Netflix Service Complaints

www.hackingnetflix.com ^ | 12/5/05

[lowbridge]

Netflix Service Complaints

Some of the complaints I've received about Netflix recently:

Jack writes:

My problem is that 98% of the DVD's I receive on a Friday or Saturday go back to a location VERY far from my local center. The movies I receive during the rest of the week go back to my local center nearly 100% of the time. The only times I have received a DVD, at the beginning of the week, that does not go back to my local center is when a movie that I was supposed to have received that previous Friday or Saturday is delayed. I was hoping you would post that to see if other people would look to see if the same thing is happening to them.

I always rent the older classic movies so that should not be a factor. There should be no difference if they send a classic movie to me on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday compared to a Thursday or Friday.

Barbara says:

I always mail 3 DVD's back on Monday, and have to wait till Thursday, and this week I got only two, and the third DVD next week. I am not very happy with their service... Carl writes:

I live in a city very near Indianapolis and it only takes one day for mail delivery (Netflix has a distribution center in Indy). But for the last two or three weeks all my returns are not being received by Netflix until the second day after I mail them. In the past that never happened and I wondered if Netflix is slowing down their turnaround time intentionally? Also, they never send anything out on Mondays. William reports:

The service [Netflix] has been incredibly slow to "receive" my movies. I receive movies from them in one business day. I live barely over an hour from their shipping facility. Itakes one business day for all my other mail to be received in the same city. Yet with Netflix, it is now taking three or four business days for them to "receive" my returns.

"M" writes:

We have been Netflix customers for 3 years now, and for the past few months we have noticed that it's taking Netflix longer and longer to turn around DVDs. Althought it says "Shipping Today" when I check on the status, we hardly ever get the DVD's the next day (we used to frequently before), or even within two days.

Will says:

I've been a Neflix user for 4 years. I'm located in Boston and previously, when I'd send a movie back, I'd get the next movie in my queue 2-3 days later. Almost never 4. Over the last month it's been 4-5 days later and sometimes not until the following week if I put an outgoing movie in my mailbox on Monday morning. Maybe it's temporary, but it's been like this for 4 weeks straight.

How happy are you with Netflix?

[lowbridge]

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2005/12/netflix_service.html

[gubamyster]

I haven't noticed any slowdown in their sending &/or receiving my movies. Always in 1-2 business days. As a matter of fact they usually send out an e-mail asking which day I received the movie. All you need to do is click on the day (usually a choice of 3) in the e-mail & my response is recorded. No need to log in to their website - just 1 click. I am totally happy w/ their service (and no, I do not own their stock).

[Trampled by Lambs]

I love Netflix.. But then, I'm rarely in a hurry to see the movies I order - it sometimes takes me a week or more to get around to watching them so a day or two one way or the other is not important to me.

When I really want to see something right away, I still just go get it from Blockbuster.

[lowbridge]

"As a matter of fact they usually send out an e-mail asking which day I received the movie. All you need to do is click on the day (usually a choice of 3) in the e-mail & my response is recorded."

Not good in some peoples experience:

My turnaround has gone from an average of two to three business days (mostly two) to four days at best. The change occured exactly when I got an email survay asking about reporting my received date. I am not paranoid, but I wish I never responded. One of two possiblities a) Netflix has grown its custoemrs (and revenue) and not increased its employees or inventory in proportion; or b) they have decided to tweak their software and delay longer standing customers. The latter is quite easy and most likley. Posted by: zeb | November 22, 2004 at 03:09 PM

Like a person posting above I too noticed a change in turnaround times as soon as I responded to an email from netflix asking how fast I recieved my shipments. Before I responded I could rely on NF to turn my shipments around fast. After responding it takes AT LEAST 1-2 additional turnaround days. If this is what they used this email for I think it is ethically wrong as it was presented as a way check up on their service. Responding gave me worse service. Posted by: Steve | November 23, 2004 at 02:57 PM

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2004/11/how_fast_is_you.html

[gubamyster]

I mailed 2 movies Monday. Today, I received e-mails confirming Netflix received the movies. Later today, I also received e-mails stating they would ship out my next 2 movies, scheduled for arrival tomorrow. I'm pretty satisfied with the turnaround & this is the same turnaround rate as when I first signed up w/ them.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I just signed up for Netflix and the service is great.

[lowbridge]

For the first couple of months, it was great for me too.

Send in a movie Monday, they got it Tuesday. Sent out my next selection(s) that very same day, which came in on Wed.

Return thosae on Thursday, they'd get them Friday, send out my next selections that very same day, which would arrive on Saturday.

But a couple months later, slowly but surely, they slowed me down. Instead of same day delivery, I'd get next day delivery. Instead of one day shipping, I'd get 2-4 days shgipping.

When I first signed up, I was on the three at a time plan. And I was getting about 22-24 movies a month. I changed my subscription to 4 at a time. thinking that I'd be getting about 4-8 more DVDs a month. But the exact opposite happened. Now, on the 4 out plan, its a struggle to get more than 16 a month.