Netflix (DVD Delivery Discussion Only)

[Perkins Cobb]

It's going to end my tenuous financial solvency, that's for sure. I've been shoring up a rainy-day supply of catalog titles, but just the new releases will kill me: my library basically doesn't do Blu-ray, so anything that Redbox doesn't carry on Blu, I'll have to buy. Could add up to over 100 titles a year (plus TV series!). Or else pirate them, but finding and downloading full Blu-ray files in bulk would be a big pain (not to mention that I'd feel like a creep).

[TMDaines]

It's going to end my tenuous financial solvency, that's for sure. I've been shoring up a rainy-day supply of catalog titles, but just the new releases will kill me: my library basically doesn't do Blu-ray, so anything that Redbox doesn't carry on Blu, I'll have to buy. Could add up to over 100 titles a year (plus TV series!). Or else pirate them, but finding and downloading full Blu-ray files in bulk would be a big pain (not to mention that I'd feel like a creep).

How is renting discs any fairer or more morally just to the DVD labels than piracy? A lot of them don't get a thing from rental companies, who just buy their consumer releases and then profit from loaning them out. I've never really understood this doublethink, where renting is held up as doing the right thing, piracy is condemned, yet both are done with the same purpose (of both saving money on purchasing discs, while getting to watch a lot of content) and have essentially the same outcome, whereby labels either lose out on theoretical sales (or as the case may be, don't lose out at all as people would never buy all the stuff they rent or pirate).

I'm pretty certain that arthouse labels would be better off if people cancelled their Netflix, used that saving to fund buying an extra release a month, then pirated the rest of the stuff that they would have just rented anyway.

[D50]

This slowdown has gotten me into the local library down the street, after a quick look at their online interface. On my first visit I browsed the bookcases and found Museum Hours and 4 by Agnes Varda. Score. Now I just add them to my queue. Combining the inventory of the 4 libraries in my city, they have more than 400 Criterion Collection titles.

[Perkins Cobb]

And just when you think it's hit bottom: As of this week, all my returned discs are taking an extra day to get checked in.

[Cash Flagg]

And just when you think it's hit bottom: As of this week, all my returned discs are taking an extra day to get checked in.

Mine have all been taking THREE days to both arrive here and return to their distribution center. I've only had a single one-day turnaround all year.

[Perkins Cobb]

I don't really understand that, because Netflix (as I recall it) was sending people to the local processing centers every morning to pick up the discs; that was how they got returns early enough to send out another disc on the same day. Have they stopped doing that? If they did, I'd think we'd all immediately start seeing three-day waits on every return.

[D50]

I have the 2 dvd out plan and as of this Thursday morning, with all discs returned as of last Friday, I have yet to receive a disc. Weather is not a factor. Customer service says this is within their terms of service. Baldersash.

[Cash Flagg]

I don't really understand that, because Netflix (as I recall it) was sending people to the local processing centers every morning to pick up the discs; that was how they got returns early enough to send out another disc on the same day. Have they stopped doing that? If they did, I'd think we'd all immediately start seeing three-day waits on every return.

I have no idea either. It's gotten to the point where I have to report almost every disc as missing just to get some activity in my queue.

[D50]

Francois Truffaut's The Soft Skin (1964) just popped up into my active queue with a 3/17/2015 availability date for dvd and blu-ray. Pic is of the Criterion cover.

[Ishmael]

Francois Truffaut's The Soft Skin (1964) just popped up into my active queue with a 3/17/2015 availability date for dvd and blu-ray. Pic is of the Criterion cover.

Well, this happens with every movie Criterion announces. Netflix will show an availability date and then, often right before the date occurs, they'll suddenly put the title back to "Save" status with no date. Seriously, this happens with every single older film Criterion releases that's not licensed from MGM (NF does get some of the newer films, especially IFC ones). Anyway, let's hope this is an exception and they actually do get a few copies of The Soft Skin, but don't count on it.

[D50]

I'll probably jinx it and get no films next week, but Monday 3/9 showed my two previous dvds were received, and 2 dvds shipped - to arrive Tuesday, received 2 Tuesday, watched and returned to NF in Tue mail (prior to last pickup 1800), NF received Wed, 2 more shipped, to arrive Thur, 2 received Thur watched and returned, NF received Fri 2 more shipped to arrive Sat, received 2 today Sat for a total of 6 discs this week. First time this has happened since early Jan.

[Cash Flagg]

I received a shipping notice for The Soft Skin today.

[Perkins Cobb]

I'll probably jinx it and get no films next week, but Monday 3/9 showed my two previous dvds were received, and 2 dvds shipped - to arrive Tuesday, received 2 Tuesday, watched and returned to NF in Tue mail (prior to last pickup 1800), NF received Wed, 2 more shipped, to arrive Thur, 2 received Thur watched and returned, NF received Fri 2 more shipped to arrive Sat, received 2 today Sat for a total of 6 discs this week. First time this has happened since early Jan.

I've seen a slight improvement over the last week or two, but my Thursday-mailed discs were a day late, and Friday's are at least a day late.

On the other hand, thanks to compounded foul-ups, I had 10 discs out for most of last week, which was entertaining. Should've taken a screen shot of that queue.

[swo17]

I got a nice email from Netflix a few days ago:

Shipping today!

Great news! Your next disc is already on its way! We are continually making improvements to deliver your entertainment to you as quickly as possible. Providing our valued customers with incredible service is our top priority.

Thanks, and enjoy the show.

Your friends at Netflix DVD

Granted, it would have been nicer if they had actually sent me whatever disc they were talking about here, but hey, at this point, I'll take what I can get.

[Perkins Cobb]

I'm still trying to understand these "Returning Disc Notice" e-mails. They don't trigger early shipment of another DVD before the returned one is actually checked in. Or do they? I'm having a hard time syncing them up with my queue, since they don't reference specific discs. And if they don't expedite shipment of the next disc, then they're just an empty, confusing attempt to trick customers out of calling and complaining, I guess?

[D50]

Francois Truffaut's The Soft Skin (1964) just popped up into my active queue with a 3/17/2015 availability date for dvd and blu-ray. Pic is of the Criterion cover.

Well, this happens with every movie Criterion announces. Netflix will show an availability date and then, often right before the date occurs, they'll suddenly put the title back to "Save" status with no date. Seriously, this happens with every single older film Criterion releases that's not licensed from MGM (NF does get some of the newer films, especially IFC ones). Anyway, let's hope this is an exception and they actually do get a few copies of The Soft Skin, but don't count on it.

The Soft Skin shipped. Hopefully (knock on wood) I'll get it tomorrow. Second week in a row with 1 day receipts and 1 day shipping.

[Ishmael]

Francois Truffaut's The Soft Skin (1964) just popped up into my active queue with a 3/17/2015 availability date for dvd and blu-ray. Pic is of the Criterion cover.

Well, this happens with every movie Criterion announces. Netflix will show an availability date and then, often right before the date occurs, they'll suddenly put the title back to "Save" status with no date. Seriously, this happens with every single older film Criterion releases that's not licensed from MGM (NF does get some of the newer films, especially IFC ones). Anyway, let's hope this is an exception and they actually do get a few copies of The Soft Skin, but don't count on it.

The Soft Skin shipped. Hopefully (knock on wood) I'll get it tomorrow. Second week in a row with 1 day receipts and 1 day shipping.

Excellent! They actually got some copies of the new Tati releases, too (I just got Parade in the mail)--though they only got the DVDs in most cases. Too bad the days are long gone when NF stocked every Criterion, but some are better than none.

[Perkins Cobb]

DVD only is the same as none.

[Perkins Cobb]

And now I have eleven discs out at the same time. I don't understand exactly why the postal delays are triggering extra disc shipments now (not that I'm complaining!).

UPDATE: Now it's twelve. Something's definitely going haywire over there.

[Perkins Cobb]

So twelve discs at a time is the new normal for me, apparently. Anyone else getting more discs than they're paying for?

[swo17]

Same here. I've been getting 3 or 4 at a time instead of the 2 that I'm paying for.

[Perkins Cobb]

Some kind of undisclosed compensation for the late deliveries, I guess...?

[Ribs]

Seriously peeved at Netflix's April Fools Joke, which forcibly kicks you from the beginning of the end credits of anything to a fake promo for their joke. As far as I can tell, no way to disable it. For the day, they've decided "nope, the people who worked on everything don't deserve to be credited for their efforts."

[mfunk9786]

As much as I loathe corporate April Fools jokes, we do live in 2015, and people watching Netflix aren't going to be watching credits roll by, and if they want to know who worked on something, IMDB has been a go-to resource for nearly a quarter of a century for that kind of information and is a perfect circle on the venn diagram of people who are aware of Netflix.

All that being said: Fuck April Fools in general.

[Perkins Cobb]

As much as I loathe corporate April Fools jokes, we do live in 2015, and people watching Netflix aren't going to be watching credits roll by, and if they want to know who worked on something, IMDB has been a go-to resource for nearly a quarter of a century for that kind of information and is a perfect circle on the venn diagram of people who are aware of Netflix.

I realize you may have been exempting "us" from this comment, but for the record: I do watch the credits roll by, I treat the IMDb as inaccurate unless verified by the credits, and I will never stream Netflix on devices that interrupt the credits.