Sunday night, Netflix experienced another backlash when streaming was unavailable for most subscribers for a few hours. “It was an internal technology system issue that we identified and fixed,” a rep tells EW. While Netflix subscribers logged complaints on Twitter last night, this afternoon, Blockbuster took a jab: “Netflix customers: seeing red? We have the newest releases, plus Blu-ray and games included. #helloBlockbuster http://essn.tl/q8” Turnabout is fair play.
Last week, Netflix announced what amounts to a price increase to $15.98 a month for customers who don’t want to choose between its DVD selection and its streaming plan, which will now be offered separately at $7.99 a month.
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Oh, Netflix alternatives, where art thou?
Netflix is just shooting itself in its corporate foot. Invest in Redbox!
Netflix is turning into the Betamax.
Netflix streaming is HORRIBLE! You have a very limited selection. Most of the selections are available ONLY through DVD disks — so you are stuck with a few Starz selections and a large group of old B movies.
Besides, the allure of Netflix was in its cheap price. $8 was great. You could cancel cable and watch items broadcast TV and Netflix.
Now, Netflix is $16 — which is halfway to cable/satellite prices. Plus, Netflix streaming has a very limited selection. If you want to watch something, you have to have the DVD subscription and wait a couple of days (if you’re lucky) to get it.
No thanks, Netflix. We’re sticking to cable. If we want to watch the DVD, we can rent one for $1 at one of the many local Redbox locations.
In fact, we can rent 16 for the price of that Netflix subscription. Even when we had Netflix, we didn’t watch that many films in a month!
I’m not really sure where Nayeli is coming from. Limited streaming selection? Clearly Nayeli and i have different versions of Netflix. Or Nayeli is very picky. I didn’t realize Star Trek, BSG, The Office, Stargate SG-1, Family Guy, Wings, and so on were Starz Play options. Or that The Fighter, Under the Same Moon, Four Rooms, etc were B-movies. Most of my friends with streaming have well over 150 titles in their queue. I did too but it’s now down to a more manageable 50.
To be honest, they do have a limited selection for streaming. It’s much better than before but still lacking. If they had a massive library I wouldn’t mind paying more.
I would like Netflix to include captions on their streaming movies.
Since when is YouTube a substitute for programming? I can only stand it when Tosh does his comedy with it. Someone, maybe Blockbuster, will need to work out an app that resides in new flatscreens so folks can stream movies and TV shows. Maybe TVs can integrate a DVR so you can download the latest shows (with ads) at no charge and save it on the built-in DVR.
Redbox is lame and isn’t a competitor. If you want to mention a true competitor, it’s Vudu.
When did we become a nation of whiny Netflix ninnies? You can’t live without an a few yours of Netflix? Never heard of Hulu, Fancast or Youtube? Jaysus Krist. It’s cheap, fast and easy; why complain. It’s like beeyotching over your pasty limp McDonald’s fries not being “gourmet.”
Thank you @Shameless!! Everyone needs to stop whining and get a life!!
i do like VuDu
Now go do that Vudu that you do so well!
Amen, Shameless! I am so sick of these whiny babies who make it seem as if paying more for Netflix is a life or death dilemma! If you don’t like Netflix’s service, then cancel your account and move on! It doesn’t require braying like a donkey about the new charges! Grow up!
Redbox? Vudu? Wha?! That’s just an example of what regular folks are going to say about those products/services. The next leader in this market will come with everyone’s TV set so people will just sign up when they turn on their new TVs for the first time. Even better, integrate DVRs into the TV.
The price increase was ridiculous. I canceled Neflix and use TVDevo instead. Someone mentioned it on the CNN a few weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised by the shows offered. Recommended.
The TVDevo website doesn’t do DVDs by mail, but they offer a lot of streaming TV and Movie selections for sure. For DVDs by mail, try Blockbuster or Redbox
I’m glad I decided to discontinue after my trial subscription was up after they had a similar “outage” for two days during my trial period. I find their self-destructive nature to be hilarious. Offer a service that doesn’t work right and then jack up the prices for your substandard “service.”
Netflix will soon go the way of Circuit City and other badly operated businesses. Who is going to pay more money for a bad service?
Thanks for the TVDevo tip! I ordered it and was very pleasantly surprised by the selection they offer. I Tweeted their site too!
What Netflix has done is a classic business strategy. With low prices they worked to all but put their main competitor, Blockbuser out of business. Now that the competition is largely out of the way they raised those prices. The public has no one to blame but themselves for putting all their eggs in one basket.
Good suggestions! I canceled Netflix this morning and going to use TVDevo for streaming and maybe Redbox for DVD’s. Just finished getting TVDevo. This alone should put a few hundred $$ in my pocket over a year.
I follow Netflix stock at work and can tell you that the current deal the company has with the studios to distribute their content is a “sweatheart” deal that is expiring soon. They made the original deal before “streaaming” content took off and they know they will be paying 4-5x more (at least)for the same programming in the future and are trying to be proactive.
I’m sure none of you care, but thought those facts would shed some light on the price increase.
Is TV Devo even legal? The website looks like something built in the late 1990′s and looks incredibly shady, like one of those sites that sell books that claim to teach you how to earn $1,000,000 a month online. Honestly, I’d say a subscription to Netflix plus Hulu Plus would be a better option than TV Devo.
I have TVDevo. Just so people know, it’s a good streamer for movies and TV, but no Dvds by mail or blu-ray. Other than that its a good way to go.
TVDevo is a good service, legit. I learned about them from the MSNBC site a few months back and am happy I gave them a try. Lots of streaming content.
There is tons to be discovered on the net , and not all sites look like Netflix, etc. If you’re happy paying the Netflix price, then spend the $$. Netflix will be happy to take it!
DO NOT USE *TVDevo*! They were NOT featured on CNN or MSNBC or anywhere else. They simply spam as many articles about Netflix and streaming video as they can. Every comment above is a FRAUD. A service you’ve never heard of before–save for a few suspect message board comments–is NOT a safe bet.
TVDevo’s price is what I would pay Netflix for my 3 DVD & streaming service and I don’t have to watch on my smaller computer screen but on my large TV and BluRay. TVDevo also doesn’t show you what they have available online like Netflix. I’ll stick with the devil I know
From an actual customer….TVDevo doesn’t do DVD by mail, but they stream movies and TV shows from around the world. My husband and I read about it online and are both happy with what we get, especially for the price.
Anyone who says they wouldn’t buy something because they never heard if it is not very intelligent. (They probably work for Netflix)
At one point I had never heard of Netflix, Google, Yahoo or the “internet” for that matter. It has never stopped me from trying out something New.
I saw the comments about TVDevo and decided to give it a try, well I just lost 27 dollars. I downloaded the software and all I was able to get is four channels (not even local)and there were NO movies at all. Makes me wonder who the people are that posted how wonderful TVDevo is…..maybe someone having ties to them…hmmmm.
Yeah TVDevo is very scammy. One trip to there site screams, “DO NOT GIVE ME YOUR MONEY OR YOU WILL LOSE IT”. Software tries to auto-install on your computer, tryingt o leave the website gets you a “leave this page” pop-up. These two things alone scream scam. No free trial to see what it looks like, only money back guarantee. Yep it’s a scam folks. For what it’s worth, don;t believe everything you read on message boards. Just google tvdevo scam, you will understand.
Not sure where the negative comments are coming from (Netflix people??). I just bought TVdevo and immediately gained access to a lot of streaming TV and movies on my PC.
Netflix trolls go away. All others, search these terms for the truth about Netflix;
netflix fraud
netflix ripoff
netflix complaints
Many very upset customers. Many ripped off people.
Hey @Don, I smell a Netflix trolls too. I found this article about Netflix,
“BUSTED: Netflix caught staging fake event and hiring fake customers to gush to press”
Anyone interested in reading several news articles about it, Google, “netflix staging fake event” …
Now that’s a rotten company.
lol @ don, michael, and Sam. Try not to be too obvious guys, it will take away how many people you can scam today. My comment says nothing of netflix, only that TVDevo is clearly a rip off site. Anyone with any internet experience can clearly mark it immediately as a scamming phishing website. And if you can’t tell that, good luck. Notice all the attacks against netflix relating directly to what I said about TVDevo, lol, too obvious, it’s funny. Amateurs.
(Opamper – A Troll, waits until late at night to respond and tries to be brilliant with personal attacks on several people expressing opinions here). It’s obvious you’re a hard working Netflix troll, opamper.
Netflix… the company that buys pop-up ads on every major site on the internet. They’re the reason why all the major browsers have pop-up blockers, because people don’t want to see their spammy ads. And now Netflix has found ways to get around the pop-up blockers too. Everyone knows they are one of the major site spammers on the planet. Can’t wait until Notflix is caught with more BS. The stockholders will not be happy, but the press will be thrilled to report it.
By the way, “opamper” have you noticed how most of the comments here are against netflix, and that the title of the article is about netflix outages and customer rage? Walk away troll.. You’re up against the masses and you can’t win.
Gary, lol. Thank you for entertaining me at this late hour. Hows about this, yes Netflix does a lot of spammy stuff. Yes, they are very guilty of pop-up stuff and annoyances. I hate that stuff. Sorry that i am taking away your character assassination ammunition. My previous comments about attacks were directed to this one particular branch of comments. Particularly people glorifying a scam site to profit from it. I have problems with that. IDC or give a S&*t about netflix. Not sure if your guilty of the same, if you are, your much betetr at it that the others. Oh and there are better alternatives out there for some. Such as amazon prime streaming, hulu+, and more. So what Gary? i work for amazon and hulu now too? lulz
Who wants to watch TV only on your computer? No where do I see you can watch it on a regular TV. Seems bogus to me.
You know what IS accredited by the Better Business Bureau? Netflix.
You know what ISN’T accredited by the Better Business Bureau? TVDevo.
Not a comment on quality; just a comment on validity.
This is too funny. *All* of the pro-TVDevo comments are by people who have their first name and last initial or their full name and the state they are from. I’ve never seen so many “names” like that on this site ever. They are obviously shilling for TVDevo. Very funny. BTW, I don’t use Netflix but I can tell from these comments (without even going to the site) that TVDevo is a scam. Like someone said above, really amateurish.
Funny thing is the streaming was down so I shut off the television and played a card game with my wife instead. Yesterday they offered me a 3% discount because of the outage which I accepted. Not a biggie at all.
Why all the whining?
I’ve been a member since 2006 I think – maybe earlier. Sunday was exactly the second time I was aware of a glitch – and I stream nearly daily. They offered me a discount both times – and I didn’t even have to prove I was trying to stream. I wasn’t so I didn’t take it. I’m not so addled that I can’t find another source of entertainment and so petty I can’t accept a company trying to make it up to me. I just don’t see what the big deal is.
I actually have Netflix outages quite a bit, at least 2 times a week, and usually during high viewing times. Ok, I guess for the once small monthly fee, but with the new increases, I don’t think it is worth it to live with all the outages! For a whole week on my Ipad I could get picture streaming, but no sound. Netflix kept saying sound was unavailable. I just don’t think they have quite figured out the whole streaming process…. too many quirks to charge more for this far from perfect service.
I was offered a discount twice by Netflix when they had issues. But since I wasn’t trying to stream when they had problems I didn’t take it. (Trying to be honest
Sunday night I did want to watch a movie and my Roku told me Netflix was down. I haven’t been offered a discount. It figures….
I’m there with you Richard. I’ve had Netflix streaming for over a year now. This was the first outage i’ve experienced. I’m on streaming most every night. So it went down. Big deal. I sat outside and enjoyed the star filled sky instead.
But we don’t like playing cards. We don’t want a discount. The sky was cloudy and we couldn’t look at stars. Not even our urine was streaming. We’re very very tired.
I follow Netflix stock at work and can tell you that the current deal the company has with the studios to distribute their content is a “sweatheart” deal that is expiring soon. They made the original deal before “streaaming” content took off and they know they will be paying 4-5x more (at least)for the same programming in the future and are trying to be proactive.
I’m sure none of you care, but thought those facts would shed some light on the price increase.
Good point. Cost of business is going up. Costs go up, prices go up. We see it every day across the gamut of consumer goods. It stinks but that’s life.
I have no problem with price increases in general when the cost of business goes up. What I object to is that, as a long-time customer, I am simply handed a bill saying, “here, pay this amount for the same service you are getting now.” Do they want my business or not? How about offering a coupon or some value-added service so I’d at least feel slightly sympathetic. But with all the “get netflix!” ads I see, it’s clear they’re going gung-ho for new customers while not particularly caring to keep the old ones (which is significantly cheaper!). Buh-bye, Netflix!
The price change didn’t make me happy, but the kiss of death was in how they handled it. Instead of stating the facts–”We’re about to be paying more and we’re passing that along” they attempted to convince me that this price increase was somehow going to be to my advantage. This is where most of their fallout comes from. Nobody likes the feeling that they’re dealing with someone who doesn’t respect them enough to be honest with them. It might also have helped if they’d only increased it by about 30% or so.
But this isn’t the entire truth either–they are also expanding their business to other countries and they are looking to their existing customers to pay for the expansion.
I guarantee if we were to raise the prices on our service where I work to the degree that Netflix did, we would experience backlash too. A steady price increase over a certain amount of time is usually acceptable to customers, but a sudden large increase is not. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that people are not happy with Netflix over this. Is it something that should ruin your week? No. But Netflix deserves a slap on the hand for not planning for this better. Also: the arrogant attitude of the VP (I think it was the VP?)did not help their image at all.
The cost of business is NOT going up. Now that tech has caught up you can stream a lot more movie faster to the masses. And more movies are selling as “digital copies”. It’s the studios that want to squeeze more for each film. If a movie on a packaged DVD costs $10 or more, why should it costs anywhere near that in digital form? There’s no tangible material to buy.
Easy solution, drop netflix, cable\DirectTV\Dish Network, Blockbuster, and any on Demand service. Then hook your computer to your TV, download VUZE (sort of like a new Napster), go to btjunkie.com, and download whatever you want. No need to pay for content unless you desperately want the packaging. You’re welcome.
Pretty sure that’s also illegal.
100% illegal. Sorry, I thought that went without saying. But on the plus side, the FCC has said they are no longer going to pursue litigation against people who download content, only those who upload, or seed. So, just delete the file from your shared library once it is done downloading and you are safe from “The Man”
good to know about seeding. I just deleted my torrent files that were seeding.
lol – that’s brilliant. Make sure everyone who wants to download leeches instead of seeding, then see how many torrents you can download when there are 2 seeds left for any given torrent. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot…
Incidentally, it’s not the FCC pursuing downloaders you have to worry about. It’s the content producers you’re stealing from. Just because the FCC doesn’t care what you leech doesn’t mean they don’t either.
FCC will not go after you, but you IP can. I know 2 people IRL who got letters from their IP for illegal movies, one of those 2 ignored the warning and got banned from service. All the big IPs track certain movies on torrents from certain studios, HBO being one. You will not be fined, but you get 1 warning till your internet is shut down. It sucks, but it happens, fair warning.
I just seeded the housekeeper again.
Yeah it was, just pointing it out for those who might not know.
For what it’s worth, I have no issues with torrenting but just would hate to see people doing it without knowing that it’s illegal and could get them in big trouble.
And sit for hours waiting for illegal movies to download. Worst, it downloads and it was actually filmed using a camcorder in a dark auditorium. Or the resolution is less than DVD quality. All this while the MPAA makes a case against you.
I fail to see how Netflix is “doubling its prices.” You have a choice to dump the 1 DVD out at a time plan in favor of only streaming for $7.99. Most people who have Netflix for streaming don’t even use the 1 DVD out at a time thing anyway. And when you do need a DVD, just go to your local video store or Redbox. Simple and it’s not costing you double.
I get 3 DVDs at a time. Even with the additional streaming fee, I’m actually only paying $4 more a month once the plan goes in effect because they dropped the rate for the DVD plans. And mine is $4 because I pay extra for blu-ray.
MICHELLE IS AN OFFICIAL NETFLIX TROLL!!!!! Just read all her comments that are scare mongering and defending Netflix like a programmed robot!
NOTE TO MODERATORS; Delete “Michelle’s” corporate BS!
We’ve had enough BS from you NETFLIX!
Why would a Netflix troll tell people to dump the Netflix DVD subscription? Wouldn’t they just say to keep the whole thing?
A Netflix troll? Really? I have Netflix but hardly use it because I have a cable subscription and prefer watching things live. I just hate to see all of the misinformation on here–as someone who is an IT professional and knows a lot about this stuff. My other comments were about a clearly illegal service (TVDevo–anyone who is the least bit computer literate would know that’s a scammy site) and a suggestion to do something illegal (download torrents). I spoke out as a service to those who may fall for both–again, I’d hate to see someone doing something that gets them in trouble, since I see it all the time in my line of work. A Netflix troll, I am not. The service has many flaws, and unless you really use the DVD subscription, I’d say save your money and go with streaming only. As I said, Redbox works really well.
IF DIDN’T HAVE THIS WELFARE CULTURE PROMOTED BY OBAMA, THEN PEOPLE WOULDN’T FEEL SO ENTITLED. BOO HOO YOUR TELEVISION VIEWING WILL COST MORE! WILL YOU NOT NOW BUY LESS ALCOHOL AND JUNK FOOD, HELL NO! IT IS AN OBAMA NATION, AND WE ARE ENTITLED TO HAVING WHAT WE WANT AND WHEN WE WANT IT. AMERICA IS TURNING INTO A LAND FULL OF PVSSIES!
Nice. Really nice. In case you’ve missed it, nobody minds paying for the service, they simply want their money’s worth. By the way–during this economic downturn a lot of people stopped buying extras like liquor (I know we did) and junk food (see above), but kept Netflix because it provided so much for a reasonable price. However, it now looks like Netflix will be going the way of both the liquor and junkfood.
I have Blockbuster. For $20 I get unlimited movies every month and exchanges at the local store. At my rate of viewing I’m paying about $1.50 per movie. Cabletown’s On Demand is more expensive. And I’m not buying and storing these flicks like AppleTV folks are.
I really like what TVDevo offers for their streaming shows. Hulu plus is good too. I’ve canceled Netflix
I am thinking about Blockbuster. Sounds much better than Netflix.
No DRM hassle either. You can watch it on any computer you have, even android devices, which the rest of us own. Big duh Netflix. Way to go guys! Glad I don’t own stock in that company. Puh.
You can watch netflix just fine on many Android devices as well. I know because I use it all the time on my Droid X. Get your facts straight.
I watch Netflix on my Android too. And it works on all three of my computers (all different brands/models).
Michelle is a TROLL
Michelle has a hideous undergrowth.
Wow guys, grow up. I was merely pointing out that Netflix works on a variety of devices. Until recently, it did not work on my Droid. That was a bit frustrating, but as I said, they are expanding it to other devices all the time, as most other companies are. Again, being an IT professional, I keep up with these things and like I said before, I hate to see people fooled by misinformation. BTW, look up the definition of a troll and you’ll see what I’ve posted doesn’t constitute me as one.
PLEASE! Invest in Blockbuster! I don’t want them out of business and their services are great!
I just sold all my shares of Netflix for Blockbuster. Hope you guys are happy.
I had Blockbuster for a long time before I moved to a town without one then I went over to Netflix. Sure, Netflix has streaming but I liked Blockbuster better because you could turn in your mailed movies for a movie in store at no extra charge.
None of you people own stock.
Nobody “owns” stock anymore. They place bets on a company’s valuation. The stock market is nothing but an overglorified gambling casino. The reality of the beast is hidden behind the fake virtue of “investing” but the reality is, it’s just a haven for gambling addicts who won’t admit, to themselves even, that they have a problem.
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no more honor in “owning” stock than there is sitting at the blackjack table for 12 hours a day.
Although there is no honor in owning stocks, It does make sense to invest in those companies that provide a service or product you believe in. Money talks so investing in stock is one other method for showing your support and belief in the company’s future.
Investing in stock should be a method for attempting to make money. Not make a statement on ethics. Netflix is very profitable, selling due to a price increase is bad business sense on the investor. I guarantee they continue steaming along with profits.
Netflix was the almost perfect company and now they pull this garbage? The future however is clear – streaming only. No need to put up with discs, just stream everything. And while they are at it PLEASE post the newest seasons of Top Gear and post Lizzie McGuire!!
Netflix can only stream what the studios allow. They have all the power and you will never see new releases and the newest shows because the studios can’t make any money from streaming.
And Netflix because of their lame DRM streaming video only works on exclusive devices. When I buy a dvd player it works on any TV. Netflix doesn’t.
I think you can get a Roku for $69.00 and can watch Netflix and Amazon on Demand plus other channels. I like the Roku better than watching on Wii.
This isn’t true. The newest movie studios won’t be bothering with DVDs. That is why netflix is starting their own movie studio. Other theater run then stream only movie studios and companies are starting up. The bigger studios will eventually have to change things, some know this and will just milk the DVD game as long a they can. In the end they will be losing money on all the manufacturing, packaging, and shipping. We live in a give it to me now society. As technology evolves, so do people and corporations.
I don’t know. Less than 60% of American households have internet access and not all of those have broadband (40% of those with internet)or high speed access. DVDs make up a significant amount of the profits from movies. I don’t think they will go away too soon.
Wow that’s a really good point- wait, did you say Lizzie McGuire?
lizzie mcguire was awesome!!!
only good kids show now is good luck charlie
I use to love Netflix. Immediately cancelled them when they decided to charge more money each month. As far as I’m concerned, they shot themselves in the foot. There are way to may inexpensive ways to rent movies. So bye-bye Netflix. You were great in the beginning but you suck now!
Actually, in the beginning, they charged $17 a month and had no streaming…so I find it ironic that you thought they were great then, but not now.
Probably because their streaming “service” wasn’t all that. In fact, it was garbage. No irony in thinking that paying for a substandard service is a ripoff.
If you immediately cancelled you are stupid. Prices don’t hike until 9/1. You should wait and take advantage while you can.
Netflix is the new TiVo…..
At least TiVo worked on any TV.
What TV’s does netflix not work on? So long as you have a Netflix enable device it should work on any TV.
TiVo still works well for the record.
TiVo sucked. I bought a machine and paide a one year subscription. The dvr broke after 3 months. Called to get a replacement, they said it would cost another $100 without a warranty in case the new one would break down, so I asked to cancel my subscription since I had no machine. They told me it would cost $200 to cancel the subscription….so I ended up just waiting out until the subscription ended and did not renew it without a dvr. What a waste of money! Luckily, my cable company began offering dvr, which I used…when I wanted a replacement box, they exchanged it at no extra charge!
Love my TiVo. I had more problems with the cable DVR than I did with TiVO. I bought lifetime subscriptions.
Yeah, that “lifetime” is really great – not. My box broke. You cannot get an upgrade – or even new – box w/out going to their “new” tier pricing. that means more monthly charges.
So much for that “lifetime” subscription!
What people aren’t seeming to realize is that Netflix had no choice but to raise rates. NBC/Universal demanded more money. They were making about $30 million per year for the movies and streaming and demanded $300 million instead. If Netflix had refused, subscribers would have been whining about having less content than ever. NBC is all of your USA shows, Universal Studio movies, NBC shows, etc. Be thankful they’re only charging double and didn’t pass on the entire 10x increase that they’re having to pay to keep NBC/Universal.
Apparently NBC/Universal hasn’t heard how easy it is to get the stuff for free. The only reason I keep Netflix is because I haven’t figured out how to stream the stuff to my TV with out an X Box.
Uhm… connect your laptop to your TV via HDMI cable. Pretty simple, friend.
You can to that with an HDMI cable. It basically turns your tv into the moniter. You can use a separate audio cable to play through your speakers
That doesn’t work with all TVs, friend. Plus the resolution is lower.
Regardless of the necessity for rate increases, the unbelievably callous manner in which they ‘defended’ it was almost like they were begging us to drop them. I haven’t ever seen such an anti-customer public statement from a company spokesperson before. They deserve whatever hate is coming their way.
I couldn’t agree more!!! I had almost decided to just deal with the price increase when I read their 1diot vp’s statement about it being an “absorbable increase” for most families. He also stated that the increase was merely “a few lattes a month.” Those are the words of a man seriously out of touch with the economic times and the needs of their customers. He’s assuming his product is worth more than a few lattes a month. I wouldn’t give up my coffee for Netflix! I wouldn’t have to give up anything to deal with the price increase, but honestly I don’t feel like supporting a company run by people that don’t care about their customers’ needs.
Exactly! While I understand that their costs are increasing, their handling of this has been horrible. The initial email, and follow up comments really rubbed me the wrong way. Could I absorb those costs? Yes, but personally, I don’t see the value. As a customer of 3 years who was already on the fence about keeping their service, this really gave me the push I needed to make a decision.
oh please, enough with the exaggerations already. there was an increase of 4 or 5 dollars depending on the plan you have. Considering that most cable packages are over 50 dollars and offer little diversity of quality programming, i think that is a tiny thing to deal with.
A 4 or 5 dollar increase is a 50% increase over the current cost. A FIFTY percent increase is really pretty ridiculous. Especially in times where there a lot of other viable alternatives to Netflix. They are seriously overestimating their worth.
@brandon – if you want to keep sending them money and using their service, it doesn’t bother me. I am not wishing for the failure of Netflix. However, their customer service and public relations over the past week has been a disaster. For this and the price increase to come at a time when I was debating if I should keep their service anyway… it doesn’t make for a difficult decision in my opinion. I plan on keeping my service until the end of August, and then canceling so I can try some other options.
My $4 increase was on a 3 dvd/blu-ray plan – not anywhere near 50%. I get that the lower the rate of your plan, the higher the percent increase but it wasn’t an across the board gigantic leap.
That’s what’s bothering me the most, the attitude. Personally, I plan on keeping the service because I don’t have cable and they’re the next best (and still cheapest) option. But if they continue to act like jerks, I’ll learn to go without.
But, didn’t Comcast just purchase NBC/Universal a while back? Is this a Comcast plot to increase their On-demand viewership?
Get your facts straight. Netflix even admitted it had nothing to do with the studios raising prices…
The majority of Netflix’s deals with major studios are expiring soon, which will have to be renegotiated likely at increased costs to Netflix. They are not going to hinder these negotiations by bashing and blaming the studios that hold all of their content in the public sphere.
Blockbuster’s crap. Netflix had to raise the price at some point. Get over it, world.
Thank You, finally another reasonable response. Tired of all the people bitching. Folks, you had it soo good and now you’re crying over an extra 5 dollars a month? Really? Get a grip.
And No Blockbuster is worse as is Amazon Prime because you still can’t stream new releases just as Netflix can’t. You pay for everything you rent online via blockbuster. You’ll pay a hell of a lot more then what you’re paying at netflix.
Honestly, the stupidity and irrational reponse to this makes me shake my head.
I agree. Alter your subscription if you don’t like their streaming library, I will. Choose an alternate, vudu is a great alternate and pay for what you watch. Everyone needs to grab a tissue and shut up.
Netflix is crap. Some of you people are VERY easily impressed. It’s funny how fanboys spring up so easily for these companies, who are too jaded to admit they’re being ripped off and wasting their money. There’s no reason to improve when simpletons are so easily impressed by garbage.
Fanboys? Your comment is ridiculous. Are you jealous that it wasn’t your idea? Or are you saying that somehow we should all be pirating our movies free of charge? Otherwise, your comment makes no sense at all.
Is this the future of the Wal-Mart Culture in which we now live: whatever is not the lowest price around is suddenly a rip-off, even if you’re paying for services rendered?
@Justin – Just so you know, your last comment sounds a little bitter. Sounds like someone hit a nerve.
I can’t get over it.
My subscription ends in 2 weeks.
Permanently.
Mine too! I hope to finish the True Blood Season III before though! Have the middle disc so I will watch that tonight and stream what i can and be done Bye Bye Netflix!
Ditto. You think they would have made more improvements to their services before raising prices. I can’t even watch Netflix on my phone. I should be able to, it’s possible on other phones, but not my cell phone. I’m done.
I’m with you. Got 2 more DVDs for True Blood and then I’m cancelling. Guess I’ll use Amazon on Demand for other things on DVD.
So it’s netflixes fault that you have a sh*tty phone. LOL. I love people who want every movie known to man for 5 dollars a month.
Do you have a Android smartphone? If so, Netflix IS releasing the official app to various Android devices as they get clearance from manufacturers and cell providers. It is not Netflix fault that Android apps don’t work out of the box on all phones and that code must be written to make sure they work, nor is it Netflix fault that cell providers are afraid of excessive data use that comes with streaming.
You’re giving up on Netflix because you can’t watch movies on your phone? Why would ever want to do that anyways?
Unfortunately, NETFLIX fails to get that they are not the only game in town! So if they choose to increase prices, expect loyal customers to buy individual packages each month for either a stream only or dvd only package, they’ve as it has been stated here already, have shot themselves in the foot! My subscriptions comes up next month, it is time to cancel and figure something else out!
The streaming goes wackadoodle all the time. Which I was willing to overlook when it was free. Now, they can bite me and I’m just going to use Blockbuster/Red Box.
Ive never had an issue with streaming, I stream to my TV, Ipad and my phone with no issues. Most of the smart people here with issues are those who have sh*tty internet providers. Who uses DVD’s anyways? What is this the 90′s? Bottom line is I never got any DVD’s by mail anyways, My subscription went down 2 bucks.
The bottom line is content costs what the owner of said content wants to charge, Netflix currently offers the most content and anyone who wants to offer more content is going to have to pay up$$ which = CHARGING MORE….and yes ESPECIALLY since there is more than one show in town, That just means content goes to the highest bidder which is going to be who charges the MOST! Simple logic defies you idiots.
That isn’t simple logic Ryan. They don’t have nearly half of their library available to stream. And half of what they stream is standard def/stereo which is brutal for anyone who cares about quality. So if you really want to watch most of their movies you need the DVD’s. So if you want to stream minimal content all day long then its a good deal. Pay on demand via your provider or vudu and you are getting just as good of a deal with new releases and no wait time. I think that you are the one who is an idiot here.
I love Netflix. I’ve been with them for nearly 10 years. I cannot understand all the complaining about a price increase. You have the option of selecting a different plan… jeez. And all the complaining about “how things were handled”?? Seriously?? They sent an email and the information was included on the website under your account info. Netflix is still cheaper than cable or dish. It’s $15.99/mo just for the premium channels, plus most basic plans cost at least $30 month, and increases after the first year. All this backlash is really unjustified.
Netflix is getting too big for their britches and it’s going to hurt them in the long run, if they don’t do some damage control and quick.
Netflix is at bare minimum getting less money from me. I have a combo plan now, and am decreasing to streaming only. At least until I am done with the show I am currently watching. After that I may cancel altogether. The $7.99 streaming only isn’t worth it because of the lack of streaming content, and the $7.99 disc only isn’t worth it because I don’t watch enough movies.
I am currently using Hulu premium, and I can watch it on any device. I think I am going to switch over permanently.
Switch to Hulu+ pay a monthly fee for the privilege to watch ad-supported content?
Hulu+ does not work on the Wii.
My guess is that if everyone was like you and switched to streaming-only, they’d probably still be profitable in the long run. Mailing all of those discs get expensive. This is probably their strategy to phase it out. And I know that I’ve had 2 discs sitting in my house for months and that was after the last 2 discs did the same thing. I definitely use the streaming a lot more. And then I’ll get new movie discs on red box or amazon on-demand (to TiVo). So for me, I’ll probably end up saving money thanks to Netflix because I finally will be forced to stop getting discs! lol
Obviously just a guess, and a wrong one. Streaming Content Licensing is more expensive then DVD’s. Netflix has distribution in all 50 states and one dvd can be redistributed dozens and dozens of times ( The reason Netflix discs always skip ) Charging 8 bucks for DVD service will be profitable while 2 years from now charging 8 dollars for streaming content will lose netflix money.
I was fine with Netflix splitting off their services, and giving customers a choice of streaming, DVD by mail or both. What I wasn’t happy about was, after I had canceled my mail option, about half of the things I had on my streaming list, including some series I had been halfway thru watching, suddenly disappeared and are now listed as only available by DVD. Now that really sucks Netflix! Seems you’ll be losing another customer!
well you should have at least waited until 9/1 to cancel your disc service! There’s always hope that they’ll be able to beef up their streaming selection by then. We’ll see.
LOL!
I BLAME NETFLIX FOR THINGS SONY DOES! I ALSO LIKE TO BLAME VOLKSWAGEN FOR RUNAWAY CAMRYS AND MCDONALDS FOR MESSING UP MY CHALUPA!
Also, Netflix is still a value. Redbox only has, recent mainstream releases. Netflix has just about any movie you can think of from all over the world, and older movies as well.
I have no problem with the new plans. I never streamed anyway and enjoy getting the discs in the mail. I am glad I don’t have to pay for something I don’t use.
I’m with you, Amy. When I started with Netflix, it was about $18 a month. Recently, I paid $10 a month, but never used streaming. Now I’m paying $8 a month…why complain? It just keeps getting cheaper!
Same here. I’m happy I only have to pay for what I use.
For what that’s worth, I’d rather go to the store and get the disc immediately than wait for it in the mail. Waiting for what you used to be able to get immediately seems like a step backwards.
I guess that all depends on how and when you watch movies. Since we get 3 DVDs at a time, I have plenty to watch. I don’t care if I see a movie as it comes out, I’m OK with waiting until they are widely available on DVD through Netflix. Also, I live less than 40 miles from a fulfillment center. If I put a movie in the mail today, I’ll have a new one the day after tomorrow. I don’t watch movies every day – usually just the weekends. So, it’s just not a problem for me. I don’t have to stop at a store and look around for something to watch or to pick up a DVD and that’s worth it to me. I haven’t been in a video store in years. But, I remember well the roaming around searching and searching for something to watch and hoping it was in stock. No thanks! I have better variety and more convenience for the way we watch. At most, I’ve had to wait an extra day for movies that aren’t as readily available. If I were more spontaneous I guess I wouldn’t like it so much.