Netflix prices Skyrocket

[dafoe]

Starting April 15th Netflix customers will pay a little more to rent movies through the online rental company.

Unless of course you subscribe to the "8 rental" program. The bottom 3 programs offered by Netflix will feature price hikes of 1, 2 and 4 dollars respectively. Ranging from 8%-13% the increases seem relatively fair

However, Netflix's best customers can expect to be gouged with a 25% price increase for the 8 rental plan

This plan was overpriced to begin with at $40. But $50?! Give me a break.

It seems to me that they are trying to discourage people from chosing the 8 rental plan. Theyll be lucky to break even on the price increase once you factor in all the lost customers because of the increase.

Any thought on this head scratcher? Are they struggling to stay in business?

[lordsmurf]

With slow service and higher cost, I'm pulling mine back down to the 3-at-a-time plan. I've only had 8-at-a-time for about 2-3 weeks now, but $50 is too much, the $40 was already pushing my limits.

All I wanted was a good set of movies to watch at all times since tv seems to suck so much these days. Guess I'll just have to go 3 at a time and read books or something.

[Bob W]

I closed out my NetFlix account last week. My local video store has a better deal with at $20 per month rental fee with a max of two DVD's out at any one time. Heck I could get two movies per day with this plan where as it took more than a week to receive the NetFlix movies via snail mail.

[gitreel]

Blockbuster is about to start doing this as well.

[PhreakPhish]

I'm closing mine out also, only b/c I am going to Iraq in 3 weeks. I also have the 8 plan. I would still do the $50 if I wasn't leaving, but not for long.

I also go to Hollywood Video ( in New Orleans ). They do 3 movie rental free for $30 a month. They also do video games. The thing I like about NetFlix is the MUSIC VIDEOS and rare movies.

Watch out when you close your account. 3 of my friends so far said they NetFlix charged them for a movie they lost when they told NetFlix they were getting out. I am going to let my rental Queue go to 0 then close out.

[gitreel]

Blockbuster's price will be 25 a month

[dafoe]

I think it's great that local video stores are starting to offer a service like this.

But, for me anyway, the attractive thing about Netflix was the selection. Local video stores around here have horrible selection. If it's older than two years forget it. And I refuse to watch Fullscreen movies which makes it that much harder to find what I want.

Mostly I used the 8 rental plan because it allowed me to rent TV Series 1 season at a time as most seasons are 6 discs. Also, older movies or indie movies that I don't want to see badly enough to buy, I can rent

I guess from now on, if ther's a TV series that It want to see but not own, I'll buy it, watch it and resell for a reasonable loss on Ebay.

At any rate, it's not about the money, it's the fact that I feel like I'm being screwed by a greedy company.

Bye bye Netflix

[rkr1958]

I'm closing mine out also, only b/c I am going to Iraq in 3 weeks.

Stay safe! Are you active military?

[PhreakPhish]

Reservist Military Police in the Marines - Its the second time in a year and a half my unit got called up. The first time my orders got messed up so I didn't go -=[
Thanks. I'll try and stay safe.
When I come back I bet NetFlix is up to $60 for 8 rentals -

[rkr1958]

Reservist Military Police in the Marines - Its the second time in a year and a half my unit got called up. The first time my orders got messed up so I didn't go -=[
Thanks. I'll try and stay safe.
When I come back I bet NetFlix is up to $60 for 8 rentals -

Thank You. Just come back safe and sound.

[presto]

Reservist Military Police in the Marines

Yes, Thank You and stay safe.

[Jester700]

Netflix is still great for me. I have the 3 plan, and they only raised that price a couple bucks. Plus, they opened up a new center one day away from me by mail, so I now get 2 shipments per week. My dad joined back when they gave you 4 at a time, so he usually gets 8 movies per week, for $22!

[aero]

Blockbuster is about to start doing this as well.

correction, blockbust has been saying they are going to do this anyday for two years now. they do have such a plan in a couple of metro areas, but not in most of the country. Their claim is not credible. my local blockbuster store manager told me they will have it when hell freezes over

If I put my netflix in the corner mailbox at 4 pm on wednesday, I have a new one at 2 pm thursday. If I timed it perfect I would get 8 to 9 cycles per allowed movie per month. Looking at my use the past 4 months I have gotten 132 movies over four months on 5 movie plan without even pushing it. that is 132 films for $130 even at the new rates. Looking at my useage I can see that netflix turneround times in my area at least have gotten faster not slower.

As far as blockbusters plan, I have had a number of friends in metro NY where they have the unlimited plan be thrown off the plan, which if you read the fine print, can be done without cause (translation: for renting too many titles). I know of many heavy netflix users and not one who has ever been booted.

[noki]

correction, blockbust has been saying they are going to do this anyday for two years now. they do have such a plan in a couple of metro areas, but not in most of the country. Their claim is not credible. my local blockbuster store manager told me they will have it when hell freezes over

they have had this for a while now. only it's a walk-in service, not mail.

[Will Hay]

Man, you yanks, always complaining
We, in the civilised world, pay....
....15.00GBP (28USD-ish) for three movies
....20.00GBP (37USD-ish) for four movies
....25.00GBP (46USD-ish) four five movies
And it worked out even less dollar wise before the bottom fell out of your economy.
And please, don't get me started on petrol, sorry 'gas', prices.

Will

[adam]

I love my local library. 5 movies at a time, 7 days out, and I never pay a dime. I can reserve them online and have them delivered to the library up the street. Almost nothing but widescreen and they have a massive selection. They get the newer releases before my local Blockbuster does. I'm never moving.

[gitreel]

all I know is that it was in the Dallas Morning News Newspaper either the day before yesterday or yesterday in the business section that Blockbuster was going to start doing this.

[Defcon]

all I know is that it was in the Dallas Morning News Newspaper either the day before yesterday or yesterday in the business section that Blockbuster was going to start doing this.

I think it's cool that Blockbuster and others will start doing promoting that kind of service however, I still like Netflix because of the selection.... And the fact I no longer have to drive back and forth to pickup/return them.

[handyguy]

"Blockbuster is about to start doing this as well.


correction, blockbust has been saying they are going to do this anyday for two years now."

Actually BB has filmcaddy.com =netflix

Longs is $1.99

Lucky for me they put in a new HV store near my BB store so now HV is 99 cents per day.

[redwudz]

I still like Netflix, because of the convenience, just watch them and toss them in the mailbox, no running around to the local video stores. I am lucky enough to have signed up for the old '4 at a time' system and they are letting me keep it. I pay the same price as a '3 at a time' account. Even with the price increase, for me it is a good deal.

[Madz]

I've had Netflix for several years; the 3-rental plan. Average turnaround is about 2-3 days. Usually, I receive the disks a day earlier than the projected date on the emails. I got notice of the price increase and have no problem paying an extra 2 bucks.

The one thing I think Netflix has going for them is their *selection*. Particularly TV-episode box sets. There's a Blockbuster and a West Coast Video within walking distance of me and they don't have half of those!

Although, I've always thought of their practice of having you rent dual-disk movies (i.e. Titanic, Pearl Harbor) or movie+bonus disk titles with each counting as a separate rental as silly. Local rentals give you both as one.

[VinnySem]

I have 2 Blockbuster's near me - one has the "Movie Freedom Pass," the other doesn't. Apparently only corporate-owned stores, not franchised stores, have this plan. It's $27 a month for 3 movies at a time. They also have the Game Freedom Pass. I still like Netflix better, I don't have to worry about movies being out, just send me the next one in my queue.

[gitreel]

it was originally on a trial basis. The full rollout is coming soon as reported in the newspaper. :P

[paxromana]

I too reduced my Netflix 8 out plan to the 3 out. I intend to again test out Walmart's mail plan to supplement my Netflix. I dropped Walmart before because the selection was so piss poor. Walmart often quickly removes DVDs offerings when religious and ethnic pressure groups demand they remove titles.

What is worse, Walmart floods their catalog with DVDs of "politically correct" offerings suggested by the same self appointed pressure groups speaking for the "community."

Netflix founder Reed Hastings is a well traveled, well educated former Peace Corps worker who came to Silicon Valley with a view to dot com success and at the same time spreading International understanding by offering every possible type of foreign and art movie as well as the popular stuff.

So, I won't be leaving anytime soon. Hasting's problem, although he is now turning a slight profit centers on the fact that a very large number of members are going through 40 or 50 DVDs a month. You can well imagine Netflix postage costs on this number of DVDs.

[aero]

correction, blockbust has been saying they are going to do this anyday for two years now. they do have such a plan in a couple of metro areas, but not in most of the country. Their claim is not credible. my local blockbuster store manager told me they will have it when hell freezes over

they have had this for a while now. only it's a walk-in service, not mail.

no, theyhave it in 5% of their stores. that is a small test that began over a year ago and has not been expanded by one store in that year.

[aero]

it was originally on a trial basis. The full rollout is coming soon as reported in the newspaper. :P

the full rollout was "coming soon" a year ago as reported in the newspapers and press releases. I know becasue I began asking my store last year. It is also not only "corporate stores" my store is a "corporate store and doesn't have it.

[gitreel]

i was only stating what I read.....let's not make this more than that.....ok

[overloaded_ide]

I may give netflix a try this fall or winter, see how things are going then.
I have thought about joining several times, just never have.

I really have better things to do with my time than just sit in front of a TV. If the weather is nice I try to do things outside, if the weather is bad I have alot of stuff inside I could be doing. Not sure if I would have enough time to watch enough movies to make it worthwhile getting net flix

Even when I lived in a small yucky apartment, I seldom watched TV. Always something better to do!

I don't even have normal TV here, just all movies. Antenna would only get 2 channels (not worth having those 2 either) and I won't pay for satalite service, my only other choice here.

Course I stay busy with things like computers, windmills, local gatherings, traveling, all that boring stuff that takes away my TV time

[bunginuts]

I currently have the 8 at a time plan and it takes me about 2 weeks to received the rentals when they have a depot 20 miles away from me. Its carzy. I'm going to downgrade to 3 at a time. I get movies faster from www.gameznflix.com and they are located in TN. Netflix froze one of my friends account due to snail mail losing so many of the discs. Netflix has sure gone way down hill since the last time they pushed so many adds. They can't handle the customer demand, they don't impove I'm canceling my account.

DJ Tedness

"In my world the grass eats the cows"

[ultra911]

i still think it's worth it if i pay an extra $2-3. i'm on the 3dvd plan, i get about 9dvds/week, and 36dvds a month. $20 for 36dvds, good deal. their san jose shipping facility is right next door to me, so shipping is fast.

all the blockbuster in my area has the movie pass & game freedom pass.