# Just signed up for Netflix...anything I should know? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2004, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129 "2004-05-20T06:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/1 "2004-05-20T06:02:51Z")
That’s pretty much the point of this. Any secrets, tips, hints, etc I should be privy to? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/2 "2004-05-20T06:41:08Z")
Don’t get too paranoid, from what I hear they don’t freak out if a DVD you send it gets lost. They also don’t blame you (from what I hear) if a DVD gets broken. Try to sign up for first run DVDs way ahead of time. I’m not sure of this, but it seems like the higher up (and longer) you have the new (or yet unreleased) DVD on your list, the sooner you’ll get it after it is released. Perhaps it was just luck, but I figure that is how I got the 2nd _Matrix_ DVD sent to me like a day before the DVD was officially released. That’s pretty much all I’ve got. Netflix is great, except for those last minute, “I just _really_ want to see this movie _tonight!_” kinds of things. And occasionally you’ll have to wait a while for a movie, but so far that hasn’t happened to me all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/3 "2004-05-20T07:42:32Z")
From my experience, and [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=254237&highlight=netflix+turnaround) , after about 3 months, your turnaround suddenly increases, effectively slowing down your use of the service. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/4 "2004-05-20T07:44:21Z")
Thanks. I have no problems waiting for a specific title as I have many things to attract my attention. I guess my biggest problem now will be keeping up with the movies they’ll send me. P.S. Is there a way to change the interface? I would much rather prefer a long list of titles on one page versus a short list spread across quite a few pages (My google viewing is set to 100 sites per page :)). ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/5 "2004-05-20T11:26:13Z")
I’ve been a Netflix member for years. They now have an East Coast distribution center in New Brunswick, which has significnalty improved turnaround time for me. I know that if I get the DVD in the mail by Tuesday, I will get the next DVD by Friday, in time for watching on the weekend. So with a little planning, you can see what movie you want every weekend. My queue is about 90 DVDs long. When it is time to pick my next movie, I renumber the queue to let the next movie float to the top. Sometimes by children go in the bump what they want to watch - whatever anime or chick flick they want to see - and that’s fine. No late fees ever - this will become an important mantra in your life! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/6 "2004-05-20T11:58:36Z")
I have a fairly small queue (15 right now), but you can put in hundreds of them and rearrange them at any time, which is a plus. I don’t have anything much to add to what others have said here, except this: It’s useful to schedule your movies so that you’re not unexpectedly left without anything. They don’t ship on Sundays, for example, so I try to make sure I have my 2-3 for the weekend. That doesn’t mean I’m gonna watch them, but I like to have the option. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/7 "2004-05-20T12:15:25Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > Try to sign up for first run DVDs way ahead of time. I’m not sure of this, but it seems like the higher up (and longer) you have the new (or yet unreleased) DVD on your list, the sooner you’ll get it after it is released. Just remembered to put _Return of the King_ in my queue this past Monday. Wonder how that’ll do. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/8 "2004-05-20T12:42:15Z")
I love Netflix. I’ve been with them almost a year, I think. After a few months, I noticed they got a distribution center in Phoenix (my city) and my turn around time is fantastic. If I wanted, I could watch three new movies a week. I think it’s more than worth the price, and that even includes the couple more dollars they will be charging next month (or July - I forget). I’ve never had an issue with lost or damaged discs. They don’t even wait for the damaged disc to come back before they send a replacement. And every single one of my lost discs have found it’s way back to them (somehow) and have been cleared from my “record”. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/9 "2004-05-20T12:49:35Z")
By the way, you can add movies to your queue the moment they’ve come out in the theater (more or less); so if you see a movie in your local listings that you just don’t wanna spend $8 to see, put it in the queue now. It’ll update with a release date when it’s available. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/10 "2004-05-20T13:04:17Z")
Remember that if you want to see a bonus disc, you have to order it as a separate order. This can be annoying if you haven’t ordered the movie months in advance. I remember being really irritated when I got the bonus disc to _The Matrix_ when it was still listed as a long wait for the movie itself. Of course, now I reserve the movies I want as soon as they’re on the screen, so I don’t have this problem any more. And I get a 2 day turnaround, so the only slow part of my Netflix relationship is me. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/11 "2004-05-20T17:09:48Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > From my experience, and [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=254237&highlight=netflix+turnaround) , after about 3 months, your turnaround suddenly increases, effectively slowing down your use of the service. I have to honestly say I haven’t noticed this, but just about six months into my membership, the distribution center changed from San Jose to Phoenix. Like **Mauvaise** said, this cuts the lag by quite a bit. It’s typically three days between dropping one in the mailbox and the new one showing up. That’s faster than I typically watch them anyway. What I love is that they carry stuff that you just don’t find in the local stores. If the IMDb DVD button is active, the odds are excellent Netflix has it. DD ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/12 "2004-05-20T18:09:54Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > From my experience, and [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=254237&highlight=netflix+turnaround) , after about 3 months, your turnaround suddenly increases, effectively slowing down your use of the service. My experience has been the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/13 "2004-05-20T18:30:21Z")
It sounds like they’ve made some improvements since I cancelled my membership a year ago. But they make you jump through hoops if you try to cancel. And once you cancel, they may forget to stop charging your credit card, but by then you can no longer get into the site to contact customer service. ---
**Author:** ![YellowTail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5ac83/32.png) [@YellowTail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YellowTail)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/14 "2004-05-20T23:37:22Z")
Don’t be afraid to explore movies/documentaries/etc. that you might not otherwise see. With the search feature, you can find all movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock or starring Winona Ryder or whatever. I’ve been watching all Academy Award Best Picture winners from the earliest they have available on. It started in the 1920s and I’m up to the 1960s now. I’ve seen movies I never even heard of and really enjoyed. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/15 "2004-05-21T01:00:27Z")
Awesome idea, **YellowTail**. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-signed-up-for-netflix-anything-i-should-know/246129/16 "2004-05-21T03:04:00Z")
> [@hillbilly queen](#): > > It sounds like they’ve made some improvements since I cancelled my membership a year ago. But they make you jump through hoops if you try to cancel. And once you cancel, they may forget to stop charging your credit card, but by then you can no longer get into the site to contact customer service. I didn’t have that experience at all. I cancelled around a year or so ago for a few months (I wasn’t watching enough movies to justify the expense). I went to the website and did what they said to do to cancel, which from what I remember, was clicking a couple buttons. They said ship back the movies I still had. I did and that was it. No hoops and they never billed me again until I renewed. And to renew, I just logged in and signed up again. My queue was even still there.