Dear Netflix:
I'm doing this as an "open letter" because you don't seem to have any way via e-mail to address this complaint, nor does your "contact by phone" number offer any help.
When I first started using your service, I thought it was fantastic. Movies delivered to my mailbox, no late fees, and most importantly, new releases available on the date of release or at least very soon after. When I saw the previews for the DVD release of a movie I'd been wanting to see, I'd often go right to the computer and put it on the queue. It was so great and so convenient that I told all my friends about Netflix.
Now, however, service has dropped off badly. THE HANGOVER has been listed as a "very long wait" for weeks. I finally took FOUR CHRISTMASES off the queue when it was still a "very long wait" after New Year's. Now I see The HURT LOCKER, which I'd really been looking forward to, is going to be a "long wait."
Here's my question: if I'm going to end up going to Movie Gallery anyway to rent the new movies I really want to see, why the heck am I paying you?
As I noted above, when I like something a lot, I tell all my friends. The same is true when something disappoints me.
Jerry D. Rhoades, Jr.
Readers: anyone else having this problem?
16 comments:
They only have like umm, 2 copies of each movie for the whole country!
Seems that way.
The next film on the queue is slow to come, too. Who are they kidding? Service with a smile has become service takes a while.
Yes this has become an issue in the last few months. We were receiving stuff way down on the queue.
Good to know we're not alone in this problem.
try your local library. As a librarian, I can't get everything, but try to get popular titles in within a few days of relese, especially if requested. No late fees here, either--but I will come to your door and ask for it back if someone is waiting and its overdue. VWR
I will come to your door and ask for it back if someone is waiting and its overdue.
Virginia, are you TRYING to get people to hold them? :-)
Hmm. I'm still in the "I love Netflix" phase. I haven't had this problem at all, Dusty. As a matter of fact, I continue to be blown away at how quickly I get the new movies. Wonder why the diff?
I very seldom order new movies. I like the old classics so it's not often that I must wait. However, I have "Shadow of the Thin Man"(1941)
Wm. Powell, Myrna Loy in my queue. The status i "Very long wait." Either Netflix has only one copy or there are several thousand other old codgerettes like me who like old movies. I'm willing to bet there is only one copy available.
I haven't had a problem, but we rarely put the new, hot movies at the top of our queue. We're catching up on a lot of crime flicks we missed over the past twenty years, so out queue has over 100 movies on it, most of them at least ten years old.
Right now, the top five movies in my list are all very long wait, like you, I've been wondering what the heck I'm paying for.
Netflix and others are running into issues with studios who are delaying selling to them. I have not been paying enough attention to give a better explanation.
I mailed my last rental in on Friday so Netflix would receive it Monday.
"The Hurt Locker" was at the top of my list and arrived on Tuesday. It's interesting because if you don't receive that first week, it could take weeks before it arrives.
I'm pleased that they put "Amreeka" on the instant list.
I don't do Netflix, for one simple reason: their stupid popups. Apparently, Jack Bauer has trained them to avoid my popup blocker, using cyber-ninja moves, I'm sure. My philosophy is, if you piss me off, I'm not buying your product.
Dusty,
All three of those films are distributed by Warner Brothers, so this might be relevent:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100106-710531.html
Been having the same problem, JD.
The library here carries some new movies so I check that first.
I also opened a Blockbuster by mail account. (I hate their stores and won't go in to them and don't like dealing with them at all, but, Netflix stupidity drove me to it.) That helped in that I got to see The Hangover (good) and Four Christmases (so-so) awhile back through Blockbuster and delete them from the "very long wait" list at Netflix. I also cut my account back at Netflix from 8 at a time to 2 at a time after seeing both movies and set my Blockbuster to 3 at a time. That way, money wise, it pretty much balances out.
I also try to mail Netflix stuff on Saturdays as here they will get it on Mondays and then ship out what is supposed to be first released the next day. I also mail Blockbuster stuff on Saturdays and they usually gets logged in on Tuesdays triggering a new release to come my way.
With the recent news of Netflix willingly delaying certain movies to help production companies boost sales, I don't think these ideas will work as well much longer.
I pay Netflix five bucks a month and just use their streaming service. Well worth it.
Post a Comment