Sometimes I’m not the earliest adopter of new technology trends. I got a cell phone much later than my friends. I got Windows 98 in the year 2000. I got a DVD player only a few years ago, and only recently got a digital video recorder (DVR).
But perhaps I can be an “early opt-out’er,” a person who’s early to drop a technology that doesn’t serve them. In this case, the service is Netflix, which lets you rent DVDs by mail for a monthly charge. I’ve had the service for a few years, and loved the simplicity of setting up a queue online of movies I want, having them appear in my mailbox magically as I return them.
The site also has some nifty features such as a recommendation engine, suggesting movies you’d like based on your ratings of similar movies, and friends’ lists so you can see what your buddies think about certain movies. But I noticed that my three DVDs from Netflix tend to sit around and gather dust week by week, to the point where it doesn’t make financial sense to spend about $20 per month to watch three DVDs.
I find myself going to the local video store down the street, especially to get videos for my 3-year-old son, Julian. Netflix never seemed to make sense for kids’ movies because he wants instant gratification and couldn’t understand picking out movies online and then waiting a few days before they would arrive. Plus, I limit how many videos he watches each week, so the video overload of Netflix doesn’t work there.
That’s also part of the problem. For the Netflix math to pay off for me, I would have to watch a certain number of movies each month. And after I watch each one, I would have to remember to drop it in the mail promptly to get a replacement movie. Even though it seems more convenient than getting a movie from the rental store, the Netflix process builds up its own frets and hassles. If I forget to watch my queue I might get a movie I already watched on pay-per-view, or a movie I thought I would like 6 months ago, but have lost interest in by now.
Though I haven’t always been a huge fan of the local video stores, it’s nice to support local businesses — and to get out of the house once in a while and walk down the street (in this case, a large San Francisco hill). Along with the decent local video store, I also can choose from video on-demand through my RCN cable service, which now offers about 130 new releases, 70 older movies, and a random selection of free kids shows and premium cable shows. It does cost $3.99 per new release ($2.99 per oldie), but it’s the ultimate in convenience, and lets you pause, rewind, or save it for another day.
I realize that I could have lowered my cost by doing Netflix’s 2-at-a-time service for $9.99, but I decided to quit cold turkey and see if I really miss it. I wonder whether the combination of a local video store and on-demand movies via cable will satisfy my home movie-watching needs. And of course there’s the possibility that I’ll end up paying more this way.
Will this early opt-out’er trend catch on with Netflix subscribers? It doesn’t look likely now, as Netflix is up to almost 5 million subscribers, and one financial analyst predicted it would have nearly 18 million subscribers by 2010 — with an annual growth rate of 34%.
One thing is for sure. If I do want to opt back in, Netflix will be awaiting my return with open arms. When I visited the site today — the day after cancelling — I was greeted with the following personalized message:
“Hi Mark Glaser! We’re pleased that you’ve returned to restart your membership.”
Uh, not quite.
What do you think about Netflix and other mail order DVD services? Do you think they’ll die out with the advent of movie downloads and on-demand cable and satellite services? Share your happy and not-so-happy stories about being a Netflix customer. Use the comments below to share your thoughts.
View Comments (36)
Life has certainly become far too complacent when remembering to drop a movie in a provided prepaid envelope, carry it the entire length to the mailbox, and wait for the next movie to be delivered to you. What do you mean I have to manage a queue? I can imagine how difficult other chores in your life must be.
Breakfast again? Didn't I have eggs yesterday? What do you mean sunny side up or scrambled? Do I want ketchup? Wait!!! Too fast!!! Cereal!!! Oh no. Should I have one that is good, or good for me?? Can't I just hire someone to eat for me??
I am a shut in and Netflix has been wonderfujl for me.
Even if I cojuld get to a movie theatre--the cost of one
even without papcorn far exdeeds cost of Netflix
I am an 80-year-old retired woman who needs to use this money on food, medicine, and other neccessities of life.
Netflix has its share of critics, but it's been perfect for me. I don't have and don't want to subscribe to cable TV and I don't care to pay ten bucks for a movie ticket at the local theater, altlhough once a year we do splurge and take in a theater film, just for the great surround sound and the smell of cheap popcorn. In my four years with Netflix, on an average of two to three discs a week, I've had two broken discs, one wrong disc and two discs that had a three or four day wait. So, around 500 discs and only three bad ones and two longer than usual waits. What do I have to complain about. Nothing.
From Netflix I watched the entire TV series of Have Gun Will Travel, The Twilight Zone, Oz, Gunsmoke, Deadwood, and other old and recent TV shows. The old ones are hard to find or not available at the local rental stores. As for the complaints that some writers have about new releases, that's all a matter of preference. In my case, just because it's a new release doesn't mean I have to have it NOW. Most new releases are no longer new releases within six months or less, and there are a lot more movies in my queue to watch until the NEW release is available. I don't plan on watching a certain film on a given weekend. I only plan on watching a film, whatever it is, when it shows up in the mail. But, that's me. Never had a late charge, never had a charge for a broken disc, never had an unacceptable long wait for a disc, never had to stand in line while someone else applied for a membership. Always had a movie in the mailbox. Always had a great time writing reviews on whatever film I felt like reviewing. What a concept. I wish I could buy a car this way.
Hello, I have been reading your comments, i have looked and looked for help to even beable to get into Netflix, everytime I try IE shuts down, does anyone know why? Not sure if I should post this here or not, but I have no idea where to go for help, I want to subscribe to Netflix.
Thank you in advance
I Totally Don't Get It !!! How can Netflix survive while its rival (blockbuster online) provides much better service at the same price??????
BO can let you return any dvd in store AND exchange for a new one. Hence, when you don't wanna wait for a movie in mail,or you got the sudden urge to watch any movie right away, just walk to BO and echange a dvd mailer for a dvd!!! PLUS !!!!!! you can a free coupon per month to rent any video game as well.
Excellent fast mailing service plus the instore exhange advantage created a competitive advantage that netflix can never match up to... .... THEN, why the heck people still us netflix????? Tell me why!!
I am dying to know... maybe because they like the red envelope better???
Update; Netflix is still thrvining while Blockbuster just announced closeing it's remaining 300 stores.
And Pat, just Blockbuster Online instead.
i am about to get that Netflix because I want to cancel my cable. My only worry is missing all the network news. But then maybe that's a good thing!
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It doesn't seem to matter whether I'm signed up for 3 at a time or 6;
I am always WAITING for Netflix.
I go for days at a time with absolutely nothing to watch, even though I have returned all videos days before. Netflix acknowledges receiving my returns, but they just don't send me the next available DVD(s) on my list. I've called, and the person at Netflix looks at my account and always AGREES that I should have received more DVDs and ALWAYS says the same thing: They can't explain it; but sometimes it just happens. Well, for me it happens way too often and I'm getting sick of it. If Netflix shipments don't improve by the end of the year, I'm finished with Netflix.
Mr. Glaser. all this site posts are remarks by idiots who do not live on planet Earth.