Is Netflix a Rip-off?

[RobertScorpio]

freak wrote:

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I've had Netflix for two years now and I really enjoy it. I only have two complaints: 1)sometimes the disc is scratched or broken and won't play(they usually send you another one immediately thereafter) and 2) there is sometimes a very long wait on discs and you're better off going to the video store and renting them there. But otherwise, I've enjoyed netflix. I have the unlimited plan which is around $30 a month or so and it's very much worth the expense as I can rent as many movies as I want.

I'm actually quite amazed at how fast they do get here once they are in our Queue.

Rob

[bigdaddy]

It too me 4 months to get Wall-e.

[J. Allen]

bigdaddy wrote:

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It too me 4 months to get Wall-e.

Did you send them an email? They are very fast to respond.


J.

[Crusher Disciple]

Possum wrote:

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I can so hear you having KU say, "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor not a Greek god- oh wait I am one too!"

Oh, GAWD- I hate that bleached blond Cupid hair, but he does look fine in that shirtless leather get up.

So, I finally returned ST:TMP and So NoTORIous to Netflix on Friday, and by Sat they'd already sent them out. I had no idea they processed returns on Sat.

[Ethan_Hunt_IMF]

The funny thing about Americans is they don't realize that things like netflick or amazon or whatever is the basis for their crumbling economy.
You are ordering something that you could simply go a kilometer down the street for and then return the next day.
And why, because Americans tend to be lazy.
It your own stupidity that is causing your dollar to drop in value.

[RoJoHen]

Ethan_Hunt_IMF wrote:

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The funny thing about Americans is they don't realize that things like netflick or amazon or whatever is the basis for their crumbling economy.
You are ordering something that you could simply go a kilometer down the street for and then return the next day.

I can? Please, direct me to this magical place.

Netflix in a helluva lot cheaper than a normal video rental store, and they don't dick you around with late fees.

[paudemge]

RoJoHen wrote:

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I can? Please, direct me to this magical place.

Netflix in a helluva lot cheaper than a normal video rental store, and they don't dick you around with late fees.

I think he means the local economies, at least that is what I think he means. Things like netflix and amazon hurt brick and mortar stores.

Which is true online shoping can hurt the local economy.
But netflix, like BB online offer a far wider selection of movies than could ever be feasible at a brick and mortar store, so netflix and BlockBuster online are offering more than you could walk down the street and get.
Also I keep hearing about Blockbuster going out of business at least in the brick and mortar stores, but they seem busier now than ever. And we still have 3 of them within about 2 miles of my house.

[bluedana]

You are ordering something that you could simply go a kilometer down the street for and then return the next day.

Yes, I can return it the next day, having made a choice between staying up later than I want to in order to watch a movie because I have a real life including a full time day job and three kids who all have to be put to bed and well asleep before I can settle down to watch a movie OR returning it unwatched because I never got a consecutive 90-120 minutes in front of the TV.

Or I can order it from Netflix, keep it as long as it takes to actually watch the movie or show, and NOT pay 3-4 times the original cost of renting the disc because of late fees. And it's nice to just drop the red envelope into any mailbox on my way to or from wherever it is that I have to go anyway, rather than scream up the street to the exact store I rented at (even though its a chain) at two minutes to closing time so I don't get charged for another whole day.

Yes, convenience is the downfall of civilization.

[Crusher Disciple]

Or hope you get the only copy of that obscure little film you just heard about from the brick and mortar store.

Know what really turned me off of the brick and mortars? When I rented the 3rd movie that was so scratched up that my DVD player couldn't play it. I was stuck since they were the only copies of the movie the store had in the first place.

At least with Netflix, they'll mail you a replacement.

[Nick Ryder]

Plus the instant streaming thing is really great... I mean, heck you can have a bluray player or other home theater or tv that has it built in and not even TOUCH a disk. Which is pretty awesome really, cheaper than pay per view, better than a premium movie station and heh beats having to search out IRC channels and other warez type sites to find a copy of a movie so you can watch it on your computer when you're going to be stuck somewhere for a while.

[Ceridwen]

There's also the fact that places like Blockbuster killed the local market for video stores about fifteen years ago. Netflix might be taking business from Blockbuster, but national chains like Blockbuster mowed under any kind of "local economy" more than a decade ago.

[Ethan_Hunt_IMF]

paudemge wrote:

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I think he means the local economies, at least that is what I think he means. Things like netflix and amazon hurt brick and mortar stores.

Many American companies and i do mean mostly American companies, have sent many of their jobs over seas because of cheaper pay rates or to avoid the uselessness of a union and then wonder why no one is buying their product.
Its simple cause and effect.
The people who buy your products tend to work for you too.
THe United States is totally being shafted by NAFTA, a toyata is dirty cheap there but a basic Ford is one of the most expensive cars in places like China and Japan.
Brick and mortar was the backbone of the american economy. But it takes 2 guys to fullfil those orders you make online as apposed to the multiple amounts of people it could help in YOUR local community.
Look, Netflix is a great concept and good idea honestly but its just a LITTLE Example, amoung many, of why your economy is crap

[J. Allen]

Ethan_Hunt_IMF wrote:

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Many American companies and i do mean mostly American companies, have sent many of their jobs over seas because of cheaper pay rates or to avoid the uselessness of a union and then wonder why no one is buying their product.
Its simple cause and effect.
The people who buy your products tend to work for you too.
THe United States is totally being shafted by NAFTA, a toyata is dirty cheap there but a basic Ford is one of the most expensive cars in places like China and Japan.
Brick and mortar was the backbone of the american economy. But it takes 2 guys to fullfil those orders you make online as apposed to the multiple amounts of people it could help in YOUR local community.
Look, Netflix is a great concept and good idea honestly but its just a LITTLE Example, amoung many, of why your economy is crap

I pay $8 a month for 13,000 movies and television shows I can watch instantly. $8 a month? That's two trips to the video store if I only get one DVD at a time, not counting gas. I have no late fees. You see, what Netflix did was tap into a new market and found a way to deliver to that market.

I go to an online university in Phoenix, Arizona. I will have my degree in 17 months. There are two college campuses within 10 minutes of my house. Yet I got the better end of the deal.

See the pattern? This is the new path of business. There will still be brick and mortar stores, but only essential ones. Our economy's not crap because of brick and mortar stores, our economy is crap because it was mishandled by a handful of charlatans.

J.

[RobertScorpio]

Ethan_Hunt_IMF wrote:

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Many American companies and i do mean mostly American companies, have sent many of their jobs over seas because of cheaper pay rates or to avoid the uselessness of a union and then wonder why no one is buying their product.
Its simple cause and effect.
The people who buy your products tend to work for you too.
THe United States is totally being shafted by NAFTA, a toyata is dirty cheap there but a basic Ford is one of the most expensive cars in places like China and Japan.
Brick and mortar was the backbone of the american economy. But it takes 2 guys to fullfil those orders you make online as apposed to the multiple amounts of people it could help in YOUR local community.
Look, Netflix is a great concept and good idea honestly but its just a LITTLE Example, amoung many, of why your economy is crap

Is there a laugh track for this post?

Rob

[Temis the Vorta]

RoJoHen wrote:

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I can? Please, direct me to this magical place.

Netflix in a helluva lot cheaper than a normal video rental store, and they don't dick you around with late fees.

Netflix is local to me, or reasonably so. They're based in Los Gatos. So I can use em with impunity! What does NAFTA have to do with anything, it's not like they're based in Tijuana or Bangadesh.

Netflix is just an example of a better mousetrap. The Blockbuster and another video store that have gone out of business around my neighborhood have been replaced by a premium wine emporium and a drug store, neither of which are business types that are nearly as much susceptible to internet competition.

And DVDs will eventually be replaced by 100% paid downloads anyway. The notion of going anywhere, even your mailbox, to get a movie is going to be history sooner or later. That's why it's called NETflix.