Exactly the same reason I went with Blockbuster as well… The cost and selection is pretty much the same for me and what I watch… but being able to pick up 2 random extra movies a month is perfect… I’m on the 2 at a time plan, sometimes we have 2 movie that only my wife is interested in watching, so we pick something up at the shop with a coupon.
For ultra heavy users of 3+ at a time I doubt this would really be a concern though.
I’ve been a Netflix customer since it’s inception, never have had a any problems with throttling.
If only there was a game rental service as good as netflix.
There’s also GreenCine if you’re looking for diversity of options, by which I mean they have porn. Turnaround is OK but not great. Must-have if you are into asian cinema.
By which you also mean porn?
Amen. I haven’t tried all the options out there (I gather that there are four or five services now) but the two I did try were awful. Turnaround times approaching two weeks in one case (Gamefly).
Yeah, I saw. Any place that will rent-by-mail the excellent Belladonna: My Ass is Haunted is ok in my book.
netflix.
blockbuster has a queue system that I think is based on the phases of the moon, atmospheric pressure, and shoe size.
I’ve used both and while I never really had a problem with Netflix, Blockbuster offered me the same 3 disc movie deal plus 2 coupons per month good for in-store movie OR game rentals. Couple this with the new Blockbuster policy of “no late fees” (read: can keep them approx. 2x as long as you’re supposed to) the family is covered for movies and we get to play 2 new console games per month for free.
I understand that they don’t have this offer anymore and instead you get weekly coupons good for in-store movie rentals only. I am also aware that in general Blockbuster’s game selection/availability is total ass. But hey, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Also marginally better (for me) than Netflix.
A friend of my wife complained about this. He had the 3 at once plan and was apparently watching them just as fast as he could. That’s alot of movies though, and once you get that far you can hardly complain about the value you’re getting. I imagine they throttle like this to avoid getting hosed by groups of people sharing a subscription.
We have the 1 movie at a time plan, which ends up being a movie about every 3 or 4 days, and has never been throttled back.
[Edit]Another nice thing about Netflix is their excellent customer service. One of the movies we got was unwatchable; a simple notification and they sent a replacement immediately with zero hassle. One of the disks we returned didn’t reach them; a simple notification and they immediately sent the next disk, again with zero hassle.
I’ve had Netflix for a long time, and it only keeps getting better in my opinion. Turn around time is very quick for me (in the Bay Area).
A few months ago I had a free trial for Blockbuster and I stopped using it long before it was over. Their selection is pretty bad still, not what you would think it would be if you thought they would like to be serious competition to Netflix.
Same here - recieved a broken DVD, just returned it no fuss no muss. Also sent one back but they never recieved it, just clicked “sent it you never recieved it” and they shipped me my next on the next day.
You can’t go to that well too many times though or they’ll drop you like a rock.
Considering how few times I’ve had mail get lost enroute over the years I’m not particularily worried about it, and can’t imagine a more favorable way they could have handled it short of simply giving away DVDs for free.
Yeah, same here - we got a scratched DVD in the mail, and they sent a replacement immediately. Pretty nice (especially since we live close enough to the distribution center that we regularly get a 2-day turnaround - one day there, one day back).
I’ve been really happy with both the Netflix service and their selection, I must say. I looked them over a few years ago and passed on them because their selection was mediocre at the time, but it’s quite good now.
We have been satisfied netflix users since 2000. Turn around times average three days for us, even during those times where I churn through multiple disks very quickly (usually a TV show).
But what I have found the biggest benifit of Netflix, is the lack of return dates and late fees. See for whatever reason we often find ourselves sitting on a disk or two for months on end. Derailed is a good example; we rented this last June, and just have not had time or been in the mood for a thriller. Thus it is still sitting on the shelf waiting for just the right time to watch. Sure I could mail it back and get something else if I wanted, or continue to fill one of my 4 rental spots with it. I like that flexibility.
Son of a bitch! I opened a Netflix account Wednesday. My first disc arrived today. The wrong movie was in the sleeve. I went to their site and marked it as mislabeled and waited patiently for the site to tell me that my next DVD was on its way. It didn’t.
I called Netflix. The CSR informs me that it is not their policy to send replacements until after they receive the returned mislabeled movie. I expressed some righteous indignation. He told me he’d mark it “lost” which would get me a new movie sent right away and then when I mailed the other movie back it would “sort itself out”. So right away I’m wondering if I’m not going to be on some problem customer list for lying about lost stuff.
Then he tells me that now that he’s switched me to “lost” the replacement will ship on Monday. They don’t ship on weekends.
What. The. Fuck.
Maybe if I had a 10-out plan this would be less infuriating. As is I have a 2-out plan that I’m splitting with my wife. She gets 1-out, I get 1-out. I won’t see my first movie until next Wednesday at the earliest.
Do they not want my money? I’m still in the free 2 week trial period here…
It’s 4:15 on Friday - should I call and harangue some manager and demand last-minute Friday shipping of a replacement on pain of cancellation?
Update:
I just got an email asking me “were you satisfied with your recent customer service experience?” When I clicked NO I was redirected to their site with a 24 hour CS phone number. I called and restated my case with emphasis on the fact that I was not enjoying my 2 week trial and so they are sending my next two queued movies on now to help me “catch up”.
Both CSRs I talked to were exceedingly polite and cheery. They’ve just given up on email-based CS and now deal exclusively through their Portland, OR call center. I have to say I was impressed!
I’ve been using Blockbuster Total Access since June. It’s great because the store is a mile from my house, and I drive by it all the time. With Total Access, I can drop the movie off and pick one up same day for free, and then on top of that, the next movie in my queue will typically ship out next day regardless of whether I’ve brought back my free rental.
I don’t think I could go to Netflix and live with having to pre-plan every movie I watch. When I want something spur of the moment, Total Access is worth its weight in gold.
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