Comments on The Official Netflix Blog: Thursday Morning Shipping Update

you all are crazy. Go take a walk and get some fr...

2008-08-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

you all are crazy. Go take a walk and get some fresh air. It's not going to kill you to wait a few days without a movie. You guys are a bunch of junkies. Yeesh! I have been with Netflix for years and have never had a single issue. I love Netflix and stand behind them 100% Stop whining about how unacceptable things are. Perfection exists nowhere, and things are going to screw up sometimes. Relax people.

thank you for your profesional service. We love s...

2008-08-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

thank you for your profesional service. We love saving hundreds of dollars by using Netflix. We also use the instant play option. We have no problem waiting a few days for our movies. May grace and peace be yours in abundance, REALLY GRATEFUL- Jen and Dan Bickel

I think most people need to relax and find somethi...

2008-08-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

I think most people need to relax and find something else to do when Netflix has a hiccup. Go rent a popcorn movie from Redbox or Blockbuster if you *have* to watch a movie.

That being said, I'm really surprised that this kind of thing can happen *at all* to Netflix. I never hear about Fedex or UPS not delivering packages because their technology failed. I'm really surprised there's not a more rigorous testing, maintenance and DR system built to prevent these problems from occurring.

I'd also like to see a more in-depth description of what exactly went wrong. I'm glad they've said something is wrong, but more detail would be informative.

First off, I somehow miraculously received a movie...

2008-08-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

First off, I somehow miraculously received a movie yesterday (Wednesday). I believe it was from my local Lansing, MI location. Regardless, I trust that Netflix is doing everything they can to get things back to normal ASAP. I think people need to just lighten up. When you build an electronic infrastructure as vast and complex as Netflix's is, there are going to be problems on rare occasion, and in those rare instances, it's likely not going to be a simple fix. I'm sure when things are all back to normal, they'll compensate all those who were affected. In the mean time, go outside, read a book, watch some other movies... just stop whining about it... it's not going to help you get your movies any faster. :)

I've been using Netflix for years and every time t...

2008-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've been using Netflix for years and every time there has been the slightest problem they have been courteous and taken the responsibility, even if it was not their fault.
So this is the first time they have experienced a major technical problem. That is what happens in a technological world.
I'm sure they are doing everything in their power to correct the problem.
This is only about movies....what if your electricity went out, your water lines burst, your identity was stolen?
Get your priorities straight...try picking up a book or a game.
Hey there is also just plain TV. And if you really get desperate..get out your old VCR and rediscover one of your old movies. You are not without options.

I haven't received a personal email either as I be...

2008-08-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't received a personal email either as I believe was stated in the original announcement on the NF website.
I noticed this morning that has been revised.
Perhaps this glitch in the system has also affected the email part of their system(?) and they weren't able to send out the emails as originally planned.(?)
This morning, the announcement now says:

"To all of you whose shipments have been delayed, we’ll be automatically applying a credit to your next billing statement. Or, if you are new to Netflix and your first shipments have been delayed, we recognize that this is not a good way to begin your Netflix membership and we’ll automatically extend your free trial."

It sounds like they are trying so we just wait.

Take two weeks off if you need the time. I am not ...

2008-08-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

Take two weeks off if you need the time. I am not in any hurry to see my movies. Its not like I dont have a TV.

So, Netflix is going out of business? It reminds ...

2008-08-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

So, Netflix is going out of business? It reminds of the days just before Brezhnev's death, when they kept reassuring everyone that he just had a cold.

"Thank God they are not in the hospital business."...

2008-08-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

"Thank God they are not in the hospital business."

Hmmm... That's just the point, they're not.

All of you angry folks are what I would call "nerd...

2008-08-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

All of you angry folks are what I would call "nerd pissed" right now. This is when you are very angry and no doubt abusive to your keyboard over something that is trivial to most reasonable persons.

Chill. The worst thing that may happen to you is that you may have to read a book. :)

Just in the past hour my top queue items have all ...

2008-08-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Just in the past hour my top queue items have all moved up to 'Processing' status in the At Home box, so that's definitely a hopeful sign.

Jeez, folks. YOUR DVDs ARE GOING TO BE A FEW DAYS...

2008-08-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Jeez, folks. YOUR DVDs ARE GOING TO BE A FEW DAYS LATE! It's not like your insulin is late arriving in the mail or something.

And based on their history in such things Netflix is going to give you a give-back.

Worry about Iraq or the mortgage crisis.

esterday I suggested backing up your queue by taki...

2008-08-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

esterday I suggested backing up your queue by taking screenshots and pasting them into a document; and then today keep_it_simple_engineer wrote that people might also need their rental histories in addition to their queues, and suggested a print-to-file.

Thank you and k-i-s-engineer for your advice. I have 431 movies in my queue and I'd be a bit inconvenienced to reenter them all.

Sephora said: "Netflix is ripping me off. they a...

2008-08-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Sephora said: "Netflix is ripping me off. they are no better than the scum that stole my car charger today!" LMFAO!! This lady sure is having a bad week!!! I hope Netflix kicks her out and takes her money when they get up and running. People can be so ungrateful.

After talking to customer service I am more upset ...

2008-08-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

After talking to customer service I am more upset than ever. The people in custoer service told me that they do not know what the problem is nor when it will be fixed. This after 3 days of no shipping. This company is either going out of business or doesn't have a clue about how to treat their customers. To not know why or when this problem happened or when it would be fixed shows both a lack of technical expertise and customer care. Maybe they should give away the TV equipment as a good will gesture. I have been a customer for 3 plus years and have seen the service get worse and worse because they don't have enough new movies on file. Out of 38 DVD in my queue all but two are on very long waite to long waite. Very Sad

No worries, folks. Off all the misfortunes that ca...

2008-08-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

No worries, folks.

Off all the misfortunes that can happen to us, Netflix movies shipping late is way at the bottom in importance.

If this were a regular occurrence, then we'd have issues, but it's been a rare happening, and such is life.

Thank goodness for my Roku box (which is working great), though I wouldn't mind a few newer movies among the rather "eclectic" mix we've been getting the past few months.

I should also mention that the 2 discs that say "S...

2008-08-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I should also mention that the 2 discs that say "Shipping Tuesday" would have been shipped on Monday (assuming the system was still working then) except they apparently weren't available locally so they were being shipped from a location further away.

This is a real pet peeve of mine. Why do you automatically wait until the next day to ship from a place farther away? If anything, they should be shipped immediately, to help compensate for the extra delivery time.

Wow, I can't believe someone brought up class acti...

2008-08-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe someone brought up class action lawsuits. What an idiot. Give them a chance to credit your account before you even *think* about class action lawsuits. Please.

I have 2 DVDs in my queue that say "Shipping Tuesd...

2008-08-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

I have 2 DVDs in my queue that say "Shipping Tuesday" and it's now Thursday night. I also have one that should have gone out yesterday.

Today is the end of my current billing month, and I had planned to go from the 3 at a time to the 1 at a time unlimited plan for a while, but now I'm afraid to do so, because it could affect what kind of credit or discount I receive when they get things fixed.

This is more damaging to the Netflix brand than an...

2008-08-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is more damaging to the Netflix brand than anything else.

If their email systems suddenly go down this could happen all over again.

Are people that easy to forget about service interuptions like this?

Doubtful...

I LOVE NETFLIX. I've been a member for over 4 year...

2008-08-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

I LOVE NETFLIX. I've been a member for over 4 years. I'm in Denver. This is the first time there has been a problem with distribution. I got the email Thursday. But I already knew there was a problem. I should have gotten 2 discs on Wed. Wed promised shipping on Thursday (2 days late) and now it says shipping will be Friday. I can live with it. Let them fix it.

How embarrassing. Somebody needs to loose their jo...

2008-08-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

How embarrassing. Somebody needs to loose their job.

If mailing DVD's is your business and you loose the ability to put a DVD in an envelope and drop it in the mail, then this says something fundamentally wrong with how things are done at Netflix.

Thank God they are not in the hospital business.

So far, everyone's queues seem to still be intact ...

2008-08-14T16:41:00.001-07:00

So far, everyone's queues seem to still be intact with the possible exception of confusions in the top At Home section. It's not likely, but there's a small possibility that the software fix, when it finally comes online, might scramble or entirely delete this database.

Yesterday I suggested backing up your queue by taking screenshots and pasting them into a document; and then today keep_it_simple_engineer wrote that people might also need their rental histories in addition to their queues, and suggested a print-to-file.

But perhaps the quickest and easiest way to back up whatever portions of the website you might need as backups is to File Send Page by E-mail to yourself.

I doubt if this information will get destroyed, but better to be safe than sorry. If people are screaming and hollering now because of delayed shipments, I can just imagine the uproar if their queues get accidentally wiped out.

Why can't you just let people know what is going o...

2008-08-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Why can't you just let people know what is going on?? With no explanation, People are going to bail...just read your own blogs. I do understand that there are forces beyond your control that could create a situation such as this, but come on... let your customers know what is going on.
I just had a Netflix fee withrawn from my account yesterday. Seems that part of your system is working just fine. By leaving us in the dark, sounds like the kind of crap that the government would do if they wanted to cover up something and didn't want you know about it. What are you hiding? Have are accounts been comprimized? Will you be tomorrow's National News? Hope not!

Isn't it wonderful to live in a world of instant g...

2008-08-14T16:39:00.001-07:00

Isn't it wonderful to live in a world of instant gratification. Just because you don't get your movies for a few days, some of you people act like it's the end of the world. They're not shipping organ transplants, they're shipping movies! Learn to deal with things, people. I love movies too, but damn, learn to get off the couch and go do something else for a day. As for "getting ripped off" during this period? Give me a break. Any company that does the volume that Netflix does is bound to have a time where they go down. It's a fact. Technology isn't infallible. So grow up, find something else to do for a few days, and be happy when you get your movies and your credit. As for Netflix sending out personal emails, I got mine.