If the recent Netflix price hike has you looking for a better value for DVD rental by mail, you might check out GreenCine (same $19.95 price as Netflix used to be, with a focus on independent films, documentaries, and anime, although they also carry mainstream films) or Wal-Mart's service, which starts at $15.54 for a two-out service (you can get a four-out service for a whole penny less than Netflix's new rate).

If either of these other services don't use the impossible envelopes patented by NetFlix, that would be a real incentive to switch. I hate those things. Anyone know?

Apparently some people are getting a lower price out of Netflix by canceling. That's kind of sneaky and makes Netflix look bad, in my estimation.

Other than the sneakiness and the envelopes, though, I'm mostly okay with the price hike, as I view Netflix more as competition for the $40-a-month DirecTV movie channel package rather than for the local Blockbuster or Hollywood. I know from personal experience that I just won't go to the video store very often, but with TiVo and the satellite movie channels I could program a wishlist for movies I was interested in while they were still in the theater and nab them automatically when they hit HBO or Starz. What sold me on Netflix was that they do list movies while they're still in the theater and let you add them to your queue, so I can do basically the same thing I'd been doing with the TiVo.

Given that I was paying $40 for the DirecTV movie channels, I would probably pay up to $30 a month for a service like Netflix. But it's nice to see some alternatives. Maybe one of the other guys can figure out how to turn a profit with this business model (Netflix lost $5.8 million last quarter). If anyone can do that, I bet Wal-Mart can.

Re: Netflix competitors

There are 55 messages in this thread, displayed in the order they were posted.

Beth 4/26/2004 6:19:27 PM Pacific

I tried Greencine. They don't have the same deal with the post office that Netflix has, (and perhaps not as many warehouses), and the DVD's arrived v.e.r.y. s.l.o.w.l.y I don't know about Walmart's service, though.

Bill Humphries

4/26/2004 8:52:30 PM Pacific

I switched from Netflix to GreenCine last summer and have been pretty happy with the service so far. I'm in the Bay Area, so when they send a DVD, I get it the next day 90% of the time. I had some problems over the winter with the Post Office losing returned DVDs, but GreenCine was very good about taking MIAs off my checked-out list to get my queue moving again.
Has anyone done a depth/breadth analysis of WalMart's catalog?

Kathy

4/27/2004 1:06:09 PM Pacific

Has anyone tried any of the a la carte companies, like Cafedvd.com or EZVideoRentals.com?

keith

5/1/2004 6:00:20 AM Pacific

GameznFlix.com has both Game and Movie rentals. They just merged the Games and Movies sites and should be running smooth shortly. Check it out. They are adding more dist ctr's this year. I get my dvd's in 2 days. They have a $222 annual plan for 6 dvds/games out per month and they add an extra 2 months free. That's $15.72 per month...awesome...and they have 28,000 titles to choose from.

Brian

5/7/2004 11:24:02 AM Pacific

I've tried both NetFlix and Walmart and found that Walmart generally delivered in 2-3 days. This is probably due to fewer distribution centers in the early stages of development. NetFlix generally delivers in 1-2 days but lately, since I retrun my DVD's right after viewing, they have been delaying my rentals by telling me it will ship in 3-4 days. I remain satisfied with NetFlix and will probably continue using their service. Walmart did not impress but then again they will probably grow and learn soon enough.

Jimmy

5/16/2004 7:02:49 PM Pacific

I've tried six different services (NetFlix, GreenCine, eHit, CinFlix, NicheFlix, and Numberslate). Here's my take:
--NetFlix and GreenCine are the best. NetFlix gets the discs to you faster, but if you are a movie fanatic, you should join both to have access to some of the rare ones that GreenCine carries. Plus, for you porno fans, GreenCine does carry the X-rated stuff.
--NicheFlix (www.nicheflix.com) is awesome! They carry a TON of things, particularly non-region 1 stuff. Check it out. It's the other "must have" rental service.
--eHit (www.ehit.com) is good (especially with 4 out for the same as NetFlix's old rate), but it doesn't keep you logged in like NetFlix can. Selection isn't as good as the top 3 either.
--CinFlix was pretty good. I didn't stick around though because I found most everything I wanted from the top three, plus they make it hard to access your queue and stay logged in.
--NumberSlate is the WORST. They make it seem wonderful, but they do NOT keep you supplied with films at all times and they do not respond to emails. Forget them!

Becky

6/2/2004 1:40:48 PM Pacific

I am a member of Greencine and Netflix. I prefer Netflix. I use Greencine for those titles that are not available on Netflix (about 10 in my Greencine queue now). Greencine uses the same style envelope as Netflix, except with an additional cardboard sleeve inserted, for padding. Greencine also has only one distribution center, in San Francisco, which is 4-5 days away by mail from the East Coast where I am. Half the titles on my Greencine queue have "long wait" status. About 5% of the titles on my Netflix queue have any sort of wait status (of about 400 on my queue).

Mark

6/16/2004 2:08:35 PM Pacific

I just dropped netflix due to the price increase. Went to Wal-mart and found out they are three to four days slower. Less distibution centers is probably why. Looking for a service right now with midwest service locations and better price than netflix.

Mike

6/22/2004 5:10:06 PM Pacific

Cinflix.com--I love Asian movies, so I have been a Cinflix.com member for sometime. They carry titles that I can not find at Netflix. I have tired Nicheflix, but shipping was VERY SLOW, and most titles were not avaialbe. Cinflix has been the best so far their rapid return system lets me get DVDs quicker, and the selection is unbeatable.

Puffy

7/2/2004 7:35:43 PM Pacific

Netflix customer for over a year but stopping this month due to 25% rate increase for 8 out. I too like to watch and return but turn around times have been suspicious lately. As the post office works on Sat I would like to see Netflix work on Sat as well. Picked up Greencine but everything I want is low to med availability and havent seen a new movie in a week. Jumped in on the 5 out plan... my mistake.
Guess Ill get Dish Network with DVR next.
BTW anyone know whether DVRs have usb or network adapter to transfer movies to PC?

Jerry Kindall

7/4/2004 2:05:35 PM Pacific

Dish's PVR doesn't, I'm pretty sure. The ReplayTV boxes have that feature, though.

Progress

7/26/2004 3:02:42 PM Pacific

I am currently trying Netflix and am still in the free 14 day trial. I'm getting a bit upset though because the distribution for my area is in Lansing and I live in Detroit, and the turn-around time is highly suspicious.
I got my first DVD the day after they shipped it(monday), the other 2 were shipped after 5pm on monday so I received them on wednesday. I returned the first on on Thursday before the first mail pickup in the morning, and as of today (monday) they still don't list it as being returned. I wanted to get another one soon so I could take full advantage of the free trial so I submitted a trouble ticket that it got lost in the mail and they shipped me a new one today. Hoping it arrives tomorrow so I can prove my point about the return time.

Matthew J

8/10/2004 8:24:52 AM Pacific

I'm thinking about joining the net rental game but I can't find an option that covers all my needs. I usually rent about 1-2 movies a week now so I don't want to spend more than $21a month.
Here's what I'm looking for, any suggestions welcome:
-Independant films (the netflix selection seems to be adequite for my tastes, grencine is better)
-Board sport films, snowboarding movies etc. (that's that hard part)
-Occasionally (about once a month) I rent an xbox game.
-(it would be nice to also rent music films, 5.1 concerts, "The Wall" type films etc.)
Can't find a place that has any two of these. I could probably just rent a video game at a store, but I want to get documentaries, film festival winners, "Baraka" type montage films, as well as Snowboarding films.

Lisa Z

8/19/2004 10:40:21 AM Pacific

Greencine's 3 at a time program is 21.95 --- don't know if that's a new development. I want quite badly to quit netflix to show how incensed I am, but they still seem like the best option.
Does anyone know how quick Greencine is up the West Coast, like to Washington state?

HeavyH

8/31/2004 1:59:36 PM Pacific

I dumped Netflix after the price increase last spring. I live in Baton Rouge, and my last distribution center was Houston. At first, it took only two business days each way to turn around the movies. (ex: I return on Tuesday, it is received Thursday and sent out either Thursday or Friday.) Turnaround time kept getting longer and longer...
I just re-upped with Netflix when I read they were opening a distrbution center in Baton Rouge. Re-activated on Sunday. Discs were sent Tuesday, although it says 3-4 days expected delivery time. Maybe the Baton Rouge location is not active yet? Anwyway, will keep y'all posted.

Jason

9/20/2004 5:14:33 PM Pacific

I tried eHit.com because I really like chinese movies. I found a promotional code somewhere and its only $18.95/month now with 4 dvds out. I guess it's the cheapest deal right now. Have fun!
Promotional code: 4ADAIN0BJ4

Ben

9/23/2004 8:55:25 AM Pacific

I have a Walmart account, it's cheap but turnaround is slow. It takes 7-10 days from when I mail a dvd to get its replacement (it was 6-8 for a while but got slower) and I live in New York City... if anyone gets it fast, it should be me!
I like independent movies, but Walmart's collection is spotty. Example: The Office Season 1? They've got it. The Office Season 2? Nope. Jackie Chan's Operation Condor? Yes. Jackie Chan's Police Story? Nope. Netflix has these.
Also, about five out of forty dvds have been lost in the mail... since my bills come every month on time and checks I write always get to their recipients I figure either there is theft by carriers en route, or Walmart just messes up all the time. I imagine it's a bit of both. But they have never charged me for lost dvds.
As for the envelopes, they're fine. I haven't used Netflix envelopes (how bad can they be?) so I don't know what the problem is... Walmart is very simple and low-budget. The envelopes close with a strip of sticky tape, and open by tearing off a paper cover.

Alec

10/6/2004 7:29:11 PM Pacific

I don't see the problem with the Netflix envelopes... I mean, all you have to do is tear along the perforation, slide it in, peel the paper and seal. It's not that hard, I guess it just rains on the parade of you envelope-rippers who like to get right in with the scissors.
Anyway, thinking of trying Greencine.com for indy flicks. Gotta see if it is affordable to have both, though.

Blue_Tiger

10/24/2004 7:10:04 PM Pacific

I haven't tried any other services than Netflix so can't give a comparision. I do like Netflix from my two week free trial experience. I'm about a 100 miles out of the Twin Cites, a distribution point, and I receive my DVDs in one to two days. Netflix is fast, and so far, accurate. I don't have a problem with the envelopes at all. I've found they they are fully functional and very easy to use. On their site, I wish their movies-to-get queue would allow the ability to move your selected choices down or up in priority more easily. It's a bugger, unless you can find a program that interface with NetFlix and make it easier. I find their selection of movies - those waiting for release, released, and sci-fi - is good. I also like their selection of anime, but can't vouch for the extremely rare releases. I'm watching the NOIR series as I type, excellent stuff. Anyway, my experience was great and I'll probably resubscribe as a member. I had 188 DVDs on my queue to watch in two weeks. Yikes.

Sybilcat

11/16/2004 5:09:53 PM Pacific

We have Netflix, but the last 6 movies we've revceived have been sop worn they hardly play. Any one else have this experience? No response from Netflix customer service to complaints about this...

Matthew J

11/17/2004 6:25:30 AM Pacific

Never had a problem with netflix but selection is only adequate. They don't have the famous "Microcosmos" for instance, nor do they carry any snowboarding films that are any good.

dara

11/19/2004 3:37:06 PM Pacific

i was just looking up info on greencine through yahoo and found this page. i don't know if you're still looking, but i'm using blockbuster.com's new online program. the selection isn't that wide, but it's only $17 something (also they have a 2 week free trial) and you get two free in-store coupons for games/movies and i got a free copy of shrek 2, but i don't know if they're still doing that. they're fast though. they have a new feature where they ship your next available movie out as soon as you mail off your last movie, instead of them waiting for it to arrive before mailing another.

David

12/16/2004 6:45:24 PM Pacific

I am considering Netflix.com or Blockbuster.com. I guess my biggest concern is shipping time. I live between Dayton and Cincinnati OH. Has anyone had any experience with shipping time in my area from either of these companies? The way I see it for about $18 a month I need to at least get 6 movies a month for this to be a benefit vs. travleing to the store, although the late fee issue would also be of benefit for me. From what I have read here and at other sites, Netflix sounds like the way to go, even with Blockbuster.com's two store coupons a month.

James

12/22/2004 1:40:01 PM Pacific

I have been on Netflix for right at a month now, and I watch/return DVD's like a madman and have had NO problems with my service. I live about an hour away from 2 distribution centers (Columbia, SC and Greensboro, NC) so I suppose that's why i've been getting incredible service. I never rent movies, I either buy them or borrow them from friends and this has saved me like 200 bucks. I've seen 20 movies in less than a month.
P.S. I promise i'm not being paid by Netflix to say this shit, but, they can gladly pay me if they want to....

Nathalie R.

1/7/2005 2:04:47 PM Pacific

For me, NetFlix is by far the best. It is only two cities over so I usually my discs with a day or two. I've also tried Walmart, Nicheflix and CinFlix.
Walmart was o.k. Selection wasn't as extensive as NetFlix and shipping was just a little slower than NetFlix.
Nicheflix was by far the worse. Selection was great, but I never receive any title in the top third of my queue. And from reading its forum, I found out later that one must subscribe months before seeing some of the titles. Looks like Nicheflix stocks one or two of most (or all) of its titles.
availability with CinFlix wasn't so bad. But not that great either. Shipping was also sloooowwww. And with it recent change to 2 discs per envelopes, did not help turnaround at all.
It all come down to how patience one is. I do NOT want to stuff the queue with 50 or 100 titles and hope the shop has one or two available to ship. I have a short list of what I want see. After that, another list...

Deal Dude

1/30/2005 9:24:29 PM Pacific

This site compares every known DVD rental site online, including trial offers and monthly membership fees.

Tripsydare

2/2/2005 6:21:13 PM Pacific

I've been using both Cinflix and Netflix for a while now. I love Asian movies and Cinflix has the region3 and the harder to find Asian movies. I have two issues with Cinflix. They are definitely slower than Netflix. I live in L.A. and it's been taking 5 to 7 days to receive movies sent from Denver. So far I'm averaging 12 movies a month compared to Netflix's 22 a month. The other issue is that the Cinflix web site is set-up agonizingly slow, especially when it comes to switching between the rental que and browsing for available movies. I also like the Netflix set-up better, especially the feature that reccomends similar movies to the ones I'm looking for. I am somewhat of a movie fiend. I've seen 7,550 movies in the past 30 years so perhaps I'm a liitle pickier than most. That's why I wasn't overly impressed with Nicheflix. Browsing through their Korean and Thai site, I saw that their selection is very limited. When I finish perusing their Japanese and Chinese cite, perhaps I might change my mind, but I doubt it.

Seoulman

3/25/2005 3:55:41 PM Pacific

I found Netlix to be very fast and the best overall. Blockbuster is a close second, but availability is often poor at best.
I recently subscribed to Cinflix and am finding it to be incredibly slow. dvds shipped on Monday from Phoenix to Denver still have not been acknowledged as of Friday. This is unaccetable! Plus, with their practice of coupling dvds in shipments, this means your queue is held hostage for 2 instead of just 1 dvd when delays occur.
Nicheflix was also slow on turnaround times, but they were more responsive than Cinflix and had very good customer service.

K. Cook

4/3/2005 11:08:33 PM Pacific

I had netflix, it was ok but I also did a free trial I only got 2 movies in 14 days. I did not like that at all, I rent very often, so I need to be able to get at least 7-10 a month. I am trying blockbuster.com right now, it seems really good for me I am not sure if it is because where I live or not. The best game rental site I have found is gamefly my husband loves it, we tried gameznflix it was very very very bad for us to way to long. We have had gamefly for about 4 months now he gets about 10 - 14 a month, sometimes more sometimes less, depends on if he likes the game alot or not :o)

Matthew Podboy

4/27/2005 4:40:32 PM Pacific

Jerry, you and your readers should take a look at Peerflix - http://podboy.typepad.com/techvoice/2005/01/peerflix_promo_.html - essentially a cross between Napster and Netflix. A terrfic way to legally trade DVDs you own for movies you want - and for only the price of a stamp and $0.99 per trade.

Julie

6/28/2005 4:13:04 PM Pacific

Walmart and Netflix merged so it's all the same now!

Amber

11/16/2005 3:19:48 AM Pacific

I subscribe to Netflix and have had mixed experiences. Netflix is a flawed service but better than most of it's competition. Nicheflix, on the other hand, has been a nightmare. Yes, their list of non region 1 titles are a foreign movie fan's dream come true. But you will never actually see the vast majority of those make it to your mailbox. They really do have only one or two copies of everything, and discontinue any title that gets lost or damaged or whatever. You absolutely need to pack your queue with hundreds of movies to see even a couple of titles ship from the lowest slot on your list. You experience multiple weeks where you never receive anything at all, and when you return items, may not see them be credited on your account for up to two weeks. Customer service literally ignores any complaint, and basically is just there to deflect any serious inquires about business practices. Nicheflix is a terrific idea for a service that hopefully someone someday will make into an actual business. At the moment, it's just a ponzi scheme targeting foreign movie fans.

Jkim

11/22/2005 10:38:00 AM Pacific

I subscribe to two services- Netflix and Cinflix. I find Netflix's selection and delivery time satisfactory, but recently its DVDs were delivered damaged or imperfect. It would skip or stall and I would have to fast-forward it to watch the rest.
Cinflix is so slow...I have been watching Korean dramas and it's a killer waiting a week for two DVDs to come. They recommend mailing the DVDs at the post office- who has time for that? I am going to switch to 8 DVD rental plan next month but if I'm not satisfied with the delivery time, then I'm planning to cancel. Korean dramas leave you with the biggest cliffhangers, but their slow delivery time ruins the rush because of the long wait for the next installment.

s.an

11/22/2005 1:26:47 PM Pacific

I agree...Cinflix is soooooo slow. I'll be lucky if I get three shipments a month. I don't recommend them unless they change their shipping method.

no more netflix

12/7/2005 9:23:50 AM Pacific

I have been with netflix since it started. My average wait time until this year was 24-48 hours. I was on the 3 out plan in my first two years and then switched to 5 out. On average I watched at least 1 new movie a day on either plan and had a steady flow of films coming (ie when I put one in the mail, I was also always taking a new one out of the mail). I did not pay much attention to the price hike because of the service times noted above. This past year Netflix has taken 3-4 days to ship movies (it actually says "shipping out today" for 2-3 days until it actually leaves. They have put delivery times out as far as 5-7 days from shipping. Films have gone missing in the mail prior to delivery and when I tell netflix they freeze my queue with the "shipping out today" tactic. This past week one of my movies was delivered split in half. Netflix froze my account again, even though they received all the other movies intact and I have been a long time customer. Where I used to get an average of 24 movies a month on the 3 out plan and 40-45 on the 5 out plan, this year I get 10-12 movies a month. My queue is perpetually stalled, whether I have shipping problems or not, films have consistently had long shipping times, and lately at least 1 of 5 DVD arrives 7-10 days after it has been sent, meaning I pay for 5 movies out and I generally only have 3 or less. I checked to see where the films were coming from - at the beginning of the year it was from two states over but now (when the problems have radically increased) they are coming from the same city I live in. Though some problems can be blamed on the postal service and location, clearly my example proves that the real issue is netflix itself. After being one of their very first customers I expect more and I am actually at the point that I am considering going back to renting from the local video store (at least when I return movies there I know I can get a new one without paying for the privilege to wait a week).

Albert

12/16/2005 2:04:48 PM Pacific

I am interested in watching HK films and I am thinking on signing up for greencine or netflix. It seems that greencine has a much larger selection of HK films than netflix. Can someone verify this? I'd like to catch up on older Hong Kong films as well as current ones that are good. Does anyone know if there is another site specifically devoted to HK films?

jrencher

3/6/2006 11:59:52 PM Pacific

Netflix is a disaster. If you haven't tried them yet, just AVOID THEM unless you want headaches and frustration. Their customer service has to be the worst of any online service I've ever encountered. When there are problems (frequently) I always send a polite inquiry using their help system. 90% of my inquiries are ignored, and the rest get a canned response that I could have read on their website.
The free trial was great, and I loved them for the first couple of months after that. Lately, however, I've had nothing but issues with them. Shipping and receiving times are suspicious. I live 20 minutes from the distribution center, and sometimes shipping takes 2-3 days. Some days they receive 2 DVDs and only send 1. Some days they wait a day or two (without explanation) before sending new DVDs. Some days they randomly decide to ship from a distribution center several states away. (WTF?) Also, Netflix is a postal-dependent service, so they have no excuse not to work Saturdays to send/receive DVDs. I'm on the 4-at-a-time plan, which means I should be able to receive at least 32 DVDs per month. Instead, I'm getting less than 20, which is a significant loss of money and value. I'm closing my Netflix account at the end of this month, once I've had a chance to export my queue.
Netflix will ROB you because they know the current alternatives are even worse. They are a terrible company and an embaraassment to the online business model. Worst of all, there's no way to contact their top management to file a formal complaint. If there's ever a class action lawsuit against Netflix(and it's only a matter of time before they're busted) I'm totally on-board. Hopefully they'll get their sh*t together first and finally become what they promise and pretend to be.

swan

3/19/2006 3:34:53 AM Pacific

I've been a Netflix member for a few months. It's been okay.
During my free trial I filled my queue with 30 titles which were all "available now" but for some reason they mailed me # 23, 24 and shipped #1 later. The rest of my trial they sent me titles real fast, but after a month shipping has slowed down from 1-3 days originally, and now some arrive in a week or more. I ordered a television series which came in order until the last 10 videos.. kinda sucked to watch the finale and then back track to what happened in between all out of order. They have a really really wide selection (aside from entertainment, they have exercise vids and teach yourself, incl learning languages!) and their website rocks. Adding titles to my queue and then hovering the title to see an expanded balloon description makes browsing real fun! Overall I like Netflix, if only they had a bigger asian film section.
I'm currently trying Blockbuster and so far they're pretty good, although one of their discs arrived cracked. I'm happy with their service but I definitely prefer Netflix's website. I think BB's site is rather annoying.
I really want to borrow asian movies, particularly korean and HK. All the above comments are real helpful. Hopefully I can find a good service that suits me.

ZygZ

3/21/2006 5:25:17 PM Pacific

I have been a Netflix subscriber for a couple of years. Lately they have throttled down my delivery horribly. For the three out at a time plan I only get about 9 or 10 DVDs a month. It used to be a 1 day turn around as the distribution site is in the same city (Tampa). Now it takes them a full week to register the return and a full week to get them back. Also, I am on a very Loooong wait for any popular titles so much that I don't even try anymore. If you have a family where you return movies the next day or two they will throttle back your delivery incredibly. Note that there is a lawsuit against Netflix for this for which they had offered to let subscribers have 4 out at a time for one month. Big Whoop. I am looking for another company now.

Ronni

4/10/2006 9:23:19 AM Pacific

Netflix is horrible, I struggled with them for months; sending complaints about the slow turn around and all the excuses they made up; then it turns out they had throttled me and were just telling lies; that is when I got an answer to my emails; and even when I called them direct, nothing but lies. And I live only a few miles from their san jose distribution center.
They are scam artists and don't deserve your busines. Liars and cheats in my book, and I hope they lost the suite against them for throttling.
DON'T PATRONIZE NETFLIX, THEY ARE CROOKS!!

Jeff Johns

7/4/2006 10:18:33 PM Pacific

Netflix offers a large selection of movies that will be mailed to you whiners in a decent amount of time. From what I read here, you want a lot of movies, amounting to almost anything you think has ever been made, available to you when you want it, at high quality and low price. And you want a large quantity all the time, when you want it.
Alright, YOU start a business like what you think should be provided to you. And make a profit.
Methinks that you may not know what you are whining about.
Watch a movie, a good movie, now and then.
And appreciate it. And don't worry about the price, if it isn't out of sight.
A good movie is worth it.
Or the turnaround time.
Appreciate the art. Appreciate the convience(ask for it, it arrives later). Love the movie.
Quit worrying about Netflix.
Please.
According to y'all, Y'ALL should prove to be billionares, you know so much about this business.

devilgetout

7/5/2006 10:12:26 AM Pacific

Netflix promises a service it DOES NOT deliver. I was satisfied for most of the first year that I was a member. Then they started "throttling" my queue. Which may not be a problem if one has just movies on their queue. I rent a lot of anime series. Netflix would send me movies at the bottom of my queue when there were series at the top and available. Then they started sending me series out of order. When I complained (I had to send a letter in my return DVD because there is no customer support contact on their site that I could find) I received a patronizing email about how to manange my queue. I never received an adequate answer to any of my concerns. I cancelled my membership and am signing up for GreenCine.

Kent T.

8/25/2006 2:35:58 PM Pacific

Never think of joining cinflix. This month we sent back to them 4 movies and have not received new movies for almost 2 weeks. Feel like to be cheated. They always have a reason to delay. This time the reson is to update their website. Be careful.

Kate

9/12/2006 7:22:26 PM Pacific

Ditto on the other no-to-Netflix posters here. We've been members for a year. We're in Chicago and the distribution center is in Chicago, yet it takes nearly two weeks to get films EVERY TIME. It's unbelievably frustrating. I could drive there and drop off/pick up in about fifteen minutes, yet it takes Netflix days and days to get us our films through the mail. It's not all the post office's fault. I can order a book from a used bookstore in California and get it in two days. The fact is Netflix "throttles" and delays shipping so you don't actually get a deal at all.
And it's true, their customer service is terrible. For a month, the site stopped recognizing my email address, making it impossible for me to update our queue. I emailed them repeatedly about it. After the tenth email, they finally responded. Terrible! We're signing up with GreenCine this week. I figure it can't be any slower than Netflix, even if the distribution center is in San Francisco.

Patti in FL

9/13/2006 9:59:55 AM Pacific

Well, I signed up for netflix and am still in my trial period and already have problems. I set up a list and received my three dvds promptly. I sent the first on back (mailed it at post office inside) on a Friday, sent the other two back on Monday. The one I sent on Friday still has not shown up. Only one of the two I sent on Monday has been received as of this morning, Sept. 13th, Wednesday. My distribution center is 12 miles from my house. I would love it if they had a drop box.
I am an avid movie watcher. I thoght this would be a great idea for me, however, I have done some research and found that it is better for people who rent less frequently and keep their movies a long tiem. More money for Netflix.
My final complaint is that I have a T.V. series at the top of my list there are six discs in all and today I got an email saying I was getting disc number three. Gee, thanks. Why would I watch episodes 9-12 when I haven't seen episodes 1-8 yet?
Will definitely be cancelling this service. I would rather wait at the video store or use ebay/half.com.
Less headache.

Paul in CA

12/30/2006 11:08:09 PM Pacific

I have been using Netflix for a few months now. I started with their 14-Day free trial offer and found the service to be very fast and the web site user friendly so I sign up for the 3 a month membership. After two months of service and building my queue with at lease 70 movies, I notice a drop in delievery time from 2 days to 3-5 days for each movie so I upgrade my subscription to 4 a month. the 4 a month did not do any better. Has anybody notice that whenever you return all your movies at one, in my case 4 movies, I would get emails saying "Your movie was not available at your local shipping center. We sent it from San Jose, CA (or Chicago, Ill or Coppell, TX or Lakeland, FL) and expect it to arrive on...". I don't know. It almost seems like they were trying to slow down your service.
Anyway, I'm going to keep my service and continue tracking their delievery and I'm also going to sign up to another site like Cinflix or Nicheflix for all my asian and rare film fix. Netflix doesn't carry what I need when it comes to rare asian films.

eowyn

3/28/2007 10:15:49 PM Pacific

I just canceled my cinflix membership because their new website did not work at all like it was quite impossible to organize your queque and I was not able to login few times so that I could not access my account for few days. Last time I sent three inquiries to the customer service starting from important to critical and nobody answered. Therefore very frustrating!!

Louie Lobster

7/18/2007 1:38:23 AM Pacific

Blockbuster online is BY FAR the best! None of the others sites can offer more movies.
I get 3 at a time for $20 a month, Plus 1 instore coupon. I end up with close to 50 movies a month, you do the math.
Monday I get my 3 in the mail, Tuesday morning a trade them in for 3 new releases, Wednesday I get 3 more in the mail, Thursday I trade them in at the store for 3 more dvds, and Monday the cyle starts over again! Every week I average 12 dvds, no one can do it better. NetFlix is slow, I get zip extra, and now the don't have as many titles as blockbuster. If you're too stupid, or lazy to go to the store atleast once a week you deserve to pay more. If I only go once a week thats still 6 dvds a week or 24 a month for only $20 a month. Don't be stupid all your life!

Mark Philippe

8/25/2007 5:57:51 PM Pacific

After being with Netflix for almost 2 Years I decided to try other alternatives, and of course I too like Asian movies. I am currently with Cinflix and I just subscribe rental site called FlixUnlimited.com I used this just in case the other one does not have the title I want The site offers mainly Japanese movies with some Asian titles, I have not seen any US titles as of this moment but when I wrote to them they said they are working on it. They have limited titles though but I can't complain because I think they are just starting out and they give me the attention that I want that the big boys don't even pay at.
I am on the 2 DVD plan but they offer 10 day trial...

John Skinner

12/3/2007 4:36:02 AM Pacific

Blockbuster CENSORS your cd selection... and... actually removes racy scenes / edits the movies! No way - give me freedom - - - I'd rather have freedom to rent and view what I want than be forced to a "wholesome" selection dictated upon me by the Moral Minority thank you very much.

m.hisamune

12/24/2007 12:31:58 AM Pacific

cinflix.com, beware. not only is their delivery service terrible, they have eliminated or firewalled subscribers attempt to complain about their 3rd world operation. I haven't received a movie from them since I returned the last batch four(4) weeks ago. there's nothing listed in my queue regarding a current shipment (does this mean I'm out of the picture?) in the meantime, they continue to charge me. tried to cancel my subscription, but cinflix ignored my request and charges me for another month of no movies. can't positively say there" criminal intent , but their failures smacks of internet fraud and using the usps to facilitate their action. the denver D.A office may also become interested as well as the usps inspectors and FBI internet fraud office.

m.hisamune

12/24/2007 12:45:29 AM Pacific

addendum: I use netflix as my standard re delivery service- I get my full complement of movies(6x) ea week regardless of mailing origin. Ehit.com $ Tigercinema.com are reliable. But Cinflix is terrible re availablity of titles (long waits); delivery (unpredictable); no customer service(firewalled). should have dropped them long months ago but kept hoping cinflix would improve. silly me!

Alex

7/27/2008 7:58:04 AM Pacific

I recently signed up for CafeDVD as they appeared to have a great plan of 8 movies out for less than $15 a month. I added several dozen movies to my list and waited. After a few days, I checked my list and noticed that all but one of the movies had "Very Long Wait" status beside it. I investigated what this meant and their definition was several weeks to months' wait. The one available movie was at number 4 on my list and they never mailed it to me. I canceled my membership after a week. Very disappointing and highly not recommended.

David

11/28/2008 2:38:45 AM Pacific

Everyone keeps trying to blame postal services for Netflix slow shipping times. NOT true, Netflix engages in a process called "throttling" whereby they hold back your rentals to make sure you don't get too many films in a month. After your initial trial, you will never get more than 12-14 movies a month no matter how fast you return them. New releases especially will slow down your que.
They got sued over this and admitted they do it and just settled a class action law suit, which is probably the reason for the price increase. They won't tell you their doing it at customer service, they'll just keep making excuses until you figure it out.
I qut them but haven't joined GreenCine because I'm on the other side of the country and the lack of distribution centers result in the same limitation of rentals. Oh and don't use blockbuster either, if they lose one of yours in the mail, they'll put it on your bill.

fm105

8/12/2009 8:17:40 AM Pacific

i like facetsmovies.com. it's the same deal as netflix, but they specialize in independent film and the service is much better. it's non-profit, too.

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