Alternatives to Netflix

With Netflix hiking prices aggressively, consumers are being forced to consider closing their Netflix accounts and finding better entertainment values from other sources. If you would like to help those soon-to-be-liberated Netflix subscribers, click on Comments below and post your recommendations for finding inexpensive entertainment while enjoying a Netflix-free lifestyle.

Get creative. For some people, one entertainment source may not be adequate. The best solutions probably involve combining multiple options to get the most for the money. Netflix competitors, downloads, used DVDs, kiosks, stores, Web sites, set-top boxes, pay-per-view, on-demand video, consoles, cable, satellite, DVRs, etc. are all on the table. Never has then been more ways to easily access millions of hours of entertainment. There should be excellent alternatives to Netflix for nearly every situation.

Canceling Netflix? You Are Not Alone

Angry subscribers warned Netflix, but Netflix did not listen. Netflix subscribers threatened to cancel their subscriptions if Netflix raised prices. Netflix raised the prices anyway, and many subscribers appear to be following through on their threats.

If you are one of those incensed subscribers and you are ready to exit Netflix, you are not alone. Read "Higher Netflix Prices Equals Fewer Subscribers" by Michael Liedtke for the details.

If the Netflix member cancellations continue, it could possibly become fashionable to drop Netflix. These customer backlashes tend to take on lives of their own and snowball. Just ask the last company who dominated the video rental business, got too cocky, and started screwing around with their customers. How did that work out?

With the added revenue from much higher subscription fees, Netflix may very well weather this storm, but the New Red Menace may have gone a bit too far this time. We will just have to wait and see how many subscribers are going to continue taking the abuse from Netflix and how many are going to find somewhere else to wait weeks for new releases, rent scratched DVDs, and have their ISPs and computers blamed for streaming video problems.

Netflix Price Increase Marks a Good Time to Plan Your Exit

Exit Netflix Sign

Perhaps growing comfortable with their market share, Netflix has decided to dramatically increase prices. The new pricing structure will divide Netflix customers into two basic classes: those who stream video and those who receive DVDs in the mail. If you want to stream video and not receive DVDs in the mail, you will pay $7.99 per month. If you want to receive DVDs in the mail and not stream video, you will pay $7.99 per month. If you want to stream video and have one DVD out at-a-time, you will need to pay $15.98 per month for the privilege.

For some subscribers, this will amount to a 60% price increase. An increase of around $6.00 per month may sound manageable, but when considering that amounts to $72.00 per year, the cost becomes a significant issue. Also, consider that Netflix is a luxury expense. In how many areas of your life are you willing to accept a price increase of 60% on a luxury expense with no appreciable increase in service? For example, if you frequented a restaurant and it suddenly raised its prices 60% without improving the food or increasing the portions, how often would you return to that restaurant?

It appears Netflix is aggressively trying to discourage subscribers from renting physical DVDs. Netflix must really hate paying the costs of a DVD-by-mail business. Even though Netflix subscribers have become largely accustomed to being abused by Netflix, a price increase of 60% with no substantial increase in subscriber benefits seems a bit extreme and could be seen as almost a deliberate hostility toward DVD renters.

Assuming you've suffered some sort of dreadful head injury and you now wish to begin a new Netflix membership, you have no choice but to accept the price increases right away. If you are an existing Netflix subscriber, you have until around September to change your viewing habits or get hammered by the big increase.

You may have noticed that you can't spell "Netflix" without E, X, I, and T.  You may have also recognized it may be time to start looking for the way out.  Fortunately, subscribers have a few weeks to plan their exits from Netflix. If you are Netflix subscriber, and you wish to exit Netflix, you are advised to plan ahead. The biggest pitfalls to avoid when canceling your Netflix subscription are getting charged for extra months and getting charged for DVDs Netflix may claim were never returned or returned after the due date.  To minimize these possibilities, consult the cancellation procedure outlined at "Canceling Your Netflix Subscription."

If you put your Exit Netflix plan into place and properly end your Netflix subscription during the next several weeks, you can avoid the price hike and apply the money in your entertainment budget toward better values.

If you would like to help your fellow Netflix Underground readers by recommending some alternatives to Netflix and providing some other Exit Netflix tips, please click on comments below and post your suggestions.

Just Say No to Netflix’s Blu-Ray Fee Increase

On April 27, 2009, those of you who have Blu-ray rental privileges enabled on your Netflix account will be treated to a subscription fee increase. You must remove the Blu-ray rental option from your account before that day to avoid the fee hike. The fee hikes vary from plan to plan. The more you pay per month, the greater your fee increase will be. Now would be a good time to swear off Blu-ray forever.

Blu-ray is a ridiculous format anyway, and you should not be wasting your money on it. When viewed on an excellent HD entertainment system, Blu-rays do offer better quality than DVDs, but the difference is just not enough to justify all of the expenses and costs associated with Blu-ray technology. Besides, the world is moving to fully digital downloadable content. Blu-ray and all other video discs will be nearly obsolete in the not-so-distant future. You can read more about why Blu-ray is a doomed format on Video Underground, an Underground Syndicate site, in “Just Say No to Blu-Ray.”

Once you realize the future of Blu-ray is bleak, make sure to cancel the Blu-ray access on your Netflix account. The Netflix Blu-ray fee increase is only weeks away. There is no reason to be wasting money on a format that has so little going for it. Save your money. Enjoy your DVDs, and wait for the era of digital downloads to come of age. It will be here before you know it.

Missing-DVD Pitfall in the Netflix Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

If you intend to exercise your settlement benefits from the Chavez vs. Netflix class action lawsuit, be very cautious about the missing-DVD pitfall in the settlement. If you accept DVDs from Netflix, you will have to make certain you return the DVDs within the allotted timeframe and that Netflix acknowledges the returns. Otherwise, you risk being charged for the missing DVDs.

Many former Netflix subscribers have complained their credit cards were charged for missing DVDs after canceling their Netflix accounts. The reports of this practice are so common that Netflix looks suspiciously as if they might be pretending to not receive DVDs from canceling subscribers just to squeeze extra money out of each departing subscriber. This practice has never been proven, but the occurrences raise suspicion.

If this dishonest business practice does exist, the Chavez vs. Netflix settlement beneficiaries are at a considerable risk of being charged for DVDs which Netflix does not acknowledge receiving. A beneficiary ending a three-out plan could easily be on the hook for $60 or more after his/her free subscription month. That is a lot to pay for one free month of DVDs.

If you are concerned that Netflix may fraudulently charge you for DVDs you actually returned, you may reduce your risk by taking some extra precautions. The steps below could help you dispute any illegitimate charges on your credit card from Netflix.

1. A few days before your free subscription ends, delete every title from your queue. This should prevent Netflix from shipping more DVDs to you.
2. At least one day before your subscription ends, use the Netflix Web site to report as missing any DVDs you have not yet received.
3. Return all of your DVDs to Netflix within the allotted timeframe, mailing the DVDs using USPS tracking numbers and/or signature verification. This will provide proof of return.
4. Save full documentation of your actions.
   

In the following months, carefully check your credit card statements. If Netflix still charges your credit card for missing DVDs (or makes any other unjustified charges), immediately contact Netflix to dispute the problem. If Netflix does not fully credit the unjustified charges to your credit card, contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. In many circumstances, your credit card company will reverse the charges, and you will not have to pay.

If you feel Netflix is a completely honest and ethical company who would never attempt to cheat you, then none of these precautions are necessary. However, if you think Netflix may be a shady and greedy company, which is always looking for ways to milk its customers, be cautious. If Netflix fooled you once, shame on them. If Netflix fools you twice, shame on you.

Netflix Gift Subscriptions: The Gift That Keeps On…

If your are considering purchasing a Netflix gift subscription as a present for your friend or family member, here are some questions to ask yourself first:

1. Will my friend watch enough DVDs to get a good value for the Netflix subscription fee?
2. How is my friend going to feel when Netflix requires credit/debit card information when he or she tries to redeem the gift certificate?
3. If my friend has a billing dispute with Netflix resulting from a billing error, lost DVD, etc., will my friend unconsciously blame me for the frustration involved in resolving the conflict?
4. Will my friend remember to cancel his or her Netflix subscription in time to avoid getting charged for an additional month? If not, will my friend blame me for the charge?
5. Since my friend is probably already eligible for a free two-week trial, is a one-month subscription much of a gift?
6. If my friend really wants a Netflix subscription, why hasn’t he or she already signed up for the free trial subscription?
7. Does my friend know about Netflix’s reputation? If so, will my gift be considered a good gift?
8. Do I like getting gift certificates as gifts, or do I normally think they're kind of lame?

The most important part of gift giving is showing others how you feel about them. If you have answered all of the questions above and still believe a Netflix gift subscription is the perfect gift for your friend, go to Netflix and buy one now. If you think the gift of a Netflix subscription may backfire, then start browsing. There are many nicer gifts available for $18.

Canceling Your Netflix Subscription

The two happiest days of your Netflix membership are the day you begin your subscription and the day you end your subscription. There is an ugly and unexpected twist to this, however. A surprising number of former Netflix subscribers have reported that after they canceled their memberships, Netflix denied receiving their final DVD returns.

When Netflix denies receiving a returned DVD from a customer who has recently canceled, Netflix charges the former customer’s credit card for that DVD. This practice exposes the former customer to dozens of dollars in additional charges after their subscription has ended. Unfortunately, the former customer is left holding the bag and has the burden of proving that the “missing” DVDs were actually returned.

If you want to cancel your Netflix subscription and minimize your exposure to additional charges, consider following the steps below.

1. Determine your billing date by viewing your account information on Netflix’s Web site. Since Netflix cancellations are immediate and Netflix does not give refunds for partial months, you should plan to cancel shortly before your next billing date.
2. Several days before you cancel your Netflix subscription, delete every DVD from your queue. This should prevent Netflix from shipping more DVDs to you.
3. Send all of your DVDs back to Netflix. (Consider taking the extra precaution of sending these DVDs certified mail. Include a brief letter detailing the exact contents of the envelope. Keep copies of all documentation.)
4. As Netflix notifies you of receipt of returned DVDs, save the notification emails in case you need them later for proof.
5. The day you intend to cancel your subscription, check your account to see which DVDs have not been checked in by Netflix. Report any outstanding DVDs as lost. This should completely clear your queue.
6. Send an email to Netflix informing them that you are canceling your membership. This will create more of a paper trail. (Note: Do not tell Netflix that you are canceling because you were not getting enough DVDs. Netflix loves when heavy users cancel.)
7. Cancel your subscription using the Netflix Web site. Make sure to follow the on-screen instructions carefully.
8. Sit back in your chair, grin, and enjoy a beverage of your choice as you celebrate the end of the dysfunctional relationship you had with that company.

The main drawback to this cancellation procedure is that you will loose about a week’s worth of DVD rentals. Unfortunately, if you want to minimize the chances of getting hit with extra charges from Netflix after you cancel, you have very few options.

After you have canceled, carefully check your credit card statements. If Netflix still charges your credit card for missing DVDs (or any other unjustified charges), immediately contact Netflix via email to dispute the problem. If Netflix does not fully credit the unjustified charges to your credit card, contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. In many circumstances, your credit card company will reverse the charges.

Netflix Admits Plan Limits (Well, Sort Of)

On June 1, 2005, Manuel’s Netflix Journal reported what seems to be an indication that Netflix is beginning to subtly admit the limits of their unlimited rental plans.

Netflix’s Terms of Service now states, "Most of our subscribers rent between 3-11 movies per month." This somewhat ambiguous and non-committal statement is far from a confession, but at least Netflix is giving customers a hint they may be disappointed if they hope to watch more than eleven DVDs per month on a three-out plan.

Perhaps Netflix is feeling the heat from outraged customers, or maybe Netflix is just hedging in case they get hit with lawsuits. Regardless, at least Netflix is giving customers a little more information.