The Dark Side of Netflix

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Showing posts with label tactic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tactic. Show all posts

3/29/2008

Complain, Complain, Complain: Giving Netflix Real-Time Feedback

If you get cheated by a corporation, your options are limited. You can boycott the company, badmouth the business to friends, involve the government, or start a consumer advocacy Web site like this one. If none of those options work for you, you can always resort to good old-fashioned complaining. Ah yes, the time-honored tradition of just picking up the phone, getting a customer service representative on the line, and detailing every little thing that annoys you about the company.

Complaining is a very common consumer tactic, and that is because it works. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Unhappy customers who do not speak up, get ignored; however, the ones who keep speaking up, get heard. These vocal consumers often get results in the form of discounts, refunds, freebies, upgrades, etc. Even if these disgruntled patrons do not get perks for their efforts, they do get the benefit of emotional release. Whining can be extremely cathartic.

If Netflix has wronged you in some way, you can always give them a call and let them know exactly how you feel about their transgressions. You do not have wait for a special occasion either. Every time Netflix causes you an inconvenience, frustration, or delay, maybe they should hear about it and explain to you why the weekend is approaching, a single DVD is being shipped from Honolulu, and two of the DVDs you mailed back on Monday have mysteriously not yet been “checked in” by Netflix. If Netflix is doing weird things to your account, the least the company can do is explain why.

Complaining can get results, and one of the most effective methods is via phone. Fortunately, reaching Netflix is cheap and easy. You can call them toll-free at the following numbers.


(800) 279-5688

(800) 585-8131

(888) 638-3549

3/29/2005

Netflix Inflates Multi-DVD Sets

Netflix Undergrounder, Michael Cader, just reported that Netflix seems to have a unique six-DVD version of Oz: The Complete Fourth Season while every other company has a version of Oz: The Complete Fourth Season that contains three double-sided DVDs.

Why does Netflix have an edition with twice as many DVDs? Does Netflix have some special expanded edition? Has Netflix intentionally arranged to have the standard three-DVD set spread out over six DVDs?

This is an important issue because, if Netflix intentionally doubles the number of DVDs for any given multi-DVD set, Netflix can make you use up twice as many of your allotted monthly rental slots to view that set.

Have you noticed Netflix inflating any other multi-DVD sets? If so, this may be Netflix’s newest tactic.

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UPDATES:

Without a Trace: The Complete First Season
Normal = 4 DVDs : Netflix = 7 DVDs

The West Wing - The Complete Third Season
Normal = 4 DVDs : Netflix = 7 DVDs

Dallas - The Complete First and Second Seasons
Normal = 5 DVDs : Netflix = 10 DVDs

Miami Vice - Season One
Normal = 3 DVDs : Netflix = 6 DVDs

Quantum Leap: The Complete Second Season
Normal = 3 DVDs : Netflix = 6 DVDs

Quantum Leap: The Complete Third Season
Normal = 3 DVDs : Netflix = 6 DVDs

Kojak - Season One
Normal = 3 DVDs : Netflix = 6 DVDs

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries - Season One
Normal = 2 DVDs : Netflix = 4 DVDs

The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Second Season
Normal = 4 DVDs : Netflix = 8 DVDs

The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Third Season
Normal = 4 DVDs : Netflix = 8 DVDs

3/16/2005

Netflix Tactics

The theory is that Netflix maximizes their profit by decreasing the monthly rentals of heavy users with a series of various delays. Here are the most common tactics that Netflix could use to slow down your flow of DVDs. Note that this section is theoretical and can be proven
conclusively only with internal Netflix documents.

Late Afternoon Shipping
Netflix sometimes ships DVDs in the late afternoon. This makes it harder on the post office to get the DVDs to you the next day. This often adds a day to your turnaround time.

Delayed Check-In
Netflix will not always check-in your DVDs on the day that they arrive. Netflix will sometimes increase your turnaround by simply holding your DVD for a day or two.

Delayed Shipping
Netflix should send out your replacement DVD the same day they receive your returned DVD; however, they often push your ship date back a day. This allows them to automatically increase your turnaround time by a day on each DVD.

Alternate Distribution Center
Netflix will send your DVDs from alternate distribution centers that are outside of your local area. Depending on distance, this tactic can easily add an additional two or three days to your turnaround time. (See Comments for details.)

Monday Delivery
Netflix will hold your replacement DVD and ship it so late in the week that it is almost impossible for the DVD to arrive before Monday. This throttling measure not only adds days to your turnaround time, it can leave you irritated all weekend.

Missing DVDs
Netflix will sometimes throttle you by "losing" a DVD for an extended period of time. This missing DVD tactic will effectively reduce your three-out plan to a two-out plan. This virtual plan downgrade can go on indefinitely. When this happens, the burden is placed on you to discover the problem and report the issue to Netflix. Each time this happens to you, you will probably end up having to report the DVD as lost to restore your full flow of DVDs. Even though Netflix will almost always blame USPS for the missing DVD, there have been many reports of Netflix suddenly "finding" DVDs when customers start asking questions.