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How Netflix Fucks You Over

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 11 2006 9:49 AM

Submitted by Shalome. Edited By Shalome.

If you rent a lot of movies from Netflix, you may find yourself on NetFlix's secret "good customer" list. However, unlike most businesses who reward frequent customers with discounts, specials, and freebies, it turns out that Netflix punishes frequent customers with slow delivery times.

Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix didn't publicly acknowledge it differentiates among customers until revising its "terms of use" in January 2005 — four months after a San Francisco subscriber filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company had deceptively promised one-day delivery of most DVDs.

"In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we give priority to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service," Netflix's revised policy now reads. The statement specifically warns that heavy renters are more likely to encounter shipping delays and less likely to immediately be sent their top choices.



The promises Netflix makes on the "How It Works" section of their website:

With Netflix you can rent as many DVDs as you want from the comfort of your home and have them delivered to your door in about 1 business day!

You keep a revolving library of up to 3 DVDs at a time and can exchange them for new available DVDs as often as you like.



Cute, Netflix.

 

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TReBlah

TReBlah

New Brunswick, NJ
March 2005

FEB 12, 2006 09:21 AM

Brie said:
It's still better than blockbuster.



have any of you blockbuster haters tried blockbuster online? i hate the brick and mortar stores, but i like the online service far better than netflix. they don't seem to slow down my shipping, and i usually watch all 3 movies in 1 or 2 days (i've been on it about a year now, same pattern throughout), plus you get 2 free coupons a month for the brick and mortar store(if you feel like making the trip) so it almost pays for itself. i do have a warehouse right by me tho, so not everyone's expereince may be as positive...

minxtamer

minxtamer

Alamogordo, NM
June 2005

FEB 12, 2006 11:02 AM

BlockBuster online has worked pretty good for us, of course up here where overnight takes 3 days I wouldn't notice a slow down anyway.

We have gotten to see a lot of movies that the local video place would have never had.
I might have to go check out Netflix selection though....I am starting to like foreign or non mainstream movies.

ASSH0LE

ASSH0LE

Las Vegas, NV
June 2003

FEB 12, 2006 06:02 PM

I don't like Blockbuster. Their decisions about what to rent and what not to rent has effectively prevented some movies from coming out on DVD, or forced them to be edited, or made them not come out at all.

They are one of the main reasons that there are effectively no more NC17 films. The rating was intended to allow for "adults only" without actually being pornographic. It was intended so that artistic films could have content that'd otherwise get them self-rated "X" or unrated and still be able to show in "decent theaters."

Blockbuster not carrying NC17 has effectively destroyed the rating. Filmmakers avoid it like the plague. They cut the films to get them to R, then they release both an R version and an unrated version. Oddly enough, Blockbuster carries unrated films. Usually, they are the types of films you'd think they'd want to avoid renting. Proto-smut. But just so long as they keep me safe from GOOD films with racy content...

When I rent at all, I go to Hollywood Video. The one in my area is a bit too far away, so I tend to watch things on HBO/Cinemax(ick!)/Starz on Demand. Oddly enough, Starz tends to have better films than HBO and Cinemax combined.

quagmirething

quagmirething

I'm lost
June 2005

FEB 12, 2006 06:10 PM

Good rant.

*puts Blockbuster on black list*

malmuud

malmuud

Newark, DE
July 2003

FEB 12, 2006 06:38 PM

Timer said:
They are one of the main reasons that there are effectively no more NC17 films. The rating was intended to allow for "adults only" without actually being pornographic.

Blockbuster not carrying NC17 has effectively destroyed the rating. Filmmakers avoid it like the plague.



I thought the theater owners destroyed NC-17 when they refused to carry them.

There's still plenty of reasons to hate Blockbuster, but let's blame the proper parties. 'Cuz let's face it, there's still plenty of blame to go 'round.

HathOriginal

HathOriginal

Danvers, MA
December 2002

FEB 12, 2006 06:45 PM

those bastards!

I was going to cancel this week anyway... but now that is going to be why I cancel... jerks!

Doxie

Doxie

SUICIDEGIRL

Texas, USA

FEB 12, 2006 09:14 PM

Ok, I can see how that is unfair but at least they state it in the Terms of Service.

But geez.

four months after a San Francisco subscriber filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company had deceptively promised one-day delivery of most DVDs.


Talk about bitter.

trocc

trocc

Chicago, IL
March 2003

FEB 12, 2006 09:30 PM

hahaha, the tone of indignance in some of these posts has been cracking me up. i can't believe how offended people seem by this.

i love Netflix, and they've always done right by me - but I am not often waiting by the mailbox with bated breath, either. sometimes i don't watch the movies i have for days, weeks even. a day later on the delivery side isn't going to get me up in arms. funny stuff.

FieldOfDepth

FieldOfDepth

Christmas Island
May 2004

FEB 12, 2006 11:19 PM

TReBlah said:

Brie said:
It's still better than blockbuster.



have any of you blockbuster haters tried blockbuster online? i hate the brick and mortar stores, but i like the online service far better than netflix. they don't seem to slow down my shipping, and i usually watch all 3 movies in 1 or 2 days (i've been on it about a year now, same pattern throughout), plus you get 2 free coupons a month for the brick and mortar store(if you feel like making the trip) so it almost pays for itself. i do have a warehouse right by me tho, so not everyone's expereince may be as positive...


I tried Blockbuster online for about a month but I didn't cancel my NetFlix account, thank goodness. About 1/3 of the movies in my queue on NetFlix weren't available from Blockbuster. Blockbuster also took about 5-7 days to ship and the in-store free rental coupons always ended up with me paying late fee's.
I'll admit that NetFlix has gotten a bit slower, like 5 days shipping instead of 3, but it's still better than Blockbuster.

sexybeast

sexybeast

Metairie, LA
July 2004

FEB 12, 2006 11:42 PM

malkav11 said:
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.



Yeah, I really like Hollywood's MVP program. However, I've seen most things at the store that are worth watching and I recently moved, so I changed stores. At this store, the movies are always so mixed up and out of order and a lot of the DVDs are too messed up. I'm really thinking about going with Netflix.

I can't stand Blockbuster. I've hated them for a very long time, mainly because of late fees. I would get charged a lot per day. At Hollywood, they would just re-rent them out to me for five more days and they have a bigger selection.

Vadennoi

Vadennoi

San Jose, CA
December 2005

FEB 13, 2006 01:22 AM

malkav11 said:

mutato216 said:

video store < netflix < 1000 free channels



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



Um, you do realize that Barb Wire was put on DVD don't you? surreal

Edit: oh BTW, I heard the Blockbuster donates money to Anti-Abortion groups many years ago. So, fuck them.


[Edited on Feb 13, 2006 by Vadennoi]

malkav11

malkav11

Saint Paul, MN
July 2003

FEB 13, 2006 02:42 AM

Vadennoi said:

malkav11 said:

mutato216 said:

video store < netflix < 1000 free channels



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



Um, you do realize that Barb Wire was put on DVD don't you? surreal

Edit: oh BTW, I heard the Blockbuster donates money to Anti-Abortion groups many years ago. So, fuck them.


[Edited on Feb 13, 2006 by Vadennoi]



Ok, clarification: access to almost everything ever committed to DVD > 1000 channels of crap. Obviously there's plenty of crap in the DVD world too...but it's your call what you wind up watching, with DVDs. You don't get to decide what gets put on those 1000 satellite channels. That and just about everything worth watching on TV (with the exception of the Daily Show) comes to DVD sooner or later.

[Edited on Feb 13, 2006 by malkav11]

polarbear

polarbear

Carencro, LA
November 2003

FEB 13, 2006 07:10 AM

Well that sucks to hear about Netflix.I was about to subcribe because I flat refuse to give fuckin' Blockbuster any more of my money.I was going to a store called Hollywood Video until I found out that Blockbuster fuckin bought them too!!! ASSBAGS!!!!! mad

Flapjackpunk739

Flapjackpunk739

Riverside, NJ
September 2005

FEB 13, 2006 01:24 PM

Theyve been fucking me the same way. Im getting ready to cancel the service because it has become so slow. some times up to a week for my next rental. Plus Ive eben getting broken DVDs more offten now then good ones.

Vadennoi

Vadennoi

San Jose, CA
December 2005

FEB 13, 2006 01:50 PM

Coi said:

Vadennoi said:
oh BTW, I heard the Blockbuster donates money to Anti-Abortion groups many years ago. So, fuck them.




Is this true? confused




I wouldn't have wrote it if I thought it wasn't true. I don't remember it all that well because this was in the 90s, but I seem to recall hearing it on a news show that was doing a piece on what charities and organizations companies donate money too. I believe it is true. I stopped renting at Blockbuster because of it, and never forgot. I still won't step foot in the place.

I can't find any evidence of this on the web though.

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