Netflix: Yay or Nay?

Scorch

Scorch

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So as I notice the need to buy DVD's becoming less and less (honestly, with crap like Catwoman taking up more shelf space than great movies, such as Eternal Sunshine). I sit back and look at the money i've spent buying one DVD, even at clearance, for 9.99, only to watch once and then never again.. so I turn my eyes to Netflix.

This place says it'll let me queue up a list and it'll automatically (automatically being the word of focus) send me things on my list. There's hundreds of movies i've never seen that I want to see, so this seems like a good option, and $17.99 a month + tax or whatever with free shipping back is very attractive. Anyone here actually USE netflix or know someone who does? Any problems with it? Recommended? What about seasons of DVDs, do they send each one seperate? Any hidden charges? Anything I should know before jumping into this?
 
Online DVD renting is easy and good, IMO. Not as fast and easy as On-Demand, but good enough for those newly released videos. :)
 
Netfix is great so long as you've got a nice list of DVDs you wish to watch and like you noted you really don't feel like you must buy everything.
 
I used netflix for the free trial period and enjoyed the service. I live in Madison, WI and the nearest distribution center is in Chicago. Took 2 days to get new movies sent to me. I currently use Blockbuster's service because it's only $14.99 and I receive 2 printable coupons each month good for in store game or movie rentals. I've noticed that Blockbuster takes an extra day to arrive due to the lesser number of distribution centers.
 
[quote name='Moxio']Online DVD renting is easy and good, IMO. Not as fast and easy as On-Demand, but good enough for those newly released videos. :)[/quote]

Can I add movies that haven't come out yet (say.. The Incredibles) and have it sent by the Friday after it comes out?
 
I've been using Netflix for a while now, maybe a year, and I've really had no complaints about it. Turnaround is very quick, as they've got distribution centers just about everywhere. Usually, you can get shipped a movie on Monday, get it Tuesday, watch it that night, ship it back Wednesday, they get it Thursday, then ship another one out to you that day. Once every couple weeks, I seem to get at least one disc that they ship out from a faraway distro. that takes a few days to arrive. So that one part sucks, but it's mostly 'cause they spoil you with quick shipping, unlike places like Gamefly where a few days is the norm.

Season sets are usually shipped one at a time, each disc takes up one space in your queue, like a movie does. I've been watching all the Alias seasons (up to S3, Disc 4 now) and lately Curb Your Enthusiasm, and it's working out fine via Netflix. There's no hidden charges, although I think they do charge tax (Curses!) and there are plans where you pay more to have more movies out at once, pay less to have less movies out.

Criterion DVDs sealed the deal for me. Usually, movies that aren't available for rent at local stores because nobody around here would rent them, that cost $20 or $25 at least for a blind-buy, and here they are on Netflix, and you can usually get them on the day of, or a day after release. That goes a long way towards saving cash, right there.

They just added a new Friends feature, where you can send somebody an email invite, and once they accept, you can view their ratings in a list, or it'll show up whenever you look at a movie, like "So-and-so gave it 4 stars out of 5". So, they're really adding small things over time to help you out, which shows that they're not just doing it half-assed.

In my opinion, yeah, it's definitely worth the cash, especially if you're just spending way too much of your cash on DVDs. Plus you can get plenty of stuff that you most likely wouldn't be able to find at your local rental stores.

Edit: As for movies that haven't come out yet, you can "Save" them, and they show on the bottom of the queue if the release is far off. As the release gets closer, say, a couple weeks off, they'll add it to the bottom of your queue immediately. I've found that, if a movie's #1 in your queue, and it's release is Tuesday, they'll ship it out Monday, so you get it the day of release. Keep in mind that you'd have to have an empty space in your queue for this to work, so if you send one back, say, Friday or Saturday, it could probably work. This kind of Advanced Netflixing takes a bit to get the hang of, as everyone's distro is the same, but it works out pretty well. :cool:
 
[quote name='Scorch']So as I notice the need to buy DVD's becoming less and less (honestly, with crap like Catwoman taking up more shelf space than great movies, such as Eternal Sunshine). I sit back and look at the money i've spent buying one DVD, even at clearance, for 9.99, only to watch once and then never again.. so I turn my eyes to Netflix.

This place says it'll let me queue up a list and it'll automatically (automatically being the word of focus) send me things on my list. There's hundreds of movies i've never seen that I want to see, so this seems like a good option, and $17.99 a month + tax or whatever with free shipping back is very attractive. Anyone here actually USE netflix or know someone who does? Any problems with it? Recommended? What about seasons of DVDs, do they send each one seperate? Any hidden charges? Anything I should know before jumping into this?[/quote]

Season's of DVD's are a pain with Netflix. I am currently going through Highlander and you get it one disk at a time. Not that bad, really, but if you are like me and want to watch an episode a day, you have to continually keep your list updated so you are not waiting for one to arrive. Also, I am 45 minutes by car from the nearest distribution center and sometimes it will take 1 day and sometimes 3-4 for items that are in stock with no wait.

Other than these complaints, the service kicks butt. No late fees, movies come in the mail, the prepaid envelopes are nice. We are definately getting out $17.99 a month out of it.
 
Only downside is that they sometimes slow down shipments in order to boost profits. Still, a good deal, and great if you want rare releases.
 
[quote name='Scorch'][quote name='Moxio']Online DVD renting is easy and good, IMO. Not as fast and easy as On-Demand, but good enough for those newly released videos. :)[/quote]

Can I add movies that haven't come out yet (say.. The Incredibles) and have it sent by the Friday after it comes out?[/quote]

I usually send a movie in on Friday and on Monday they ship me out the latest release, as long as it is at the top of your queue. Like today I recv'd Alien VS Predator. I think the turn time is really good.
 
[quote name='Scorch']Is there a limit to how many movies you can put on your list?[/quote]

No. I have like 70 movies in my queue
 
I use netflix... Ive had them for about 6 months.. since then my monthly payment went from 21.99 to 17.99.. Turn around on Movies in 2 days.. I send it out on Monday and get the next one on my list by Wednesday..
Sometimes there a waiting period for extremely popular movies but not long.. I constantly have a stream of movies I want to watch coming in. So waiting is no big deal. I found, for me, its the best to watch TV shows on DVD.. yeah you only get them 1 at a time.. but I usually have 2 discs come in so I can watch 4 episodes over 2 days and by the 3rd day I got another DVD coming in..
Blockbuster may be cheaper.. but I dont know how they're service is.. but heres how I look at it.. Blockbuster is Blockbuster (blech) NetFlix is like that great "local" Video Rental Place that has just about every movie youve ever wanted to see.. so I use netflix. Here in Tucson we have a great store called Casa Video.. its an entire strip mall and 2 stories.. they have everything.. Netflix is my Casa..
eSN
 
[quote name='Scorch']Sounds great.. do I have to ship all three back at once or can I ship them back one by one?[/quote]
you can ship them back whenever, and when they receive a movie they just send the next one on your list
 
^^ You can ship one at a time or all at once, it's up to you.

And definitely Yay. I've used them for a year and have been very happy. I considered cancelling a while back because it seemed they were slowing down shipments to me, but I complained and they sped back up immediately.

Well worth the $18 a month.
 
Sounds like it's definately a great way to save money and see all your favorite movies. Thanks guys, I think i'll be signing up.. it sounds awesome.

One last question, I know it comes in a prepaid envelope.. does it come inside a plastic case? or is it just a DVD in paper? I don't want to be charged for a broken disc..
 
[quote name='Scorch']Sounds great.. do I have to ship all three back at once or can I ship them back one by one?[/quote]


you can ship them back whenever you finish them, 1, 2 or all 3 at a time. I usually try to stagger sending them back a few days apart so that I'm not just sitting around waiting for the next one to come. Turnaround time is gonna vary depending where you live though. I live in Toledo and the closest dist. center is in Cleveland (about 120 mi away), and if I send a disc on monday they usually receive and send the next one on wednesday, which I receive on friday. It's a good service though and they have a TON of movies.
 
[quote name='Scorch']Sounds like it's definately a great way to save money and see all your favorite movies. Thanks guys, I think i'll be signing up.. it sounds awesome.

One last question, I know it comes in a prepaid envelope.. does it come inside a plastic case? or is it just a DVD in paper? I don't want to be charged for a broken disc..[/quote]

It comes in paper. I haven't had a problem with a broken disc since I've been with Netflix over 7 months.
 
Scorch - you should try Netflix, it is easy to cancel if you find you don't like it. I have cut down on my DVD purchases significantly since I joined, which was about 1.5 years ago. Like you, I was buying DVDs only to watch them once and put them on the shelf. It is definitely worth the $17.99.

You asked about new releases. DVDs come out on Tuesday. If you time it right, you can actually have a new release in your mailbox on a Tuesday. Netflix gets them on on Monday, and for me, it takes a day for them to ship to my door. If I mail a movie back to them on Friday or Saturday, they will get it on Monday and send out the next movie in my queue.

I have about 150 movies in my queue, and I don't think there is any known limit. Its easy to add new movies and you can do it at any time -- interested in a movie that is currently out, but would rather wait for the DVD? Add it and it will be put in your queue when it is released. Its real easy.
 
Yay, I say. Had Netflix for five years and it works well now. Turnaround is quick and if you like rare films they have a great selection. Just left them because if you try renting "too" many films in a month the service slows down a little bit. I have Blockbuster Online which works well for me as I usually rent mainstream films and the two free in store game rentals per month are as much as the membership costs so it's a great deal for me! But for selection Netflix can't be beat.
 
[quote name='The Shiznit'][quote name='Scorch']Sounds like it's definately a great way to save money and see all your favorite movies. Thanks guys, I think i'll be signing up.. it sounds awesome.

One last question, I know it comes in a prepaid envelope.. does it come inside a plastic case? or is it just a DVD in paper? I don't want to be charged for a broken disc..[/quote]

It comes in paper. I haven't had a problem with a broken disc since I've been with Netflix over 7 months.[/quote]

I've had a couple that were cracked, it's no big deal though. You just mark a checkbox on the sleeve as "broken" and they'll send you a new one, no cost to you at all. You can also report things as broken/missing/scratched online and they'll send you a replacement usually on the same day.
 
[quote name='Mistik']Any chance Netflix is going to start renting out games?[/quote]

..you mean.. sorta like.. Gamefly?! :rofl:
 
I used netflix for about 2 years. No hidden charges. You can keep as long as you want (I had NGE vol 1 for over 4 months). When you send it back, they send you the next thing on your list that is in stock. Good service, cheap price, and the genesis for all of the things Blockbuster, Hollywood and the other video stores are doing to stay in business. I would still use it, but I prefer to buy and I have a large selection of purchased DVDs that I've not got around to using yet. If it is between Netflix and a rental store, the store can not compete.
 
[quote name='Scorch'][quote name='Mistik']Any chance Netflix is going to start renting out games?[/quote]

..you mean.. sorta like.. Gamefly?! :rofl:[/quote]

Oh are GameFly and Netflix the same company. I had no idea. I thought you had ot pay for them seperately. :oops: So can you rearrange movies in your list if you change your mind on what you want next?
 
[quote name='Mistik'][quote name='Scorch'][quote name='Mistik']Any chance Netflix is going to start renting out games?[/quote]

..you mean.. sorta like.. Gamefly?! :rofl:[/quote]

Oh are GameFly and Netflix the same company. I had no idea. I thought you had ot pay for them seperately. :oops: So can you rearrange movies in your list if you change your mind on what you want next?[/quote]

No they are not the same company.

And yes, you can rearrange your list. Its a little tedius if you want to do a lot at once, but if you just want to move a movie up or down it is pretty simple.
 
Gamefly and Netflix are different companies I believe. He just meant that there's already a place that rents out video games.

I've used all 3 - Netflix, Blockbuster & Walmart DVD rentals. I've used the trials, and the subscriptions. I am with Blockbuster only at this point, because it's a couple bucks cheaper, and it seems to be pretty fast. Netflix is fast, but it's faster during the FREE TRIAL to hook you. Wal-Mart used to be VERY SLOW, but they've picked up in pace a bit. They have a 2 DVD's out for $12 or so. But, as far as selection, Wal-Mart is outclassed by both Netflix & BB.

The discs come in paper sleeves, and they break up season's into one disc at a time. They do have rarer movies for rent though(exception being Wal-Mart). The discs do come scratched and unplayable sometimes, and you send it back. They have all sorts of resolutions for missing sleeves, etc. Last, but not least, you don't get a 2nd disc if it's a film like Anchorman that is 2 discs...
 
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