Notify Your Credit Card Company About Netflix Membership Cancellation

Even if you take great care to properly close your Netflix account, it is possible that Netflix may still try to hit you with additional charges after your subscription has ended. Netflix could make claims of an improperly closed account, missing DVDs, missed deadlines, etc. If this happens, you have the right to dispute the bogus charges with your credit card company, and, if you are a customer in good standing, there is a decent chance your credit card company could side with you.

You do not have to wait for a problem to occur to take action, however. If you are concerned that Netflix could hit you with bogus credit card charges after you close your Netflix account, you might consider being proactive and contacting your credit card company before you close your Netflix account. You can notify your credit card company of the date you plan to close your Netflix account and the date after which Netflix should not be billing your card. You could still get hit with additional charges, but you may then have a stronger case if you need to dispute any suspicious charges from Netflix.

Charges for "Missing" DVDs After Canceling Netflix

Too many people are making a costly mistake when canceling their Netflix subscriptions, and since there may be many Netflix membership cancellations between now and September, this is a very important special reminder to help save you from a nasty surprise after canceling your Netflix membership. If you read only one thing on this site between now and September, read this:

Absolutely, clear your Netflix queue of all DVDs and make sure all of your Netflix DVD returns have been acknowledged by Netflix before closing your Netflix account. If you do not take this precaution, Netflix may charge you for DVDs they claim are "missing."

Numerous former Netflix members have reported that Netflix charged their credit cards for missing DVDs after they properly closed their accounts and returned all of Netflix's DVDs. Unfortunately, Netflix is always in control of any evidence when this happens, so there is no way to prove the fraud.

Once you close that Netflix account, barring signature confirmation, you have no way to prove Netflix received all of the DVDs you returned to them. Netflix may claim you did not return your DVDs, and they may stick you with a charge of $20, $40, $60, etc. on your credit card. If Netflix does this to you, you may have little recourse. You will have to dispute the charge with your credit card company. If your credit card company does not side with you, you will be responsible for the additional charges from Netflix.

So, clear your Netflix queue, and return all of the DVDs well before your cancellation date. If all DVDs have not cleared your account, report them as missing before closing your account. If you really want to be safe, you might consider sending your DVDs back with signature confirmation. Yes, signature confirmation is a pain, but so is paying for DVDs you already returned. If you can produce proof of delivery, you will have a much better case if you need to dispute Netflix's charges with your credit card company.

Netflix Fails to Honor Free Month Offer for Returning Customer

Netflix Undergrounder, Renée claims to have been cheated by Netflix on a free month membership incentive. Renée was a former Netflix customer for a couple of years and eventually received an invitation to rejoin Netflix for a free month of service. It was one of those "It's been awhile. Try Netflix free for a month," emails.

Renée decided to give Netflix another try. According to Renée, after just two weeks of service, Netflix charged Renée's debit card. Renée called Netflix to raise attention to the billing error. The customer service representative claimed the free month was only for new customers. When Renée called attention to the personalized email from Netflix and offered to forward the email as proof, the customer service representative hung up the phone.

Perhaps Renée's story is unusual, but the tale seems consistent with the sort of behavior that has made Netflix infamous. If you were wise enough to have already canceled your Netflix account, be thankful, move on with your life, and don't look back. If Netflix contacts you and tries to entice you back into the Netflix fold with special offers, consider Netflix may not fully honor those deals. If you do take the risk and rejoin Netflix under a special offer, make sure to check your account diligently. Make sure Netflix fully honors whatever promises they make to you. If Netflix pulls any tricks, cancel your account and report any fraudulent or unscrupulous activity to your bank/credit card company. If Netflix cheats you, you might be able to get some or all of your money back through your financial institution.