Screw Netflix!!

[darien87]

Hey dudes,

I originally joined Netflix a couple of years ago. I was reasonably happy with the service. Then Blockbuster's Total Access program came along and I switched. I liked the BB service, but switched back to Netflix when BB started raising their rates.

So I've been back with Netflix for about 6 months now, and I've noticed over the last few months that more and more of my movies aren't shipping out on the same day that they get my returns. First it was every other month, then it became every month, now it's become a weekly occurrance. Not only that, but my last 4 movies have shipped from other places. One shipped from MA and I'm in CA!!!! Then when it FINALLY got to me, (took 3 days to ship), it was broken!!!

I don't know if I'm on some kind of "screw this guy over" list or something, because I tend to try to watch my movies and send them back right away, but I'm tired of waiting 3 days to get a movie.

So, the point of this long diatribe is that I'm going back to BB. I called Netflix and asked them why my movies keep shipping so late and they gave me some crap about how when a movie isn't in my local center, the system automatically looks for it in other places. But there are about 10 shipping centers in my time zone. Why are they shipping to me from MA, KY and TX?!?!

BB has a policy where if a movie isn't local, they'll skip down to the next movie on your queue, so you're not waiting more than 2 days for a movie.

 

[stratman]

Sorry about your troubles D, but I, up to now, haven't had any issues with Netflix, I'm almost done with the Sopranos, just started the last season. They deliver as soon as they get the return and e-mail me.

 

[OttoMatic]

Yeah, no problems with Netflix here either. How fast are you going through them? I read an article in the past that they will throttle you if you're taking too many per month. I think it was around 15 or 17 per month on the three-at-a-time plan.

 

[mytzen]

There was a lawsuit over this issue and in repsonse Netflix modified their Terms of Use agreeement. http://www.netflix.com/TermsOfUse#how

Look at the section titled "Allocation, Delivery and Return of Rented DVDs" and it states that they generally send movies out on the day previous one are returned and that they try to do so from the closet distrtibution center.

So it looks like you made it onto their "throttling list". Hopefully Blockbuster will be better for you.

-Matt

 

[j_garcia]

That is sad considering they are based here... They don't like you because they know you used BB for a while

 

[10010011]

I have hear similar stories from friends who were early to hop on the Netflicks bus.

Don't watch more that a couple movies a week and you will stay on the fast turn around list.

My guess is Netflicks thinks they are just copying them and returning.

 

[Alamar]

I had worse problems than Darien87 had. I was initially a NetFlix person. I tried the service the first month and I liked it. The time from when I got a movie in my mailbox [if I shipped it right back] until the time that I got the next one was 4-5 days or so. After a few months this changed though ....

If I got a single movie I'd watch it that night and mail it back the next morning. Like I said my turnaround used to be about 4 days or so ....

Eventually I noticed it took NetFlix longer & longer to "receive" my DVDs back. I would send a DVD back and [towards the end] it would routinely take them 6-8 DAYS before they would credit my acount with a received DVD and send me a new movie. I would get that movie in a day or two usually.

To be fair my friend [who may keep movies at his house several days before he watches and returns them] was getting credited for a return after 2-3 days at most ....

************************************************

If people wouldn't abuse the system I wish that you could ask NetFlix to "crossship" the next movie. Basically after I watch a movie it would be cool to hop onto the NetFlix site and tell them to send the next movie. I would of course then send them back the movie I had just watched.

************************8

EDIT: BTW I never had an issue with strange shipping times with BB. At least they didn't "throttle" my account.

 

[darien87]

Yeah, I called their customer service people a few times to complain about them not receiving returned movies in a day, when I live in the same city as their headquarters and my local distribution center. I don't like being a conspiracy theorist, but there's NO WAY that it would take the post office more than a day to ship a DVD basically down the street from me. Plus, when they ship from another center, why does it take an extra day for your movie to ship out? If they have to ship it from somewhere else, it should still ship out that same day.

Like I said, I could understand this happening every once in a while, but this was becoming a weekly occurrance. Plus I live in one of the largest metropolitan areas of the whole country! You'd think if any area in the country should have the most access to movies, it would be the Bay Area.

I generally watch about 3 to 4 movies a week, so about 12-16 a month. I guess that puts me on their "excessive rental activity" list. Even though they deny that I'm on some kind of list, it seems pretty obvious that they're throttling me. So I'll be cancelling my Netflix membership at the end of this month.

By the way, I rejoined BB, they shipped out my first 2 movies on the next day, the same day that Netflix sent my latest 2. I got my 2 movies yesterday from BB. I'm still waiting on my movies from Netflix.

 

[Audioholics]

Best Buy didn't throttle - but there were scenarios where you would NEVER get a movie on your list because another one was immediately available and they had like 1 copy of the #1 item you were waiting on (typically obscure titles).

I have no issues with Netflix, but I suppose if you watch >15 movies a month they probably do indeed mess with you.

 

[Midcow2]

no throttling problem here!

I am on the 3 at a time plan and typically watch about 30 a month. No throttle problem. I have found slowdown only when movie is not available locally which happens less than 20% of the time so far.

Panosonic DMP-BD30
Marantz 8002
Definitive Technology Speakers
VIP 622-DVR
Vizio LCD

 

[darien87]

Best Buy didn't throttle - but there were scenarios where you would NEVER get a movie on your list because another one was immediately available and they had like 1 copy of the #1 item you were waiting on (typically obscure titles).

Yeah, Blockbuster has it set up so that if a movie at the top of your queue is at a center that is more than 2 days shipping time away from you, they skip it and go to the next one on your list. Pretty cool, but it can be a double-edged sword. You don't have to wait 3 days for a movie at Netflix, but if a movie you're waiting on never gets transferred to a facility closer to you, you'll never get to see that movie. It'll just keep getting skipped.

 

[Alamar]

Does anyone have ideas on the # of movies per month it takes to get throttled on 1, 2, or 3 movie plans? Does NetFlix throttle people on the lower movie plans?

 

[stratman]

I get a movie approximately every 4 days, I haven't had any problems, maybe I'm not seen as a "threat." They have been very consistent. I see the dvd the same day I get it, and put in the mailbox either the same night or first thing in the morning.

 

[rgriffin25]

Honestly, what bothers me more is movies that have a "very long wait". Especially if they have been that way for months. I would rather at that point have one shipped to me from somewhere else in the country. A solution I found for the dreaded "throttle" move netflix likes to do. I upgraded my plan from 2 at a time to 3 at a time. Also, when I watch two of them I send them both back in one envelope.