# I just canceled my Netflix. Here's why. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209 "2016-01-05T07:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/41 "2016-01-05T19:44:49Z")
Hmmm, let’s see. House of Cards, American Horror Story, Mad Men, House, Wicked Tuna, all those drugs and crime documentaries, Trailer Park Boys, Daredevil, not to mention stuff like Nazi Super Weapons and all the shows I have not had time for yet- sorry OP. Netflix isn’t mandatory, so you’re free to go, but we will just have to disagree on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/42 "2016-01-05T19:46:47Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’ve dumped them, and hopefully my tiny part of a mass exodus from Netflix will discourage this sort of shit in the future. And those people who continue to accept auto-play commercials will see fewer of them in the future. > > You’re _welcome_. Have you communicated to them your reason for leaving? I’m not even being facetious - I once looked for a customer feedback form of some kind and found nothing. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/43 "2016-01-05T19:59:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Have you communicated to them your reason for leaving? > > I’m not even being facetious - I once looked for a customer feedback form of some kind and found nothing. TRy this link. You can call or chat. I have also found using twitter to get company’s attention when normal routes didn’t work. > **[Netflix Help Center](https://help.netflix.com/en)** > > Learn how to sign up and use Netflix. Get help with account issues, troubleshooting and questions. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/44 "2016-01-05T20:03:09Z")
The thing is, I don’t want to chat. I want to lodge a few complaints, and I’d feel better if there was some sort of “comment box” I could use. Yes, I know that these things are black holes, but it would make me feel better. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/45 "2016-01-05T20:08:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Have you communicated to them your reason for leaving? > > I’m not even being facetious - I once looked for a customer feedback form of some kind and found nothing. I replied to the “We’re sorry to say goodbye” email with: I canceled my membership because some pinhead decided I should have a video with sound playing as soon as I entered the app on my Roku. Please deduct my lost membership fees from this idiot’s paycheck. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/46 "2016-01-05T21:06:48Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’ve dumped them, and hopefully my tiny part of a mass exodus from Netflix will discourage this sort of shit in the future. Trust me, there will be no exodus, mass or otherwise. They’ve been getting [enormous, steady growth in subscriptions](http://www.statista.com/statistics/250934/quarterly-number-of-netflix-streaming-subscribers-worldwide/) for a long time. At least ~7 million new subs in 2015 alone. You will not be missed. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/47 "2016-01-05T21:12:01Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Trust me, there will be no exodus, mass or otherwise. They’ve been getting [enormous, steady growth in subscriptions](http://www.statista.com/statistics/250934/quarterly-number-of-netflix-streaming-subscribers-worldwide/) for a long time. At least ~7 million new subs in 2015 alone. > > You will not be missed. Enjoy the ads when you start the app. Then the ads that will soon appear as you enter a new section to browse. Then the ads that will appear after that before every movie or TV show. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/48 "2016-01-05T21:12:53Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > We discontinued our Netflix account because their offerings were shite. As opposed to? ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/49 "2016-01-05T21:14:15Z")
Agree that dumping Netflix because they started playing you an ad is a reasonable response to ad-creep. Hopefully more subscribers do so as well. I would if this happened to me (I haven’t noticed it yet, but see next point.) Disagree with others that Netflix is the best streaming service available. Between Transparent and The Americans, I’ve been watching quite a bit more on Amazon, and with The Man in the High Castle next on the list, I don’t see that changing. When’s the new House of Cards season, though? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/50 "2016-01-05T21:25:46Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Enjoy the ads when you start the app. Then the ads that will soon appear as you enter a new section to browse. Then the ads that will appear after that before every movie or TV show. I’ve never seen an “ad” on it really, but as others have pointed out, you pay much, **much** more for cable TV and that is littered with non-stop ads. I will, however, continue to enjoy their tons of awesome content including some pretty damn good original (i.e. exclusive, unless you pirate) content. Thanks. You still haven’t said what you’re planning to do with the free time you’ve liberated for yourself now. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/51 "2016-01-05T21:50:13Z")
The good news for the OP? Within six months, NetFlix will re-design their site again and you won’t be able to find the ads even when you want to. 🙂 But just to be clear: I’m a happy customer and won’t move until there’s a better single option for DVD and streaming as a combined service. NetFlix would have lost me if they’d continued with their plan to separate the two services, but they changed their mind on that one. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/52 "2016-01-05T22:15:22Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > It was late at night, I had watched another channel, I click on the Netflix icon, and this COMMERCIAL for some show I’d never watch starts blaring. And it’s my responsibility to find how to stop it? Fuck that shit! They didn’t used to do this, they’ve just started it, and my only choices as a consumer are: > [ol] > [li]Take it (and encourage more of this shit!)[/li][li]Dump them.[/li][/ol] > I’ve dumped them, and hopefully my tiny part of a mass exodus from Netflix will discourage this sort of shit in the future. And those people who continue to accept auto-play commercials will see fewer of them in the future. > > You’re _welcome_. There was a recent blurb somewhere about Netflix rolling these out as a test in certain markets. If it happened to me, I wouldn’t cancel without contacting them first to see if it could simply be turned off on my account. That kind of feedback would tell them the idea was shite, and stop the event on my end. Win-win. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/53 "2016-01-05T22:18:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > The thing is, I don’t want to chat. I want to lodge a few complaints, and I’d feel better if there was some sort of “comment box” I could use. Yes, I know that these things are black holes, but it would make me feel better. So, typing your complaints into a chat window where there’s actually someone reading what you type on the other end, isn’t acceptable. But give you a little box where you can type whatever that no one may read, and certainly not in a timely manner, that’s what you prefer. OK. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/54 "2016-01-05T22:21:13Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > It was late at night, I had watched another channel, I click on the Netflix icon, and this COMMERCIAL for some show I’d never watch starts blaring. And it’s my responsibility to find how to stop it? Fuck that shit! They didn’t used to do this, they’ve just started it, and my only choices as a consumer are: > [ol] > [li]Take it (and encourage more of this shit!)[/li][li]Dump them.[/li][/ol] That may be how you saw things, but those weren’t your only options. I’m thinking you might have been a bit hasty. I had the same thing happen a while back and, as I mentioned, I pressed the pause button they provided. Now that I think about it, nothing on the splash screen has autoplayed since. Maybe others have seen this? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/55 "2016-01-05T22:28:41Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Enjoy the ads when you start the app. Then the ads that will soon appear as you enter a new section to browse. Then the ads that will appear after that before every movie or TV show. OMG! The horror! The only ad I’ve ever seen was one for the Ridiculous 6. It played ONE time. After that I turned auto-play off and never seen it again. Seriously, it’s like some of you don’t grasp the concept of subsidizing cost of content. I could get the gripe that people don’t want to see commercials _during_ the movie, but one innocuous ad when you open the app? Good lord, if this sort of thing gets under your skin, your life must really suck as I can only imagine the plethora of things in life that must piss you off. Don’t sweat the small stuff man. Life is too short. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/56 "2016-01-05T22:29:33Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > So, typing your complaints into a chat window where there’s actually someone reading what you type on the other end, isn’t acceptable. But give you a little box where you can type whatever that no one may read, and certainly not in a timely manner, that’s what you prefer. OK. Yep. Complaining at a tech support rep means that the complaint has to be actively forwarded to the black hole that complaints go to. Using a feedback form devoted to the purpose means that the complaint goes directly there. I prefer to use the most direct route whenever possible. OK? OK! ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/57 "2016-01-05T22:37:06Z")
I just watched a movie on Netflix “Lets Talk about Kevin” that was pretty creepy, yet very well made. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/58 "2016-01-05T22:59:25Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I could get the gripe that people don’t want to see commercials _during_ the movie, but one innocuous ad when you open the app? Good lord, if this sort of thing gets under your skin, your life must really suck as I can only imagine the plethora of things in life that must piss you off. Also, it’s not like Netflix hasn’t been “advertising” the other shows they carry since they first launched. This is an ad in exactly the same way the, “You might like…” queue is an ad. The only difference is that they’ve added sound and video - and while I totally agree that autoplaying ads on primarily text-based sites (like the SDMB) are unacceptable, this is an ad in an app that exists solely for playing videos. If you’ve opened the Netflix app, it’s reasonable to assume that you’re okay with noises and moving images on your monitor. It’s not like you sat down to read the New York Times on a quiet Sunday morning, and got a Ford ad blaring out of your speakers. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/59 "2016-01-05T23:13:29Z")
I’ll follow up with a paper letter to the office of Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix. This was astoundingly annoying, and I’ve never seen this happen on any of the dozens of Roku apps I use on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209/60 "2016-01-05T23:22:31Z")
That’ll show 'em. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-canceled-my-netflix-heres-why/742209.md?page=4)