Assholes.
Netflix was awesome 24 hours ago.
I was currently paying $9.99 a month for a plan that included Unlimited Streaming and Unlimited DVDs (1 out at-a-time). Now, starting September 1st, if I want to continue, it’ll be $15.98 instead of $9.99. They call this inscrease a “split into 2 distinct plans,” I call it an asshole move. Check out the email they’ve been sending to all their members:
Dear Mighty Peking Man,
We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both.
Your current $9.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:
Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 1 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $7.99 a month
Your price for getting both of these plans will be $15.98 a month ($7.99 + $7.99). You don’t need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs.
These prices will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011.
You can easily change or cancel your unlimited streaming plan, unlimited DVD plan, or both, by going to the Plan Change page in Your Account.
We realize you have many choices for home entertainment, and we thank you for your business. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-357-1516.
–The Netflix Team
Well, f–k you, too.
Even though I’m not happy about the increase, I still prefer Netflix’s $15.98 fee a month compared to a trip to whatever is left of the Blockbuster Video Chain (a couple of visits to this place can easily equal $18) or even the hassle of a Redbox (I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to rent something for a buck knowing I have to stop by a grocery store the next day to return it; and don’t get me started on the person in front of me taking their sweet time, browsing titles, WHILE on their cell phone).
Or maybe I should cancel my 1 out at-a-time DVD option and just keep my Netflix streaming plan for $7.99 a month. But I gotta be honest: I get sick of Michael Paré’s face and the so-called “visually striking” movies that never seem to change.
I have to admit, seeing movies like “I Saw The Devil,” “Copland” and “Straight Time” (in HD) on Netflix streaming always puts a smile on my face.
Either way, Netflix is still an asshole.
Update: Netflix speaks out.
Right now I have two theories. One, is that Netflix knows they’re going to have to pay out the nose very soon for licensing fees on their streaming content. The studios are gonna want a bigger slice of Netflix’s pie, and re-negotiating the Starz deal is going to cost way more than it did the first time around. Netflix is passing the cost on to the consumers.
The other theory is that Netflix is just dicking their customers. The economy is stagnant but they want to show their shareholders that they can still increase profit. Hence the 60% price increase.
I’ve been a subscriber to Netflix since 2004, I think they offer a great service, but the one thing they don’t do is listen to customer feedback. They spent a year or so slowly dismantling any and all social aspects of the site (reviewer profiles, friends list, movie lists in general), to constant criticism and complaints from users, and they never once acknowledged it. The difference is this time that *everyone* is pissed, not just people that like to have reviewer profiles. If it were any other company, I might say Netflix would listen to the barrage of Facebook/Twitter/blog complaints that they’re getting. But I’m not expecting it.
CNN: “On Wednesday, shares of Netflix surged even as the news left many subscribers fuming – so much so that they flooded the company’s Facebook page where more than 34,000 commenters slammed Netflix for what they said was an unfair price hike.”
That’s a good theory. Especially considering they’re going to concentrate more on “hard copy DVDs” again – I read this somewhere. And I think it was after one of the bigwigs retired or something.