I think they have a good selection, but I miss going to the video store with friends and laughing at VHS covers, and saying this looks like a laff let's rent it!
I've been using Netflix for almost as long as the company has been in existence. Pretty much my only complaint against the company is their usage of detestable pop-up ads.
As a rental company, I think they are great. First and foremost is that they offer access to movies that physical stores (Blockbuster, etc.) would never stock.
I'm lucky, though. I live in Phoenix, which is a major hub for them, so the turnaround time is very quick. If I mail a DVD one day, they get the DVD the next day, ship the next one out that same day, and the next day I get it. A two day turnaround.
They have done some tricky things, such as "throttling." But that seems to have ceased. In fact, the other day they had to send me a DVD from some other hub, that would take a few extra days to get to me. It only took one, but they still added a whole other slot to my queue for an entire week. In that week, I got three extra DVD's for the price I was paying.
Every time I have got a defective DVD (cracked), I have been able to return it no problem; even if I didn't notice it was broken until a week after I got it. (I don't watch all my movies right away.)
Now they have the option to watch films instantly on your computer; and if you are an Xbox Live subscriber you can easily port it to your television. I've watched more films and television shows this way in the past month than I have any other way. In fact, since I jettisoned cable, it is my main entertainment hub.
Another feature Netflix has, is the ability to rate movies. It doesn't seem like much, but you can also target other people as "friends." That feature allows you to see all their ratings as well. I have many friends on Netflix, many of which I have met on this board. If I see that Skaboi/Mr. Vindictive or Ash have given high ratings to a movie, I am very likely to seek them out.
So, yes, I think Netflix is a very competent company. In answer to your post, their main fault is that they can not get all the crappy movies that are only available on VHS that your local store has. But, yeah, this company has served me well.
I pretty much get a movie every day for 17 dollars a month. it's an amazing bargain. and it has a space to write reviews which I enjoy (http://www.netflix.com/StrangerReviews?prid=477892184&lnkctr=MDP2RL&lnkce=mdp-reviews)
I enjoy it very much as well; my local shops (which was pretty much all of Northern Delaware!) sucked for horror movies--every store seemed to have the same videos. By the time I was in college, I had seen most available movies; they never seemed very keen on getting anything new. It was difficult to find the movies I was reading about on this website!
So glad for Netflix; I've finally been able to watch reviewed movies! I was in absolute bliss when I finally watched There's Nothing Out There for the first time (sad but true). I have had a view times (maybe 2 or 3) where i get the messgae saying they recieved a movie back that I never even received, so i need to requeue it. No biggy. There was also one movie that I received damaged 3 times in a row (all three times, huge crack, but a different crack so it wasn't the same DvD). My guess was someone didn't like it and started wrecking Netflix's stock. :bouncegiggle:
Recently I noticed quite a few of my queued movies suddenly became unavailable and were moved to my saved list (Beastmaster, one of the Deathstalker movies, and a few others). Very strange that they become unavailable. Also, there are a few movies that I saved a while ago and have never become available--if Netflix isn't going to get them, why list them? I also find it annoying when they have multiple parts/seasons of a series, but all continuous parts (part 1 and 3, but not 2).
Overall, I really like Netflix, but they do have some peculiarities. I would love to see these things fix, but would not quick the service because of them.
Hail hail our savior.
Sucks dick for people outside USA. :tongueout:
-Jimmybob
Quote from: Jaer on July 15, 2009, 12:21:39 PM
Recently I noticed quite a few of my queued movies suddenly became unavailable and were moved to my saved list (Beastmaster, one of the Deathstalker movies, and a few others). Very strange that they become unavailable. Also, there are a few movies that I saved a while ago and have never become available--if Netflix isn't going to get them, why list them? I also find it annoying when they have multiple parts/seasons of a series, but all continuous parts (part 1 and 3, but not 2).
I can't speak for Netflix, but I work at a public library and this happens all the time. Copies of books become damaged/stolen/unreturned and have to be deleted from the database. Sometimes this removes all available copies, and the only thing left is the record. Ideally, new copies would be ordered, but this is not always possible. If a DVD goes out of print, and all copies have been lost in one way or another, then only the record of the DVD will remain. That record could be deleted, but you would use all the information already put in, and in Netflix's case, all the user generated content. Best to leave it in, just in case the DVD is re-released.
Netflix? We don't need no stinking Netflix!
Quote from: Mofo Rising on July 15, 2009, 03:37:54 AM
Pretty much my only complaint against the company is their usage of detestable pop-up ads.
I dont use Netflix and dont have any plans too because of the ads. There is a difference between advertising and shoving unwanted crap done someones throat. Ugh, I hate it. :hatred: :hatred: I use redbox or just watch movies online.
Quote from: 3mnkids on July 15, 2009, 04:19:03 PM
Quote from: Mofo Rising on July 15, 2009, 03:37:54 AM
Pretty much my only complaint against the company is their usage of detestable pop-up ads.
I dont use Netflix and dont have any plans too because of the ads. There is a difference between advertising and shoving unwanted crap done someones throat. Ugh, I hate it. :hatred: :hatred: I use redbox or just watch movies online.
In case you didnt know... you dont have to rent the movies on the pop-ups. Also, their pop-up adds are semi-customized based on the movies that you rented.
I do miss the old Mom & Pop vhs/beta stores but they are long since dead since we demand for a bigger and newer inventory, that they cannot supply...
also, I have not seen any great movie covers since the 90's
Quote from: Skull on July 15, 2009, 04:56:03 PM
Quote from: 3mnkids on July 15, 2009, 04:19:03 PM
Quote from: Mofo Rising on July 15, 2009, 03:37:54 AM
Pretty much my only complaint against the company is their usage of detestable pop-up ads.
I dont use Netflix and dont have any plans too because of the ads. There is a difference between advertising and shoving unwanted crap done someones throat. Ugh, I hate it. :hatred: :hatred: I use redbox or just watch movies online.
In case you didnt know... you dont have to rent the movies on the pop-ups. Also, their pop-up adds are semi-customized based on the movies that you rented.
I do miss the old Mom & Pop vhs/beta stores but they are long since dead since we demand for a bigger and newer inventory, that they cannot supply...
also, I have not seen any great movie covers since the 90's
Im not talking about the pop ups on their site but the ones everywhere else :teddyr: I will usually get 3 or 4 a day on sites I visit. I do have a pop up blocker but some how those netflix ones get through.
I love Netflix. Through them I have access to almost every DVD that's in print, and a few that are out of print. True, I do sometimes miss the experience of physically browsing at the video store, but overall it's one of the biggest boons to movie lovers in my lifetime.
Quote from: Jaer on July 15, 2009, 12:21:39 PM
Also, there are a few movies that I saved a while ago and have never become available--if Netflix isn't going to get them, why list them?
Keep the faith. Sometimes movies will pop into your queue from the saved list. It just happened to me a few weeks ago when LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD finally got released again. You can also put movies that are currently in theaters in the saved list and they will become available as soon as the movie gets its DVD release.
I have been with Netflix 4 years now. Get movies with in day or two of sending back and they have been pretty good with me. My post office sucks over here and when the suspensed my account and I called them, They understood the situation. I told them I try not to mail them in my neigborhood but closer to my moms job and they instanly lifted it.
The only downfalls I have had with them is when I first joined they used to send me movies from all over the damn country. It was when they got in trouble with the whole "Throttling". It was a bit to much but nowadays it very rare that that my center doesn't have the movie I want.
The only problem that still happens is when I get a broken disc and immediately ask for a replacement, they usually send me the broken one again. To avoid this I don't ask them to send me one ASAP but just put on my list.
I use Netflix, I got away from them for a while and used Blockbuster because of how many of my movies were on 'long wait' but BB had them right away. BB is very slow compared to Netflix, an additional day of shipping on either end of every movie. That basically cuts the number of movies you get in a month in half.
As for their pop-ups on other sites, I've never seen any, but I use Firefox with an adblock extension, so I rarely see popups anyways. If you're using Internet Explorer and get popups, I would highly recommend you try Firefox. Actually, I'd recommend it even if you don't.
Quote from: BeyondTheGrave on July 16, 2009, 09:31:10 PM
I have been with Netflix 4 years now. Get movies with in day or two of sending back and they have been pretty good with me. My post office sucks over here and when the suspensed my account and I called them, They understood the situation. I told them I try not to mail them in my neigborhood but closer to my moms job and they instanly lifted it.
The only downfalls I have had with them is when I first joined they used to send me movies from all over the damn country. It was when they got in trouble with the whole "Throttling". It was a bit to much but nowadays it very rare that that my center doesn't have the movie I want.
The only problem that still happens is when I get a broken disc and immediately ask for a replacement, they usually send me the broken one again. To avoid this I don't ask them to send me one ASAP but just put on my list.
The only probem I have with the post office they keep putting rubberbands on my mail and I believe they break the Netflix CD because it bends the disk, this happens several times... :mad
One time I had to send the same movie back 2 times (both times they were broken) the 3rd time it work and netflix listed the movie as a free rental (I have it setup for 2 movie so that movie was a 3rd)
Quote from: ghouck on July 17, 2009, 02:18:14 PM
I use Netflix, I got away from them for a while and used Blockbuster because of how many of my movies were on 'long wait' but BB had them right away. BB is very slow compared to Netflix, an additional day of shipping on either end of every movie. That basically cuts the number of movies you get in a month in half.
As for their pop-ups on other sites, I've never seen any, but I use Firefox with an adblock extension, so I rarely see popups anyways. If you're using Internet Explorer and get popups, I would highly recommend you try Firefox. Actually, I'd recommend it even if you don't.
Hmmmmmmmm... firefox... thanks for the suggestion
Quote from: ghouck on July 17, 2009, 02:18:14 PM
I use Netflix, I got away from them for a while and used Blockbuster because of how many of my movies were on 'long wait' but BB had them right away. BB is very slow compared to Netflix, an additional day of shipping on either end of every movie. That basically cuts the number of movies you get in a month in half.
As for their pop-ups on other sites, I've never seen any, but I use Firefox with an adblock extension, so I rarely see popups anyways. If you're using Internet Explorer and get popups, I would highly recommend you try Firefox. Actually, I'd recommend it even if you don't.
I already use FF and the netflix ones are really the ones that get through. I just added the adblock plus to FF and hopefully that will help.
I know I've mentioned it before, but my major complaint is that the Netflix movie summaries can be misleading. Other than that Netflix is my BFF.
I hated going to the video store, there was a mean lady that used to call my mom when I wanted to rent rated R movies when I was 19. And going to the video store requires leaving the house and social interaction - ew.
QuoteAnd going to the video store requires leaving the house and social interaction - ew.
excellent point
Quote from: Paquita on July 21, 2009, 09:14:32 AM
I hated going to the video store, there was a mean lady that used to call my mom when I wanted to rent rated R movies when I was 19. And going to the video store requires leaving the house and social interaction - ew.
Yeah, thats true... I hated that, just because they're so old they can't tell the difference between young adults and teens we have to be carded... lame.
Quote from: Nukie 2 on July 21, 2009, 09:36:02 AM
Quote from: Paquita on July 21, 2009, 09:14:32 AM
I hated going to the video store, there was a mean lady that used to call my mom when I wanted to rent rated R movies when I was 19. And going to the video store requires leaving the house and social interaction - ew.
Yeah, thats true... I hated that, just because they're so old they can't tell the difference between young adults and teens we have to be carded... lame.
I got carded almost every time I bought a DVD at Wal-Mart during the four years I was at college (small college town, the only store to get anything at was a nearby Wal-Mart) -- Clint Eastwood DVDs, horror movies with an R rating...unless I hadn't shaved that day. If I was stubbly, I didn't get carded.
I've been using Netflix for a couple years now, my one complaint was when I was at school and using it, my DVDs would often get stuck in the wrong mailbox and I wouldn't get them.
I don't have one personally, as I have never used them, but when "Consumer Reports," the consumer magazine, did a survey of places, where you can rent dvds, Netflix was #1 on their list. You can make of that what you will.