the way to my bank. Just too darn convenient for me not to go there. These are just the Blockbuster stores, there are two more Hollywood rental B&M's on the same routes all five within one mile of my home.

Well, after seeing all the ads during the Super Bowl yesterday, I have yet to be contacted on upping my coupons from 2 to 4 a month.

I am currently doing the plan where I get three out at a time, 2 coupons for Blockbuster a month and 2 tickets to the theater for any show. This is perfect for us, and have always had my new releases on release date.

As for the coupons, I scoop up 2 a month that is either stuck in my queue or ones I find browsing the store. Works great! And for the late fees, damn you people are lazy! How hard is it to drop in the drop box on the way to or from work? If you don't have time to watch it, why go rent in the first place? The people complaining about late fees and not getting enough movies, aka being "throttled" must be in separate camps. :rolleyes:

Now if I could only find out how to get those extra 2 a month!

One significant reason why I hate blockbuster and choose netflix (rather than strictly service in my experiences) is that blockbuster won't carry NC-17 titles. You can't get Bad Lieutenant, Cronenberg's Crash, or the uncut NC-17 versions of films like The Dreamers, or Bad Education, among others. It's not even so much the fact of carrying these titles and having a better selection, but rather the hypocrisy in not carrying NC-17 rated films and, at the same time, carrying much more ridiculous and degrading R films. Many people immediately make judgments on NC-17 titles, as if they're some sort of perverse pornography, when in reality most creators of these titles are much more concerned with the subject and attempt to create a realistic environment and introduce meaningful commentary on the nature of sex, violence and what have you. You know, the type of thing like "Oh my god, you can see Harvey Keitels penis! Oh no! And a nun is being raped! I won't stand for this, even if this scene is crucial in setting up the theme of redemption, as it questions different aspects of morality and the nature of spirituality. But wait, here's American Pie - Jason Biggs masturbating in an apple pie, yes! Soooo funny!".

First of all, the reason I went to Netflix is that I never was able to get new releases at Blockbuster.
Left Blockbuster over 3 years ago and haven't missed them since. They could give me 10 coupons a month and I wouldn't set foot inside. Netflix rules!

And your reason is exactly why I left NF: I stopped getting new releases. I received new releases at first with NF, but that stopped. And then I was throttled. So I left.

The 4 Coupon deal is not for everyone since some folks prefer not to shop at a B&M store, or don't live near a BB. But with 4 coupons per month, coupled with the fact that BB B&M has lots of new releases on the shelves, I am virtually assured a new release each week.

But getting back to the original point: while not for everyone, offering 52 free movies per year (as seen in their commercial) will generate a lot of interest with the mainstram, specifically, those folks that do not currently rent online. They'll see 52 * $4.25 = $221 savings. But I could be wrong!

-T

Well, after seeing all the ads during the Super Bowl yesterday, I have yet to be contacted on upping my coupons from 2 to 4 a month.

I am currently doing the plan where I get three out at a time, 2 coupons for Blockbuster a month and 2 tickets to the theater for any show. This is perfect for us, and have always had my new releases on release date.

As for the coupons, I scoop up 2 a month that is either stuck in my queue or ones I find browsing the store. Works great! And for the late fees, damn you people are lazy! How hard is it to drop in the drop box on the way to or from work? If you don't have time to watch it, why go rent in the first place? The people complaining about late fees and not getting enough movies, aka being "throttled" must be in separate camps. :rolleyes:

Now if I could only find out how to get those extra 2 a month!

Just go to blockbuster.com, log in and click on "my account" at the top of the page. From there, you should be able to change your monthly plan to be one that includes the weekly in-store coupon. The new plan will not go into effect until the start of your next billing cycle. Although my new plan does not start until 2/12, I already received the e-mail with the link to my first in-store coupon.

https://blockbuster.com/acctmgmt/displayOfferDetails.action

One significant reason why I hate blockbuster and choose netflix (rather than strictly service in my experiences) is that blockbuster won't carry NC-17 titles. You can't get Bad Lieutenant, Cronenberg's Crash,

Heh, I own Bad Lieutenant, was one of the earlier DVD's that I bought. My brother comes over to raid the collection sometimes and snagged it thinking it was just another cop movie. The look on his face when he gave it back was priceless. "Why in the world did you buy that?"

Then again I still root for Michael Douglas each time Falling Down comes on and I've never listened to so much Huey Lewis as after watching American Psycho.

***spreading the style section around the floor of my manager's office***

BB Online will be the death of Netflix in the same way that Barnes & Noble online was the death of Amazon. No matter what deals BB throws out or how many millions BB drop on Superbowl advertising, Netflix has name recognition in the rent by mail market, much more than BB does, and should survive quite nicely.

For some reason, I think a lot of people have a really negative opinion of BB, for no apparent reason. I know I do.

Assuming that's true, Netflix has been blessed by having competitors (BB and previously Wal-Mart) that a lot of people don't like even without trying them, making them more likely to try Netflix.

Here is an article on yahoo today about netflix & throttling:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060210/ap_on_bi_ge/netflix_throttling

Here is an article on yahoo today about netflix & throttling:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060210/ap_on_bi_ge/netflix_throttling

The article claims 78 cents postage (to and from together) per DVD. Doesn't seem like they're getting a pre-sorted discount for warehouse->customer.

larry

I looked at the new postal rates and decided they qualified for a volume presorted discount of 9.5 cents on outgoing mail and a 2.5 cent volume business reply meeting specifications on incoming mail.

65 cents per disc is still almost half of what people pay for a rental on average. I'm sure they want you to think it costs 78 cents. :) (or the writer of the report did the math) .

larry

I've been with Netflix for years, although I, have stopped and started a few times to be considered as a "NEW" customer, but I am moving over to BB. It's bad enough that I can't get new releases but now they have slowed or throttled all my selections. I used to get one day turnarounds but now it takes a week. I send my movies in and they dont receive them for 4-5 days. They admitt that they don't profit from high users like me, so if they don't want my business I feel I should accomadate them.

ear-doc2,
What was your subscription plan and to what amount of discs per week were you throttled?

larry

Can anyone confirm that BB does NOT throttle?? Seems hard to believe they are willing to lose more $$$$ on high volume customers than Netflix, assuming costs are in the same range, for shipping, purchasing, advertising, staffing, etc....

I am/was on the three a week. I used to get about one a day but now I can only get 3 a week.

Can anyone confirm that BB does NOT throttle?? Seems hard to believe they are willing to lose more $$$$ on high volume customers than Netflix, assuming costs are in the same range, for shipping, purchasing, advertising, staffing, etc....

I am starting to wonder if they are about to. Why? I got an email from them the other day asking feedback on one of my returns. Here's what it said...

Hello,

We know receiving your movies quickly is important to you. It's important to us, too. That's why we need your input, and it will only take a moment. Your input will help us make continuing improvements to your delivery experience.

Please tell us when you mailed Red Eye back to us by clicking on the appropriate response below. Red Eye was received by us on Thursday, February 9th, 2006.


I returned the movie on Wednesday, February 8th, 2006.
I returned the movie on Tuesday, February 7th, 2006.
I returned the movie on Monday, February 6th, 2006.
I returned the movie before Monday, February 6th, 2006

Thanks for your help!

Your friends at BLOCKBUSTER Online®

The movie shipped on Monday, February 6th...so they say, but I got it on Tuesday, February 7th (I usually get movies fast since I am right by the hub), watched it that night and put it in the box the next morning. They got it the next day. It usually varies for me. It's either 1 day or 2 days shipping and receiving for me. I haven't been throttled as I am getting the 3 I want per week. But this email scares me! :D

I am/was on the three a week. I used to get about one a day but now I can only get 3 a week.
That seems to be the norm now. x-out plan is x-out per week. At one a day, they're losing money just on postage alone. Try to run a business with that. :) Let us know how you make out at BB.

larry

ear-doc2,
What was your subscription plan and to what amount of discs per week were you throttled?

larry

I think the key to his post was he started and stopped Netflix a few times. That's something they would take into account in throttling, because it smells like a ripper.

I am/was on the three a week. I used to get about one a day but now I can only get 3 a week.

One a day would also smell of a ripper. I'm not saying ear-doc was doing that, but that is what Netflix would suspect.

because it smells like a ripper.

I'm surprised the MPA hasn't gone after Netflix for the records of high volume users that may be ripping like the record industry went after Napster et al.

I'm surprised the MPA hasn't gone after Netflix for the records of high volume users that may be ripping like the record industry went after Napster et al.

It would be harder to prove. The download from Napster would itself be illegal, where it Netflix they'd have to show what was done after the DVD was received.

I don't think watching one movie a day is excessive! In fact I have watched at least three on some days. I admit I am a heavy user, in fact that's why I have a plan. I was on the 8 out plan for a while and I also tried the five out for a while. I don't see where it costs them much more to send out the movies, after all they have many copies and there are many subscribers that are low volume users. I was on the BB movie pass deal at one time and you could get as many movies as you wanted. Hey, you could go back 3 times a day if you wanted to. Netflix is the one that says watch as many as you want, they should change it to WATCH AS MANY AS WE WANT YOU TO!

One a day would also smell of a ripper. I'm not saying ear-doc was doing that, but that is what Netflix would suspect.While it is possible to watch a DVD per day (or more), ripping is certainly a possibility at this rate. I'm not pointing fingers, but I'm somewhat amazed at those that think it's reasonble for Netflix to provided them discs as soon as they can turn them around for less than $1 per disc.

larry

Are you amazed at all you can eat buffets? How can they hope to make money when some really big people just keep on eating? Obviously, they realize that they will be profitable due to the average intake of the majority. Net flix doesn't say there is a limit, but they will limit you. I would be willing to pay more for better, faster service.

I don't think watching one movie a day is excessive! In fact I have watched at least three on some days. I admit I am a heavy user, in fact that's why I have a plan. I was on the 8 out plan for a while and I also tried the five out for a while.

I could have written the exact same thing. I've watched three movies in one day. I was on the eight out plan and then the five out plan.

But I was talking about getting a movie a day over the long term. That, I've not managed to do. I've been a Netflix subscriber for over 2,200 days and have only managed to rent just over 1,000 DVDs.

Are you amazed at all you can eat buffets? How can they hope to make money when some really big people just keep on eating? Obviously, they realize that they will be profitable due to the average intake of the majority. Net flix doesn't say there is a limit, but they will limit you. I would be willing to pay more for better, faster service.

You'd probably get better faster service with a larger plan. They don't exactly say what the throttle criteria is, but you can be pretty well assured that a five out plan can get more DVDs than a three out plan before throttling kicks in.

It would be harder to prove. The download from Napster would itself be illegal, where it Netflix they'd have to show what was done after the DVD was received.

I agree it would be very hard to prove, but a good scare tactic none the less. Although I bet the MPA could make a good enough argument in front of some judge to get a search warrant of the, top volume renter from Netflix, house.

Are you amazed at all you can eat buffets? How can they hope to make money when some really big people just keep on eating? Obviously, they realize that they will be profitable due to the average intake of the majority. Net flix doesn't say there is a limit, but they will limit you. I would be willing to pay more for better, faster service.


I watch some of my movies in one day and it's back in the mail the next, some sit at home 2-3 days and once in awhile it's up to a week, where I do end up watching more than one movie in a day and send back multiple copies at the same time.

If someone turns every movie back in every day I'd be suspicious. Buffets are fine but you're not allowed to bring in tupperware to take stuff home.

If Hollywood and the Feds get their way, we will have DRM built into all the hardware we own in a few years. Basically what they want to do is 'register' the media, like a DVD to your own hardware. It has already been mentioned that this will put the rental business under, they don't care.

Most of this is so far out of our hands, but if you see that legislation is coming up for a vote that involves DRM or similar schemes, the best you can do is bitch to your congressman about it.

I did tried them both. First went with BB. Canceled them because it took 6 to 7 day
to turn around a movie. Went with netfix, first movie received in one day. after that
it took about 4 to 5 days to turn around a movie. Now BB came out with
4 in store renals a movie and cancelled Netfix went back with BB. Who know where this will
end. One observation, BB shows on some movies long wait and when you go to the store
they have twenty copies available.

I wonder with the 4 in store movies a month, if BB will carry less new movies to send by mail, thus forcing consumers to go to stores for new releases?

that's a good question.

what do you guys think of www.Intelliflix.com ?

I think so. But it is nice to go to the store and browse around.

I am starting to wonder if they are about to. Why? I got an email from them the other day asking feedback on one of my returns. Here's what it said...

Hello,

We know receiving your movies quickly is important to you. It's important to us, too. That's why we need your input, and it will only take a moment. Your input will help us make continuing improvements to your delivery experience.

Please tell us when you mailed Red Eye back to us by clicking on the appropriate response below. Red Eye was received by us on Thursday, February 9th, 2006.


I returned the movie on Wednesday, February 8th, 2006.
I returned the movie on Tuesday, February 7th, 2006.
I returned the movie on Monday, February 6th, 2006.
I returned the movie before Monday, February 6th, 2006

Thanks for your help!

Your friends at BLOCKBUSTER Online®

The movie shipped on Monday, February 6th...so they say, but I got it on Tuesday, February 7th (I usually get movies fast since I am right by the hub), watched it that night and put it in the box the next morning. They got it the next day. It usually varies for me. It's either 1 day or 2 days shipping and receiving for me. I haven't been throttled as I am getting the 3 I want per week. But this email scares me! :D

I have received the same message several times, so don't worry.

In my experience, BB doesn't throttle. But in the past, they sent me some discs from some other distribution centers than the one that's closest, so those discs took quite a while to show up. I don't see this happening lately though. If throttling bothers you, I'd say try BB.

I think so. But it is nice to go to the store and browse around.

I'm sticking with the 2 free in store rentals/month. I prefer not having to go to the store. For now, I go once a month. I'd prefer not to make a trip 4 times/month to maximize the free coupons.

I'll stick with Netflix. I've experienced poor customer service too many times at Blockbuster. I just hate going in there.

I have received the same message several times, so don't worry.

In my experience, BB doesn't throttle. But in the past, they sent me some discs from some other distribution centers than the one that's closest, so those discs took quite a while to show up. I don't see this happening lately though. If throttling bothers you, I'd say try BB.

http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06021501.htm


I feel I get throttled from BB and why are they sending movies from 3 different locations - some in state and some out of state.

Other thing is this:
Monthly Plans
3 at a time, Unlimited rents - $17.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, up to 3 at one time plus one in-store coupon each week for a free in-store movie rental.*

1 at a time, Unlimited rents - $9.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, up to 1 at one time plus one ecoupon each week for a free in-store movie rental. Limited to 1 week rentals only.*

2 at a time, Unlimited rents - $14.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, up to 2 at one time plus one e-coupon each week for a free in-store movie rental.*

5 at a time, Unlimited rents - $29.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, up to 5 at one time plus one e-coupon each week for a free in-store movie rental.*

8 at a time, Unlimited rents - $47.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, up to 8 at one time plus one e-coupon each week for a free in-store movie rental.*

1 at a time, Unlimited rents - $9.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, 1 at a time plus two e-coupons/month for free in-store movie rentals.*

3 at a time, Unlimited rents - $17.99 for 1 month(s) plus applicable tax
you will receive unlimited movies, up to 3 at one time plus two e-coupons/month for free in-store movie rentals.*


Why 2 different 3at a time , unlimited rents -
One offers two coupons / month and one offers 1 coupon/week....

I'll stick with Netflix. I've experienced poor customer service too many times at Blockbuster. I just hate going in there.


Agreed!! :)
I have given up on the B&M stores for renting movies.

Craig

Yesterday I finally canceled Netflix and I'm now giving BB another chance. I can now finally get all the movies I wanted from Netflix, no more waiting. If BB keeps this up then I will stick with them for a while. I also like their new four coupons deal, so far so good.....we'll see!!!!

I'm dropping Net Flix too and I have signed on with BB. I actually won't drop Net Flix untill the first of the month since they stop your service when you cancel but they keep your money for the balance of the month. I got my first two movies from BB and they wetre some of the many that NF had listed as "Long wait"

First of all, the reason I went to Netflix is that I never was able to get new releases at Blockbuster.
Left Blockbuster over 3 years ago and haven't missed them since. They could give me 10 coupons a month and I wouldn't set foot inside. Netflix rules!

That because you don't know how to position them and your returns get them.
I have always gotten new releases on Tuesday or Wednesday after they are
released.

Same here.

Mark

I'm dropping Net Flix too and I have signed on with BB. I actually won't drop Net Flix untill the first of the month since they stop your service when you cancel but they keep your money for the balance of the month. I got my first two movies from BB and they wetre some of the many that NF had listed as "Long wait"

Come to think of it, starting last week or so, it's taking more than they normally did in the past to acknowledge receiving discs. I might be getting throttled. I'll let you guys know if this continues. But with NF, I had some days that I had no DVD in my hand even when I was on the 8 out plan (I don’t have TV and watch DVDs only). With BB, I haven’t had a day without a disc, at least yet, so I’m staying with BB for now. NF's throttling seems to give little regards to what plan you have, so BB won hands down when I compared their 8 out plans. If you have a distribution center close to you, it might be different, but this is how it is in this rural area where it takes 3 days by mail to the closest distribution center. I still say try BB (or NF for that matter). It ends in a month if they suck.

it looks like Netflix is loosing costumers left and right. Serves them right for throttling their long term customers. I hope more people become aware of this and quit.

Just a comment about throttling...

I had the NF 5-out-at-a-time plan ($30/mo), and was getting 20 DVDs per month after they throttled me. With BB's 3-out-at-a-time plan ($18/mo), I am getting 24 DVDs per month (including coupon rentals).

At that rate, NF would have soaked me for an extra $144 per year compared to BB, yet deliver 48 DVDs less per year than BB.

Or put another way, NF charged me $1.50/rental, whereas BB charges me $0.75/rental.


-T

that's a good question.

what do you guys think of www.Intelliflix.com ?Wow, that site looked perfect for me! Two movies at a time for $99 per year.

But then I looked here:

www.dvdrr.com/reviews (http://www.dvdrr.com/reviews/DVD-Barn.html)

I think I'll stay away.

Scott

I'm one of those people who *hates* BB. Don't like going to the store, don't like the selection and I abhor late fees. I don't care what kind of deal or how many more movies I could get, I will never give them my money again. Now, NF has been the answer to my prayers. I'm spotty about watching things, and am nowhere near being throttled. But, I did get the wrong movie once, and when I mailed it back they never received it. Their response was, don't worry--we know things get lost once in a while. Apparently, as long as it isn't a habit, you're ok. I found that quite refreshing. My question is, what is BBs policy, and has anyone had a similar encounter with BB? Based on my previous dealings with them, I'd be surprised if they are so forgiving.

Wow, that site looked perfect for me! Two movies at a time for $99 per year.

But then I looked here:

www.dvdrr.com/reviews (http://www.dvdrr.com/reviews/DVD-Barn.html)

I think I'll stay away.

Scott


Yeah, this company doesn't have any positive reviews anywhere. I'm willing to use BB online, Netflix, Nicheflix or Greencine but not Intelliflix.

Ya... that's what I thought... late fees = bad deal for the consumer. ;)

This is exactly why no one goes to the public library. :D

it looks like Netflix is loosing costumers left and right. Serves them right for throttling their long term customers. I hope more people become aware of this and quit.I also hope that the whiners who expect 20 discs for $18 quit Netflix and go to BB. So does Reed Hastings.

I'm one of those people who *hates* BB. Don't like going to the store, don't like the selection and I abhor late fees. I don't care what kind of deal or how many more movies I could get, I will never give them my money again. Now, NF has been the answer to my prayers. I'm spotty about watching things, and am nowhere near being throttled. But, I did get the wrong movie once, and when I mailed it back they never received it. Their response was, don't worry--we know things get lost once in a while. Apparently, as long as it isn't a habit, you're ok. I found that quite refreshing. My question is, what is BBs policy, and has anyone had a similar encounter with BB? Based on my previous dealings with them, I'd be surprised if they are so forgiving.

BB's online service works exactly like Netflix. I've had a DVD showing as never returned and once I reported it missing, they sent me the next one in my queue. Never a peep about it.

So does Reed Hastings.

That makes no sense at all! :rolleyes:

For the last 10 days I have had 2 films in my Netflix queue. CINDERLLA MAN and FLIGHTPLAN. Neither has shipped. When it comes to new titles, Netflix has become completely useless.

I have switched to BB after I was unable to stop the NF throttling by switching e-mail addresses, credit cards, and accounts. Apparently they caught on to that and I don't have another mailing address to use.

Also, NF used to send out the new releases on Monday, but they stopped doing that for me, so it would be Wednesday or Thursday before I got them.

One advantage I see to the BB coupons, is that you can go into the store on Tuesday, and get a new release, where you would have to wait until Wed, or Thurs to get one in the mail. BB doesn't seem to be any faster than NF, in fact, it might be slower, and the selection doesn't seem as broad, but the coupons are definately a motivating factor for me.

it looks like Netflix is loosing costumers left and right. Serves them right for throttling their long term customers. I hope more people become aware of this and quit.

Do you have any basis to say this, other than some personal dislike of Netflix?

I suspect that Netflix really doesn't mind losing customers that are subject to throttling. To the extent that this causes others to leave because they think they're being throttled, obviously they wouldn't like that.

That makes no sense at all! :rolleyes:


I was thinking the same!

Do you have any basis to say this, other than some personal dislike of Netflix?

I suspect that Netflix really doesn't mind losing customers that are subject to throttling. To the extent that this causes others to leave because they think they're being throttled, obviously they wouldn't like that.


I've seen many people quitting their Netflix subscriptions due to being throttled. I always liked Netflix but you just can't treat your long term customers like that. If I sense Blockbuster's turn around times increasing them I'm going to dump them as well like I did last time.

I suspect that Netflix really doesn't mind losing customers that are subject to throttling.

Like I said to oxothuk... "That makes no sense at all!" :rolleyes:

Netflix is actively throttling heavy users. Essentially they are making sure they turn a profit on any member regardless of their intentions. Now why would they want to lose any of those members? Especially when a certain percentage of those throttled users will pony up for a larger plan to get more movies. Wanting to be rid of heavy users makes absolutely no sense.

Some of this resentment towards "heavy users" is a bit unfair. In a sense, they are good for other Netflix users because they keep the discs in circulation and allow them to get to other customers quicker. In fact it would be just as valid for people to complain about squatters (people who keep their movies more than a couple days) since they contribute to delays in getting the movies you want (especially new releases).

I am so fed up at not getting new releases that I am cancelling my account on March 1st. I just cannot pay for a service that no longer delivers.

I know what you mean Matt. Used to be you could send back your movies on Friday or Saturday and they would ship you new releases on Monday, but now they just skip right over them. I turned on a friend to Netflix early last year and they loved it (like me), but they are also getting frustrated at the unavailability of new titles.

Like I said to oxothuk... "That makes no sense at all!" :rolleyes:

Netflix is actively throttling heavy users. Essentially they are making sure they turn a profit on any member regardless of their intentions. Now why would they want to lose any of those members?

Because they are low or no or negative profit customers. When you have flat fee pricing, you don't want people to use a lot of your service.

Also, the heavy use of these customers creates delays in the good high profit customers getting DVDs. Those customers may very well cancel as a result.

I know what you mean Matt. Used to be you could send back your movies on Friday or Saturday and they would ship you new releases on Monday, but now they just skip right over them. .

You really need to understand the system better. Shipping back on a Friday or Saturday is very risky, because they ship new releases on Monday. That leaves little or no margin for error, especially considering the fact they don't work Saturday, and thus on Monday morning are dealing with two days of mail (Friday and Saturday returns). And once you miss a new release, you will end up with a long or short wait on anything popular.

I've never been throttled, and I've always thought that if something didn't get shipped back until Friday or Saturday, it was shipped back too late.

Because they are low or no or negative profit customers. When you have flat fee pricing, you don't want people to use a lot of your service..

You don't seem to grasp that it's the throttling that is assuring Netflix that "heavy users" are profitable customers. Netflix sets the cost/DVD ratio so how could they lose? You don't think they expect the average user to only rent 3-5 movies a month do you?

Also, the heavy use of these customers creates delays in the good high profit customers getting DVDs. Those customers may very well cancel as a result

How do you figure that? Heavy users usually get that new release back out in the mail the next day available for other members. They won't hold on to it for 5-7 days before they get around to watching it. They only help availability. Not hinder it.

You really need to understand the system better. Shipping back on a Friday or Saturday is very risky, because they ship new releases on Monday. That leaves little or no margin for error, especially considering the fact they don't work Saturday, and thus on Monday morning are dealing with two days of mail (Friday and Saturday returns). And once you miss a new release, you will end up with a long or short wait on anything popular.

Well they shouldn't (and the mail didn't) have worked today either, but they still showed they received two of the DVDs I sent back while shipping me two replacements. All of that today. The problem isn't the room for error, it's that they yet again skipped over prioritized new releases in my queue. I've also had my DVDs shipped out on Tuesdays and they still skip over new releases. It really doesn't seem to matter how you do it.

I've never been throttled, and I've always thought that if something didn't get shipped back until Friday or Saturday, it was shipped back too late.

Then you obviously throttle yourself. No need for Netflix to do it for you. I have regularly sent back DVDs on Fridays strategically so they would receive on Monday and ship the new release to me on Tuesday. They almost always receive and ship to me on Monday. It's just that lately they never ship a new release at the top of my queue. Instead they skip those and give me lower requests. Others are reporting this too. Timing is fine... the availability is not.

You really need to understand the system better. Shipping back on a Friday or Saturday is very risky, because they ship new releases on Monday. I'm not sure I understand your point, Karyk. If you send back a disc on Thursday, then you are taking the chance the Netflix will get it too soon - on Friday. I guess it really depends on how quick and how consistent your mailing times are. I've had the best luck (with new releases) by putting a return disc in Friday's mail, which may mean that it's in one of the first bags they open Monday morning. YMMV.

All that said, focusing on new releases is a recipe for disappointment with any rental service. If the movie is any good, it will still be worth watching three months from now.

Rockdawg, I think what Netflix really wants is to keep the usage (cost) differential between the heaviest 25% and lightest 25% within shouting range. If they are unable to do so then the whole subscription model collapses - prices have to go up, which causes the lighter users to cancel first, driving further price increases - you get the picture, right?

You don't seem to grasp that it's the throttling that is assuring Netflix that "heavy users" are profitable customers.

That's a VERY big assumption. It's very likely they're willing to set throttling at a level that is low or even no profit, just hoping the customer stays and later changes habits. Also, it's possible that there are different levels of throttling.



How do you figure that? [That heavy users affect light users] Heavy users usually get that new release back out in the mail the next day available for other members. They won't hold on to it for 5-7 days before they get around to watching it. They only help availability. Not hinder it.

Not over it not being sent at all! And you're also ignoring a minimum 2-3 day turn around time.



Well they shouldn't (and the mail didn't) have worked today either, but they still showed they received two of the DVDs I sent back while shipping me two replacements. All of that today. .

Again, you need to know how the system works. Netflix has access to stuff at the post office. They can pick it up every day before you can walk into a post office. So, they were able to pick up the stuff delivered Saturday, today, and possibly even stuff sorted Sunday night (I'm not sure how the Post Office works), even though the post office was not open today. I sometimes have them show DVDs received before 8:00 a.m., and I assume they've had them for some time prior to that.



Then you obviously throttle yourself. No need for Netflix to do it for you. I have regularly sent back DVDs on Fridays strategically so they would receive on Monday and ship the new release to me on Tuesday. They almost always receive and ship to me on Monday. It's just that lately they never ship a new release at the top of my queue. Instead they skip those and give me lower requests. Others are reporting this too. Timing is fine... the availability is not.

Again, you're assuming that they don't ship something lower in priority before receiving your DVD. They will wait for something that is released and at the top of your list, to see if it comes in, but I don't think they do that for new releases. Instead, I think they simply start shipping stuff.

If I want a new release shipped, I don't have anything else that's available in my list. I've had very good luck with that strategy.

How do you figure that? Heavy users usually get that new release back out in the mail the next day available for other members. They won't hold on to it for 5-7 days before they get around to watching it. They only help availability. Not hinder it.But since they can't afford to buy enough copies to satisfy the demand immediately, they have to make someone wait. For everyone they disappoint they run the risk that the customer will be p****d enough to cancel. Even if they can use one disc to satisfy three high-volume renters in the same time period as one low-volume renter, losing that low-volume renter is a bigger loss to Netflix than losing the three high-volume renters(which in some cases is no loss at all). I'm sure they've done the math.

I'm not sure I understand your point, Karyk. If you send back a disc on Thursday, then you are taking the chance the Netflix will get it too soon - on Friday. I guess it really depends on how quick and how consistent your mailing times are. I've had the best luck (with new releases) by putting a return disc in Friday's mail, which may mean that it's in one of the first bags they open Monday morning. YMMV.?

I indicated this in a post after yours, but IMHO the best strategy for getting a new release is to not have any prior released products in your queue. If you have such a product, it very well may ship, even if a lower priority than a new release, before they start shipping the new release products. I suspect this is because I suspect their internal system might not show a new release as being available (and thus subject to waiting for it to come in) until after they start shipping for the day.

BTW, the DVD Netflix shipped to me on Monday arrived Tuesday morning, even though Monday was a holiday.

That's the problem with both BB and NF is when you return. I hate to return a movies on
friday in order to have the new release sent on monday and have no movies for the
weekend. That's why BB got my account again is for the instore rentals. Now I try to mail
the movies (I'm on two at a time) by friday or saturday and still have an in store coupon
for the weekend.

BTW, the DVD Netflix shipped to me on Monday arrived Tuesday morning, even though Monday was a holiday.

The same thing happened to me with my Blockbuster DVD's. I sent in my DVD's on Saturday, I received an e-mail on Monday from blockbuster that they received the DVD's. Later that day, I received an e-mail that the two DVD's at the top of my queue had been shipped. I received those DVD's yesterday (Tuesday).

I am confused how this could happen with Monday being a holiday. Anyone?

When I talk about new releases, I mean movies released in the last two months. CINDERLLA MAN is hardly even new anymore and yet I STILL have not received. It is now the only movie in my list and it won't ship.

When I talk about new releases, I mean movies released in the last two months. CINDERLLA MAN is hardly even new anymore and yet I STILL have not received. It is now the only movie in my list and it won't ship.

That's why I cancelled Netfix, new releases show as short or long wait then I
go into BB store and there are ten to twenty on the self.

I'm cancelling Netflix, for some of the reasons others are stating, but there is one primary problem.

Netflix will NOT send TV series in order. Which essentially means I cannot legally enjoy what they send. That's...a little messed up. So cancelling as of almost now.

The same thing happened to me with my Blockbuster DVD's. I sent in my DVD's on Saturday, I received an e-mail on Monday from blockbuster that they received the DVD's. Later that day, I received an e-mail that the two DVD's at the top of my queue had been shipped. I received those DVD's yesterday (Tuesday).

I am confused how this could happen with Monday being a holiday. Anyone?

As I mentioned just a few posts up, these companies have access to the PO when it's not open to the public. Thus, the real issue is not when the PO is open, but when their sorters work and what their holiday schedule is (which day did they get off).

Netflix will NOT send TV series in order. Which essentially means I cannot legally enjoy what they send. That's...a little messed up. So cancelling as of almost now.

This is another example of where people put way too much in your queue. I never have more than one TV series DVD in my queue--the one I want them to send. When I receive it, I'll at some point put the next one in the queue.

When I talk about new releases, I mean movies released in the last two months. CINDERLLA MAN is hardly even new anymore and yet I STILL have not received. It is now the only movie in my list and it won't ship.

Just yesterday and today they shipped three such movies to me: The new Zorro (which probably isn't popular), Elizabethtown and The Constant Gardner. Ordinarily I would have picked those up when they were released, but I've been falling behind since I took a week vacation at the beginning of the month.

I'm cancelling Netflix, for some of the reasons others are stating, but there is one primary problem.

Netflix will NOT send TV series in order. Which essentially means I cannot legally enjoy what they send. That's...a little messed up. So cancelling as of almost now. When you say "order", do you mean, for example, a Season 3 disc came before a Season 2 disc, or "Season 2, disc 3" came before "Season 2, disc 2"? At one point I had 7 TV shows/seaons in my queue and I've watched 4 of them so far with no problems in shipping order. And they were all the same show, 24. I did order them correctly in my queue.

larry

Originally posted by Karyk
That's a VERY big assumption. It's very likely they're willing to set throttling at a level that is low or even no profit, just hoping the customer stays and later changes habits. Also, it's possible that there are different levels of throttling.

Well we're all assuming to some degree here, but wouldn't it make sense that if Netflix were going to throttle customers and potentially irk them off that they would do it such that they at least turn a profit on those people. To do otherwise would be a lose/lose scenario. It's been widely speculated that Netflix throttles to keep things at ~$1.50/rental. That jives with what I've experienced and many people report. So I do imagine there are varying levels of throttling. Either you keep yourself to a rate of ~$1.50/rental or they'll do it for you.

Not over it not being sent at all! And you're also ignoring a minimum 2-3 day turn around time.

I don't understand this point. Whether or not someone is a heavy user has nothing to do with thae fact that they may still want to see a new release. Even if that member stopped being a heavy renter, they would still probably want to see the same new releases. Also, what's the turn around time for a member who keeps the movie for 3-5 days (or more)? No matter how you slice it, the people who maill it back the next day allow more people to get it in any given time frame.

Again, you need to know how the system works. Netflix has access to stuff at the post office. They can pick it up every day before you can walk into a post office. So, they were able to pick up the stuff delivered Saturday, today, and possibly even stuff sorted Sunday night (I'm not sure how the Post Office works), even though the post office was not open today. I sometimes have them show DVDs received before 8:00 a.m., and I assume they've had them for some time prior to that.

This is all irrelevant. My point was simply that shipping back on Friday or Saturday was not risky because my problem was not whether they received them and shipped me any movies on Monday, but rather whether or not they shipped any of the new releases on Monday.

Again, you're assuming that they don't ship something lower in priority before receiving your DVD. They will wait for something that is released and at the top of your list, to see if it comes in, but I don't think they do that for new releases. Instead, I think they simply start shipping stuff.

I'm not sure I understand you here. Why would they ship me a disc before they received one back from me? I may have confused you a little when I said "I have regularly sent back DVDs on Fridays strategically so they would receive on Monday and ship the new release to me on Tuesday.". What I should have said was they would receive the return on Monday, ship the replacement on Monday, and I receive the new disc Tuesday.

If I want a new release shipped, I don't have anything else that's available in my list. I've had very good luck with that strategy.

I have tried that and received nothing. That's far riskier than shipping back on Friday/Saturday.

I don't understand this point. Whether or not someone is a heavy user has nothing to do with thae fact that they may still want to see a new release. Even if that member stopped being a heavy renter, they would still probably want to see the same new releases. Also, what's the turn around time for a member who keeps the movie for 3-5 days (or more)? No matter how you slice it, the people who maill it back the next day allow more people to get it in any given time frame.Letting more people use the disc per unit time is only relevant if those users have the same value (profitability) to Netflix. But they don't, and the difference in value is disproportionate to the number of times the disc can be turned around.

In the end, though, Netflix is never going to be optimized for new releases unless they negotiate special arrangements with the studios - which probably translates into a more expensive service. They try to give barely acceptable service on new releases as a lead-in to their huge catalog, which is where their competitive advantage lies. People who are primarily interested in new releases are probably going to defect to VOD services once those are more widely deployed.

I too believe I've been "throttled." They shouldn't be allowed to call themselves an "unlimited" source of movies. I don't have TV either right now, and watch shows on disc so I can skip the damn commercials.

I also like catalog titles more than some of the newer releases as good, recent movies are becoming harder and harder to find. However, new release TV shows are very hard to come by... and you'll notice it's only for the FIRST disc in the series! Hmmm... imagine that!

Dan

They shouldn't be allowed to call themselves an "unlimited" source of movies.I don't expect to convince you, but I have to ask - what would it take, in your view, to meet a common-sense definition of "unlimited". Do they have to buy enough discs and hire enough employees to give everyone whatever they want immediately - even if those discs are unwanted after a month and the employees are only busy a couple of days per week? Is it unfair that they don't work Saturday?

I've also noticed that #1's of a series are in higher demand that later discs. That may be a case where it is worthwhile to use a B&M alternative to get the series started. Since NF buys whole sets, they don't have an easy way to match their stock with the demand.

I'm cancelling Netflix, for some of the reasons others are stating, but there is one primary problem.

Netflix will NOT send TV series in order. Which essentially means I cannot legally enjoy what they send. That's...a little messed up. So cancelling as of almost now.

You should email them and put in a feature request for a series lock type feature. I know greencine offers this (it would basically lock a series so they won't send you disc 2 until disc 1 ships, etc). I've been bugging them for awhile to do it.. maybe if enough people request it it will actually get done.

Originally posted by oxothuk
Letting more people use the disc per unit time is only relevant if those users have the same value (profitability) to Netflix. But they don't, and the difference in value is disproportionate to the number of times the disc can be turned around.

I'm not talking about that from Netflix's perspective, I'm talking about it from an end user's perspective. If every renter watched the movie on the day they received it and then mailed it back the next day (the pattern of so-called "heavy users"), more people would be able to view that disc in a given time frame than when people hold onto it for days at a time.

I don't expect to convince you, but I have to ask - what would it take, in your view, to meet a common-sense definition of "unlimited".

I know that was directed towards Dan Hitchman and not me, but...

I don't have a problem with Netflix or their service, but let's be honest here, them claiming the service is "unlimited" is a total farce. They should just tell the truth and call it the 3/week plan. This type of marketing is nothing singular to Netflix though and they shouldn't be crucified more than any other company that engages in similar marketing.

To me the problem is that the laws need to change on these matters. Companies shouldn't be allowed to claim things that simply aren't true and they shouldn't be allowed to claim something in huge bold print and then list exceptions in tiny obscure print. Companies benefit hugely from bold claims of things like "Unlimited Rentals" and then get away with burying in tiny print that they will limit you if you use it too much. That's simply not right.

I don't have a problem with Netflix or their service, but let's be honest here, them claiming the service is "unlimited" is a total farce. They should just tell the truth and call it the 3/week plan. This type of marketing is nothing singular to Netflix though and they shouldn't be crucified more than any other company that engages in similar marketing. It's unlimited in the same sense that Disneyland is. If you go on a summer afternoon you won't get as many rides as you might like, and the lines will be really long for Space Mountain.

I think Netflix suffers from a couple of factors. One, many of their customers are obsessively interested in how the service works (myself included). Second, with every customer having real-time web access to their account activity it is very easy to see behind the curtain. So while targeting the best service to the most profitable customers is standard business practice, most businesses are able to hide it a lot better. Just my 2 cents.

It's unlimited in the same sense that Disneyland is. If you go on a summer afternoon you won't get as many rides as you might like, and the lines will be really long for Space Mountain

However, you will get in as many rides as anyone else on that given day, tourist season or off season, unlike Netflix once you're throttled. Disney rides don't have a separate line for frequent riders or those running between rides to get more in and those walking leisurely, one purposely slowed down or wound out of the way, the other flowing more freely and directly.

Disney also has a fair mechanism to expedite waiting on line, called Fastpass--where you show up in advance, get a time for later, then show up and get on the ride much more quickly. Netflix has no mechanism for special consideration like Disney does for Space Mountain, no way to secure new releases, unlike Disney NF couldn't care less and obfuscates rather than solves problems and aren't up front about what they consider heavy use or abuse--it's arbitrary, subjective and the throttling of some users is overt.

To extend the Disney parallel since you brought it up, they also have a VIP service, you can pay extra to hire a tourguide to drive you around for the day and jump right to front of every line for anything you want to go to on property. They do it so well you probably never noticed this, but it's a wonderful treat. (I've been a guest chef of Disney and this just happened to be one of the perks.) A problem with NF, however, is that paying more doesn't necessarily accord you better service, and the newest customers are treated better than those with the longest tenure. Very un-Disney-like--Disney tries to make everyone feel special, and will go to great lengths to resolve any customer service issue rapidly, and in the customer's favor.

Also, Disney has done this for a long time, they've perfected waiting--and fairly accurately predict how long the wait will be at a given point in the line--so you can decide to wait in that line or not. With NF, you never know.

I've also been throttled, both with shipping and "very long waits". My wife and I watch about 3-4 movies a week now that we're retired, but with Netflix "unknown" algorithms for priority I have no idea how to proceed. Delaying returns only infuriates me more.

The local Safeway has a kiosk with new releases for $1.49 each and most of them are always available!! No postage for them but I'm sure they pay Safeway a sizable fee to be on their aisles. That adds up to about 12 a month so it's about at Netflix's throttling limit and I can actually get new releases when I want!

I've decided to not do business with a company that has such arrogance to tell you to order unlimited amounts, and then have a secret algorithm to disallow you the choices.
In the smorgasborg example on this thread, that's like saying "all you can eat", but if you start to chow down on the meats they say "all you can eat" is only for the calliflower.

The netflix underground blogspot has some interesting ideas. I do believe netflix is violating some FTC truth in advertising rules. BTW they have had 445 Better Business Bureau complaints in the last 36 months.

I'm also cancelling March 1st.

In discussing the revised settlement in the L.A. Times 2/23/06 Netflix spokesman Swasey is quoted as saying they were shipping out 7 million DVDs a week to more than 4.2 million customers.

This means that the average Netflix customer gets a very rough estimate of 7.25 discs a months or pays about $2.50 for each DVD rented.

"David Newman, an attorney for the FTC, told Judge Thomas Mellon Jr. the agency was satisfied with the new terms."

The revised terms do not alter their current use of "unlimited" nor alter the current disclosure on the web site.

This means that the average Netflix customer gets a very rough estimate of 7.25 discs a months or pays about $2.50 for each DVD rented. .

I don't know if you did this calculation or you grabbed it, but it ignores the different plans.

I wonder how many people complaining unlimited isn't unlimited had a 2 out plan, and what they thought the extra money for the larger plans would buy them?

I don't know if you did this calculation or you grabbed it, but it ignores the different plans.I wondered that, too. It is roughly consistent with figures I have heard in the past, though.

As for the Safeway kiosks, you lose the convenience of home delivery and they are only cheaper if you can cut your holding time to one day for each rental. But many people do go to the grocery store almost every day, which mitigates those disadvantages. Here in Colorado, McDonald's have the Redbox kiosks which are even cheaper. The kiosk business model is optimized for new releases (that's all they carry), which makes them a better choice if that is what you want to watch most.

The Disneyland VIP service is interesting, but I think it only works because it is a very limited offering. The FastPass idea is more interesting. I'm sure that Netflix could provide a better time estimate than "Very Long Wait"; I don't like car temperature gauges either (they must know how many degrees Warm is). But I can understand why they don't want to set an expectation that some will take as a commitment.

Any changes Netflix might make to their current system, however, will create both winners and losers. What irks me is that most of the complaining comes folks who are already winners, but feel entitled to even more.

I don't know if you did this calculation or you grabbed it, but it ignores the different plans.


I made the calculation on the figures and ignored the other plans which is one of the reasons that I used the term "very rough estimate."

I had thought about whether I was misrepresenting the figures by ignoring the other plans and decided I wasn't.

In a conference call Netflix had some wordage which led me to believe that a high percentage of their business is on the 3 plan. This means that other plans can't impact the $2.50 figure unless they drastically differ from that average.

Netflix and Blockbuster have eliminated the volume discounts on the higher plans.

The Netflix "smoothing"(aka throttling) algorithm moves all plans closer to the average.

In the terms of use Netflix says:
"A large majority of our subscribers rent between 2-11 movies per month."
The midpoint of that is 6.5 but an average of 8 might be possible.


I am on the 8 plan and in the last 30 days I have averaged $2.40.

I am on the 8 plan and in the last 30 days I have averaged $2.40.

Ouch! That sounds like 20 movies per month over the last 30 days. Are you attempting to rent more than 20, but are getting throttled?

-T

Once again, I have nothing but movies with Short or Long Wait in my queue and none will ship. Cindella Man has been top of my list for well over a month now and has not shipped.

I am cancelling Netflix at the end of the month.

[Moderator note: I made this thread a sticky and changed the title. This thread had the most discussion from the past I decided to use it as a base. It seems to covers most of the bases. Larry]


Is it a coincidence that ever since that CNN article came out a couple weeks ago about Netflix throttling it's frequent renters, I've noticed quicker turnaround times from them? I rent on average 12-13 dvd's a month from Netflix. The intentional throttling was very apprent the past several months. Netflix would ALWAYS wait an extra day to mail out the next titles in my queue after checking in the ones I rented the previous week. But the past couple weeks, they've gone back to sending out the next dvd's in my queue the same day. Is anyone else noticing the quicker turnarounds? I hope it stays this way and is not just a temporary knee-jerk reaction from Netflix to the bad press.

Doubt it. They're going to throttle you at some point once you start to go under their predetermined price point per disc for your plan or some other broader aggregate. Try to get more than x discs per week for your x-out plan and see how long that lasts.

larry

I think a good number of people think they are getting throttled because they don't manage their queue properly. They fill it up with a bunch of movies that are older, and then wonder why they don't get the new releases.

But I really doubt Netflix will stop throttling heavy users. There's no reason to at this point.

At most I ask for 1 new release a week (4-out plan) and usually get it the week of release. But they have been making sure I don't get a chance to get more then 4 DVDs shipped per week. Usually 2 DVDs are not shipped until Thursday or Friday even if they get them on Tuesday or Wednesday.

larry

I'm still being throttled by Netflix. I send DVDs on Sunday (meaning early Monday) and they don't report them as received until Wednesday. I'm < 100 miles from their Anaheim facility. They used to report discs as received the same day I sent them sometimes.

Mark

I'm still being throttled even though I keep the movies at least 4 days. I get new releases on Tues. send them back on Sat. Come Monday; they send out 2 and the 3rd on Wednesday even though I return them all on Saturday. The only time I get them all at the same time is when I go out of town for a week or so once a month. I think it's also the fact that I only get new releases every week. I never have old DVDs in my queue.

Recently I mailed 4 movies on Saturday before the President's Day holiday on Monday. Netflix reported them received and new ones shipped, including a new release, on Monday. All four movies in my mailbox on Tuesday.

So their behavior is not predictable. Some see throttling, I see exceptional service over a holiday weekend. None of us fully understand why either of these happen.

So their behavior is not predictable. Some see throttling, I see exceptional service over a holiday weekend. None of us fully understand why either of these happen.Netflix behavior is a lot more predictable than that of the USPS. And that's not to slam the USPS, but I think they are a major source of variability, and that postal service to and from Netflix is a lot more consistent for some subscribers than others.

Netflix behavior is a lot more predictable than that of the USPS. And that's not to slam the USPS, but I think they are a major source of variability, and that postal service to and from Netflix is a lot more consistent for some subscribers than others.


Yup... I had a disc get lost in the mail when I was in only my second week of membership.
The cust. service rep sent another disc out and I had it the next day. He flat out told me that some area's don't see the turn around time that others do. He said that is why they have the trial. He said this way you can determine if you are not satisfied with the service, you can cancel and go back to your old method of renting.

Craig

Doubt it. They're going to throttle you at some point once you start to go under their predetermined price point per disc for your plan or some other broader aggregate. Try to get more than x discs per week for your x-out plan and see how long that lasts.

larryYes, throttling is alive and well. Netflix is relegated to the few discs I can't rent locally, mostly HBO stuff. What they are doing now is sitting on the returns for up to 3 days before they're checked back in. My last month was the "1 out" plan and I had to report two discs as missing before they checked them in. But magically after I cancelled, the last disc got back to them in one day. ;)

I've got my own "throttling plan" for Netflix. I've throttled the money I give them down to zero... :)

b2b

I think one thing that really irritates people is that the love affair they kindle when you first join by sending you everything you want and almost as fast as you want it leads to problems later when they try to whip you into submission with throttling. If they would say upfront more or less exactly what to expect given your plan and the current throttling algorithm, then people probably wouldn't get so mad. Except for the unsolveable problem of everybody getting the new release they want, getting discs delivered to your house for less than 1/2 rental prices is a pretty good deal.

larry

Flame suit on but throwing out some levity here. I am not for throttling(I was throttled by Blockbuster cancelled and returned 3 month later to no problems) but if you own a business don't you get to determine who you want to do business with? If I found that I was losing money with a customer I need to determine if the PR is worth the loss or move on. There is no entitlement here and you as a customer have the choice not to do business with them....so if you don't like what they do then leave. Perhaps to challenge this further, why do you expect the get 10 discs a week? It's abussive beavior that creates problems like this. Cringe. Be nice. I am really on your side but am playing devils advocate.

A solution to the heavy users may be another tier of 5 out and preferred service @$3x.99/mo.

What does it mean you your disk arrive, it's been taped closed and there's a note from the Postman saying "good movie" I don't know.

Netflix behavior is a lot more predictable than that of the USPS. And that's not to slam the USPS, but I think they are a major source of variability, and that postal service to and from Netflix is a lot more consistent for some subscribers than others.

I do notice poor service if I mail from the Capitol Hill area of Seattle (different mailboxes), so I don't do that anymore.

but if you own a business don't you get to determine who you want to do business with? If I found that I was losing money with a customer I need to determine if the PR is worth the loss or move on.

That's fine, but Netflix is providing "unlimited rentals" for a flat fee per month. If they want to say "up to X rentals per week" instead then that would be different. They need to either provide the service they promise or revise their business model. Throttling is more like cheating, they say you're getting unlimited rentals, but if you go over a certain number they punish you without even informing you that they are doing so or even how and why.

That's fine, but Netflix is providing "unlimited rentals" for a flat fee per month. If they want to say "up to X rentals per week" instead then that would be different. "Unlimited" does not mean "infinite", nor does it imply "optimized for maximum usage". No matter how they run their operations, there is going to be some X which represents the practical maximum rental rate. Their priority algorithm may have the effect of reducing X (and improving service for low volume users), but it doesn't create a "limit" where there wasn't one before.

if you own a business don't you get to determine who you want to do business with?

No. We have laws that enforce businesses treat all customers equal. Otherwise, some businesses my discriminate against Italians, Blacks, Womens, etc.

NF's big mistake was to treat some customers differently than others. Which is akin to saying: "Hey fat guy at the buffet... you better wait at your table a bit and let a few of the skinny folks get on line before you!!"

Imagine the outcry across the land if buffets treated customers this way.

-T

No. We have laws that enforce businesses treat all customers equal. Otherwise, some businesses my discriminate against Italians, Blacks, Womens, etc.

NF's big mistake was to treat some customers differently than others. Which is akin to saying: "Hey fat guy at the buffet... you better wait at your table a bit and let a few of the skinny folks get on line before you!!"

Imagine the outcry across the land if buffets treated customers this way.
C'mon, most businesses discriminate in favor of their more profitable customers. High rollers in Vegas get all kinds of comps. 100K flyers get bumped to the top of the upgrade queue. Get over it, this ain't a civil rights issue.

Rather than a buffet, consider instead an 'unlimited' restaurant with table service. The waitress is very likely to balance her time among the tables, even if there is a table of sumo wrestlers always waving at her.

C'mon, most businesses discriminate in favor of their more profitable customers. High rollers in Vegas get all kinds of comps. 100K flyers get bumped to the top of the upgrade queue. Get over it, this ain't a civil rights issue.


What you describe above is "rewarding" good/repeat customers... no harm in that, and it's done all the time... but that is far different than "punishing" good customers like NF did.

It's not civil rights like you say, but it is a civil issue (as verified by the civil court case).



Rather than a buffet, consider instead an 'unlimited' restaurant with table service. The waitress is very likely to balance her time among the tables, even if there is a table of sumo wrestlers always waving at her.

Again, wrong analogy... you say the waitress will "balance" her time, and that is expected. But that it is not what NF did... NF had the waitress purposefully delay getting to the sumo wrestler's table, purposefully delay taking their order, and purposefully delay bringing out the food. BUT, the waitress wasted no time in handing out the bill...

-T

No. We have laws that enforce businesses treat all customers equal. Otherwise, some businesses my discriminate against Italians, Blacks, Womens, etc.
-T

Darn it you mean I can't discriminate aganst handicaps? :) In reality you are taking me out of context since you are referencing physical characteristic.

What about the argument of being a responsible consumer? Do you feel it is right for millionaires to qualify for state Medicaid? It happens all the time because of a loop hole. All you have to do is ----- and ----- and you get basically free healthcare that burdens other taxpayers. Analogy. It is perfectly ok as a consumer to gouge Netflix by maximizing all reasonableness in a deal that can be beat (loopholes) and cry foul when they reduce their loses by manipulating you back or increasing prices to moderate users to fund the overusers/abusers. Too bad huh? We all lose sort of. LOL. Another devil's advocate response.

I'm cancelling my account tomorrow. I reported a disc missing yesterday after 1 week of waiting for them to receive it. Their system said a new disc would ship out today. Today it says it will ship out tomorrow. I'm not really a heavy user either, I'm just sick of this crap. I'm going to give Netflix a rest for awhile and then probably sign up again under a new name.