Re: Does Netflix purposely screw you by delays?

saylo1234@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Do you guys use Netflix? And if you do, are you experiencing
deliberate delays in receiving your films?

Here is the situation:

When I first started the service, I used to get immediate turn
around (one day return and one day delivery). I watched a lot of films
that way. However, after about 10 days or so of fast turn arounds, now
films are taking 3 to 4 days to be returned and 3 to 4 days for
delivery.

The entire last week, I have received only one shipment.

My sister in law told me that Netflix deliberately slow you down
if you watch too many films. Is this true? And why do they care how
many films I watch? Do they have to pay a royalty each time a film is
rented?

These are my questions. If it is true that they are so
unscrupulous, I am going to quit them and try blockbuster. But that
seems, in some ways, too easy on them. I feel like I want to call them
up and scream at them. Or the other thing is that I heard there is
even a class action law suit going on (I am not sure if this is true).
If that is the case, I definitely want to join in the suit.

Does anyone here know the real scoop behind Netflix's business
practices? And do you think Blockbuster.com would be better?

It's explained on their web page
<http://www.netflix.com/FAQ?faqtrkid=1&p_search_text=shipping&srch.x=0&srch.y=0>:

Q: How does Netflix process and ship DVDs?
A: We receive rental returns Monday through Friday, except holidays, via the United States Postal Service. We process nearly 100 percent of returns the same day we receive them. When we check in a return, an e-mail is automatically and promptly sent to you to let you know that we have received your DVD. Our goal is to ship you the DVDs listed highest in your queue from the distribution center closest to you so that you get movies quickly. Generally, on the same day that we receive a DVD from you, we will ship the next available DVD from your queue. We will send you an e-mail letting you know when we have shipped your next DVD, including the anticipated day of delivery.

In our unlimited plans, we do not establish a monthly limit on the number of DVDs you can rent. However, as a result of your viewing habits and our operational practices, the actual number of DVDs you rent in any month may vary, and you may experience differentiated service during the course of your membership. Also, such service may be different from the service we provide to other members on the same membership plan. The type of differentiated service you may experience includes, but is not limited to, (i) the shipment of your next available DVD occurring at least one business day following return of your previously viewed movie, (ii) delivery taking longer, as the shipments may not be processed from your local distribution center and (iii) the movies you receive coming from lower in your queue. For example, your next available DVD may not ship until at least one business day following our receipt of your returned movie. This can occur when your top choices are not available to you from your closest distribution center or the number of shipments to be processed by the distribution center on that day has been exceeded. When one or both of these conditions exist, your DVD will likely ship on the next business day and may come from an alternate distribution center.

These effects will not occur unless we are faced with limited inventory at your local distribution center or when the number of shipments to be processed by that distribution center on that day is exceeded. In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we may utilize many different factors such as the number and type of DVDs you rent through our service, the subscription plan you select, and other uses of our service by you. For example, if all other factors are the same, we give priority to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service.

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
In literature, as in love, we are astonished
by what is chosen by others. --Andre Maurois
.

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