How common are broken Netflix discs?

[videobread]

How common are broken Netflix discs? I never used to get any. Now I get one in about five. (They are not Blu-ray.) I've Googled it and see that it is a problem, but never got a real answer. Why so many now and none a few years ago? Are they using different blanks? How many cracked discs are you getting? I just had a broken disc replaced by another broken disc of the same title! Do you get on a Netflix S**T list? Is it the postal carrier, like it used to always be the butler? Is it machinery at the post office? Just curious how may broken discs others are getting if any and what your take is.

[jagabo]

In about a year (about 2 discs a week) of Netflix subscription I've never received a broken disc. Only one scratched disc that wouldn't play all the way though.

[MOVIEGEEK]

It depends on the Post Office, they aren't supposed to sort Netflix but some do anyway. What happens is when they go around tight corners the machine snaps the discs.
Where I used to live I would get a broken disc at least once a month, where I live now I haven't received one.

[redwudz]

I had one a few years ago and fortunately noticed it before I stuck it in the player. It was cracked across one side. And that was when they used cardboard mailers. I get mostly BD's now, so not many DVDs. Quite a few of the mailers are torn up, but Netflix must figure the disc damage level to be acceptable. I suspect if they get a lot of damaged discs in one post office, they might complain to them, whatever good that would do. My local Netflix hub is only about 30 miles away, so hard for the USPS to do too much damage.

[maca]

I've had netflix for about 3 years now, average about 2 discs a week, and probably gotten about 4 discs scratched or damaged too badly to play. But the worst example happened just a couple weeks ago. Got a disc with a big crack in it, reported it and sent it back, got the same movie in a few days and it was in FIVE pieces, just an envelope of chips. Reported it again and the 3rd time was OK. The first one was sort of too ridiculously damaged to be a coincidence; almost felt like somebody at netflix was saying, "You want damage? I'll show you damage"!

My wife works at the post office, though, and she said it could be accidental, since the movies bend slightly when they go past rollers on post office machines. If it cracked once, then the pieces could be stacked in the envelope and subject to breaking worse once they go through another roller. But the fact that it was the same movie makes me think they were just sending me back the same cracked disc. What really burned me up is that netflix put the rest of my queue on hold while the broken movie was being taken care of. I had to call them and complain that I wanted my regular movies to continue, and they complied.

Moviegeek above is right, they aren't supposed to be sorted but sometimes are. They're supposed to be tossed into a separate bin which goes directly to the local netflix center. Since my wife works there, she takes ours to work and tosses it in herself. But of course she has no control over the ones we get in.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Here's a discussion:
http://community.netflix.com/forum/topics/just-joined-first-two-movies

[freebird73717]

I've had them for two years and only one broken disc in that time.

[Des]

In 4 years I have received two broken disks and one disk that seemed to be blank, and it's replacement was also blank: "Stan Laurel Collection: Vol. 2: Disc 2"
Oh, and they shipped me the remake "3:10 from Yuma" instead of the original "3:10 from Yuma."

Over all not bad by my reckoning. Though the Stan Laurel disk really disappointed me. Maybe I'll try again.

--dES

[SLK001]

In 5 years of Netflix, I have received 2 cracked disks and maybe 3 disks with bad scratches. I usually get 2 disks a week.

[MJA]

every single disc is scratched but playable

[wtsinnc]

From the beginning of my subscription in 2005, nearly all of the DVDs I've received from Netflix have come from the same distribution center.
I had a major problem roughly three years ago; probably 20% arrived cracked/broken into two or more pieces or severly scratched to the pont they wouldn't play.

I complained and after repeatedly calling up the corporate ladder with complaints about the unplayable discs, the instances of cracked or broken DVDs was reduced to a truly acceptable percentage- probably one in twenty or twenty-five now.
Perhaps, just a coincidence.

Outside of the brand new releases, pretty much every DVD I receive is really dirty and scratched; I clean every one before putting it in my player, but now it's pretty rare to receive a completely unplayable disc.

[budz]

I've had netflix going on 2 years and have had only 1 cracked dvd.
Going OT: A friend of my parent's has had netflix delivered to his home a few times and he doesn't even subscribe to it. LoL!

[zoobie]

In 3 years, I've never gotten one cracked disc
I vote for the postman having gone postal

[cal_tony]

5 years not 1 cracked. I think there was one lost.

Tony

[stoneybirch]

Polycarbonate DVD discs should not crack. I suspect the blanks were made with degraded plastic(kind of common)

[Beck38]

I've been on Netflix physical discs since they had only one distribution center (SF) and it's been a good 2 years since I had a cracked disc, center is ~60 miles from me.

Bluray's are more susceptable to very small edge cracks where the disc may mostly play but it depends on how picky the player is. My Samsung will choke on the most minimal crack but my Sony will try anything that will slide in the tray, go figure.

But it has improved over 10 or even 5 yrs ago, at least for me.

I also rent discs occasionally from the '3d rental' outfit that used to mail only from SF but is now located in Illinois, and they use cardboard mailers and in the 5 years of using them no cracked discs whatsoever. Why them? No 'rental' types, tons that NF doesn't carry, and of course 3d and 4k titles. Lots more $$ but there it is.

[Jay4]

I live in a smaller town a few hours from the nearest distribution center. I would say I get a cracked disc one time in 15 or so. pretty common.

[redwudz]

I've never had a broken BD from Netflix. And most all the DVDs I order are older classic vids that show a lot of surface wear.
When broken, they have also shown a lot of abuse. Such as being thrown on the carpet and someone stepping/jumping on them.
Can't blame Netflix for that. I really doubt they inspect their returns from what I have seen.