Bye Bye Blockbuster! Here comes Netflix!
Written: Jan 01 '01 (Updated Jun 14 '01)
The Bottom Line
Netflix offers a super-convenient way to rent DVDs at a reasonable price, and they have a comprehensive selection. I definitely recommend it to anyone with a DVD player!
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I love Netflix.com! What else can I say? They offer an excellent service at a reasonable price. So just what is Netflix? They are an online site that offers an unlimited DVD rental program, and my husband and I have used them for almost all our DVD rentals since Oct 1998.
Netflix: Unlimited Rentals for your DVD viewing pleasure
Netflix used to offer a 7-day rental for individual DVDs, but now they solely offer the unlimited rental service. How does it work? Well, first you have to sign up for an unlimited rental plan. All the plans have no due dates and no late fees, but the difference between the plans is the number of movies you can have checked out at a time; the plans range from 2-8 DVDs. A DVD is considered checked out once it is mailed from Netflix, and stays checked out until they receive it again. The best plan for you depends upon your viewing habits. Do you watch a couple of movies a week or do you watch movies everyday? Do you watch your movies all at once (i.e. view 8 movies a weekend?) or is your viewing spread out over the week? When you sit down to watch a movie, do you like to have several to choose from, depending on your mood?
At any rate, once you choose your plan you can add movies to your queue. The user interface is very intuitive at Netflix. Some of the options for browsing through movies are by genre (Action, Drama etc), awards (AFI top 100, Oscar, etc), or by new releases. There is a little rent button you click on to add the movie to your queue, and a little pop-up window lets you know you successfully added it (I don’t usually like pop-up windows but I find this to be useful and not annoying). They have an excellent selection-pretty much if it is on DVD they have it (from kids films to foreign language films-they really do have it!). There are occasional exceptions, but I suspect this happens because the DVD was lost or damaged rather than a lack on their part to purchase the movie (I say this because from I noticed a movie that we previously rented from Netflix was no longer available). Also, some recent releases are out of stock, but this is pretty understandable given the no due date policy. If a movie is currently out of stock, you can still add it to you queue, and it will be sent to you when it is in stock and you’re ready to check out another movie. I usually set up a really long queue, and I even add upcoming releases (not on DVD yet) to my queue. It’s always fun to see what’s in my mailbox:)
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Update 6/14/01
Netflix has now added the feature to "save" movies to your queue that are currently playing at the theater. This is a wonderful new feature! There are quite a few movies that I am moderately interested in seeing, but I don't think it's worth my money to see them on the big screen. Now I can go ahead and add them to my queue, and I don't have to worry about forgetting all about them later.
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Now that you have movies in your queue, Netflix will send out the appropriate number of DVDs to you based upon your rental plan. You will most likely receive them in 2-4 days (the time to receive your shipment is mostly a function of geography-they send via USPS from the SF Bay Area). They ship the DVD to you in a flat square envelope, and the DVD itself is in a protective sleeve. Now you have 2-8 movies that you can watch whenever you feel like it! As soon as you are done with a movie, you simply put it in the included return mailer, and take it to your mailbox. The return postage is already included on the mailer. Once they receive a movie, they will mail you the next available DVD in your queue. (You can reorder your queue anytime-to suit your mood.)
Oh wow? I probably would’ve never stumbled upon that movie!
One of the coolest features the Netflix site offers is Cinematch. You can rate movies (1 to 5 stars; it’s just like epinions!) you have seen before (even if you did not rent the movie from Netflix), and Netflix will help you find movies that match your tastes. How well does this work? Actually, pretty good. There are a few movies that we rented specifically because of the Cinematch recommendation, and we have generally really liked the movies. Some of the movies we would have missed without Cinematch are Pi, Election, and Run Lola Run. As you can tell by those titles, Cinematch can help you find the indie productions as well as the big budget films you may have overlooked. Additionally, if you use Cinematch (i.e. rated movies), even when you're just browsing, it'll let you know how "members like you" rated a particular movie.
Other site features:
Well, as with any decent movie site, there are professional reviews to help you decide in your selection. There are also mini user ratings for many movies (helpful, but not as thorough as a good epinion, of course). Netflix also has added a section for you to check out current movies in theatres, and has a show time finder based upon your zip code.
So, what’s this going to cost me?
Their current monthly charges (as of 04/24/01) are:
Unlimited Rentals Plus (8 DVDs) $39.95
Unlimited Rentals Plus (5 DVDs) $29.95
Unlimited Rentals Plus (4 DVDs) $24.95
Unlimited Rentals Standard (3 DVDs) $19.95
Unlimited Rentals Lite (2 DVDs) $13.95
Even with the 2 movie plan you can manage to watch quite a few movies (at least 6-8 depending on your geographical location) in a month to make it a worthwhile deal, and when you factor in the convenience (just surf the net & check the mail), I think that the service is worth it if you rent movies regularly. Even if you only watch 4 movies a month with the 2 DVD plan, your per rental cost is less than $3.50 per movie (+ tax), which is very competitive, especially since it includes shipping (and no late fees-just in case!). Some people have complained that they can get movies for cheaper at Blockbuster, but you still have to drive to Blockbuster, and you can’t set up a queue of all your favorites. At Netflix, almost $1 of the rental fee per disk goes to postage, so to me I think their rates are great.
What if it’s lost in the mail?
I have only had one occasion to deal with customer service. I actually never received a DVD that was shipped to me. The matter was promptly handled with no questions asked. I suppose if all your shipments get lost, they would be suspicious, but I think they operate on the policy that you’re an honest customer unless you prove otherwise.
Possible downsides
If you live on the East Coast, it may take as long as 4 days for you to receive movies, and the return trip will probably take 4 days as well. That means your checkout time for any movie is already 8 days, and then you have to add your viewing time. If the mail is delayed, your checkout time could be longer:( Netflix does have a semi-remedy for delayed mail. If you mailed a movie back and they still have not received it after 4 days, you can check a box on your shipping status page to let them know. I believe they will go ahead and mail you the next movie in your queue (I haven’t tested this recently, but this is how it used to work). I think the Netflix service is so wonderful that even if I moved to the East Coast I would continue to be a customer.
What are you waiting for?
Go sign up now:
www.netflix.com
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pipet
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Location: San Diego, CA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me:
A baby, school, and a new house; lots to write about but no time.
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