Hi, I’m Mike Osier, head of IT Operations at Netflix. My team is responsible for the technology supporting our shipping, Web site, and streaming to PCs and TVs. Now that things are back to normal following last week’s shipping outage, I’d like to shed some light about what happened, why, and what we’re doing about it. On Monday, 8/11, our monitors flagged a database corruption event in our shipping system. Over the course of the day, we began experiencing similar problems in peripheral databases until our shipping system went down. It was going to be a long night.
We suspected hardware and moved the shipping system to an isolated environment, gradually getting DVD shipments moving again. Eventually the system was repaired and shipping returned to normal conditions. With some great forensic help from our vendors, root cause was identified as a key faulty hardware component. It definitively caused the problem yet reported no detectable errors. We’ve taken steps to fortify our shipping system with the acquisition of additional equipment and worked with our vendors to verify we’re in good shape elsewhere.
Hope this was helpful and thanks for your patience.
202 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 202 Newer› Newest»I'd just like to know why my DVDs didn't ship until Monday, even though Netflix claimed that everything was working on Friday. When was everything finally "fixed"? I'm guessing you did some work over the weekend and finally had it all working on Monday.
Thanks for keeping us updated about this situation and your professional manner in general.
In the midst of all this, we were trying to finish a season of a TV series we were involved in and I got frustrated when we did not receive the last disk of the season in a timely manner. I went on the website and requested another one and, of course, then I got two!!
You all are always also on the ball about quickly replacing defective disks. We love Netflix and can't imagine life without it.
Go back to TV with commercials?? Never!!
As a long time customer, the problem that I keep seeing over and over is that Netflix starts technical projects and moves on before finishing them.
Therefore, things constantly go wrong.
An example is your announcement that all the new sliders have a "See All" feature. However when one starts looking at them, we see that many still do not have this feature, including the New Releases.
Instead of fixing that, your IT people started moving on to other projects. The same might be said for all the MAC issues that never seem to get resolved.
It seems like there are a multitude of technical problems that never seem to get fixed, even though you are regularly announcing "new" technical features.
I have absolutely no doubt that the recent deliverly problems are related to this systemic problem.
Bottom line, if you want to keep your customers, the way to do it is to provide quality service of what you have before attemting all the whiz bang features that you obviously don't have the time or personel to do properly.
He said "MAC" issues, yeah those people sure have issues...
If things are fixed.. why did Netflix show that they received my DVD on Thursday and was shipping out Thursday and then it switch to shipping Friday and now it's saying shipping Monday. I didn't complain at all last week but I'm really losing faith and getting frustrated now.. Anyone else still having issues?
I'd never have known there was a problem if Netflix had not told me. I truly appreciate honesty in the business world and because of this I will be a lifetime subscriber of Netflix. Thankyou.
It still seems messed up to me. I mailed two discs back yesterday and they are still not showing as received today. So this means no new movies for the weekend.
Oh, and I live in San Jose - same city as a Netflix distribution center.
I was even willing to upgrade my plan in order to get discs shipped today, but no dice. The immediate increase and billing adjustment wasn't offered. I could only upgrade as of the start of my next billing cycle. Way to shoot yourself in the foot, Netflix.
That wasn't so hard, was it?
So why did it take 7 days for this blog entry to be made?
Netflix scams still continue. Got this offer today to upgrade again to 4 movies at a time with promise to ship TODAY! I paid, they sent:
Your Account | Queue | Help
Subscription Change
Dear Michael,
We have received your request to change your membership to the 4 at-a-time (Unlimited) plan at $23.99 plus applicable tax.
Your additional movies will ship to you immediately. Effective 09/03/2008, you will also receive a 15% Customer Service discount which will be applied to the base price of your plan for the next billing period.
Thank you for your membership. Enjoy your movies!
-Your friends at Netflix
____________________________
Then, I go online & check my queue. Yep, now 4 at a time but NOT shipping today (Friday) OR tomorrow, but now they hope to ship it Monday. I am finished with this scam company......
Hi, I like the Watch Instantly option, however, when I try to watch a movie in the Full-Screen mode - I have problems. The films freeze or don't play at all. Please help.
Thanks,
Joe
i got netflix because of the fast shipping and for new released movies, instead of going to the movie store and finding a empty shelf. i would like to say thanks for my big $1.50 off for the delay and now a 2 day shipment plan WOOOOW HOOOOOOOO love a guy that watches alooooot of movies
For the past 2 weeks I've been getting dvds not listed on my queque and my account is now under another person so I can't e-mail Netflix. Extremely frustrating. I received yet another wrong Dvd today - my 5th in a row. Returning it unwatched. Just want to cancel entirely but can't do that either. Anybody from Netflix reading this???????????????????????????????
I think they're still having issues, maybe only at a few dist. centers. I haven't had any movies acknowledged as returned this week, though I sent back at least one movie every day this week. I get my movies out of Honolulu.
I am utterly unimpressed with the fact that Netflix does not bother to clearly and openly acknowledge/post their delay problems on their website... and the way I that learn about this problem is a) not get the DVDs b) look for some information on www.cnn.com and finally c) find this website.
as a self trained IT person for my own biz I know this type of problem can be very hard to catch and fix! even by experts! hope you have a few there?
Normally my biggest problems are cased by software updates that shell we say "Bill" has decided to test in the real world first! and then "update" for the problems later!
would not surprise me at all if this was the case here too!
As an IT person myself, what I don't understand is how the odds are soo stacked against Netflix. I mean, a hardware issue. Meaning something "mechanical/electrical" failed in all of the distribution centers at the exact same time. From what I have read they have over 55 of these centers. The odds of all 55 having the exact same "Hardware" issue at the exact same time are as good as winning a multimillion dollar lottery.
Nice way to try and cover up again though.
As an IT person myself, they were saying there was a hardware issue that caused a database problem. The database used by their shipping program, hence causing problems at all distribution centers since they are all using that same system. As an IT person, I figured the previous poster would have been able to figure this out instead of claiming that anyone was trying to cover something up.
@ Michael -
They never usually ship on Saturdays; last week was an exception to help clear the backlog. What's starting "immediately" is 'the shipping process' (note they say 'ship', not 'send'), so getting it out to you the next (for them) business day isn't exactly a 'scam', is it?! But if you're determined to feel aggrieved..... Just seems like an awful waste of energy.
No matter what Netflix says or does to appease people, many will continue to bitch and moan.
Some folks are simply not happy unless they can complain.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you are that unhappy with the Netflix service, go to Blockbuster.
I've received my 3 dvd's last Saturday as Netflix promised, I returned them and got 3 more.
Business as usual.
My Queue was never a problem as some people apparently had.
Netflix, I really tried to give you the benefit of the doubt last week. I know problems do occur. The thing is I only received one disc again this week, so I've cheated out of ANOTHER disc this cycle, as I usually get two a week. My account shows my return was processed yesterday very early and that my next disc was to be sent out yesterday and received today. Well, I didn't get a disc and even though it said in my account info that one was shipped yesterday, I never received an email saying it was shipped. Now, I getting really peeved at all this.
Oops. My above post has a typo in it. When will I ever learn to proofread? Should have been "Now I AM getting really peeved."
Appreciate the background info, Mike. Though it's a pity this couldn't have been shared with us a bit sooner to help calm those that'll unfortunately always interpret silence as "We don't givash*t", even when it's perfectly clear to the rest of us that you guys do -- a lot. For which, many thanks.
Hey guys! They finally got everything fixed.....& only one full week after they told media outlets everything was back to normal. Whew! At least the rest of the world still thinks they're a reputable company. Do you think on top of the shipping problems Netflix took the opportunity to throttle us all a little bit? No....Netflix is an honest company that would never do that to its customers.
Georgie Boy, sounds like you're doing an excellent job of cutting off your own oxygen supply over this. Now, take a deep breath and MOVE ON!
We are new Netflix customers, and our problems have occurred this week, not last. Netflix shipped us the wrong dvd on Monday, 18 Aug. It was in the correct sleeve, but the dvd was not what the sleeve said. I reported the problem online when I received the dvd on Tuesday afternoon and I returned it in the Wednesday mail.
Yesterday (Friday) we received the very same incorrect dvd BACK with a note that we must have sent them a personal dvd! What's the use of reporting that we received an incorrectly labelled dvd if Netflix just assumes the fault is ours? It seems like a case of the left hand (receiving) not knowing what the right hand (online accounting) is doing. Obviously, someone else sent Neflix a personal dvd in their sleeve and Netflix didn't notice it before sending it out erroneously to us.
Meanwhile, Netflix told us on Tuesday evening that they would send the correct dvd to us right away. Now the mail has come on Saturday and we still don't have a dvd. It was supposedly sent on 8/21 from another Netflix center a little further away and the estimated arrival date was today. Not.
In all, it will be at least a week on Monday since we've had a dvd from Netflix. There's no benefit to us of the service if we don't see at least 1-2 dvds per week. (Our local place is cheaper per dvd if we watch only 4-5 per month.)
There are at least two problems with Netflix in this scenario -- the receiving dept. returned to us a dvd that I had just returned to them as erroneous; and it took at least two days for Netflix to make good on their error by initiating the mailing of the correct dvd. Are these systemic problems or just two flukes at once?
I hate and am angry at the fact that "netflix" screwed up the shipping on everyones movies. i had sent my movies (3) back on tues. the 19th and received ONLY 2 OF THE 3 and still haven't seen the other movie and todays sat. the 23rd. Wish I could get 3 movies sent to me at the same time if i send them in all at once...makes me think about how good "netflix" really is
I appreciate you giving us a follow up. I was rather curious about what happened. Glad to know everything is working toward resolution. :)
Is this database corruption in your shipping system perhaps responsible for me being shipped DVDs that weren't scheduled to ship next in my queue? I received only one of the three I was supposed to receive and two other DVDs that were farther down in my queue. The ones I wanted to view next were skipped over. Is the problem fixed yet?
Well, it's obvious to some of us that the fallout hasn't finished. On Tuesday I received a movie from way down my queue with no email to announce its arrival. (Something odd I noticed: instead of my address being printed on the Netflix mailer, it had been printed onto a label that was then attached to the mailer. Never had a mailer with a separate label before.) Then yesterday I did get an email telling me the movie was coming, and sure enough - it did. A duplicate DVD was sent and arrived today, Sat. What a waste of effort. I hope they REALLY get things back to normal soon.
This is Off-Topic, and I apologize, but it needs to be addressed publicly, and after numerous requests via email, I want to be sure Netflix is hearing this.
I speak for a community of film fans when I say:
PLEASE, Netflix, stop renting out the inferior versions of Nosferatu, and replace them with the Kino Ultimate Edition. This is a classic film that stands as the first of its kind, and it does it a disservice to ship out a poorly transferred version with the wrong score when someone requests it in their queue... Especially if it's their first viewing of this film!
The Kino Ultimate Edition uses the original score, has a clean transfer, runs at the proper frame rate (so Hutter doesn't seem so manic, and the mood is maintained), and is tinted properly. The title cards are all correctly translated, too, unlike your current cheap-o editions.
People in the reviews section are asking for this version, and have been since 2007 when it was released. Why is it you can immediately offer the extended, ultimate, HD, Blu-Ray, limited edition version of a turd like Waterworld or Battlefield Earth or some other modern blockbuster as soon at it's available, but you can't be bothered to pay attention to film fans who want a loyal, respectable version of a film classic that has been available on DVD for a year?
I'm sorry to threadjack, but repeated email requests have been ignored, and the reviews section is apparently not noticed by your staff. A change in your stock of Nostferatu DVDs is LONG overdue, and much-requested, and you would do your customers a service by offering it to them.
Nosferatu: The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition by Kino is the only non-gimmick Nosferatu you should stock. The other oddball versions (gothic-industrial mix, the first vampire, etc.) can stick around, but the item titled as just "Nosferatu" in your library should be the best available version, and it's currently not. Right now, this movie is represented in the Netflix library by a low-rent dollar store edition. This must stop.
If you care at all about film and film fans, you'll show some respect for this classic and offer a decent edition, finally.
Thanks. Sorry to threadjack. My apologies to my fellow posters for the off-topic post.
No worries, Keyth. It's actually rather refreshing to be reminded that this entire and logistically mind boggling exercise is ultimately about watching great movies.
As for 'threadjacking', I second someone else's request for a 'General' category on this Blog for just this kind of suggestion, since 'Titel Request' clearly isn't working (and has been removed from the Blog, I couldn't help noticing) , plus we can no longer e-mail Netflix suggestions as to how they might "improve their site". Or e-mail them about anything else, for that matter! TRULY bizarre for an exclusively on-line site.
And all this from a fan. But why keep removing the good stuff?
I find it very interesting that all these problems just "happened" to occur in the month when Netflix was forced to upgrade all of us old timers for one month due to the court settlement! Never before had they sent me a notice that a movie was not available in my local distribution center and was being redirected to a center half way across the country! Then the delayed movie did not arrive when promised! Put me down as a skeptic or just call me "throttled".
Thanks Netflix Staff.I really appriciate your honest and hard work.I love the fact that I don't have to leave my home and rent movies.More power and keep up the good work.
Dear netfix this as to be one of the most disappointing things that I have dome on the net,I sign up on a free trail that I never got to use as a matter of fact I plum forgot about all of this until my wife told me that I needed to do something about netflix charging my credit card for something I'm not getting. So went to netflix and sure enough you say sent movie way back in March my God man if I had sent someone something way back in march you would have called,wrote letter are something.You didn't even send but one email and that was way back in march that I didn't catch. And now you say you sent another movie that i was suppose to receive the 19th and today is the 23rd.Lets get one thing straight I do not,not receive mail at this address that you have on file this is a place of business and I get mail,ups,and FedEx everyday Monday Thur Friday.I have not received and now do not care about receiving any movies from netflix as a matter of fact I would like to have my money back since march although I know that is not going to happen.I have ran my business for the last 15 years and I strive for the best customer service that I can give and I must say you have the worst customer service that I have ever seen.It seems to me you don't care at all whats going on as long as you are receiving your money you would think if you had a movie out since march you would try at least a little to do little research on the matter.As smart as computers are today there is no reason this sort of thing should happen.Therefor Would like to cancel my member ship,would like my money back and I must say this just did not work for me.And you can't even email what a joke a business on the web with no customer service.
Rick
Dera Ruck we ar soyrr you and having a prolem but wecan not do annytihgn fur you witout more infermcion becas we has 38,759 Ricks, To cansel on the line go to 'yer a count' wiht the wite letars on the the top of the pag and push buton 'casel mi acont' hope that hlesp ,ypur fRends ak nltefx
I understand technical difficulties. It happens, and a couple of days wait would not be an issue.
However, I haven't had a new movie in nearly a month now and my account says my address is wrong and preventing mailing. My address is correct. The movies have been coming to that address for nearly a year. I tried to send an email to let you know and that's apparently not possible. It keeps giving me a phone number. I don't want to call. Why is there no email contact for issues?
I'm a long-time customer and was always happy with the service, but with most movies now coming scratched and not being able to get a new movie in nearly a month, I'm about to the point of cancelling service. A 15% credit doesn't cover this one. And I didn't even get that. For a few days late, I wouldn't care. This is getting ridiculous. Why are you still advertising so heavily when you can't keep up the service you already have?
Where do I inquire about the sound quality on some of the classic movies on instant watch? I can't hear them... ie Second Chorus and several others that would be great to watch but can't hear. Thank you!
P.S. Thanks for the updates and fast service...We LOVE NETFLIXS
Elizabeth, virtually no 2-way traffic on this blog, so if customer service (phone only) can't help, I'd suggest you join the Community Forum where you'll likely get enthusiastic and knowledgeable help to all movie and tech related questions from fellow members and a few very nice off-duty (please note) Netflix employees. Whiny haters (and we know who you are if not why you are) need not apply.
http://community.netflix.com/
I feel for you guys, but I'm still having problems. I received The Golden Child twice in a row even though it was not in my Queue. (If it had gotten added, it would have to be a bug - I hate that movie!) Then I just supposedly received a movie that was in my cue...Brokeback Mountain... but inside the sleeve was...Napolean Dynamite. Um... not even close, dude! So out of four movies you mailed me since the glitch was "fixed", only one was the right movie. Something's still wrong, at least in Nashville.
(continued) Maybe it's just the Nashville distribution center. When we had Netflix in Oregon it was perfect. But even before this nationwide shipping problem, since signing up for Netflix down south we've had to return more than half of the movies we received as scratched/chipped/unplayable.
I'm almost ready to cancel. Maybe we should just cancel until we move to a state with a better distribution center, but I'm willing to give Netflix another month to get everything back as good as it used to be.
Anyway, probably no one at Netflix is reading this blog anyway. But it feels good to get it off my chest!
I was going to say I have no complaints, then I checked my account...HUH? No 15% off!?! I reported two discs missing, as they were returned within days after being received by me, then my next two movies were shipped put the Monday following the "delay", so I was basically w/out movies for well over a week. Just got off the phone w/ customer service, and was told the 15% will be applied to my September bill. Hope this is true!!! Wouldn't it be helpful if this could all be done on-line, as opposed to over the phone? Maybe this has already been addressed, but why can't we contact Netflix other than posting on this blog?
"why can't we contact Netflix other than posting on this blog?"
Uhm...... didn't you answer your own question by saying that you spoke to customer service on the phone? But many of us agree that we need e-mail as well, this grand experiment (the blog) having become, at best, little more than an entertaining release-valve for pent-up frustrations and self-righteous grandstanding (present company included).
How we miss ya, Droidmeister.
As a person who works for one of the largest online stores in the world I have this to say about the recent problems with Netflix: Systems have periodic problems; they go down and unfortunately customers are let down when that happens. I know that I personally feel bad when I find out it's happened with my company. Most of us out on the production floor feel the same way. Since I'm just a grunt filling orders, there's not a lot I can do about the technical difficulties. All I can do is make sure to the best of my abilities that the orders I fill are correct. I have no doubt that it's the same with the production crew at Netflix. Since I'm new to this service, I have to look at my own situation: A 15% discount has been promised via email and I have to trust that when the next billing cycle comes around (9/05), it will be applied to my account. If it's not, the first thing I'll do is check back here for any new messages. As far as my service with the company is concerned, I really have no complaints so far. So it took a couple of business days longer to get my last movie; not a big deal. Probably saved me a billing-cycle's worth of late fees to Blockbuster. And, no, my last returned movie hasn't posted yet, but hey, I mailed it Friday, so it wouldn't have yet, would it? When I take the amount this service costs per month and compare it to what I would have spent at Blockbuster for the same number of movies (disc and Instant)that I've watched, the choice is clear for me. I get that there have been some major screwups happen to some Netflix customers out there, and that's not good; I hope that things get straightened out for you. As for myself, I'm going to stick around and see what happens.
Due to Netflix having problems, I hate to report two sets of the same DVDs as missing, as neither set of them arrived at my house, and then my account was flagged and put on hold, further delaying the shipment. Why am I being punished for their errors?! This was my first month with the service, I recieved two DVDs and have been waiting 3 weeks for the rest to ship. Glad I can pay them for a whole month when I didn't actually recieve any movies. Not a great way to start with a company.
We returned a movie last Thursday and expected our next one to arrive on Saturday, as everything was "back to normal." Evidently not quiet yet, as our movie wasn't even recorded as received until today. Hopefully soon.
Look at all those dumb asses posting stuff like "Well I sent one back and I wanted another one..." Blah blah blah..GET A LIFE LEAVE THE HOUSE AND THE MOVIES FOR A DAY.
I am really beginning to lose patience with you, Netflix. Supposedly, a disc was sent out to me on Friday and was supposed to arrive the next day. Well, I didn't receive it on Saturday. Furthermore, it did not arrive on Monday either. That is two weeks in a row that I have only received one disc, whereas I usually receive two. Furthermore, I didn't receive my email alert that it had been shipped until two days after you had SUPPOSEDLY shipped it. Gee, I don't think 15% covers it, and, quite obviously, the problems have not been resolved. I feel as though I am being cheated.
I wanted to actually thank Netflix for the up-to-date information about the situation. Obviously no one wants their DVDs delayed, but in this economy where customer service seems non-existant, I appreciate your honesty and pro-active communication. I recently recommended you to a friend who joined and agreed. I'd much rather have my membership with a company who is consistent and upfront.
As a senior application and infrastructure architect for a Fortune 500 company, I can empathize with the situation and try not to get too bent out of shape. I will say that your proactive handling and communication was STELLAR and at the end of the day actually improved my relationship with Netflix. Great job guys, I wish my team was as quick reacting and honest about application problems to our customers.
re - "Look at all those dumb asses posting stuff like "Well I sent one back and I wanted another one..." Blah blah blah..GET A LIFE LEAVE THE HOUSE AND THE MOVIES FOR A DAY."
You should be more concerned with thous 'dumb asses' paying your rent. Go back to work mailing DVD's instead of abusing your customers.
I've been using Netflix for over 2 years now and really this is the first major delay I've ever had. I was using Blockbuster online before and they were horrible. It took over a week all the time and then when the DVDs finally arrived they would be wrong half the time. I have yet to receive a wrong DVD from Netflix and I'm happy to wait for them to fix their issue so I can continue to receive excellent service. Seriously, Netflix is one of the best services I've ever had. Cut them some slack people.
re - "Look at all those dumb asses posting stuff like "Well I sent one back and I wanted another one..." Blah blah blah..GET A LIFE LEAVE THE HOUSE AND THE MOVIES FOR A DAY."
Of course the people who sent a movie back wanted another one. That's the whole reason they joined Netflix. Not too many people want to pay for a service that they don't receive. If the posts here are any indication Netflix is having issues beyond what they have discussed so far.
I sent back two discs on Thursday (from San Jose), one on Friday (from South San Francisco), and one on Saturday (from Fremont). All four were checked in by Netflix today, even though the two I mailed on Thursday were mailed in the same city as a distribution center. What are the odds of four discs mailed over three days from three separate cities all arriving on the same day?
I'd put that down to Netflix still having issues or being more backlogged then they care to admit. It's a bit much to be just a coincidence.
Maybe I should watch my movies a little quicker since I did not really notice the shipping delay like was mentioned. Netflix has been great since I joined in 2003.
That was pretty darned vague. What the hamster wheel fell off its sprocket? The flux capacitor overloaded? A screw came lose?
I recently joined Netflix on August 15, using a free 2 week membership and then converting over to a regular paid membership. I chose the movies on my Que and when I checked on Monday the 18th it said that they were shipped on the 18th. As of today, August 26, I still haven't received the 2 movies I had requested. On August 20 I checked again to see if there was a problem and it showed a shipping address that I had listed with Netflix over a year ago when I had originally checked into a subscription but at that time I had chosen to wait on subscribing. I updated my billing/shipping information that day using my current address, the address I used when I actually did subscribe to Netflix. As of this writing, the address has still not been updated, even though I checked the box to have the address updated, nor have I received any movies, even though I had checked the box asking for replacement movies. When I pull up my account information off of the main page it has my correct and current billing and shipping information. But when I check into the movies and if there is a problem it STILL shows my old address. Is this the ploy that is used when offering a free 2 week membership? I will have used up my entire 2 week free membership before I even receive one movie. What a racket!!!! I am giving VERY serious thought about simply cancelling the membership entirely. Why is there no way to email anyone regarding problems I'm having with my subscription? I sure would appreciate it if someone could straighten out my problem and maybe extend my "free trial membership"? I am one very unhappy member!
@Marie -
Yikes, ruff ride. But I'm afraid no-one here can help you, so you have to call them (current wait 1 minute). Top right of any web page click 'Help' ---> 'Contact Customer Service' --->'Other'.
I have been dumbstruck by Netflix's handling of the shipping outage. It's all too rare that a company even *admits* to a service interruption, let alone provides such cogent, candid, and *timely* explanations and updates - and then, on top of it all, issues account credits across the board.
Major kudos to Netflix! I've long been a happy member; now I am an extremely *loyal*, happy member. Thank you!
Thanks Netflix, Yall are the best! I can't wait for you to start streaming over xbox360 - can you give us a more definite date? When will this happen, and will it cost anything if I already have a netflix subscription and a 'Gold' xbox Live subscription?
-Will the streams be in HD or SD?
To all the complainers: if you don't like the service, cancel your membership. Companies don't respond to idle threats. They only respond when they lose money due to customers abandoning their business. In fact, I strongly doubt that anyone from Netflix even reads any of these messages. So the choice is yours. You can keep bitching and moaning and making yourself look stupid and lazy to everyone else, or get off your fat ass and cancel your account.
For goodness sakes people...why focus on the one of the rare occasions that Netflix had a hiccup? Yes, they had technical issues and it took them a bit to get everything back up and running, but everything's fine now and working, so stop fretting so much about it. Yes, we all want our movies and TV shows but seriously, if this is such a big deal that you were inconvenienced by a technical issue, then step back and take stock that Netflix is up and running about 99% of the time. They're timely and organized, getting DVD's processed quickly and out the door. No other company out there in the same business provides the level of service that Netflix does. So let's not focus on all the RIGHT things they've done, let's focus specifically on this one small problem that was caused by a hardware issue and get the pitchforks out.
Go read a book, or go outside and get some sun folks. Not getting DVD movies or TV shows isn't the end of the world.
Keep up the fantastic work Netflix, you may have hardware issues on the rare occasion but you're still #1 in my book and am glad with your excellent customer service and business practice!
This is why I work in R&D. We're *supposed* to have things go terribly wrong once in a while, or people think we're not pushing the envelope enough. :-)
To the Netflix folks:
Just ignore the whiners and crying babies and the conspiracy theorists. Most of them are guys with no lives who manage to watch dozens of disks a month. They are fat and ugly and lazy and easily ignored once you know their nature.
Seriously, I don't have much of a life myself, and I can only get through about eight discs a month. This is because I have a career and other hobbies and I sometimes go out in the actual sun.
If they are not part of the Fat Stinky Loser group, then they are just mentally ill zeros who probably deserve more pity than anything.
I'd say this is hardly "fixed", my DVD shipments are still being delayed by at least a day!
If "Watch Instantly" was available for linux the outage wouldn't have been an issue, but there isn't (linux support) so it was (an issue).
Netflix, So, if it is working, why are you shipping a dvd to me from clear cross the country. (MA to CA) This means that I will not get the movie till Fri.
Not an efficient new system if you ask me! Blockbuster is looking pretty attractive right about now.
Looks like the Netflix shills and employees are out and about again here.
In the course of over an hour, not less than SEVEN posts show up pimping Netflix while also ripping anyone who dares think Netflix can actually do better.
You Netflix managers may want to advise your staff to spread out their "Netflix is the greatest" posts instead of all hitting the blog first thing in the morning at the same time.
In the old days, (last month) I would send back a dvd and get a new one two days later. Like clockwork. Now, I send one out and get the same one back, then send it back and a week later still waiting for my next dvd! Almost ready to cancel my membership!!!!
re - "Just ignore the whiners and crying babies and the conspiracy theorists. Most of them are guys with no lives who manage to watch dozens of disks a month. They are fat and ugly and lazy and easily ignored once you know their nature."
You don't get this kind of abuse in Blockbuster! This is like the NF dictatorship, voice a complain about a service problem and get stoned. If this service is so amazing, you might want to give BB another look.
Really, compare prices, I get a 2 days turnaround just like NF plus in store exchange. All in all, BB is cheaper.
Keep on calling us ugly whiny and lazy. Blockbuster is welcoming new and returning customers and no one will treat you like this!
If it wasn't for instant viewing, I might be with you - I returned a DVD that arrived in two pieces it was so broken, and I just got an email (after 3 days) that I should get a replacement FRIDAY! Hello - NOT fast shipping!
I have no problem with Netflix. Hardly noticed the outage. You "IT people" who claim this is a cover up are obvious clueless. Netflix has one of the most complicated shipping systems in the world with few, if any, models to follow. Relax and enjoy the fact you don't have to drive down to Blockbuster and deal with the mental midgets there.
"Either you trash Netflix or you're a big fat lier, pants on fire" seems to the main thrust of all your posts, Howard. Mental midgetry of the highest order, and pretty irrefutable proof that you yourself work in a Blockbuster store. BUSTED!
Now how about buying enough movies so I can actually get what I want to watch! 6 of the top 7 omvies i want are all on very long wait. Freaking ridiculous!!!!!!
Any word ever going to come out on when the users (me) can watch PLay it now on my MAC???? I have a brand new Intel IMAC and still cannot watch vids because you can't get this operational and it sucks.
I am a 4 at a time member, since August 11 I have only received 2 of the 4 movies that were at the top of my cue. The shipment date keeps changing. I just checked my bank statement and I was charged the full amount I did not receive the 15% credit as promised. Did anybody else not get it?
I have a question, If it is fixed than why do only get my movies once a week. Netflix says that it is the post office that is causing 5 shipping day returns. I say it is net flix system because there computer keeps saying my address is invalid, but yet I get and watch my movies... I just dont get it and I am trying to be patient, But my patients is running out!!!!!!!
Anyone else with this same situation???
Gil Gamesh said...
"Either you trash Netflix or you're a big fat lier, pants on fire" seems to the main thrust of all your posts, Howard.
Actually I liked the service until the company invented "throttling" and then started making cutbacks and blaming their customers for the fallout.
I am a big believer in transparancy. If Netflix makes a change that will increase their profits then they should be upfront about it, and not claim that their customers were the problem as they did for both the removal of profiles or the removal of the Releasing This Week page.
It is dishonest and an insult to their customers.
Hey LL2D, if you have an intel mac you can use your parallels option to watch now, but will need to buy mac windows (gag). Otherwise intel mac (not power mac) viewing is slated for late fall(s off chair larfin).
Not being able to watch movies online on a Mac isn't Netflix fault, (as I too use to think for a long time).
http://blog.netflix.com/2007/08/instant-watching-on-mac-firefox-and.html
Same goes for Amazon...
About watching movies on a Mac
Howard, I certainly didn't deserve such a thoughtful response to my chain yanker, but appreciate it. In all seriousness, I still find their service pretty great, but think they've underpriced themselves too much to be as well stocked and reliable for everyone as they could be. But if they raised their prices now so they didn't have to resort to the sneaky cost cutting measures you object to, most members wouldn't stand for it. Bottom line, ya gets what ya pays for, and we gets plenty - just not everything we wants.
Checked bank account this week and the regular monthly amount was charged. No discount!! No Credit!! Anybody know how to contact customer service to find out why "For all members whose shipments have been delayed, we’ll be automatically applying a 15% credit to their next billing statement."???????
I've still been experiencing ridiculous delays too, both on shipping and receiving. Two of my 4 slots have sat open with "Your next available will be shipped by tomorrow" for the last 2 days. Two calls to customer service have assured me that there's no residual delays from the whole mess before, yet everything I've experienced for the last 2 weeks has shown otherwise. I don't get it.
Gil, you are right in that they provide a service that I can't get anywhere else for the same price. That is why I am still here.
They pretty much have a corner on the market...today. They deserve kudos for taking over the market like they have. However, as with many corporations that dominate a market, they start to take it (and their customers) for granted. That philosophy increases short term profits but can ruin a company in the long term because it creates a class of customers like me who are itching for another company to provide the same service so we can take our business elsewhere (Come on Greencine.com - I am rooting for you!)
Ultimately, it is not personal - I just view Netflix as another big corporation that I give money to for a service, not as my friend.
I have been very disappointed with Netflix's service even into this the week of Aug 24th. I mailed movies back on Friday the 22nd and as of today Aug 27th have received no new shipments. One should have gone out today, but did not and one will be going out from a remote location for Friday delivery. Not sure what is going on but hope repairs to the system are made in the very near future.
Simple solution to a complex problem. I joined Blockbuster.
Yes,I am not getting the 3 at a time for which I paid- this has been so for the past 3 weeks- How about an audit and a free month for anyone who has not gotten their paid for number of dvd's for more than a week. If this continues, I will be forced to drop them and look for someone else.IO have been a member since 04.
I STILL haven't received my dvds. I'm ready to cancel...this is ridiculous.
I'm not getting my DVDs either, here in New York City. Ironically, I upgraded on the 17th to 2-a-month, and now, on the 28th, I've only got ONE movie total, and my queue says there are NO MOVIES on the way to me, they've been processing for several days. Netflix now has no benefit-of-doubt with me, and their features can be found elsewhere, so they're just a regular lousy corporation now. They used to be like Google, now they're like Microsoft --just an uncool broken pile of poor management with no imagination or ability.
I started experiencing serious delays on 8/6. I was being shipped DVD's from California and North Carolina (to Ct.) instead of locally. None of the movies were my 1st 5 choices- all were older ones in the queue. Called on 8/6, 8/7, and 8/11 and received 3 different answers from 3 different Netflix employees- none of the answers had anything to do with a computer program.
I wonder what the locations are of other customers who are still experiencing problems?
I'm in Salinas, CA, with San Jose as the usual distribution center. Although it is obvious that there is some "differentiated service" (is that what they call it?) happening with the choices being sent to me, they're definitely NOT having problems keeping up with the number of discs shipped, nor the timing.
Ditto, L.M. I'm really getting suspicious about some of these so-called 'reports'. Take 'Hank Moody', for instance. I and the other 7 members I know here in New York, from 2-out to 5-out, barely noticed a stutter step in deliveries. How can our experiences from the same shipping depot in Flushing be so completely different? Either it's real bad luck (which is certainly possible) or some posters are using this unfortunate event to have a little fun or pursue their own agendas. I mean, saying that Netflix is (quote) "just an uncool broken pile of poor management with no imagination or ability" seems a bit, you know, UNHINGED, considering this was the first major shipping disruption in their 11 years of business.
And why are so few of these unlucky people using registered Blogger names (FYI, not ONE spam message on my own dedicated e-mail address), and/or giving more specifics about their situations if they genuinely want their problems to be looked into . I very much doubt that Netflix pays the slightest attention to anonymous posts with so many trolls, shills and pranksters out there. In fact I urge the "Blog Authors" to ONLY allow registered names (as Reed Hastings' Blog did) to help cut down on the nonsense.
I can understand some skepticism but I stand by everything I've said. I'm still sitting here, having received one disc in the last 7 days on a 4-at-a-time plan despite sending discs back within 48 hours (at the MOST) of receiving them. My main distribution post is the Chicago location (Franklin Park? I can't think of it off the top of my head.)
I don't have an agenda with Netflix - I swore by it and recommended it to everyone I could until this stuff started. If it were to truly return to the formerly great service, I'd be back on the bandwagon. It's just frustrating, that's all.
You Sir, I completely believe. those with genuine problems SHOULD be letting NF known. The goof-offs are just undermining that helpful feedback.
Hi Netflix,
I appreciate your company. The cheapest movie rental company I know plus the instant movie. I have a suggestion, perhaps also a question. Why is it that I cannot watch your instant movie in my Firefox browser while I can watch the preview? Can you not do it the same way like the Internet Explorer? So I can also watch from our Mac laptop.
Well, still I thank you for this great feature.
My customer number is: 704 280
Tito
@Tito -
Try this
PS. Though you'll still need an Intel chip Mac that can run Windows.
Hi there,
I work at Slate Magazine. We have an article up today asking readers which Netflix rental they've kept the longest. We're posting responses next week. Just thought you might be interested...
http://www.slate.com/id/2198844/
Mike -
It appears that with instant watch, that the Closed Captioning has been DELIBERATELY stripped from this system.
For example "Heroes" which is a TV series, when originally broadcast, and if you rent the DVD, HAS Captioning.
That means that the Captioning, HAD TO BE DELIBERATELY STRIPPED from the Instant Watch System. There's nothing there for my CCD to decode.
I've called Netflix and told, that's the way it is. Huh? You just DELIBERATELY DISENFRANCHISED THE ENTIRE DEAF/HARD-OF-HEARING COMMUNITY on purpose.
That's called discrimination in my book, sir.
I've had the unit for one day. Without the Closed Captioning, this is unuseable. It looks like I may be returning this unit.
I have an older analogue unit, WITH CCD that works fine on over the air broadcast, AND with DVD'S I've rented from Netflix. BUT this is PURE DISCRIMINATION.
To intentionally remove captioning from media that is captioned, there is no other word for it.
Sincerely
Wayno Guerrini
Tucson, Az
Wayno (and don't think i wasn't tempted) -
Mike's most likely busy trying to make sure that all of the above get their discs, but NFLX is just a distributor of whatever streamed material the content owner - in this case NBC Universal Television Studio - makes available to them. Best to yell at them. Tried Hulu? They might carry a different version.
yes but why INTENTIONALLY dis-enfranchise? IOW the material was on the DVD to begin with, they deliberately had to remove it.
I think there should be a "class action lawsuit." For sure I am going to write the FCC and complain.
Wayno