Mantecore

I was thinking of joining netflix. Its like you pay 20$ a month for unlimited dvd rentals when they send them to your house then you have to send them back? Does anyone know if this is a good and legit place, and those of you who do this whats your experience with them? Please let me know

jeffwright

I have been a satisfied member since February 2001.

This year, they have created additional distribution centers throughout the US. This makes for even faster delivery times than before.

adumbc

I was a member this summer (stopped when I went back to school since I don't have as much free time). They are definitely a legit place and I didn't have any problems dealing with them. If I remember right, I usually ended up getting around 7 DVDs per month. I'm sure you can get more than that if you are really efficient and watch the DVDs the night or day after they come in and get them in the mail the next day. It's a good deal in my opinion.

journeywoman

I agree. I've been a member since 02/29/00 for $15.95, now its $21.15/mo.

They have been adding warehouses all over the country and the turnaround time has been great. I've actually been able to share movies with my kids and still feel I get more than my monies worth in the number of titles.

The longest we ever kept a movie was about three monyhs & that was a hunting guide my husband was showing everyone. I had one return get lost & they didn't charge me. I have had only 007 Bond movie be unplayable. A couple have had scratches that i cleaned with alittle paste wax, which worked. now I have a disk repair kit & don't have to resort to those methods.

One of the things that I'm doing more often now is pre-ordering new releases through Netflix and waiting for the upgraded release of a movie before I buy. That is working well for me.

tonyc3742

I agree-I've been with them since May 2001, and apart from one dvd that took three weeks to arrive, and one other little snafu where they sent the totally wrong disk, I've enjoyed it. Since they added the new distributions centers, my shipping times have been cut in half. I'm in NC, I've been getting stuff from MD instead of CA now...Last Saturday they shipped a movie, it was due to arrive Wed; it arrived Mon, I sent it back Tuesday, they rec'd it on Thursday and sent me out a new one. Turnaround is much better.
Their selection beats the pants off of Blockbuster, and I like being able to add to/remove from the queue any time, rather than going to BB and wandering the aisles for two hours deciding what I want to see. Plus, because it's 'buffet-style', I am renting a lot of stuff that I would probably not rent if I had to pay 3.00 a shot for them.
The only place BB beats them is for multidisk sets; they only ship one disk at a time. I believe someone said if the movie itself is over two disks, like Godfather, they ship both, but for instance TV series, or special editions, they ship one disk at a time.
But that's a small price to pay, ultimately I get a lot out of it.
We actually dropped down to the 2-month plan, we just weren't watching enough.
Yep, depends on your personal turnaround time, how many you can get in a month. But also the convenience of dropping them in the mailbox, and keeping them as long as you want.....sorry to say, we had one movie out for almost five months....We just kept putting off watching it [I did keep an eye on its listing, though; it never went to Wait status.]

Cheese Fist

I too think Netflix is totally worth it if you rent many dvds. I've been with them for 2 months now and received 8 movies the first month and 9 the second. If I'd been better about watching them right away I'm sure I could have gotten 2 or 3 more each month. It's much cheaper and far more convenient than renting from one of the chain stores. In case you didn't know, the return mailers are prepaid so postage costs you nothing.

VamPirateXXX

Netflix is definitely worth it, IMO. I hate renting movies from Blockbuster and other rental stores, just for the price and the fact that I will have to drive back to the store to return it (my nearest Blockbuster is about 20 minutes away), plus Netflix's selection is so much better. I've been a member for a year now, and the service has only improved in that time, with the new distribution centers, and it seems like they are constantly obtaining new copies of older movies. For a time, at least a third of the 80 or so movies on my rental queue had some kind of wait on them, and now only 5 of the 80 have a wait. Also, this shipping time has dropped to a day or two on most movies, so, assuming I watch a movie the day I get it, the rent-watch-return time is down to less than a week. I've only had a few small problems with damaged discs - some that skip just once or twice, one or two that are completely unwatchable, and one that was actually cracked. Definitely worth my $20 a month.

Beeeil

I've been a member since 1/2000 and have been grandfathered into their 4 DVDs for $20 plan. Ever since they opened a distribution center in Gathersburg (DC area), my turn-around time has been great. If I drop off a movie on Monday, they will receive it on Tuesday, and I'll have a new movie in my mailbox on Wednesday. I've been very satisified.

Beeeil

Dave C

Just remember you can only have a few (it used to be 3) out at 1 time, so it's not really unlimited.

jeffwright

They have other service plans available:

Netflix Ultimate (8 out)
For the ultimate at-home selection of DVDs at an incredible value, choose our Ultimate Program. It lets you have 8 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $39.95.

Netflix Plus (5 out)
Ideal for members who want a larger selection of DVDs at home, our Plus Program lets you have 5 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $29.95.

Netflix Bonus (4 out)
With variety, value and an extra movie, our Bonus Program lets you have 4 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $24.95.

Netflix Standard (3 out)
Enjoyed by the majority of our members, our popular Standard Program lets you have 3 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $19.95.

Netflix Lite (2 out)
A special program for our infrequent renters, our Lite Program lets you have 2 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $13.95.

Painkiller

NetFlix is definitely the best online rental company out there. Hell, I think it's the best dvd rental company, period!

Movie_Man

I really like it that I'm able to catch up on a lot of older/classic titles that I wouldn't necessarily drive down to the video store and spend $3-$4 on.
I also don't feel too bad if I don't like something. I'm much more willing to return something only half-watched if it's really bad.
And if you don't have time to watch it right now, you can just hold on to it until it's convenient for you with no late fees.

My biggest gripe though is that after you're a member for a few months, you get deprioritized. Popular releases will show as a "wait" for you, yet it will be available for a new member. I had Black Hawk Down & A Beautiful Mind on "Long Wait" for 2 months before I gave up and got them from Hollywood Video (2 for $20).

PinwiZ

I was interested to see that they offer a cheaper plan, as that is what I would be interested. However, upon going to their site, I don't see anything listed about a "Lite" program for $13.95. Their standard plan is the cheapest one I see.

Does the Netflix Lite plan still exist? If so, how do I sign up for it?

Thanks

rbach

After you sign up with the free two week trial, then they will charge you for the standard deal for a month. After that, you will be able to change your status to "lite".

mookiemeister

Ah, so that's the reason recently a lot of movies in my rental queue all-of-sudden started showing 'short wait', 'long wait', and 'very long wait'. I just entered my 2nd rental month. Is that when you get deprioritized? Also, does anyone know how many days of wait is it for 'short', 'long', 'very long'? Thanks.

Mantecore

thanks alot guys. I think im going to sign up for them!

RalphWiggum

Here's how to get Netflix Lite (I just did it before writing this). After your free trial expires you will be charged for the plan you chose in the beginning (probably 3 out for $20). Now before you are charged again, go to your account info and click on cancel membership. It will ask you if you want to continue the cancellation and tell you that you may change your mind on the next page. Continue with the cancellation. The next page offers you the chance to change to Netflix Lite for $14 for 2 out at a time. There ya go!

BTW, I'm about finished with my second month of service and my wait times have not changed yet. Perhaps my distribution center has more copies (or fewer users) than others.

Ralph

Mongo

I just joined about a month ago and I love it. They have a distribution center in Houston, and I'm only about 90 miles from there which makes for very fast shipping times.

Normally if they ship on a Mon., I'll receive and watch it on Tues., and mail it back Wed. Then they receive it Thur. and I have a new movie by Friday. Multiply that by the 3 movies allowed at a time, and I'm getting a very good rate per rental.

I haven't had any problems with shipping or playability yet. It's probably the most cost-effective entertainment money I spend each month.

Cheese Fist

Thanks alot, Wiggum. I had the same question as PinwiZ. I'm just buying so many dvds right now I don't need as many Netflix movies out at a time. Followed your instructions and got the "Lite" service. Will probably upgrade again sometime in the future.

Hohlraum

Where are the distrobution centers all located now? Is there a link on their site that mentions them? I'm in St. Louis, MO. I was a member a couple years ago or so and it just took too long to get movies. But maybe it'd be better now if they have one in Chicago or Kansas City or something.

Answered my own question...

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-937817.html

Hrrm.. I wonder if turn around times would be any better. I'm actually suprised they don't have a distro center in St. Louis. Its probably one of the most centralized cities in the US.

Heliosphann

I was a member for several years (late 1999) up until about 6-7 months ago...

I quit because the cost's kept going up (which I didn't mind as much), but the service, selection and turnaround times kept getting WORSE AND WORSE...

Hopefully now with the new distribution centers it's improved.

Kechulater

Netflix is a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. I get new releases I have in my queue shipped to me the Saturday before they are scheduled to come out. I am the first person to rent them so no scratches or mishandled discs, which can be a big problem with DVD discs that have been rented quite a bit. The new disty centers have been a huge help. The only down side is that after the initial rental rush of new DVD's slows down I think they cut down inventory fast so titles become harder to get. I added Gosford Park to my queue yesterday and it is a long wait. This movie has been out only about a month. If I had it in my queue before it was released I would have received it right away.

clubwrx

so far, 10 out of 10 for me. I'm one day from their Santa Ana dist center. Every disc they ship gets to me the next day and, knock on wood, every one I've sent back is received by them the next day. Like others have said, they seem to get everything in your Queue shipped ASAP.

HitManX

I also wish they had a distro center near chicago. I spend almost $10 a month on rentals (about 6 rentals) so the lite membership would be good for me

Phil L.

Satisfied Netflix customer since March, 2000.