Wild Card/Tuesday — 3/31/09

61 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

• 

  poolman on March 31 at 12:59 p.m.

  When I first subscribed to Netflix I was thrilled with the concept. No late fees, no waiting in line at the video store, no wasting gas driving to and from. I remember the first batch of movies I received. They showed up like bright little red presents in my mailbox. Keep them as long as you need, when you’re done simply send them back in the envelope they came in and there will be a new batch coming in no time. Total DVD Bliss. Sorry Blockbuster – you just lost one of your top performers – me and my lazy inability to return movies on time.

  However, I’ve been with Netflix for about a year now and have developed some real nagging issues with their business model. First, in the beginning I never got the message “very long wait”. I’ve now had Pineapple Express at the top of my queue for two months in this status. Second, Netflix is not being very honest with the “Netflix Top 100”. Top three in order - Crash, The Departed, and The Pursuit of Happiness. That is a joke right, those movies are like five years old. Third, a sample of the movies highlighted on the “new releases” front page: My Name is Bruce, Death Race, and Big Stan –- WHAT? I could swear that Milk, Rachel Getting Married, W, Frost/Nixon and Zack and Miri Make a Porno all just came out?

  So, I’m considering a long term termination of my Netflix account based on what has clearly become an inability to support customer demand and an obvious strategy to “hide” the popular rentals from the general public, e.g. people not so inclined to search for their movies on Rotten Tomatoes… Oh Sweet Jesus– I just got an e-mail telling me Slumdog Millionaire is in my mailbox waiting for me when I get home. Maybe I’ll hold off on that termination a few more weeks - those dirty bastards…

• 

  Cabbage Boy on March 31 at 1:41 p.m.

  Poolman, I noticed that treatment too shortly after our free trial was up. During the free trial we were minimizing turnaround, watching the movie the night we got it and sending it back the next day. After a month or so they put a few on delay and I sorta understood why.

  We are so quick on the turnaround anymore and I haven’t seen any issues recently. But to me the subscription is well worth it. The older movies that one could never find at Hastings are all there on DVD. No walking through the store wondering what I should rent this time. No late fees, watch it when we want to.

  Perhaps if you are a heavy user, consider upping your subscription to the 2 at a time if you aren’t already. Netflix kids gotta eat too.

• 

  Cabbage Boy on March 31 at 1:41 p.m.

  we are so quick -> we are NOT so quick.

• 

  Sisyphus on March 31 at 1:49 p.m.

  You crack me up poolman. I’ve got the same complaints but its a damn site better than the alternative. I’ve found that relying on its suggestions is bogus. And also, as your recent arrival indicates, the sooner its in the queue, the closer you are to the front of the line. Frick it was only release yesterday.

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  Cindy_H on March 31 at 1:53 p.m.

  I appreciate this thread because they just closed the Hastings by our house. Now the closest rental outlet is too far a drive to be worthwhile. We don’t have cable, so we rent lots of movies. I was just going to sign up for my free trial, today.
  Overall, is it worth it?

• 

  Cabbage Boy on March 31 at 2:08 p.m.

  Cindy, overall it is very worth it. two movies a week for less than $10 a month. They have TV shows also, plus lots of good older movies. I have no complaints.

• 

  Cindy_H on March 31 at 2:17 p.m.

  Thanks, CB. It’s not like there’s a lot of other options.

• 

  Cabbage Boy on March 31 at 2:23 p.m.

  You can also go with the 2 at a time deal for around $10. We already watch more than enough movies though, plus you can share info with friends on the site. Although that hasn’t worked out so well with some of my “friends.”

• 

  Me on March 31 at 2:27 p.m.

  I have none of the problems described here and I have been with Netflix for like 3 years. The one thing I DO miss is walking into the video store, starting on the far wall and walking around through the new releases. I do agree that Netflix doesn’t do the best job of new releases, but I have always thought it was because their new releases are ALL new releases - meaning new on DVD or Blue Ray not just new from the theatres. I check each week, what is coming out, or better yet - as soon as a movie is in a theater and I want to see it, I can search on Netflix and put it in my queue. It will show the release date and be there ready when it comes out.

• 

  poolman on March 31 at 2:43 p.m.

  Sys - glad you saw the humor - I was mostly just playing around - had an hour to kill between meetings and was updating my queue and starting laughing at the “new releases”. I then realized Pineapple Express has literally been in “very long wait” mode for two months. I truly am a fan of Netflix. One of the best features, in my opinion, is the ability to suspend your account and start it back up very easily. Try doing that with XM radio…

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  hmoffsuite on March 31 at 3:40 p.m.

  poolman. Initially, you commented on the Netflix business plan. I’m guessing they are trying to evolve their users to an ‘on demand’ format and you would not get the movies physically any more. Think of the cost savings to netflix by means of delivering online.

• 

  Bent on March 31 at 3:53 p.m.

  <shameless blog=”“ plug=”“>

  We aren’t waiting for Winter to call the shots anymore:http://bentsbeergarden.blogspot.com/2009/03/our-family-garden-grows-more-than-food.html

• 

  Bent on March 31 at 3:54 p.m.

  Hmmm, that link didn’t work. Trying again:

  http://bentsbeergarden.blogspot.com/2009/03/our-family-garden-grows-more-than-food.html

• 

  JeanC on March 31 at 4:03 p.m.

  We love Netflix and have the 3 at a time sunscription. As soon as we get the card for the computer, we will be able to watch the on demand stuff on the TV (can’t stand watching movies on a computer screen).

  As for new releases, we usually wait until they’ve been out quite a while anyways, so not getting them right away on Netflix is no big deal. Esp since we have LOTS of stuff waiting to hit our mail box (say she looking forward to weekends of nothing but Man From Uncle and Secret Agent Man marathons :D )

• 

  toadman on March 31 at 4:32 p.m.

  Neener Neener!!! We got a package from Marmie today and YOU DIDN’T!!! HA! Crisps and candy galore!!

  I’ll await all your green envy with baited and crisp/chip flavoured breath!! HA!!!

  I’ll try to review each flavour for you all…I haven’t seen the package yet, so I HOPE she found the infamous Cajun Squirrel flavour!

• 

  OrangeTV on March 31 at 5:05 p.m.

  Any HBOers looking for employment? Do you have experience in marketing and/or network technology? My new employer is still hiring and I said I’d ask around… Email me via my blog for more info…

• 

  Cindy_H on March 31 at 5:39 p.m.

  Um. Toad. Sharing is nice. Sharing at a Huckster Happy Hour is even nicer.
  How nice are you?

• 

  hmoffsuite on March 31 at 6:16 p.m.

  More tax problems with an Obama appointee…

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius recently corrected three years of tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes after finding “unintentional errors”—the latest tax troubles for an Obama administration nominee. The Kansas governor explained the changes to senators in a letter dated Tuesday that the administration released. She said they involved charitable contributions, the sale of a home and business expenses……

  http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D979AVVO2&show_article=1

• 

  cantyoureadthesigns on March 31 at 7:20 p.m.

  “weekends of nothing but Man From Uncle and Secret Agent Man marathons :D )”
  -JeanC

  Oh that would be very, very cool. Mr. Kuriakan and Mr. Solo. Men from U.N.C.L.E.

  I abused Netflix for a month of free service. I have a friend who’s a very heavy user of Netflix, and claims that such users do not (anymore) get preferential treatment over the more casual users. He made a big stink about it with them, but they told him and other high users to stick it their pipe and smoke it. Puns intended.

• 

  Cis on March 31 at 7:56 p.m.

  I have had Netflix for 3 years also… we have the unlimited two at a time, when repeats are on tv and when we downsized our tv to antenna we upped it to 3. And then downsize to 2 for the summer.
  I saw where they are going to up the prices on Blue Ray, but I don’t get those…

  Also up and coming is Red (I think) Box. Our Wal-mart has one. My son in Olympia loves it. You order on your computer and then go to the box and put in the numbers and it pops out. If you take it for longer than the one day, they charge you a dollar. I am not sure about the rest…
  I like Netflix because it comes to the house, and it goes from the house mail… and no postage for it. No extra charge no matter how long you keep it…So we have been really happy with it. Yes, Poolman’s remarks are true.. but not so bad I want to quit.

  Also, I have a question.. how much do any of you know about the April Fool virus. Is this something to be really worried about. The news said it is already in our computer, or could be… and tomorrow it is going to activate it… Or is this going to be a true April Fool joke? Anyone know?

• 

  Arch_Druid on March 31 at 8:21 p.m.

  I wouldn’t mind seeing Man from UNCLE again. But on TV. I’m not interested in Net Flix.

• 

  Bent on March 31 at 9:43 p.m.

  Cis, our IT guys at work said to make sure you have the latest windows update called “Malicious Software Removal Tool.” Just go to “windows update” under tools and check your update history to make sure your computer has it. If not, I would update to get it just in case.

• 

  Bent on April 01 at 6:33 a.m.

  Cd’A Press has an April Fools story this morning. It took a minute to sink in. As I was reading, I was thinking, man, the copy editors were asleep last night:

  http://cdapress.com/articles/2009/04/01/news/news04.txt

• 

  Bent on April 01 at 6:47 a.m.

  DFO, is the SR running old stories as an April Fools Joke? The Lisa Brown Tax lawsuit ruling; the Bozman Gas Main explosion and the Stark testimony, the boat fee increase to battle muscles are all old stories, and I am sure there are more…

• 

  Cabbage Boy on April 01 at 8:40 a.m.

  Thanks Bent. That was rather a good article. Love the photo too.

• 

  toadman on April 01 at 8:52 a.m.

  “Toad. Sharing is nice. Sharing at a Huckster Happy Hour is even nicer.
  How nice are you?”

  I’m only as nice as my family (who also likes to share) will let me be.

  ;-)

  Incidentally, marmie DID send the Cajun Squirrel flavoured crisps. The flavour was mild, and not as gamey as you’d think.

  We all sat down and tasted them, then we had a blindfold contest to see who could name them all blindfolded. Fun times. I think my absolute favorite was either the Onion Baji (an Indian dish) flavor, or the Builders Breakfast (sausage bacon and egg) flavor.

  I really wish US chip makers would take a clue from the British on this one.

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