Is Netflix a Rip-off?

[Mordock]

Netflix is the only way to fly. I'm on the one-at-a-time unlimited plan, and I'm never out of movies to watch.

As a qualifier, I should mention that I don't get a lot of new releases, but that points up their real strength: catalog titles. Blockbuster has limited shelf space, and even that has to be prioritized towards new releases, but in my experience, Netflix can be counted on to have almost everything released in R1; if I get a sudden urge to watch, say, Ice Station Zebra, I can definitely have it in no more than three business days, rather than rolling the dice that a store in town might have it.

 

[Captain Craig]

I've had Netflix for 1.5 yrs and subscribe to the $9 plan. As noted it went down a buck but what wasn't said is they did that to compete with Blockbuster. As noted in the OP when Blockbuster started they made their price so nice that over 2 years Netflix saw something like a 40% drop in business I read somewhere.

Now that Blockbuster has you they raised their rates every few months and like a frog in warming water you don't notice till its too late.

My only issue has been that out of the countless movies I've seen in the 1.5 years I've had about 5-6 that were really scratched. How does that happen are people using them as drink coasters? Take it out of the sleeve, place it into your DVD player, watch movie, remove from DVD player and finally reinsert into return Netflix sleeve. How do people mess them up??

Netflix is best and at my $9 plan I average about 5-7 movies a month. Way better than the video store and apparently Blockbuster Online.

 

[Good Will Riker]

Also, the "predicted ratings" system works well for me - I've learned the hard way that regardless of how much the critics drool over something, if the Netflix rating tells me I'll only like it three stars' worth, that's the way it will be, and I might as well just boot those suckers right off the list so that something I'll like better will move up. (Anything under 3.5 stars goes bye-bye except for very unusual circumstances.)

3.5 stars? You have high standards.

Most people consider 3 stars to be fair and good enough.

 

[Good Will Riker]

My only issue has been that out of the countless movies I've seen in the 1.5 years I've had about 5-6 that were really scratched. How does that happen are people using them as drink coasters? Take it out of the sleeve, place it into your DVD player, watch movie, remove from DVD player and finally reinsert into return Netflix sleeve. How do people mess them up??

Those red Netflix envelopes tend to get jammed in the mail slots at the US post office, or so I heard.

 

[OmahaStar]

Also, the "predicted ratings" system works well for me - I've learned the hard way that regardless of how much the critics drool over something, if the Netflix rating tells me I'll only like it three stars' worth, that's the way it will be, and I might as well just boot those suckers right off the list so that something I'll like better will move up. (Anything under 3.5 stars goes bye-bye except for very unusual circumstances.)

3.5 stars? You have high standards.

Most people consider 3 stars to be fair and good enough.

I understand where she's coming from. With about 250 titles in my queue right now, plus more coming out all the time, life is just too short to watch a bunch of ... well, crap. The system isn't always right, but it's right enough of the time to make a difference. Now, if you're someone with only 20 or so titles in your queue, it won't make much of a difference. *shrug*

 

[M'Sharak]

Is Netflix a Rip-off?

Absolutely not.

The selection is outstanding, the monthly rate is very reasonable and the service has been nearly flawless. Aside from one disk which was received with a crack in it and two titles which didn't arrive on the date specified (all corrected promptly and with no hassle) I have no complaints about Netflix whatsoever.

Everything should be that good. :thumbsup:

 

[Good Will Riker]

I understand where she's coming from. With about 250 titles in my queue right now, plus more coming out all the time, life is just too short to watch a bunch of ... well, crap. The system isn't always right, but it's right enough of the time to make a difference. Now, if you're someone with only 20 or so titles in your queue, it won't make much of a difference. *shrug*

I am very selective of what I watch, myself. So, 20 sounds just about right.

I know my queue has always remained under 100 titles for that reason.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I have 150+ DVDs in my queue and another 20 in the Saved section, so I can afford to be real picky.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Definitely not a ripoff. I've been on the 2-at-a-time unlimited plan for about 2 years now and I love it. The price actually went down a few months ago, and we got access to unlimited viewing of movies online. I haven't really had any problems. I've never had a wait for any movie, even new releases, but I don't try to get them the first day they're out, I usually wait a couple of weeks anyway.

Really there's no reason not to switch.

 

[cylkoth]

My only issue has been that out of the countless movies I've seen in the 1.5 years I've had about 5-6 that were really scratched. How does that happen are people using them as drink coasters? Take it out of the sleeve, place it into your DVD player, watch movie, remove from DVD player and finally reinsert into return Netflix sleeve. How do people mess them up??

This is especially true with anime titles. Seems anime fans could care less about how they handle discs. Yes, shipping thru the mail may cause some scratches, but the deeper ones, spots and outright cracks, doesn't appear to be as causal as one might expext.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Netflix is such a great bargain, in my opinion, that their instant viewing option alone is worth the monthly fee. The physical discs I get in the mail are just icing on the cake.

BTW, I just switched from Blockbuster Online about 2 months ago.

 

[Tralah]

I've particularly been enjoying their instant viewing option. I'm working my way through Law and Order SVU series, and love being able to watch them without commercials.

 

[TemporalFlux]

Had Netflix for several years now, and overall I'm very happy with it. The only issue I've had is with delivery. If I have the envelopes delivered to my house (by mail truck), then I've found that the envelopes arrive ripped and often with the DVD completely missing. If I have the envelopes delivered to my P.O. Box in the post office, then the envelopes are always pristine and perfect. Of course, that's more a reflection on my mail carriers than anything else.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Been with netflix...like 4 years or something...love it. LOVE IT.

Sure, I've had the scratched discs, the lost discs but they have never charged me. And the instant viewing thing, with an ever growing collection, for no additional fee kicks ass.

I don't know why anyone would go with any other service.

 

[J.T.B.]

A little over three years ago I decided to drop HBO and spend that money on Netflix, and I have never regretted it. I have three at a time/unlimited, and usually keep two discs of a TV series on hand and one movie. I have had two cracked discs in all that time, no big deal. There have only been a couple of times a disc has taken an extra day.

I have seen all kinds of documentaries and foreign films that would otherwise have been pretty hard to find. I'm very satisfied with Netflix.

--Justin

 

[Christopher]

Is their instant viewing practical on DSL, or do you need a faster wireless connection?

 

[Spot's Meow]

Is their instant viewing practical on DSL, or do you need a faster wireless connection?

I use DSL and the videos play perfectly fine, no problems or extra loading time.

 

[cylkoth]

^^ I'm on DSL-my carrier's 3rd fastest speed tier, and it works just fine. Even worked on the slowest ($19.99) tier, which I had first. It will automatically detect your speed, and stream the program accordingly.
Instant Watching will require using IE, but other than that, no problem at all.

 

[Smiley]

I've been planning on starting a Netflix account for a while now, and you guys are making me really excited for that day.

 

[mrcoaster]

We've been with Netflix for over five years and I've had only one disc that got lost and no discs that were unplayable. We get great value out of it and they're library is quite excellent.