NETFLIX, KEEP IT OR DUMP IT

[jsarrasinjr]

I have netflix and up until recently I have enjoyed it a lot. I get my 3 movies every other day, watch them, send them back. I do this regularly, however, as of last week Netflix has started sending out my movies later than the next business day and now they have delayed the shipment of my next movies by almost 4 days. I am sick of this and according to things I have read on hackingnetflix.com this will not get better with time.

So should I stay with Netflix, or should I dump it?

[jelloshotsrule]

you could try contacting them and politely letting them know you've seen the pattern and want to cancel your service in a month if they don't speed things up.....

worth a shot

[Black&Tan]

So should I stay with Netflix, or should I dump it?

How has the quality of the movies been? The selection? I know my local video/DVD store does not have a great deal of variety, despite having 1000's of movies. A lot of times, I'm looking for something obscure or foreign, and don't want to buy it unless I know its worth keeping.

[Blue Velvet]

In the UK, there are a few services like this, the largest probably being lovefilm.com which I happen to belong to. Fantastic choice of titles -- tens of thousands including a great selection of TV series and foreign films.

But they make the mistake of advertising the service as unlimited which is setting up unrealistic expectations and is far from the reality.

What happens is a classic bait and switch selling technique. At first, when you register the service is amazing -- fast turn-around, movies from the top of your list etc. This could go on for up to 4 weeks or so.

Then... after a while, disks get returned more slowly and you get stuff from the bottom of your list. It's a technique known as 'throttling' and is based on an algorithm to maximise profit. This is not the 'unlimited' service that many of these organisations claim.

Basically, they want heavy renters to get discouraged and leave.


From their terms and conditions, note how vague it is. It's also buried in a nested page which you don't see on sign-up.

We will do our best to get the discs you have requested to you as quickly as possible. However, we do operate a fair use policy that aims to ensure a balanced experience for all our members. This means that we give priority to members who don't rent high numbers of discs from us. Therefore, members who rent the most discs from us might experience lower mailing priority. By allocating discs in this way we ensure a fair system for all LOVEFiLM members.


To the original poster, if you feel you're not getting value then drop your disc quota or (threaten to) leave... if you're a heavy renter, then they'll be glad to see the back of you -- it sucks, but that's just the way it is.

[krimson]

I have netflix and up until recently I have enjoyed it a lot. I get my 3 movies every other day, watch them, send them back. I do this regularly, however, as of last week Netflix has started sending out my movies later than the next business day and now they have delayed the shipment of my next movies by almost 4 days. I am sick of this and according to things I have read on hackingnetflix.com this will not get better with time.

So should I stay with Netflix, or should I dump it?

I have a 2 day delay on all my new shipments, but i still use the service. I also have Blockbuster's, and they're almost as slow, and except they put the delay in the ship time. (3 days to go 20 miles). Netflix has a much better search/recommendation system, and their movie reviews and desc's are more complete.

If you really are unhappy with NF, then drop the service, and join BB for a few months, and see if it's better. You can always go back, unless you're one of the lucky few who still have the 4 at a time for $19.95 from the early days.

[Lacero]

Watching 3 movies within every other day is pretty excessive; also bordering on psychosis. Never used Netflix. Who pays for shipping?

I can see it from the point of view of Netflix, though.

[jsarrasinjr]

I guess I am SOL, because a friend of mine has BB and it is slower than Netflix. I guess I am a heavy user who watches way more movies than Netflix considers profitable. Maybe I will just go up to a more expensive plan.

[krimson]

I guess I am SOL, because a friend of mine has BB and it is slower than Netflix. I guess I am a heavy user who watches way more movies than Netflix considers profitable. Maybe I will just go up to a more expensive plan.

Welcome to the High Vol Club. (My record was 57 movies in a month. :D )


Watching 3 movies within every other day is pretty excessive; also bordering on psychosis. Never used Netflix. Who pays for shipping?

I can see it from the point of view of Netflix, though.

it's basically included in the monthly fee.