Netflix

[JALU3]

Is it worth it?

I don't have a lot of time to go out to the movie, or a lot of money. But I have a decent computer, with a rather higher then average sound system.

Should I forgo the lines, and have to wait four to six months before I can chat about the next big movie . . . and just sign up for Netflix?

I mean there are several movies that I was dying to see . . . but stuck in the office so I couldn't.

Now I have a backlog that'll take half a day of theater going to go see.

United 93
Silent Hill
Over The Hedge

just to name a few.

And I have CARS and X-Men III . . .

What is a middle manager suppost to do?

[Dan Stack]

My family has been using Netflix for about a year. We've been pretty satisifed - it's very useful for those of us with kiddies and able to make it to the movie theatre about once a quarter. It is also useful for those expensive tv show sets...

I find that it typically takes them 1-2 days (usually 1) to receive a movie I send back to them and they usually ship me my next movie right away, so that I typically get it 1-2 business days from the time they ship it. Popular new releases may require a small wait.


I've had two occasions where I received a bad disc from them (a better rate than I found when I used to use the local Blockbuster). Both times they shipped me a replacement right away.

[Hirogen Alpha]

I have mixed feelings regarding Netflix and Blockbuster Online, both services which I have used in some capacity. Netflix certainly has a much larger selection, especially of more obscure films. But I've recieved quite a few broken discs in the mail in the past six months of using it. Probably 6-10 of them. Blockbuster has never sent a bad disc, but I can only find what I want half the time. It does, however, beat a local video store.

[Pericles]

I have Netflix and have been very satisfied with their service, nor have I ever received a broken disk. Shipping happens, so I doubt if a broken disk is Netflix's fault and more thanks to the USPS.

[Balok]

I've been using the service for about half a year. I have received several discs I had to clean before they'd play, two broken discs and one scratched disc that wouldn't play at all.

If you turn your movies around too quickly, they will throttle you. They admit to part of this on their site: people who rent a lot of movies get a lower priority for stuff that's in demand than renters who keep their stuff out longer.

A couple of other things they've done that they don't admit to but that I and others have observed: they will "not receive" your movie for several days. When you report it lost, they usually find it in their stocks within hours (you get an email when this happens). They sometimes seem to tell you they've mailed movies but you don't get them for days. Based on experiences with other correspondence, I tend to doubt the discs are delayed in the mail. Sometimes they'll send you films from facilities farther away than your nearby facility so it takes longer to get the film and longer to return it. All of these, of course, do have other explanations - but they happen consistently enough that I suspect they're the work of a plan and not happenstance.

All that said, they provide a generally worthwhile service. I will continue to use them because, at least for now, they still provide sufficient value for the cost. They're good for watching those shows you don't want to pay for but still want to see, likewise, movies that didn't come out in your area (foreign films, for example) and others.

My chief complaint is that they bandy about the term "unlimited rentals" when in fact they employ a number of tactics to limit rentals.

[JALU3]

If they are attempting to limit rentals . . . to what extent?

[Ineti]

I've used netflix for over a year now, and have had excellent service straight through. No broken disks, no discs so scratched that I couldn't play them, and quick turnaround times on discs in the mail. My wife and I have probably received and watched over 200 discs so far, and have about that much in our queue.

Way way better than going to the local video shop.

[Jem'hadar]

My Mom uses Netflix & likes it.

I've been curious about it myself.

Putting the convenience issue aside, I wonder whether it financially makes sense.

How much is Netflix monthly? That's for 3 movies?

Hollywood Video, which is close to me, charges about $4 per rental for 5 days. I don't rent very often, about 1-3 movies per month (usually less than 3) & sometimes video games on more seldom occasions.

[JALU3]

Plans are as high as $17.99 per month to as low as $9.99 per month, says my research, and their webpage.

[Ineti]

How much is Netflix monthly? That's for 3 movies?

The plans are around $10 a month, and you get as many movies as you can watch and mail in a month. My wife and I average about 20-25 discs a month. Once you fill your want list, they'll send 3 at a time (that's one of the plan options) and keep sending the next one on your list as you return the movies in the prepaid mailer.

Very convenient. No late fees, and easy shipping.

[tonyg]

Fr those who like to have movies delivered to thier doorstep Netflix is nice. My sister lives out in the boonies and swears by them.

There are drawbacks though:

For starters you don't get the movie you want, when you want it. You make a bunch of selections and they send you something that you picked-just not necessarilty what you wanted to see most.

Netflix also starts to limit the number of selections each month. There are lots of info online about people who order a lot of movies each month being put on the bottom of the list for selections, and/or having thier orders delayed to keep them down below a certain number of DVDs per month.

Then, there is the fact that you are locked in to paying for movies each month.


Me? I'd rather go to the store an get the movie that I want to see when I want to see it. I also can go for months without wanting to rent something. I'd much rather go and rent or buy my first choice. For what most plans go for I could have rented a half dozen or so DVDs from my local store that I wanted to see. Over an indefinate peroid. But that just reflects my preferences.

[Balok]

If they are attempting to limit rentals . . . to what extent?

If you're asking what the magic number is, I don't know. I do know that I've experienced all the things I described, as have others.

Their huge advantage is that you will get the movie you ask for...eventually. And they have an awful lot of movies. Everything I've asked for so far, and that has included a film from Thailand...

[tonyg]

I think the magic number is down around 12 or so. The idea being 3 movies a week for a month (4 weeks). From Nextflix's point of view it becomes a poblem of postage costs catching up with passing the cost of the service.

[Ineti]

For starters you don't get the movie you want, when you want it. You make a bunch of selections and they send you something that you picked-just not necessarilty what you wanted to see most.

How is this a drawback when you can change the order of the movies in your queue any time you want.

As for the limiting number of shipments, I haven't seen it yet. As I mentioned, my wife and I go through about 20 movies a month on average. I've never seen a delay in shipments from Netflix as long as I"m prompt in returning the movies we've watched.

[tonyg]

How is this a drawback when you can change the order of the movies in your queue any time you want.

As for the limiting number of shipments, I haven't seen it yet. As I mentioned, my wife and I go through about 20 movies a month on average. I've never seen a delay in shipments from Netflix as long as I"m prompt in returning the movies we've watched.

Netflix has been know to slow down the process and delay things. I'm glad they haven't done it to you, but there are a lot of people who have mentioned this.