I know quite a few of us have NetFlix accounts... Thought the following article might be of interest...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20060211/ap_on_re_us/netflix_throttling_3

filmy

It's interesting that even though a lot of people know about throttling, they are still satisfied with the service overall.

Even if I only watch 5 movies in a month, I'm still saving money vs. the rental store (not to mention the hassle of driving there and back, late fees, etc....) and I doubt they would throttle my account at that point.

I probably average 8-10 movies a month and I've never noticed a delay in my service.

It's interesting that even though a lot of people know about throttling, they are still satisfied with the service overall.

Even if I only watch 5 movies in a month, I'm still saving money vs. the rental store (not to mention the hassle of driving there and back, late fees, etc....) and I doubt they would throttle my account at that point.

I probably average 8-10 movies a month and I've never noticed a delay in my service.I'm on the 4 DVD a month plan and I know I'm not able to turn them around fast enough to be labled as a heavy renter but a friend of mine is on the 8 DVD a month plan... He's got 4 kids who do most of the choosing and once the kid who selected the DVD watches it, they send it right back...

He has definitely noticed a surprising difference in turnaround time over the last couple of months...

Additionally, he notices that before he was experiencing any decrease in turnaround time, ALL the movies he rented came from Los Angeles or San Diego. Since he's become more of a heavy renter, he's noticing that half of his DVDs are coming from the east coast.

I'm wondering if this is part of the algorithm they use i.e., as you become more of a heavy renter, your films are mailed out from more distant distribution outlets...

I've noticed a few times that I was able to watch 3 movies in one night and the last one the very next day and send all the DVDs back that the next time around, I would get 3 movies from Albuquerque (I live in New Mexico) and 1 from the east coast and they would all go back to their respective outlets... Hence, the east coast rental takes longer to reach me and longer to be received.

When I stagger the DVDs and mail back one a day, they all come from Albuquerque and go back to Albuquerque so this is what I've been doing more frequently however, about every month and a half, all my DVDs show up on the same exact day no matter what I do...

filmy

I have the three-at-a-time subscription and I'm throttled. I think I mentioned it in a previous thread.

I'm within 10 miles of the Tampa distribution center. When I send a DVD back, they receive it the next day and I get a notification 4 to 5 days later that they "just received" it and will send out the next disc as soon as possible, which is always 3 to 4 days later.

They advertise "unlimited" rentals. When it takes a week and a half to receive a movie, it makes you wonder how unlimited it really is. It's definately false advertising. I only thing that I hope comes out of this is Netflix gets forced to stop throttling to settle false advertising claims.

It's definately false advertising. I only thing that I hope comes out of this is Netflix gets forced to stop throttling to settle false advertising claims.

I thought they were sued about this...

I had the three-at-a-time subsciption too, but cancelled my account due to too much throttleing. When I first got NetFlix (just about when they started business) they did not do this (or at least not so much). The first year I was really impressed. Then it got worse and worse since I rented a lot of movies. I actually used to get the movies, rip them to my HD, then send them back right away. Then when I had time I would just watch the movies off my HD. When I was done, I would have the next set of them waiting at the door. It worked really well in NetFlix's early days :)

After I cancelled my account, I heard they were sued about the false advertising. I think they gave people free rentals to make up for that. Those of you that are memebers did not receive any e-mails about that?

Netflix is still quite cheap though, as Robert said. Most people live with it. It annoyed the heck out of me...

I thought they were sued about this...

I had the three-at-a-time subsciption too, but cancelled my account due to too much throttleing. When I first got NetFlix (just about when they started business) they did not do this (or at least not so much). The first year I was really impressed. Then it got worse and worse since I rented a lot of movies. I actually used to get the movies, rip them to my HD, then send them back right away. Then when I had time I would just watch the movies off my HD. When I was done, I would have the next set of them waiting at the door. It worked really well in NetFlix's early days :)

After I cancelled my account, I heard they were sued about the false advertising. I think they gave people free rentals to make up for that. Those of you that are memebers did not receive any e-mails about that?

Netflix is still quite cheap though, as Robert said. Most people live with it. It annoyed the heck out of me...In the article referenced above, it does mention the lawsuit... The guy that sued more or less proved that NetFlix was in fact throttling its customers that quickly returned movies.

If you read the article, the guy that runs NetFlix makes some fairly ridiculous statements and those alone are making me reconsider my subscription.

I should point out however, that I've done some experiments with the return of my DVDs and it's seemed to improve turnaround time for me...

Every time I receive a mailer that sends the DVD to some distant outlet that will obviously take even more time for NetFlix to receive, I toss 'em and send multiple DVDs back to the outlet in my state. I started doing this because I noticed my own turnaround time slowing down at one point.

In fact, I have quite an inventory of mailers to the outlet in my state because of this...

Which makes me think that once their algorithm identifies you as a "heavy renter," their software flags your DVDs in more distant outlets...

Having said that, that still doesn't explain mrde50's problem with the delay he's experiencing...

Anyway, after the guy in the article sued NetFlix and NetFlix settled with him, they changed their terms and conditions so that they basically tell you that they're going to throttle your ass...

filmy

There was a settlement originally that basically gave current subscribers a free upgrade for a month... and would have paid 2.5 million dollars to the lawyers.

Luckily, some people raised hell about it and the deal was nixed by the judge.

Damn greedy lawyers... gonna give their profession a bad name! :lol:

Having said that, that still doesn't explain mrde50's problem with the delay he's experiencing...
filmy
They did the same thing with me. I used to have the service in Ohio, just a little farther from the shipping center than mrde50. As I said earlier, when I first signed up (more than four years ago), they would aknowledge my movie in two days tops (usually one day, then they would send it the next day). Then (when I believe they started throttling me), they would aknowledge receiving my movies four or even five days later (even though I'm sure they still got them as before). I was stumped.

I also signed up with their service in California, also close to the service center (this was about a year ago). Here the first month (maybe two) things were pretty smooth. Then they started doing the exact same thing (when it became obvious I was constantly renting a lot of movies). I knew nothing of throttling back then, but I had a feeling something slightly odd had to be going on. I think it's pretty obvious that they don't aknowledge they receive you DVDs (when they really do receive them) in order to delay the next shipment. It's a smart strategy. If you read more online about throtteling you'll see a lot of people that rent a lot of movies experience this 'late aknowledgement' phenomenon. I'm almost certain that's what mrde50 is experiencing here.

Btw, these guys are extremely hard to get rid of. They still e-mail me with "deals," or telling me how they've improved their service, etc. They keep your credit card, address, etc, on file. I can still log in (even though my account is inactive; for example to re-activate it if I want). I can do almost anything except to delete credit cards, etc. You can only update info, not delete. Their help/support section has all the info on how to rejoin netflix, and nothing on how to permanently terminate your past relationship with them.

What really sucks about this whole thing is Netflix is still a great service. I can

Choose what movies I receive next
Keep them for as long as I want
Get titles not available at the local store (Indie, anime)

It's a shame that a great service such as Netflix purposely finds a way to screw you out of your cash, keep the profit, and now admit to everyone that they're doing it.

No matter what happens, if the settlement dosen't require them to stop throttling, then I don't believe a proper settlement was agreed upon.

Directly from the Netflix website, here's what they offer:

8 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $47.99
7 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $41.99
6 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $35.99
5 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $29.99
4 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $23.99
3 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $17.99
2 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $14.99
2 at-a-time (4 a month) for $11.99
1 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $9.99

Netflix is claiming that they cannot be profitable if people subscribe to their service and use it as advertised. Well then don't you think they should have hired an accountant somewhere down the road to figure out how much to charge to make them profitable? A business that's purposely not profitable is a doomed one. Case in point, Netflix.

I have had no problems with Netflix, they've even given me the benefit of the doubt a while back when I had a DVD go missing. I've thought about giving Blockbuster Online a shot, but have had so many in-store problems in the past.

I do however feel it's abit shady to say unlimited rentals then slow down the process in order to make money.

Poke

Don't you think that there is another side to this arguement.

When you look at the maths the guy (even when throttled) was getting fifteen movies a month for $17.99 or about $1.19 a rental - he's bitching because he wants twenty-two films a month which works out at a unit cost of about $0.82 a rental.

Sure Netfilx has shot itself in the foot by saying unlimited rentals, but surely there comes a point where the guy should look at the maths of what he's getting and if he needs more films, maybe he should up his rental package.

I'm afraid I don't understand the outrage of someone who lives in the ricest country in the world complaining about having to pay $1.19 a rental. I know people in Africa who earn that much for a day's work.

Sure Netfilx has shot itself in the foot by saying unlimited rentals, but surely there comes a point where the guy should look at the maths of what he's getting and if he needs more films, maybe he should up his rental package.I both agree and disagree with this comment.

Yes, if anyone expects 20 or so movies a month from Netflix, they should pay for the appropriate subscription level.

On the other hand, Netflix is wrong in throttling customers in two ways:

It's false advertising
Customer are receiving less movies than what they're paying for
Nonetheless, Netflix is still wrong in admitting to their practices. If Netflix stopped throttling customers, I'd probably lower my subscription to a lower level because I am receiving the number of discs I want. If I want 50 DVDs a month, I'd up my subscription.

On the other hand, Netflix is wrong in throttling customers in two ways:

* It's false advertising
* Customer are receiving less movies than what they're paying for

I couldn't agree more. Netflix are the victims of their own marketing strategy, and they've chosen to deal with the problem in a dishonest way.

I don't either party comes out of this looking good - Netflix for trying to weasel out of a mistake they made in their business strategy or the guy who sued them.

Of course, it could just be that I've always had a problem with the "sue them" culture. It's because of bozos like this that my public liability insurance cost thousands of pounds every year.

See thi is why I love going to my local store (Blockbuster), grabbing a movie, looking at games, chatting up teh pretty blonde behind the counter and arguing with the store clerks that Top Gun IS in fact a good film.

There's something about that level of interaction that always stops me from using a onlien account. Also funny thing is I found when I did a trial I never watched the DVD's I had. They were alwyas one at the bottom of my list and as I never got charged late fees they sat there for days on end.

Very odd. When I know I have to return them the next day I get my arse in gear and just do it!

I've never had the same clerk twice at a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. I do like the idea of getting the movie at the moment, but the selection of online rentals is far greater than any video store.

I agree with you clive. It is something inherent in Americans that we often do not appreciate our abilities and rights in this country, but at the same time false advertising is false advertising.

Poke

The best evidence I've seen of "throttling" by Netflix is defined by the overload of data found on this page: http://www.dvd-rent-test.dreamhost.com.

I've never had the same clerk twice at a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. I do like the idea of getting the movie at the moment, but the selection of online rentals is far greater than any video store.The reason I subscribed to Netflix is because the local Blockbuster store carries 47 copies of the latest multibillion dollar Hollywood flop. There's no indies. There's an extremely limited Anime section consisting of around 4 titles. There's only two or three Japanese films (I rent Japanese films like a kid eats candy).

Netflix, with all their flaws, actually gives me the choice to choose what I want, when I want it. I 50% like them for that, 50% hate them for throttling me. I don't believe I'm getting what a I paid for as a subscriber.

Netflix: The Necesary Evil (tm) :bang:

I use lovefilm and haven't noticed any throttling, although to be honest I probably am well outwith the range as I don't go through anywhere near as many as that, I tend to go through about 8 DVD's a month, from my 2 at a time suscription package. I have read Lovefilm have employed this service however.

Their service is pretty good but I've heard a few people complaining about the time it takes to deliver DVD's.

I used blockbuster and screenselect in the past and found them both you be pretty good as well. I seem to be pretty lucky when it comes to things like this :D

I've definitely been a victim of throttling and I have to say that all of these reports do taint the company for me. I was a huge Netflix advocate and now I probably wouldn't recommend them. However, I will keep subscribing myself until a better alternative comes around.

While I am pleased with my service and don't plan to cancel anytime soon I am curious about one thing. Is netflix really loosing money because so many people are working the hell out of their mail carriers or is netflix just really trying to squeeze every penny for profit in order to maintain there growth goals. In my experience with unlimited type situations for every one person who milks a service for all its worth another two people are taking full advantage of a service. Rule of averages keeps everything running smoothly.

I just googled netflix profit reports and found this article

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-calearns25.4jan25,1,6851409.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=1&cset=true

Revenue up 36% over last year- exceeded subscriber goal by 200,000 subscribers- hmm not too shabby. If they report a loss for the next fiscal quarter I suppose we can talk more about what netflix has to do to remain profitable. Otherwise there throttling pratices are just illegal.

But then Clive, I guess its business practices like this that made us the richest country in the world to begin with.

I've definitely been a victim of throttling and I have to say that all of these reports do taint the company for me. I was a huge Netflix advocate and now I probably wouldn't recommend them. However, I will keep subscribing myself until a better alternative comes around.

I believe in the power of the boycott. If you are that displeased with the service stop giving them your money.

Is netflix really loosing money because so many people are working the hell out of their mail carriers or is netflix just really trying to squeeze every penny for profit in order to maintain there growth goals.You hit the nail on the head.

filmy

I believe in the power of the boycott. If you are that displeased with the service stop giving them your money.

Let's just say I'm not displeased enough. I'm not going to demand that every company that takes my money be perfect. I do have my limits (I'll never shop at Best Buy ever again), but right now the pros of Netflix outweigh the cons. That may not always be the case, but for the moment it is.

But then Clive, I guess its business practices like this that made us the richest country in the world to begin with.

:lol: I guess it is - but that's a whole different thread.

I've thought about this for a month or two: After all the DVDs in my netflix queue have been returned, I'll cancel my account, making sure THEY KNOW WHY I cancelled. I was also considering filing a complaint with the FTC.

I'm less than 10 miles from a distribution center. It shouldn't take a 4-5 days for them to send me an email saying "We just received [TITLE]" (emphasis mine) and ship out another title that I'll receive in 3 or 4 days.

Every time I send a title back, its replacement arrives a week and a half later. Total BS.

I've thought about this for a month or two: After all the DVDs in my netflix queue have been returned, I'll cancel my account, making sure THEY KNOW WHY I cancelled. I was also considering filing a complaint with the FTC.
I'm less than 10 miles from a distribution center. It shouldn't take a 4-5 days for them to send me an email saying "We just received [TITLE]" (emphasis mine) and ship out another title that I'll receive in 3 or 4 days.
Every time I send a title back, its replacement arrives a week and a half later. Total BS.

If they have a call center, you could probably call, threaten to cancel because of the throttling, and thier retention team would probably offer you a bunch of free stuff, or remove the throttle. Give that a try- just pay attention to what they tell you (it's all scripted, so make sure they repeat what they say if you don't understand- the scripts are badly written to hide catches). I'd try and see what else you can get out of them (for revenge) before cancelling. The CEO's will get weekly reports to see how many people call to cancel, as well as how many take the free stuff and then leave anyway. That's probably the best way to send a message.

If they have a call center, you could probably call, threaten to cancel because of the throttling, and thier retention team would probably offer you a bunch of free stuff, or remove the throttle. Give that a try- That's not a bad idea. I'll try that.

FWIW, I don't see how anyone has that much free time a month or how you could possibly continue to rent new movies which don't suck. There are only so many good ones out there!

FWIW, I don't see how anyone has that much free time a month or how you could possibly continue to rent new movies which don't suck. I'm one of those "heavy renters" that get entire box sets. Thundercats, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Inuyasha (39 discs!), Benny Hill.

FWIW, I don't see how anyone has that much free time a month or how you could possibly continue to rent new movies which don't suck. There are only so many good ones out there!


Even the bad ones can teach you something. I recently purchased (previously viewed) a *really* low budget horror film. I learned alot about what not to do to tell a story using it as an example. Too much time with background music and the actors driving is a bad thing! This flick had nearly an hour of it if you were to put it all together. it was a 90 minute film.

Benny Hill.

You remember in the "Gary Busey, Billy Zane" thread I mentioned that we Brits had invented most of the evil in the world ... I forgot to include that one.

... for this, on behalf of my nation ... I truely, truely apologise :bag:

Benny Hill... evil?

Only if you're an avid [INSERT PRISTINE LIFESTYLE HERE]. The rest of humanity is quite happy Benny Hill existed.

If it weren't for Benny, I would have never seen my first set of breasts at the age of 8.

Oh great...now that song is stuck in my head! Time for the mental floss.

I'm less than 10 miles from a distribution center. It shouldn't take a 4-5 days for them to send me an email saying "We just received [TITLE]" (emphasis mine) and ship out another title that I'll receive in 3 or 4 days.

Every time I send a title back, its replacement arrives a week and a half later. Total BS.
That's one of the reasons I cancelled.


The best evidence I've seen of "throttling" by Netflix is defined by the overload of data found on this page: http://www.dvd-rent-test.dreamhost.com.
In the three accounts I've had with Netflix in the past, I have to say, his results are right on the money. Netflix really does discrimate and favors new accounts. Well, I don't need to add anything really if you've seen the website...

If they have a call center, you could probably call, threaten to cancel because of the throttling, and thier retention team would probably offer you a bunch of free stuff, or remove the throttle. Give that a try- just pay attention to what they tell you (it's all scripted, so make sure they repeat what they say if you don't understand- the scripts are badly written to hide catches). I'd try and see what else you can get out of them (for revenge) before cancelling. The CEO's will get weekly reports to see how many people call to cancel, as well as how many take the free stuff and then leave anyway. That's probably the best way to send a message.

This also works especially well with cell phone and internet companies.

Does anyone have any contact information for Netflix other than the corporate office that Will mentioned in the Netflix distribution thread?

Okay, now I'm really upset. Now, Netflix is doing something downright dirty.

Now they're outright removing titles from my queue and not listing them as an available title for me to add back to my queue.

However, other friends of mine who are not heavy users can see the titles as "available" and can add them to the queue.

I'm definately calling shenanigans on this type of behavior. Should I call them and ask them why they're doing this to ME? Should I use the word DISCRIMINATION?

What's your opinions? I'd love to hear them. I'm not going to call them yet, I'd like to get a larger feel of what you think first.

Whatever happened to customer loyalty? I thought you were supposed to get MORE perks if you used a service often... how odd..

Should I call them and ask them why they're doing this to ME? Should I use the word DISCRIMINATION?

Um, yes I think you should call, and soon. But yelling "discrimination" is a knee jerk reaction. You never know if there was some type of computer error.

Poke

I'm going to wait until I get the few remaining titles I have in my queue because I can't rent them locally. Once I get the "We're received..." email on these titles, then I'll slap them around on the phone.

I think I should drop the word COMPLAINT and the letters F.T.C. while I'm at it.

After all DVD titles had been returned and I received an email receipt that they've been returned, I called Netflix and complained.

Here's a summary of what they said (read from a script):

They do not throttle customers even though they admitted to it in a press release and it's in their TOS.
The USPS is to blame for my long waits of up to a week and a half (I live around 10 miles from the Netflix shipping facility, less than 10 miles from the USPS sorting facility).
They have the absolute best customer service record in the industry. :lol:
They reason they didn't receive my DVDs in a timely manner is because I was slow in sending them out. (Most titles got shipped back in a day or two).
Everything is my fault. Netflix is innocent.
Netflix: CANCELLED.

After all DVD titles had been returned and I received an email receipt that they've been returned, I called Netflix and complained.

Here's a summary of what they said (read from a script):

They do not throttle customers even though they admitted to it in a press release and it's in their TOS.
The USPS is to blame for my long waits of up to a week and a half (I live around 10 miles from the Netflix shipping facility, less than 10 miles from the USPS sorting facility).
They have the absolute best customer service record in the industry. :lol:
They reason they didn't receive my DVDs in a timely manner is because I was slow in sending them out. (Most titles got shipped back in a day or two).
Everything is my fault. Netflix is innocent.
Netflix: CANCELLED.While I have yet to cancel my subscription, that response from NetFlix is such a load of bs... LOL.

I've been experimenting lately and all of a sudden, I'm enjoying my NetFlix subscription even a little more lately...

I figured if they wanna throttle then I will HOLD THEM accountable... I almost never receive my NetFlix DVDs when their email says I'm going to...

So... What I do now is go into my NetFlix account and report the problem... As soon as a DVD is not in the mail the day they are telling me it should be here, I report it lost in the mail...

However, I do not tell them to send out the same DVD(s)... Instead, I click the little radio button that tells them to mail the next DVDs in my queue...

Works like a charm... Sometimes I've gotten all 8 DVDs at the same time...

I never report a problem unless I do not receive the DVD(s) on the day they say I'm supposed to. So far, this has happened more than it's not happened and I report the problem and NetFlix sends out the next set of DVDs in my queue.

Anybody know anything about the BlockBuster service? I hear it's actually better in that you can get up to 3 DVDs at a time but since BlockBuster supposedly throws in some free rental coupons redeemable at your local BlockBuster which makes it a little more palatable...

Anybody know?

filmy

So... What I do now is go into my NetFlix account and report the problem... As soon as a DVD is not in the mail the day they are telling me it should be here, I report it lost in the mail...

However, I do not tell them to send out the same DVD(s)... Instead, I click the little radio button that tells them to mail the next DVDs in my queue...

Works like a charm... Sometimes I've gotten all 8 DVDs at the same time...Yeah! Beat Netflix at their own game! :clap:

Yeah! Beat Netflix at their own game! :clap:I failed to mention that because the NetFlix DVDs almost NEVER arrive when NetFlix says they should, I'm always reporting DVDs lost in the mail... Of course, they show up either the next day or at most, 2 to 3 days later but by then, NetFlix has sent me the next DVDs in my queue...

The funny part of all this is that at least half the time, when NetFlix sends me the next set of DVDs in my queue AFTER I report them lost in the mail, I usually get the lost DVDs AND the next set of DVDs NetFlix sends me after making the report...

Additionally, I have even had to report those next queued DVDs that they sent me lost in the mail... LOL.

So we play this game back and forth and my subscription seems to go beyond the 13 to 16 normal amount of DVDs I watch every month to as high as 20 to 24...

filmy

This is why I just buy dvds. I get what I want, when I want it. No hassles. No late fees. No e-mails. No interaction with the US Postal Service. I have about a thousand titles now (if you count box sets and episodic tv as one each). I've been thinking of opening my own video store.

Of course, if a movie sucks (and alot of them do), I'm stuck with it. When they come out with the super duper extra special deluxe edition two months later, my OCD forces me to buy it again. And on more than one occassion I've paid full price for a new release then had it show up in the $5 bin at Walmart six months later, which is kind of frustrating.

Ok, so maybe buying isn't better than renting, but did I mention that I'm a bit OCD?


rob

This is why I just buy dvds...

My local video store sells excess new-releases (about 1 month after release) for 14.99. After another month, remaining copies drop to 9.99. However, they almost always run a buy-2 get-2-free sale because they can't clear them out fast enough. For those not so quick with math, this works out to about 5.00 per movie. So...I can rent the movie for $4.37, or just buy them for 5.00. I'm with you, Mentis -- I haven't rented a movie in ages.

This is why I just buy dvds. I get what I want, when I want it. No hassles. No late fees. No e-mails. No interaction with the US Postal Service. I have about a thousand titles now (if you count box sets and episodic tv as one each). I've been thinking of opening my own video store.

Of course, if a movie sucks (and alot of them do), I'm stuck with it. When they come out with the super duper extra special deluxe edition two months later, my OCD forces me to buy it again. And on more than one occassion I've paid full price for a new release then had it show up in the $5 bin at Walmart six months later, which is kind of frustrating.

Ok, so maybe buying isn't better than renting, but did I mention that I'm a bit OCD?

robI hear ya... I used to buy over at least $100 worth of DVDs a momth... Then, 6 months later, the same DVD would be discounted at least in half... Another 6 months between $5 and $10... Then of course, another 6 months, a special edition DVD with enough extras on it to persuade me to buy yet another copy...

Occasionally, I would even purchase a film that I had not seen at the theater because the description on the back "sounded okay" then, after playing the DVD, I would have extreme buyer's remorse.

Which is why I now rent from NetFlix...

I can rent all the crap that I wondered about that played at the theater... I also pick apart almost every film I watch for screenwriting purposes... What I like about renting is that NOW, I can try before I buy... If the NetFlix rental turns out to be a good film, I go ahead and purchase it. No more wondering and hoping.

Maybe not the best system but it works for me so far...

By the way, had a friend who just signed up for BlockBuster online rentals...

He tells me he feels like he's already been a victim of "bait and switch" because he performed a search for several movies on the BlockBuster site and they had quite a few films that he's been wanting to see that NetFlix did not have...

Based on this search, he cancelled his NetFlix account and signed up for the BlockBuster account so he could rent those DVDs...

However, once he got all signed up and his credit card was charged, those DVDs in fact were NOT for rent. They either did not have them at all OR they were available for sale only.

Now he's sorry for joining BlockBuster... LOL.

However, he did get a free month at BlockBuster for using the following coupon code: USATODAY9

--and he's going to cancel sometime right before the month is over...

Geez...

filmy

I have netfilx and sometimes end up keeping movies for weeks at a time. Not a very "heavy" renter. I love throttling. If there's a new release I want to see, I usually get it right away.

There's a flip side to every coin isn't there :)

With the recent news that movies will be online to download permanently, stores like Blockbuster will hopefully go away.

It's true that the initial pricetag for new films advertised from Movielink are a bit excessive, but I believe the pricing will come down once popularity gains.

I can't see spending $30 to download a new release. Under $10? Sure, I can see that. Old favorites for $4.99? I like that.


While I'm on the subject, why isn't The Legend of Billie Jean NOT on DVD?!?! :angry:

With the recent news that movies will be online to download permanently, stores like Blockbuster will hopefully go away.

It's true that the initial pricetag for new films advertised from Movielink are a bit excessive, but I believe the pricing will come down once popularity gains.

I can't see spending $30 to download a new release. Under $10? Sure, I can see that. Old favorites for $4.99? I like that.


While I'm on the subject, why isn't The Legend of Billie Jean NOT on DVD?!?! :angry:Unfortunately, I think that's gonna take quite a while...

The majority of people on the net can barely download one file let alone an entire film... It will take a few years before downloading movies from the internet catches on in an entire neighborhood near you.

I'm wondering if and when however, downloading films becomes the norm, will we have to download the friggin' ads along with the movie?

filmy

I think because they figure millions of people out there are downloading entire films illegally now, what's the difference in legally downloading the same movie?

I've never downloaded a film illegally, but even with my DSL line, I'm imagining it would still have to download overnight to get an entire movie.

If I had a 100Mbit pipe to the house, I'd be more apt to buy films online knowing I can get them in minutes instead of hours.

I think because they figure millions of people out there are downloading entire films illegally now, what's the difference in legally downloading the same movie?

I've never downloaded a film illegally, but even with my DSL line, I'm imagining it would still have to download overnight to get an entire movie.

If I had a 100Mbit pipe to the house, I'd be more apt to buy films online knowing I can get them in minutes instead of hours.While I've never downloaded an illegal film, I have downloaded movies from Archive.org (http://www.archive.org) and some of the public domain features have taken several hours to download even with my satellite connection...

filmy

Interesting article concerning NetFlix and BlockBuster...

Blockbuster Accused of Patent Infringement (http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20060404/114419658000.html)

filmy

Let them fight it out. I hope they both lose.

[LENGHLY 2 PAGE COMMENTARY ABOUT HOW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND SOFTWARE PATENTS ARE WRONG DELETED]

Apple showed the world that, if implemented correctly, media sales via the internet works. I honestly believe it's the distribution model of the (near) future. That is, until someone finds a way to beam media directly into our brains.

Hey, if the internet didn't exist, none of us would know the other existed. I'd have never heard of Peter John Ross or John @ Bophe. No one would have ever seen my shitty movies. None of us would have iPods filled with our favorite music. I would never have discovered independent garage bands like Processor or Creepville.

Lets stop for a moment and really look at what the internet has given us access to. Now how much of that do we take for granted? In 10 years, we'll look back and say "Movie downloads? Been there, done that." just like we have with everything else.

Now I'm pissed.

For revenge, Netflix charged me for another month of service AFTER I cancelled my account. :angry:

I called them, spoke to a person named Byron who told me he'll "investigate" it (But the tone of his voice sounded like he was happy they had the last laugh -- he giggled a bit).

I'm calling my bank and filing a complaint against this company to both the bank and to the FTC. This is crap.