Netflix, Blockbuster (and others) Online/Kiosk Discussion Thread - Page 7

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

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

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.

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

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

I also hope that the whiners who expect 20 discs for $18 quit Netflix and go to BB. So does Reed Hastings.

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.

That makes no sense at all!

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.

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 was thinking the same!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?


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.


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.


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.

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?

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.




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




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.




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.

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 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.

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.

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.