The Dark Side of Netflix

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3/17/2005

The Netflix Underground Challenge

Introducing, The Netflix Underground Challenge.

Is Netflix throttling you? If so, what DVD would you be watching right now if Netflix were living up to the obligations of the unlimited rental plan you paid for?

Below, click on comments and enter the name of the DVD you wish you were watching right now and how long--based on past experience--Netflix is likely to make you wait for it.

Note: The point of The Netflix Underground Challenge is to illustrate that if Netflix would just do the right thing and send out more DVDs, their customers would be busy watching movies instead of pummeling Netflix's reputation in public forums. (Plus, it's a good chance to vent your frustrations.)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'd have watched 'the Incredibles' last night if I weren't a 'heavy user' they had three chances to ship me a copy of that movie and they chose to make me wait a day, and now it is already a 'long wait' too bad that was netflix's last chance with me; i'm canceling this week.

Anonymous said...

I'd be watching Reilly: Ace of Spies (Disc #1)...which has been in the top slot of my queue for over three weeks as of this writing with an availability status of "now." They keep skipping over it. Yesterday, after what must be at least the 4th skip-over, the status changed to "short wait" for the first time.

Bill said...

I found this website where someone already did analysis on Netflix in 2003.

http://dvd-rent-test.dreamhost.com/

Anonymous said...

I'd be watching Arthur!
Ugh! I joined netflix about a month ago. I thought "Wow, some place to go instead of that horrible monopoly blockbuster!" Yeah I wish it had turned out that way. My first rental went down without a hitch (or so I thought), who knew the week it took for them to get me my movies wasn't them setting up my account, thats how long it takes them to get each set of movies to me. What a joke! I am cancling this week!!!!

Netflix = CRAP

Anonymous said...

I'd have watched "Vanity Fair," which has been #1 in my Queue since before it was released on February 1, 2005. It's now March 20 and "Vanity Fair" continues to say "Long Wait." (And, BTW, almost 75% of the disks I've received this year have been shipped "tomorrow." Unlimited? HAH!)

Anonymous said...

I loved Netflix for months, then moved to the 8 at a time plan, that went great for 3 weeks. Then all of a sudden it went from mailing my netflix at night, them getting it the next morning and shipping my new movies that same day to me mailing at night, lets say monday, them not showing up at netflix till wed, them shipping it, but not really shipping till thursday and me getting the movies on friday or sat.

Anonymous said...

Sheesh, get a life.

Anonymous said...

i'd have been watching 'sidways' this afternoon - but instead i'm searching the web to find site like this that confirm my suspicion that i have indeed been throttled. it's been at the top of my queue saying "available now" for 4 days. and yet two other movies that were listed under it have jumped ahead of it and have sat in "shipping" status for the last 2 days. uhhh, so i haven't seen a movie in almost a week. now's there's some value for me dollar. sigh.

Anonymous said...

I'd be watching Bear Cub which has been at the top slot of my queue for over two weeks. I returned three DVD's last friday and they received back on monday, they said next available DVD would ship monday, nothing shipped, tuesday the same thing, next available DVD shipping, guess what nothing. Finally on wednesday they only shipped one DVD (Garfield The Movie)PU. Guess what, the DVD I had been waiting for is now Very Long Wait. I'm so tried of being throttled by Netflix that I'm cancelling a.s.a.p. Netflix rot in hell, I hope you go belly up you bastards...

Anonymous said...

I'd be watching the Sopranos, Series 1, Disc 1. But I have definitely been throttled. Netflix, you suck! At first, I was getting a two-day turn-around: I'd put a return movie in the mailbox on Monday, and I'd get one back by Wed. Now, however, I put one in the mailbox on Thursday... and I still haven't got it back on the following Monday! Lucky if I see it on Tuesday. That just isn't right.

Anonymous said...

I was at a restaurant the other day, and I ordered a soft drink, which according to the menu comes with "unlimitted refills".

Although my glass was refilled many times by the waitress, there were times when I had to wait for my refill, such as when the waitress was attending to another customer, or on her way to refill my drink. This is absolutely unacceptable! This restaurant lied to me claiming that I could have unlimitted refills, but they instead throttled me.

-Ztsmart@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I was at a restaurant the other day, and I ordered a soft drink, which according to the menu comes with "unlimitted refills".

Although my glass was refilled many times by the waitress, there were times when I had to wait for my refill, such as when the waitress was attending to another customer, or on her way to refill my drink. This is absolutely unacceptable! This restaurant lied to me claiming that I could have unlimitted refills, but they instead throttled me.

-Ztsmart@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I would be watching the first 3 discs of 24 Season 2 tomorrow if those netflix crooks would have acknowledged receipt of my returned DVDs today. I am currently in the transitional stage between netflix being great and netflix sucking ass. Those slimeballs should just tell you that you'll end up paying $2 per rental whether you like it or not. The people who agree to that will still use them, and the people that don't, won't. So what's the point of false advertising, you netflix bastards? Is the extra money you make by luring people in with your deceptive lies really worth the expense of your reputation? It's only a matter of time before your reputation precedes you and people are informed of your fraudulent ways BEFORE they sign up.

Anonymous said...

This message is for the joker at the blue oyster restaurant 2 posts up. It's not even close to the same thing, you mental miscreant. Your analogy is flawed and I'm convinced that you were dropped on the head as a child, not once, but twice, which caused permanent damage to your inner ear mechanism, which in turn causes you to lose your balance and trip at random and unexpected times throughout your pathetic existence. But unlike a cat who always lands on its feet, you always land on your head causing further injury to your already damaged brain. I won't even attempt to explain how wrong you are. I'm convinced it would go in one ear and out one of the holes in your head.

And to the guy further up that said "get a life"...why don't you take one? Your own. Just who do you think you are? This is a venue for victims' voices to be heard. No one likes to be burned, and when it happens, people need a place like this to vent. You should know better than anyone what it's like to keep things bottled up inside. Of course, ever since you told your friends about "the incident", they now refer to you as "ass bandit" and say "you got owned". But hey, they're your friends, you picked 'em. So the next time you're thinking about judging someone, remember that fateful day in the dark alley behind the restaurant with the aforementioned joker, and keep your inane comments to yourself.

Anonymous said...

I would be watching "Life of Buddha" and "Cronicas" and "The Believer", if it weren't for them skipping days and waiting to send stuff for several days. I am going to start calling them every week with my anger.

I will not cancel but I will bug them over and over, I get 4 at a time and I should be able to get 8 per week but they usually screw with me and i get more like 4-7 per week.

Anonymous said...

I'd be watching "The Constant Gardener" if I could.
I was on their list for it with "Short wait" then all of a sudden it said "very long wait" What gives?
It's been on the top of my queue for weeks now,

Anonymous said...

I'd would be watching walk the line which I had in my Q before it had a release date and still have not got it 3/29/06

Anonymous said...

I would be watching Chopper, but apparently the only copy they have is being sent from a distribution center 2300 miles away... and it took them two days to figure that out.