Netflix return envelopes rant

[lordsmurf]

For as long as I could rememner, all through 2003-2005, Netflix discs were in envelopes that had a blank return address area, and then a sticker for my local center was slapped on it. Or if an address was pre-printed, it was for my local center.

Lately, it seems distrobution centers are printing full addresses, not using labels. This past week my discs arrived and had returns for Oklahoma City, Los Angeles and Chicago. Those are not my centers. I was not about to send my discs cross-country, and wait a week for them to arrive. **** that.

I printed up labels that pretty closely matched the font of the Netflix print job, but using the address to my local center, and slapped those on. I mailed yesterday, and my queue already shows all 3 of my new discs are being sent today.

I thought the entire point of multiple distro centers was to speed things up?

I sort of wonder if this has been going on longer, and how many of these whiners with "they're holding my discs, wah!" are really sending their discs to the other side of the continent, instead of a local center within a couple hundred miles.

Pay attention to your return address. Make your own label to speed things up!

[Xylob the Destroyer]

yeah, I noticed the same thing this past weekend.
I got one disc with a return address here in town (Denver). The other disc had a return address of freakin' New Jersey!

[Doramius]

Again, some centers have a large supply where other centers are in short supply. They don't neccesarily know when or what discs you're sending out, but apparently its so they can keep stock even accross the country.

However, you can still send it to your local center without penalization. They just send it the longer distance themselves, or do a bulk shipment of movies to another center. I think its their way of cutting a cost by having it shipped directly to the other center, rather than reshipping it themselves.


I got bored one day and checked up on that myself because my neighbor was pissed that some discs weren't showing as being received. They were being sent to Illinois, when we're all the way out in Vegas. So he's preprinting his own labels too. Been doing it for about 3-4 months now. I still go to a local video store. You can't find all the titles I'd like to see on Netflix, plus I don't have to worry about all the problems you all are talking about. :P

[Supreme2k]

Either of you self-printers have an idea of what font to use?

[Doramius]

ARIAL

[lumis]

netflix is probably doing this as a throttling measure.

[lordsmurf]

Either of you self-printers have an idea of what font to use?

ARIAL

Actually, the font is pretty close to Verdana
The only off letter appears to be the "y"

Nearest Netflix Shipping Facility
PO Box 123456
My City, ST 12345-6789

In your software, it'll look even closer, because you'll anti-alias some.
Forum text is aliased.

[Doramius]

Try Web-Dings for some real Fun. :P


I just find ARIAL easier to read.

[lordsmurf]

Children & Family Shipping Friday
Children & Family 03/02/06 03/03/06
Television 03/02/06 03/03/06

Yeah, see, I should have my new ones within 1-2 days. The other one I can only guess is being shipped from elsewhere, or is maybe unavailable at the moment. I'm not exactly renting super-popular "moovees"

Without changing my labels, who knows when the discs would have ever arrived.

Doramius, I SERIOUSLY DOUBT they re-direct discs back to the "owner" facility. I don't think there is one. They manage inventory nationally, and then just re-ship from wherever the disc happens to be. Law of averages should show most of the discs will continues to be in most of the places most of the time, even if some are "wrongly" sent to another location.

[Doramius]

You lost me on the "owner" facility part.

I was saying that there may be some facilities in the northeast that are running through their stock faster, so they send postage enevelopes for those facilities rather than your local. If you send it to their local, Either they ship it to a customer directly from that site, or they'll send a bulk shipment from one facility to one that has a lower stock.

Not exactly sure how its back end working run (it could be a dog and a downsyndrome kid licking stamps and sorting the inventory). If you call their main line and ask to speak with a operator, that's a brief explanation of how it was told to me. Its probably not a proper explanation, but I wasted enough time with the person to know I won't subscribe to Netflix.

[lordsmurf]

Gotcha. I guess that's possible.

[Doramius]

Gotcha. I guess that's possible.

The shippping capability or the Dog & the downsyndrome kid licking stamps & sorting inventory? :P

[thayne]

I'm going to start doubling up disks from envalopes from other area's into those from my area

[smearbrick1]

Maybe an interesting idea for a website, or an addition to the website. You could post text label templates for Netflix distribution centers across the US.

Netflix would go nuts if everyone jumped on board.

[MackemX]

do DVD's ever go missing when being sent out or returned and who is responsible?

it's something that I've often wondered about

[Xylob the Destroyer]

definitely
one time now, I have had a title show as being shipped, but after 2 weeks it hadn't arrived.
I simply clicked the report shipping problem button and they sent a new copy.
Twice now I have sent discs back and they never got there. Same deal, just click the report shipping problems button and they take it off you list of "out" discs and add the next one from your queue.

also, once time I opened my mail box to find 4 netflix envelopes (I only have the 3 at a time deal).
there were 3 different titles, but 2 copies of Van Helsing.
all 4 envelopes were addressed to me, so it's not like I got somebody elses copy of Van Helsing.
I mailed one copy back the very next morning on my way to work and mailed the other a few days later after I had watched it.
neither copy ever showed up on their site as being returned...
that particular mess up did require a phone call to get sorted out, but it wasn't a big deal.

[smearbrick1]

Van Helsing - What a crappy movie to get two copies of.

Netflix has been completely cool about lost in the mail DVDs. I haven't had one issue yet.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

me either.
i suppose that if you suddenly started reporting every other DVD as "missing" in the mail, they would cancel your subscription -- but it would seem pretty obvious that you were just stealing them if you were constantly reporting missing discs.
Their prices on used movies are fairly reasonable, but the selection isn't exacly great.
It's mostly just recent "blockbusters' that they stocked up on heavily in anticipation of huge numbers of requests at release time and when demand drops they sell off the excess.

[Doramius]

They do that at the video stores too. I remember ELF. The stores stocked huge amounts because of the in stock guarantee. I bought it from them for $9 1 month later. They said it was previously viewed, but unlike PV discs I have bought before, this didn't have a single scratch or fingerprint oil on it.

BTW - I didn't care for the movie. My wife likes it. :/

[lordsmurf]

I've had a few discs never arrive, but you never know if they really got lost, or if Netflix didn't scan them in properly. The latter is actually more likely.

Anyway, I just reported it as a problem, and that was the end of that. My next two discs were sent.

[MackemX]

so are they insured when they are posted?

then again how can they prove you posted it anyway. I wonder what the limit is

my post is terrible and I have always used signed for delivery as it's worth the £0.63 to know what I send gets there. Obviously I wouldn't do that for DVD's but then again I don't use a postal DVD rental service

[Shocker Milwaukee]

Hell, I hand-write them on masking tape.

[NiteLite]

Yeah, just mark out the PO number and city/state and write in the local address. Or double up (two in one envelope.) I have put three in one envelope a few times to get them back to nearest center. The label does say "Nearest Netflix Center" but I'm not sure the PO could re-route that way. (?)

[lordsmurf]

The label does say "Nearest Netflix Center" but I'm not sure the PO could re-route that way. (?)

Probably no more than your ability to call information and ask them some absurd question like "I'm looking for my friend Fred, do you know where he is?"

[jmikeh]

I noticed on my last 2 shipments that one goes back to Calif. and the other one to my local OKC enter. I scanned the OKC one and then made a tif file. Printed it in Irfanview to the correct size and taped it over the Calif location.

Thanks for letting me know about this tactic. I had noticed my shipping slowing down recently and never even noticed this..

[NiteLite]

The label does say "Nearest Netflix Center" but I'm not sure the PO could re-route that way. (?)

Probably no more than your ability to call information and ask them some absurd question like "I'm looking for my friend Fred, do you know where he is?"

Nice one.

Once again anyone can double up discs in the close addressed return envelope and just throw the long distance one away.

[Doramius]

Doubling up might help the company keep costs down in the long-run anyway. Again, I don't subscribe to this, but I have friends that do. If you're trying to save a buck anyway possible, you're willing to do what it takes to help that company save you $$.

[Rookie64]

Or just use Blockbuster.com and save yourself the time and frustration 8)

Their service is a billion times better anyway and I've said this time again well over a year :P

[MackemX]

I've decided I'm staying away from online rental as I just wouldn't watch them all anyway even though I would like to. Well in fact I probably would watch them but then I wouldn't do much else . There's enough crap on TV to keep me amused anyway

Or just use Blockbuster.com and save yourself the time and frustration 8)

Their service is a billion times better anyway and I've said this time again well over a year :P

though it doesn't seem like it, it's nearly been a year since you posted also

nice to see you around again 8)

[Rookie64]

though it doesn't seem like it, it's nearly been a year since you posted also

nice to see you around again 8)

Thanks