Netflix sucks

from JoeUser Forums
Argh. I really wish I wasn't forced into writing this article. I like Netflix, I really do, but they have yet again shown what piss poor managers of their inventory they are.

I admit I'm a demanding customer. I keep (kept actually) a very short list with Netflix and turned around rentals that were sent to me very quickly. They ship to me, I (and my family) watch quickly, and I ship back literally the next day. Then almost a week goes by before the next round of newest releases is out, and the process repeats. I don't add many old releases because I know if I don't have open slots in my que the next week, I'd get passed over for new releases, and then be stuck with LONG WAIT or VERY LONG WAIT for movies I asked for. Even though Netflix originally would show "short wait" for items, they'd switch over LONG WAIT or VERY LONG WAIT if I missed "release day" because they continue to try to control their inventory and delivery costs by using unstated inventory slowing policies that keep customers from getting deliveries too quickly or too many in a month.

See stories here for more on how they artifically slow down your que.

Even with a recent class action lawsuit settlement -- which I signed up for, but now will likely miss completely since I just cancelled my service with the idiots -- Netflix continues to artifically slow down rentals by high demand customers (like me), and for that I hope they BURN IN HELL-O.

I complained previously about their poor service, and having selections on my list languish for months on end (literally). They either aren't getting enough inventory, or they are ignorant of how quickly some customers (like me) return selections, or correctly, they care not about how quickly stuff is returned, they care only about keeping customers from eating up potential profits via their mailing costs for too many selections in a month.

Well, Netflix can kiss my nether regions. I'm on to Blockbuster or back to buying what few DVDs I want. I can still buy new and then eBay them after with much better success and much less hassle than Netflix.
entertainment
4,732 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I had same exact problems with blockbuster. I saw one film that had next to it, VERY VERY LONG WAIT, SO LONG YOU WILL DIE BEFORE YOU GET THIS FILM. heh
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
That is weird that you are having problems. We have had them for I think a year or more and havent had one issue with them. I got the lawsuit thing too and just passed it up. It sounded like a stupid thing to me anyways, as I think the guy was suing because netflix says unlimited rentals. To me and I think most people that use common sense, you know you get three at a time, and have unlimited rentals each month, meaning no cap, outside of the three at at time you have.

Anywho...like I said, we havent had any issues with them, no lags or anything. I think for their inventory, you are placed in a cue and that movie is sent out, when it comes in, across the nation. For example...a while back I got a movie from Netflix in New York...because that is where it was supposed to return to. Most of the time, it just goes to Minneapolis (now that we are here in MN). If I send it out on a Monday, they will get it and send out a new one Tuesday, and I get the new one on Wednesday. I havent had to wait that long at all and I usually try to get the new releases. I think only once have they gone down to my #2 spot to get a movie because the #1 was on wait.
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hmmm, no wonder I just go to my local video store, pick up what I want, go home, watch it, and return it... as often as I want, whenever I want.... without a monthly fee.

I have friends that rave on and on about Netflix, but personally I've never seen the point.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Yeah, Netflix has never done me wrong.

If I stacked my queue with nothing but wait-flagged movies, I could see having to wait, and having my wait times fluctuate a bit.

But I don't do that, and I've never had complaints. Not when I was doing 12 movies a month, and not when I was doing 3 DVDs a month.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
The big thing is that Netflix has been caught in the act of throttling back their high demand customers. As LW noted above, it's the same thing I had seen happen to my own account over time.

Netflix was caught in one study done by a group of people that used multiple accounts in multiple styles all delivering to the same area, from the same distribution points, etc., using their own internal points scoring system that determines who sees "LONG WAIT" or "VERY LONG WAIT" for movies. It was obvious through the testing that anyone that was a high demand customer, someone that always had their maximum amount of movies out at a time, and was constantly turning over or churning through their que, would see their que loaded up with various types of WAIT status for the films on their list.

The group that did the testing used a "new account" and found that the turnaround was fast and impressive. Of course it was, as Netflix in the first 10 day trial period makes a very impressive effort to wow customers and make them think that "unlimited" means unlimited. After that time period is up though, Netflix goes into their own point scoring system and uses it to help control their costs. If you take out more than approximately 3 movies per week in any week, you lose (or gain, whichever is worse) points. Too many, or too few points, you find that your selections magically start getting qued up for longer and longer wait times.

I don't necessarily even fault Netflix for using such a system, but they are very misleading in advertising unlimited rentals. They certainly have limits, and they use them, to try to keep themselves profitable and keep customers like myself from eating up their thin profits, or adding to their burgeoning costs by having too many discs going back and forth through the mail in a month.


Even though I was and remain somewhat livid with Netflix, I'd have to say their prices remain about the best here. Blockbuster has tried to compete with them in the DVDs by mail biz. I haven't tried them yet, but I've been told they are very similar to Netflix in that regard.

In store though, Blockbuster is much more expensive. They've set prices in my area at almost $30 for a month for 2 out a time unlimited rentals. I discussed that a bit with the clerk in the store. The clerk mentioned they had to jack up their prices as customers were going absolutely nuts on the unlimited rentals. They'd rent 2 movies, watch them, then go back and grab even two more movies in the same day. They'd do it multiple times in a weekend especially, and also during the week, and by the end of the month the fee per movie was probably about $.02 per. The store wasn't making any money and they had to at least pay their staff, so they raised the prices and even though they are a bit expensive, most customers have not complained.

I don't like the limit of 2 out a time that would be imposed in that plan, and I really hate driving to the store to get the rentals anyway. On the weekends there are long lines, empty shelves, and too many screaming kids with parents saying no, etc. That is part of what I do like with Netflix. Put it on the list and it would generally show up. Except for the at least 3 times in the past 2 months when I was completely passed over for selections on my list when my que had new releases listed and the movies I had checked out list was completely empty. That is what frustrated me to the point of saying Netflix sucks. If they want to claim unlimited rentals, then deliver unlimited rentals. Otherwise, put a asterisk at the end of the slogan, small print at the bottom of the page and remind customers that they will not always be guaranteed to receive their selections, blah blah blah.

In the end, the solution will likely be to either do without Netflix completely, or raise my level there to something like 4 out at a time unlimited, or something similar which will seem more profitable and will adjust my "credit score" with Netflix back to where it needs to be to get me the selections I want each week.

For now, I've opted to just cancel Netflix completely, though I will also say their cancellation policy sucks. They don't pro-rate, and they don't let you keep using the service until the end of your paid time. That is just mean and money grubbing. I could have left my account to run until the end of the current period and then cancelled, but it would have made no difference as the movies I wanted weren't going to be available until the next billing cycle anyway (or in my case, I expect they wouldn't have been available for several months since they were going to hit VERY LONG WAIT status again anyway).
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh, I will also add that I really don't need Netflix that badly anyway, as I do have DirecTV with DVR powered by TiVo and have subs to both HBO and Showtime. If I don't mind being incredibly patient, eventually the movies come to HBO, or perhaps to Starz (Showtime is pretty much a dud for any good movies). If I didn't mind waiting for the movies, or didn't mind missing extras that are on the DVDs, then it wouldn't be that bad anyway. Especially with the use of a TiVo, where you set it to grab something and then can come back and watch whatever at virtually anytime you wish.

Perhaps the best answer for me is to add Starz!, keep HBO and Showtime, and screw the DVDs completely