sucks to be you guys..
i just got a pirated satellite dish...
no more monthly payments for me!

video store < netflix < 1000 free channels

count me in. i sent off some stuff that goes to kansas city from columbia on monday, usually one or two days. still have not gotten even an email confirming that they have recieved it. i'm thinking of canceling my account.

netflix > felony charges

Oh, as an aside, if you lot have a Hollywood Video store local to you, they have an "MVP" program that might be worth investigating. It's no substitute for an online rental program in the long run, as no one local store is going to have the crazy breadth of stock that the online folks have, but it has the important advantage of letting you control when you change movies. If you have a lot of free time, you could potentially watch 3 or even 6 movies a day thus getting very many movies for very little cost. Until you run out of things at that store that you want to see, as happened to me in my second month with the program.

Other chains and local businesses may have equivalents.

Almost everything ever committed to DVD > 1000 channels of crap.

I've had this problem too. When i started i would get up to 9 a week (i work in independent filmmaking so i watch a ton of movies), getting up to around 30 a month on the 3 at a time program, so it averaged out at just over 60 cents a movie. Recently i'll get movies once a week, twice if i'm lucky. But as so many others have said, it is still better than blockbuster. Even with only 12 a month that works out to about a $1.60 per movie, much cheaper than the $4.95 that blockbuster wants, plus my local blockbusters don't stock 50,000+ movies.

There's seriously outrage over Netflix?

Honestly?

You have nothing else to be more outraged about?

This is like when people complain about Google trying to make a profit, they always seem amazed that they aren't just Saints who want to bring good and light into the world for no reason. You mean companies, even companies that offer unique services and aren't like the stereotypical images of an evil corporation have to somehow keep the lights running and pay the janitor too? Wow. What are the odds. Frankly, even if only on principal and nothing else, I'd rather give my money to NetFlix than to Sony-Blockbuster Entertainment. It helps that in my experience as well as in all knowledge I have of the company they provide a unique service, at a good price and without a lot of complaints for their customers. Someone launched a class action lawsuit claiming that they promise one day turnarounds but have an internal business policy that they've implemented to maintain profiblity in the face of the minority of their customers who are either using the srevice to copy movies or just have an abnormally high turnaround rate. Wow. Doesn't seem like the sky's falling or anything.

Incidentally don't most companies keep their business practices internal?

And neither they nor the postal service operates on Sunday. That's why I try to always ship on Thursday.

What is with all this hating on Blockbuster? I know in store it pretty well blows, but their online service isn't all that bad. Sure, they don't have the super awesome selection of Indi and Anime movies, but if you aren't looking all obscure movies all the time, Blockbuster Online isn't that bad.

Plus, if you aren't getting the movies in your Queue that you really want, they give you 2 free rental coupons. These coupons are also good on games.

These places are providing a service, but also running a business. Sending movies at a loss is not a good business model. They just need to redefine their policy, and then there will be no room for people to bitch about them slowing down their service to those that rent tons of movies.

......I like NetFLIX ...since joining I stopped paying cable because everything will be on DVD the following year.....I can wait.

Granted there are a lot more important issues in the world, but Its the reordering of my Que, and bumping me down the wait list for popular movies that pisses me off. Just come right out and put a cap on how many you can take out a month. I'd rather have that then be penalized for quick returns, while some other asshole can rent your most popular stuff and just sit on it for days, keeping it out while others wait for it. I understand the whole profit margin thing, but I wish they would just be right out front with it instead of hiding it in the small print. I'm going to switch over to Blockbuster and try them for a bit.

I live in San Francisco and sometimes I don't get my movies for four or five days. I report the problem, they send me the next movie in my queue. I usually have extra movies at a time then what I pay for, but fuck netflix beezies for that reason.

I noticed this recently and decided to cancel. Suddenly, Netflix had "short waits" and THEN "long wait" listings for me so I was like forget this.

Thank you for bringing this to the wire. Direct and up front. No BS. Well written, excellent piece.

thoses sons of bitches!

Thats bad!