I'm Being "Throttled".
I am a Netflix customer.
According to Netflix, I am a customer they do not like because I rent too much. They have never said they do not like my business out loud, but you can tell by their actions.
It's because I rent too much. Even though I have a monthly contract to be able to have 3 DVDs at one time and my rental ability is "unlimited". I am guessing that by "unlimited" that would equate to 21 DVDs per month! It's a good deal for the $19.23/month or $0.92 per rental right. Well, this was done by my own calculations, not theirs! I have given them the benefit in my calculations. I gave them weekends off and one holiday on a business day in a 30 day period. If I keep the movie for one evening and it takes 1 day to ship each way (proven fact) and one whole day to "accept return/send next movie", it turns out to about 21 movies in a 30 day period.
According to Netflix, a "heavy renter" consists of someone who rents more than 12 DVDs per billing period. "Good renters" are people (believe this or not) who rent between 2 and 10 DVDs per month. How is this unlimited?
My monthly average for the last 11 months is 12.5 movies/month or $1.53/rental. How is this possible?
They have several different ways of controlling your flow of movies.
1) Availability status. They claim that a high demand for particular movies will result in a "Short Wait", "Long Wait" or "Very Long Wait" depending on how big the demand is for a particular movie.
I have come across information from "Google current_" that if you have had a movie on the top of your list for several months that has a "Wait" availability, the easiest way around that is the following.
a) Print off your movie list.
b) Delete your entire movie list.
c) Based off your printed list, start
adding only "Wait" status discs to your movie list.
d) Eventually you will get the movies you will want to see.
Please note that NEW accounts and "Good Renters" will always get first dibs on new releases.
2) E-mail Timing. If you get an e-mail from Netflix that requests information on when specifically a DVD has arrived. Basically, if you respond and they deem you are getting your discs to quickly, they will stall your next several shipments.
If you are like me, you did respond and you responded truthfully. I answered almost the whole time with the shortest possible shipping option that was in the e-mail.
Solution: Never respond. You are not forced to respond, so just don't give them any information. Your shipping will not decrease.
Solution 2: If you did respond... Lie! Lie! Lie! Wait several days to respond to the e-mail, then click the timing link that reads "I received the movie after... (date)". Then
never respond again. You should notice the amount of time it takes to get a movie to increase in shipping speed.
3) "Throttling". This method is easily based off how many movies you attempt to rent per month. Plus, add in the "Availability scam" and the "E-mail Timing scam". This is a method to make sure no renter gets more that 13 DVDs in a 30 day period. Though, theoretically you should be able to get 21 DVDs/month, they will just not let that happen. Only "heavy renters" (10-13 DVDs) will endure "Throttling". "Throttling" is a term the media has dubbed Netflix's methods based off testimony in several class action lawsuits.
Why do they do this? Easy! It costs money to ship the DVDs both ways and Netflix, Inc. is just watching their bottom line. Say it costs Netflix $0.77 for your DVD to make the round trip (an actual figure I found), that would mean if someone would rent 13 DVDs per month, more than half the $19.23 monthly subscription would go towards just shipping. Kind of makes you wonder why they advertise "unlimited rentals".
I all fairness, Netflix says they ship more than 1 million DVDs daily. Netflix has posted a forth quarter profit for 2005 at only $9 million which is quite pathetic when they deal with rotating over 2 million DVDs daily (ship/receive). But its still a profit based off "bait and hook" advertising.
And now my beef.
I have had "Lost Season 1" on the top of my list ever since it was put to DVD. This season is split between 7 DVDs and shipped as separate movies. I have been patiently waiting to get the first disc which has been on "Short Wait" for months. Up until recently, I have been putting "available" DVDs in its place as they get movies back from me. The whole time I am expecting for the "Short Wait" to go away in a ... short.... time. On Wednesday, February 8, 2006 I stopped playing that game. On that day I should have had at least "Lost Season 1" Disc 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or even 7 shipped to me. Because all of those discs are available and have been available "NOW".
As you can see, I have several Available titles at the top of my list. Yet Netflix's last shipment to me was on Monday, February 6, 2006 and the day that it was returned and my shipping queue was completely empty was on Friday, February 10, 2006. 5 days later they still cannot figure out how to send those next available discs. This is pure horse-shit. False advertising. A contract breaker.
I have contacted the Better Business Bureau in this matter. Netflix has over 400 complaints resolved according to the Better Business Bureau.
For information about "throttling" read this MSNBC article.
For more information and other online DVD renters try: Hacking Netflix
Netflix Information:
Netflix, Inc.
100 Winchester Circle
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Corporate Phone: (408) 317 - 3700
Fax Line: (408) 220 - 3115
Alternate Line (provided by Better Business Bureau) : (888) 638 - 3549
NEVER LET LARGE CORPORATIONS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU, YOU HAVE OPTIONS:
Better Business Bureau
Contact the business' local Chamber of Commerce.
Contact the business' State Attorney General Office.
Contact the Federal Attorney General Office.
Pay only $35 to call your local Bar Association to see if you have case against the business. Lawyer referrals are always free.
You can save yourself (and others) a lot of pain by using the above contact information. Exercise your rights!
I would like to thank an associate of mine for gathering some vital information concerning what I have posted here. It has been very enlightening.
According to Netflix, I am a customer they do not like because I rent too much. They have never said they do not like my business out loud, but you can tell by their actions.
It's because I rent too much. Even though I have a monthly contract to be able to have 3 DVDs at one time and my rental ability is "unlimited". I am guessing that by "unlimited" that would equate to 21 DVDs per month! It's a good deal for the $19.23/month or $0.92 per rental right. Well, this was done by my own calculations, not theirs! I have given them the benefit in my calculations. I gave them weekends off and one holiday on a business day in a 30 day period. If I keep the movie for one evening and it takes 1 day to ship each way (proven fact) and one whole day to "accept return/send next movie", it turns out to about 21 movies in a 30 day period.
According to Netflix, a "heavy renter" consists of someone who rents more than 12 DVDs per billing period. "Good renters" are people (believe this or not) who rent between 2 and 10 DVDs per month. How is this unlimited?
My monthly average for the last 11 months is 12.5 movies/month or $1.53/rental. How is this possible?
They have several different ways of controlling your flow of movies.
1) Availability status. They claim that a high demand for particular movies will result in a "Short Wait", "Long Wait" or "Very Long Wait" depending on how big the demand is for a particular movie.
I have come across information from "Google current_" that if you have had a movie on the top of your list for several months that has a "Wait" availability, the easiest way around that is the following.
a) Print off your movie list.
b) Delete your entire movie list.
c) Based off your printed list, start
adding only "Wait" status discs to your movie list.
d) Eventually you will get the movies you will want to see.
Please note that NEW accounts and "Good Renters" will always get first dibs on new releases.
2) E-mail Timing. If you get an e-mail from Netflix that requests information on when specifically a DVD has arrived. Basically, if you respond and they deem you are getting your discs to quickly, they will stall your next several shipments.
If you are like me, you did respond and you responded truthfully. I answered almost the whole time with the shortest possible shipping option that was in the e-mail.
Solution: Never respond. You are not forced to respond, so just don't give them any information. Your shipping will not decrease.
Solution 2: If you did respond... Lie! Lie! Lie! Wait several days to respond to the e-mail, then click the timing link that reads "I received the movie after... (date)". Then
never respond again. You should notice the amount of time it takes to get a movie to increase in shipping speed.
3) "Throttling". This method is easily based off how many movies you attempt to rent per month. Plus, add in the "Availability scam" and the "E-mail Timing scam". This is a method to make sure no renter gets more that 13 DVDs in a 30 day period. Though, theoretically you should be able to get 21 DVDs/month, they will just not let that happen. Only "heavy renters" (10-13 DVDs) will endure "Throttling". "Throttling" is a term the media has dubbed Netflix's methods based off testimony in several class action lawsuits.
Why do they do this? Easy! It costs money to ship the DVDs both ways and Netflix, Inc. is just watching their bottom line. Say it costs Netflix $0.77 for your DVD to make the round trip (an actual figure I found), that would mean if someone would rent 13 DVDs per month, more than half the $19.23 monthly subscription would go towards just shipping. Kind of makes you wonder why they advertise "unlimited rentals".
I all fairness, Netflix says they ship more than 1 million DVDs daily. Netflix has posted a forth quarter profit for 2005 at only $9 million which is quite pathetic when they deal with rotating over 2 million DVDs daily (ship/receive). But its still a profit based off "bait and hook" advertising.
And now my beef.
I have had "Lost Season 1" on the top of my list ever since it was put to DVD. This season is split between 7 DVDs and shipped as separate movies. I have been patiently waiting to get the first disc which has been on "Short Wait" for months. Up until recently, I have been putting "available" DVDs in its place as they get movies back from me. The whole time I am expecting for the "Short Wait" to go away in a ... short.... time. On Wednesday, February 8, 2006 I stopped playing that game. On that day I should have had at least "Lost Season 1" Disc 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or even 7 shipped to me. Because all of those discs are available and have been available "NOW".
This is my accounts movie list as of Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A closer view of what Netflix is shipping to me today. Nothing.
This is proof of the "Throttling Method".
As you can see, I have several Available titles at the top of my list. Yet Netflix's last shipment to me was on Monday, February 6, 2006 and the day that it was returned and my shipping queue was completely empty was on Friday, February 10, 2006. 5 days later they still cannot figure out how to send those next available discs. This is pure horse-shit. False advertising. A contract breaker.
I have contacted the Better Business Bureau in this matter. Netflix has over 400 complaints resolved according to the Better Business Bureau.
For information about "throttling" read this MSNBC article.
For more information and other online DVD renters try: Hacking Netflix
Netflix Information:
Netflix, Inc.
100 Winchester Circle
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Corporate Phone: (408) 317 - 3700
Fax Line: (408) 220 - 3115
Alternate Line (provided by Better Business Bureau) : (888) 638 - 3549
NEVER LET LARGE CORPORATIONS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU, YOU HAVE OPTIONS:
Better Business Bureau
Contact the business' local Chamber of Commerce.
Contact the business' State Attorney General Office.
Contact the Federal Attorney General Office.
Pay only $35 to call your local Bar Association to see if you have case against the business. Lawyer referrals are always free.
You can save yourself (and others) a lot of pain by using the above contact information. Exercise your rights!
I would like to thank an associate of mine for gathering some vital information concerning what I have posted here. It has been very enlightening.
posted by Benners at 6:04 AM
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