# Why are people so snarky about Netflix's discs-by-mail service? ("Yes, it still exists!" Ha ha.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2018, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950 "2018-06-12T08:22:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/121 "2018-12-06T05:57:39Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > \*Although until fairly recently, you could see on your disc queue if something was available to stream (it would have a “PLAY” button next to it). Losing that was a bit of a blow, as I obviously don’t want to waste a disc queue slot on something I can just stream for free. So now I actually have a periodic reminder set to search the instant app for each of the next five titles on my disc queue, which is hardly an elegant solution. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > Oh! Okay, my bad. I think I made this erroneous assumption due to switching over to managing my disc queue through the phone app, which definitely does not have the PLAY button. Good to know I can visit the website to scan for those that are streamable. I logged into my Netflix DVD queue on a tablet for the first time yesterday – using a browser, not the app – and now my desktop has switched to the mobile view. That means I no longer get the Play buttons. I’d like them back, but my google skills have not revealed how to get the desktop view back. Any tips? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/122 "2018-12-06T07:05:21Z")
Android or iOS, what browser. In most cases, tap the settings (e.g. a vertical line made of 3 dots) and desktop mode should be in there. As far as I can tell, you can’t switch profiles on the mobile site, have to switch to desktop first. Lame. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/123 "2018-12-06T09:11:02Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Android or iOS, what browser. In most cases, tap the settings (e.g. a vertical line made of 3 dots) and desktop mode should be in there. I don’t see a settings dot/line thingy when I look at it on my desktop. It’s an Amazon Fire HD 8 using the Silk browser that appears to have caused this problem, but again it’s the desktop that is incorrectly showing me mobile view. It looks fine using the mobile view on the tablet. It’s like the netflix site saw me log in on a tablet so set up an internal cookie for me on their server, so now when I go to it on my desktop they remember I once used a tablet so they give me mobile view. Me no likey! ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/124 "2018-12-06T11:41:59Z")
Yeah, that sounds like a really annoying glitch. Not completely incomprehensible, but not good. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > As far as I can tell, you can’t switch profiles on the mobile site, have to switch to desktop first. Lame. You can switch profiles on the mobile app. Related to profiles, I ran into another slightly annoying speed bump yesterday in dealing with the Netflix streaming platform. My eight year old daughter saw a promo for the show “Supergirl” while I was watching “Survivor” on live TV\*, and she was like whoa, I need this. (“Is that live action Supergirl? Is it on Netflix or something?”) I said that it was indeed on Netflix, and she should search for it on her iPod Touch. She tried to and came up with nothing. So I realized that this was because her profile only allowed for “little kid” shows (I don’t remember what the exact rating terminology is), and this was a “big kid” show. I thought I would be able to adjust her profile one notch upward, without having to worry that she might accidentally wander into “Saw” or something. But no: unless I am missing something, it seems that an individual profile only has a binary mode of “KID” or not “KID”. Parental controls is set in a different place, and can be set at any of four or five levels; but that is global for all profiles. So now she has a regular, non-kid profile, but my wife and I will have to enter a PIN (that we won’t share with our daughter, obv.) every time we want to watch anything more mature than the second-lowest maturity rating. That in itself is slightly annoying but not super onerous; what bothers me more is that now my daughter’s profile will show her all kinds of titles she can’t play, and which might have cover art not really appropriate for her. \*Something I hardly ever do (watch TV live), which led to a funny reaction when I was watching last week. My daughter asked why there were “previews or something” playing during my show. She didn’t know what commercials were! 😃 ---
**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:** [December 7, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/125 "2018-12-07T13:47:43Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > \*Something I hardly ever do (watch TV live), which led to a funny reaction when I was watching last week. My daughter asked why there were “previews or something” playing during my show. She didn’t know what commercials were! 😃 Ah, your little grasshopper will learn soon enough. For now let her live in innocent bliss, kind of like Santa Claus. I’d bet she has trouble telling time on an analog clock, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/126 "2018-12-07T15:58:20Z")
Not in that case: we have them at home, and her school uses them. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/127 "2018-12-07T19:25:12Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > You can switch profiles on the mobile app. D’oh. Should’ve checked first. Last time I did it wasn’t possible, at least on my phone. I tried to look it up in the past and temporarily switching to desktop seemed to be the only way. The Kids profile seems to be specially designed in a way, I don’t think it’s automatically created based on rating. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/128 "2018-12-08T04:08:56Z")
Yeah, I just wish it were more flexible. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/129 "2018-12-21T21:47:18Z")
Finally got fed up and called the Netflix DVD phone support, which was remarkably fast and efficient. Unfortunately, the woman in tech support informed me that this interface problem I’m having isn’t a problem, it was an intended (massive) UI change that rolled out November 19th. I would swear on a stack of bibles that I didn’t get this new crappy interface until after December 5th (when I got my tablet) and I absolutely used the dvd website between November 19th and December 5th to rate the DVDs I watched during those couple weeks, so I am highly skeptical of that lady’s claim. So what about you guys? Does anyone who only subscribes to the dvd service still get the Play buttons next to titles in their queue that are streamable if you decide to subscribe to the streaming sevice? Another angle: Did everyone else have a fairly substantial UI change to their DVD website in the past month? ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/130 "2018-12-22T03:31:16Z")
I have my page open now, and I have the “play” button available on my queue next to the few movies that are on my list that are streamable. I really hope they change their minds before the change rolls out to me; it’s a feature I find rather important. I’d prefer to stream a movie if that’s available, and it’s a most convenient way to find out a movie on my queue has been added to streaming since I added it to the queue. Also, there was a fairly noticeable update to my [dvd.com](http://dvd.com) page in the past month or so. It’s much more modern and graphically interesting. But I very rarely do anything but manage my queue, and that page pretty much just changed fonts, so I don’t know what exactly has changed as far as other functions. BTW, I had a conversation with Netflix support a couple (?) of years ago and wound up having a conversation about how they roll out changes. IIRC, they often roll out major changes region by region. So the rollout date Ellis Dee was given might not have actually applied to every region immediately. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/131 "2018-12-22T05:27:39Z")
> [@Orr\_G](#): > > I have my page open now, and I have the “play” button available on my queue next to the few movies that are on my list that are streamable. > > I really hope they change their minds before the change rolls out to me; it’s a feature I find rather important. I’d prefer to stream a movie if that’s available, and it’s a most convenient way to find out a movie on my queue has been added to streaming since I added it to the queue. Based on the second paragraph, it sounds like you have both the DVD and streaming services. According to the tech lady, if you have both services you will continue to have the Play button in your dvd queue. I don’t have streaming; only the dvd service. For people without the streaming service, we no longer get the Play button in our dvd queue. Again, this is according to the tech lady. So I’m wondering if anyone out there has the new interface, does not have streaming, and still gets the play button. I really liked the Play button and miss it. It simultaneously made me want to sign up for streaming and also gave me satisfaction that I don’t have it: My active queue was never more than 33% streamable, while my unavailable (“Saved”) queue was usually 50% or more streamable. Your last paragraph explains quite plausibly why I may not have received the new interface until early December, so thanks much for that. That timing issue was driving me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/132 "2018-12-22T08:48:16Z")
I’m surprised they ever had a Play button for people who don’t subscribe to streaming. What would be the point? ---
**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:** [December 22, 2018, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/133 "2018-12-22T10:26:24Z")
Enticement to sign up for the streaming service. “Gee, I can watch _Black Panther_ right now instead of waiting a couple days?” ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/134 "2018-12-22T16:07:57Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Enticement to sign up for the streaming service. > > “Gee, I can watch _Black Panther_ right now instead of waiting a couple days?” Well, except most of my queue isn’t streamable, so having the (sparse) play buttons gave me satisfaction that I wasn’t throwing away money on a largely pointless service. But for something like Black Panther, where I added it to my dvd queue while it was still in theaters, it’s more like weeks. The majority of my “Saved” queue is new releases, and they become streamable (many?) weeks before they come out on dvd. So in that context, the streaming service is quite attractive. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > I’m surprised they ever had a Play button for people who don’t subscribe to streaming. What would be the point? Looking to the very first dvd in my history, my first disc was mailed out April 2015, meaning I had the play button for 3.5 years before this unannounced “upgrade” was foisted on me. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/135 "2018-12-22T16:17:26Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Looking to the very first dvd in my history, my first disc was mailed out April 2015, meaning I had the play button for 3.5 years before this unannounced “upgrade” was foisted on me. Let me backpedal a bit: I’m not 100% positive I always had the play button. It’s possible I didn’t get it for the first year, year and a half of being a dvd customer. Thinking back, I’m _pretty sure_ I always had it but I can’t definitively say. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/136 "2018-12-22T18:42:01Z")
I view both streaming and DVD/blue-ray. The one issue for me where DVD has it over streaming is the how much better the rewind or fast-forward works, say, if you’re watching and want to quickly back up to see some sequence or what was said again, or FF over a part for whatever reason. With streaming it’s often very glitchy and sometimes locks up…and I have very fast connections on both my PC and TV. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/137 "2018-12-22T19:22:04Z")
Where is all the snark about the DVD by mail service? I was promised snark! All I see are people being very defensive about a perfectly legitimate and functional service. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/138 "2018-12-22T19:53:44Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Based on the second paragraph, it sounds like you have both the DVD and streaming services. According to the tech lady, if you have both services you will continue to have the Play button in your dvd queue. Ack. I misread your question, obviously. Sorry 'bout that. Glad my later info was a little useful, though. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/139 "2018-12-27T13:27:47Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > In fact, it’s when (sometime recently) Netflix deleted ALL of their DVD bonus discs that I realized what a ghetto their mail service had become. What’s really sad is that it sounds like their streaming service – which I’ve never tried – is actually much worse. :smack: It is much worse, at least for me-- very few classics (I’m an old-school type), and mostly currents (which I hardly care for). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950/140 "2018-12-27T18:11:17Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > I view both streaming and DVD/blue-ray. > > The one issue for me where DVD has it over streaming is the how much better the rewind or fast-forward works, say, if you’re watching and want to quickly back up to see some sequence or what was said again, or FF over a part for whatever reason. With streaming it’s often very glitchy and sometimes locks up…and I have very fast connections on both my PC and TV. Ditto. BTW, I’ve had the DVD service for a long time, but got streaming again when MST3K came out. I don’t remember seeing the play buttons before that. Even so, only about 10% of the stuff on my queue is streamable, so if I had to give up one stremaing would go. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-so-snarky-about-netflixs-discs-by-mail-service-yes-it-still-exists-ha-ha/815950.md?page=8)