Something is slowing down. Is it Netflix or USPS?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I subscribed to Netflix’ DVD mail service for the first time long ago. Maybe it was 8 years, although I have not subscribed continuously.

First, the facts. I live about 150 miles from the nearest Netflix distribution center, in Milwaukee. I generally get 1 day service for non-Netflix mail or packages from UPS, Fedex, or USPS to a radius of 300 miles, so Milwaukee is an easy stone’s throw closer.

Up until a year ago, I could count on 1 business day delivery from me to Netflix, or from Netflix to me, no matter what mailbox I would drop off the return disks, as long as they met the 5:30PM local pickup deadline.

I could also count on Netflix, after having received a disk back from me, usually early in the day around 7AM, to ship out the next disk in my queue the same day. So if I returned a disk on Monday, Netflix would get it on Tuesday and I would get the next disk on Wednesday. Let’s call this a 2-day turnaround.

Of course, Sundays and holidays would extend the turnaround time, as neither Netflix or USPS works on those days.

But recently, I have kept track of the progress of each disk for the last month, and it is now taking 3 days to get to Netflix (ignoring holidays), and 2 days to get the next one. This represents a major slowdown, or looking at it another way, a 50% increase in cost per show or more, as it’s now a 5 day turnaround.

So my question is: Is it Netflix or USPS that is the culprit? Has USPS doubled their typical delivery time, or is Netflix deliberately delaying the process?

2

Same thing has happened to us. My husband thinks it’s Netflix.

3

I live in New York City and have noticed the same thing. Takes an extra day for them to receive the DVD and an extra day to ship the new one out.

4

Netflix sends me an email when they receive a disk, usually early in the morning. Except for titles not locally available, I can count on receiving an email a few hours later, certainly the same day, saying another title has been shipped.

In this recent period, the “arrival” emails are a day later than they used to be. That means to me either USPS is adding the day, or maybe the Netflix crew doesn’t come in every day anymore, but every second or third day? That would explain the turnaround delay in one direction.

But it doesn’t explain the delay in the other. Once the disk is in the mail from Netflix, it takes an extra day (2 business days total) to arrive at my box now. That can’t be blamed on Netflix unless they are deliberately holding shipments another day.

For the last 2 weeks, I have returned a disk on Thursday, and it wasn’t acknowledged until Monday. Netflix mailed out the replacement Monday, and I received it Wednesday. Rinse and repeat.

5

My Netflix delivery and return times doubled in late January. The addresses on their envelopes are just beginning to frequently show up different from previous years. It would appear that they moved a processing facility in January and this move is just now being reflected on their envelopes.

6

Which processing facility? All of them? Just the one near me? What is the source of your information? You realize they have hundreds of processing facilities across the country, not just a single central one?

I just checked several envelopes from the last disks I received. They all say “Nearest Netflix Shipping Facility, …Milwaukee, WI.”

I heard some time ago – no reference link, but I checked with my local PO at the time – that said that the post office tosses all red Netflix envelopes into the same bin and delivers them to the nearest facility without ever looking at the address or scanning it. Which seems like a good idea if they get so many.

Some years ago, I tried copying a label from the Milwaukee address and pasting it on any envelope that had some other return address. It didn’t make any difference, which suggests that the PO procedure of dumping them in a bin is what actually happens.

I just noticed that my email Monday (yesterday) said Netflix had received a disk I sent back about 8AM. An hour later, it said “For Tuesday…Arriving on or around April 7…”, so their shipping software expects a one day delivery time. However, my mail has arrived today, and there’s nothing from Netflix in it. I expect it will arrive Wednesday, a 2-day delivery time just like the last 4 weeks I have been keeping close track.

7

The Postal Service is closing a substantial number of processing centers, so now for many people the nearest processing center is further away and it may take an extra day for delivery.

8

Where in the US are you that Monday is yesterday and it’s already Tuesday, April 7?

9

I’m thinking ahead. I’m already on Tuesday’s work. No grass grows under my feet, No Sir.

10

If one of those closed is near me, that might explain it.

Now that I think about it, Netflix used to send occasional (every few weeks?) emails asking when I sent or received some disk, and I always answered. I haven’t received any of those inquiries for a long time. Strange – it always seemed like useless info before, but now that it is important, they aren’t polling anybody.

11

Netflix has been accused of deliberately delaying shipments because they lose money when people rent more than a certain number of movies per month. I’ve seen it happen with our account. When we keep a movie around for weeks and then send it back, we get a new movie within 1-2 days. When we watch a movie immediately after it arrives and then send it back, it takes considerably longer to receive a new one.

12

Sometimes I send one back the same day I receive it, so maybe I’m on their slowdown list. But that didn’t happen for 6 years.

13

Additionally,I might note that my email estimated delivery dates from Netflix were in error from January til late march but have settled into fairly being accurate.

In our neighborhood the USPS has taken over the ‘‘last mile’’ delivery for UPS but this should not affect Netflix disk shipments.

14

This is definitely the case, and in fact they were subject to a class-action lawsuit because of it. Netflix settled by giving all their customers a free month, then changed their TOS to acknowledge throttling. :smack:

In my case, Netflix always receives the DVD & sends out the next one within 24 hours, which then takes 2-3 days to arrive; doesn’t seem to matter how long it takes me to watch them. The distribution center is just 10 miles away so distance isn’t a factor. It’s been this way for at least a year.

15

I have also noticed the Mail part of Netflix taking longer. I don’t think it’s throttling. That only would kick in if you keep turning around disks quickly which I don’t anymore. I would suspect it is more likely due to lay offs that have limited the staffing.

ETA I have also noticed the polls have stopped. I didn’t connect it to the slow down but they do seem to be linked at least time-wise.

16

I’m coming to the conclusion – tentatively – that the USPS is the culprit, at least in my case. Our local Town Clerk just remarked to me that she is seeing a longer turnaround for her miscellaneous mailings, like absentee ballots, all of which are sent USPS first class.

Meanwhile, it is regularly taking 4 days (including a Sunday) for me to send Netflix discs to Milwaukee, 150 miles away. I saw a fisherman passing by my house today, and I was tempted to throw him a mailbag if he was going to Milwaukee. I’m sure that would be faster.

17

Can’t say I know what’s causing it, but I noticed the same thing, specifically for Netflix, within the last couple months.

18

Extra day here too for both return and receive.

19

I’ve noticed the slowdown this year as well. I live in Milwaukee so I’m thinking it must be Netflix.

20

Does it take 3 business days to get your disks returned to Netflix? Does it take 2 days to get them from Netflix to you?