I’ve been a Netflix subscriber since 2002, and I’ve recommended them to many. Just recently, here on this board, I’ve specifically advanced the idea that you have to have both the streaming and DVD services to get the best experience, and that this is a good value. Unless you’re got a big household that’s getting several discs at a time (and returning them promptly), I don’t think the latter can be said any longer. On the other hand, to my knowledge none of the rival services are even close to being an adequate substitute.
I don’t have cable tv, just cable internet, so I’ve had Netflix streaming for the last year (through my Wii). I won’t be dumping or switching Netflix, but it’s really quite cruddy that they aren’t grandfathering their current customers in.
I’m amazed at the reactions, I admit. Not so much on this board, but people in general. Is it really such a shock to people that a company would gasp increase their prices? Are we so naive? I mean I’d prefer they stayed the same but we know that never happens in business. I knew it would happen sooner or later; same with the ISP caps. It’s the price of living in a capitalistic society.
Ditto.
Count me an another Netflix user that doesn’t get the outrage over the price increase. Its still a bargain as far as I am concerned as I use it so damn much. Couple that with a clear reason why Netflix has to charge more to cover their future operating costs, well…there’s no way I will get rid of them unless something much better comes along or they get ridiculously expensive.
Under $20 a month is far from ridiculously expensive.
No, but it’s a big jump all at once, not tied to any particular improvement.
And it’s not that it’s ridiculously expensive now. It’s just no longer the great deal that I’ve been telling people about for years.
Nobody’s shocked that a big company is gasp increasing their prices. We’re mostly just saying that the service we get is worth $10 a month to us, but not $16 a month. The other price of living in a capitalistic society is that Netflix (or any other company) is not entitled to keep our business if we feel they’ve raised their prices too high.
Personally, I’m on the boat that puts the blame for this on the studios for their neanderthalic approach to online distribution. Netflix is taking the hit the same way brick-and-mortar music stores took the fall for the RIAA ten years ago. Sucks for them, but if they want to avoid the fate that befell their predecessors in the music industry, they have to face the reality that consumers aren’t willing to pay a whole lot for legal content when illegal content is free - and easy to obtain. Is that morally right? No. Is it the reality of the situation that Netflix (or Sam Goody, or whatever) has to deal with? Yes.
I’m a bit perplexed at the outrage, too.
So for $16/month, you can have all the rentals you want (albeit one at a time), and free access to thousands of TV shows/movies/etc on instant streaming.
In the mid-1980s, when my parents first got a VCR, movie rentals were $3 each, you could only keep them overnight, there were late fees if you didn’t bring them back on time, and you usually had to pay a fee of about $25-$30 to get a membership at the video store to begin with.
I’m sure back then, I spent more than $16 a month on video rentals. WAY more. And paid late fees, and had a worse selection, and had to drive back and forth to the store, and had zero instant streaming. And when the movie was over at night, but you were still awake and wanted to watch something else, if you hadn’t sprung for an extra movie (also due the next day), you were stuck with what was on TV. Nightmare scenario!
Now get off my lawn!
But it is tied to an understandable huge operating expense increase on their end.
I happen to still think its a great deal but I’m more than a casual user. And I also think there’s a veritable shit ton of interesting things to view in their online content and I’ve been at it for a few years now.
No, but it’s a bit of a shock that the company would take a “value added” feature and, not only charge for it, but unbundle it and increase the fee for your old package by 60%.
I canceled the DVD option which slightly galls me since I know that’s what they really want. On the other hand, I watched DVDs from them so rarely that they were getting a free couple bucks a month from me for nothing. Instead, I’ll hit Redbox or the local brick-and-mortar Family Video when I want a disc. I’d like to switch to a different streaming service but none offer close to even Netflix’s limited offerings or stream through our Wii.
I feel like it just comes down to - we had a great deal, but it was bound to end, sooner or later.
I’ve had the same 2 disks out for months–while I’ve been watching the heck out of Netflix Streaming, thanks to my trusty little Roku. I have some time off scheduled & will probably request a few special disks. Then go to streaming only before September. Mad Men starts streaming in late July!
Amazon Prime is a great way to save on postage if you buy a lot from Amazon; especially good to get Xmas gifts out in a timely fashion! But I’ve checked the “free” streaming videos & found nothing of interest that I can’t stream through Netflix.
What’s that to me? And why give customers so few options for covering that cost? For example, why is there no way to get unlimited DVDs by mail and also low-cost, time-limited (but full-selection) streaming? I originally subscribed for DVDs and have always seen the access to lesser-known titles (that will never be found at Redbox, etc., and are almost never licensed for streaming, at Netflix or elsewhere) as the core of the service.
Well, I would have said just the same. But I still see the streaming service as an add-on to the DVD service, not the other way round. If I decide I’d like to see something in particular, it’s almost guaranteed that it won’t be available streaming.
If you buy a lot from Amazon, you should be able to avoid all postage anyway.
That’s a reasonable response, and I think most of us agree with you. At least, I think I’m still getting a reasonable value for the service.
Unfortunately, there are two general problems with it.
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The general American consumer doesn’t think too deeply about it’s entertainment. Joe Q Public doesn’t care about content providers vs ISPs vs streaming companies.
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Much of Netflix’s current success came from the low prices. It drew in a large number of people who would not have otherwise joined up. Value or not, people don’t often take kindly to price hikes, even when they do come with improvements in quality or service. So, a “sudden” 60% increase can seem unreasonable to anybody who doesn’t care or know about the backroom deals.
The price increase is probably necessary in the long term, but it’s going to result in some short term pain for the company.
So that’s why on our queue it says short wait 
I’m conflicted, may drop the 1 at a time disc plan, keep streaming for now.
I have the 3 disk plan. When I first joined Netflix, it cost $19.99/month. At some point it had gone up to $21.99/month (no one said boo then) and then later lowered back down to $19.99/month again. Now it will be for me, $23.98/month.
Since I got a blu ray player that supported Netflix I have been watching more streaming but I have DSL so the picture quality is no where near up converted DVD quality (I didn’t want to pay the surcharge to get Blu Rays in the mail) plus the new stuff is not available (it is great for watching old TV shows though) so I have no plans of dropping either half of the service.
When I first heard the buzz of a price change, I was expecting something much worse. Honestly I thought the new plan would limit how much I could stream so the actual news landed softly for me. I think people who are freaking out need to get a grip. You have to pay for stuff and it is still cheaper per month than the price of buying a single disk (for the most part).
I love Netflix. It isn’t perfect. Sometimes the streaming fails on my player (may be my ISP’s fault admittedly) and I wish I wouldn’t have to pay extra for Blu rays but all in all it is a good value.
Hmmmm…with most things involving technology, over time, the price if things goes down, not up, unless there are new advancements, new features, new versions, etc. Netflix has not announced any new features, new advancements with their service, yet the are raising the price by 60%. Seems like that’s a reason for consumers to be upset. It’s a marketing mistake by Netflix, and one that if there’s anyone awake at Amazon Video, Hulu, or even Blockbuster online, they will take advantage of.
Well, not quite.
See, because it takes at least 3 days, more likely 4 to turn around a DVD, you can at most get 10 per month. Add in the fact that it’s not always possible to watch the DVD the same day it was received, and you drop that number down to 6-8, at best. Now add in the fact that “at best” doesn’t always happen, and it’s more like 3-5 per month. So thats $3-4 per rental, which hardly makes the service a great deal.
And that’s what’s got people upset. Netflix was a great deal, with both DVDs in the mail and streaming content. Now, it won’t exactly be a great deal and if it’s not a great deal, I can do without it. It was the fact that I had both DVDs and streaming at a very reasonable price that made it worth the monthly expense, and since they won’t be providing the same service unless I’m willing to pay 60% or so more per month, it’s not a service I want. See, it was never a service I needed, and Netflix is about to learn that lots of us don’t need it.
I agree that it’s prolly ultimately the fault of the content producers, but that doesn’t change the business model that Netflix has.
They can’t take advantage of it. It is not like the content providers are flocking to give consumers their products in a manner that consumers want to view them. Netflix is still paving the way for the other services and setting the prices that studios will charge for access to their libraries. Sure, over time another service may get to the point where it offers a better product and vaults over Netflix, but that’s not going to happen short term (`12-18 months, IMO).
People have a right to be upset over price increases, especially when there is no perceived increase in value. Netflix has to hold its tongue on the reason, because the content providers have them by Netflix’ tight and curlies. But it would be better if consumers vented their frustration and the true villian, not at the fall guy.
The 60% number only applies to people who were on the single disk plan, for many (most?) the increase is no where near that bad (in my case it is about a 25% increase).
Also Netflix is not really a technology; it’s a service, more like Cable, and I know my Cable has gone up a hell of a lot more than Netflix has.