Complaint Review: Netflix

Netflix uses bait and switch tactics to lure business. When registering for Netflix service your given the impression that Netflix always sends the customer what he orders which isn't the truth. Netflix will skip over title choices if they haven't ordered enough copies to cover it's client base. So they encourage the client to submit a list of films they would like to see, the list is add to your queue, which is the place where you list the choices of movies you'd like to see in the order of it's importance...#1 choices are always the ones that are skipped over by Netflix. It's usually a popular film that played at the theaters and has now been released to video. I've waited weeks for titles I asked for as Netflix will send out a movie not of your choice if you only list a film that they didn't get enough copies of.

I've spoken with Netflix's customer service explaining my situation and asking for nothing but what Netflix promised when the subscription was bought for 1 year. Instead I'm treated like a uncooperative individual, as soon as my profile comes up on the customer rep's computor screen, I'm told right off that the rep see's I have called in the past to complain and wants to know if that's why I'm calling this time. I've tried to get them to understand that I'm a disabled film reviewer who works for a book published annually by Random House that critique's the year's latest movie releases and a catalog of films previously reviewed; the books title is " The DVD - Movie Guide 2005".

Being disabled due to bone cancer I've been declared "permantly disabled" which allows me to collect from Social Security and from my private insurance a limited budget of $900.00 a month but all of my medical benefits were saved when I received the determination from two of the insurance companies own doctors. I can not be paid any form of compensation for work done while I'm disabled if I do the private insurance for my medical needs will be cut off as well as the small disability payment I receive. With my rent's running at $675.00 a month, which leaves very little left for me to spend for utilities, prescription medication and food. Forget about renting videos from my local vendor, every cent is spoken for.

As a Christmas present one of the writers on staff with the book decided they would enroll me with Netflix and pay for 1 year gift subscription. One of the writer's called Netflix and asked questions about the service. He was told by a customer representative that if I wanted the latest films being released weekly all I had to do was list it in my queue and it would be sent to me as soon as the films released. This question was important so he made sure to ask it to be sure I would receive what I asked for when I asked for it. I have a deal with some of the staff writers in exchange for my reviews they will pay me a small amount of money allowing me to make a little extra cash since I'm on a limited budget due to my disability. If my medical benefits administrator found out I was making any money I would loose my medical benefits plus the funds I receive from S.S and my disability payment.

After becoming a member of Netflix I've had nothing but bad service from them as well as being lied to, called a troublemaker and Netflix dening ever telling the person who bought my subscription I could receive the films I wanted as long as these films were listed in my queue. The day I received notice of the gift subscription I tried to register with Netflix and wasn't able to do so online. I called the 888# for customer support , the rep who answered told me I must being doing something wrong in the process of registering. He then gave me a password and a link to the page where I could register which I did. The next day when I signed on and opened my e/mail I found a e/mail from Netflix telling me that a film I did not order was being sent out to me. When I called customer service I was told that Netflix does send out movies even if you hadn't asked for it if there are no films listed in my queue. I told the rep that when the subscription was purchased there was no mention of Netflix just sending out any film but the rep kept insisting that the information was given. That was the first of many problems I've had with Netflix.

I called Netflix again a week later asking why I didn't receive the two films I had listed in my queue. The subscription called for 3 movies to be sent out at a time and a new one sent out when one of the previously mailed films are returned. Since I had returned the film Netflix arbitarally mailed to me I should have received my first and second picks the day they were released; new releases are available to the public on every Tuesday thru their distributors. So on Tuesday I should be receiving the latest released films I have in my queue in the first and second position in my queue but Netflix can just skip over your choices if they've run out, opting instead to send whatever else I've listed in my queue. When I called into customer service to ask why I wasn't receiving the films I've listed, the rep told me that it's all done by computor that nobody in Netflix can change the computor's decisions. He also said that it's in the contract when I signed up. I explained to him that it's a gift subscription I hadn't seen any information, he wanted to know why I was complaining if I didn't pay for it. I couldn't believe he said that so I asked for a supervisor, the rep told me to hold then transfered my call to the female rep I spoke with the previous week. I told her when she started talking that I had asked for a supervisor which she then told she was. I reminded her of our conversation the week before she said she remembered our talking to which I replied you weren't a supervisor when I spoke to her the week before. She responded that she always identify herself when ansering the phone as a super but in fact she was just a team leader and that supervisors will call me at a later time. Never did.

Another issue, Netflix holds back receiving dates. In other words when you ship the film back to Netflix Netflix doesn't always record receiving the film on the day it was received. This allows Netflix to mail out films when Netflix wants. I was told that the Netflix center for my region was in San Jose when in fact they have a receiving address in West Sacramento, I live in Sacramento, I could drive to the center in twenty minutes. I've seen my films I've returned reported as being received by Netflix 3 to 4 days after I've mailed it back.

Netflix will send out DVD's that have been reported as having problems, like sticking in one frame, skipping thru certain parts of movie, langauge section for movies can't be changed...for instance I received a movie I ordered that I could only receive audio in the Spanish language and last but certainly not the least the movie won't play at all.

Netflix doesn't tell you when you sign up but Netflix will locate a movie you've ordered in another regional center that has a copy of a film that you've ordered mailing it out to you allowing ten days before Netflix considers the movie lost if it's not received in that ten day span by you. So if you've got an account like mine where your only receiving three movie at any given time, a film that I've ordered could prevent me from receiving three films til it's finally considred lost if it doesn't get to me in the mail. Netflix knows that the order will reduce the number of films I can receive there by preventing someone from getting the max out of films one can get Netflix
will not let you change the order if it's found on the other side of the country, there by dening my receiving anything more then two films til it's returned to Netflix or reported lost

You have no place to get satisfaction for mistakes made, there's no local place you can go to speak to someone face to face. The biggest problem with using companies that only do business over the internet is there is no place to go if anythings gone wrong and you wanted to speak to a representative about your experiences with the company. And if you think those customer servcie numbers will get you satisfaction think again. The rep's who answered the phone have no power to do anything. Their given only information that Netflix's wants to them to have. The rep's can't change an order, can't correct any problems your having with receiving the movies you pick because as they tell you it's all done by computor. As if there's no way to change how the computor acts. The rep's themselves get frustrated when asked questions that they know can be done or fixed but are forced by company policy not to provide that information to the consumer

Oh and let's not forget how brazenly some of those rep's can get. For instance I've been asked why I'm getting frustated when it's not being paid for by me. Or that I should be satisfied with what I get since I'm the disabled one who's not paying for it so I should shut up and be glad for what I do get; and the rep that's implying I'm probably lying about my disability. For that matter why companies, like Netflix, with all the business it does with the general public don't provide assistance programs for individuals with disabilities? This blantant disregard for the disabled seems to be getting tighter and mean in our society now. The greed that companies like Netflix demonstrate consumes the corporate world, no longer does the public consider disabled people important enough to support and this attitude's most prevelent in the corporate world. Many of these companies have dragged their feet when told it needs to provide access for the disabled in it's workplace.

Finally I don't think I'm asking for much for a company like Netflix to provide assistance to me as a disabled individual. All I'm asking is for Netflix to do what it promise's and promised to the person who bought my subscription to please send me the movies I ask for when I ask for them. After all it is paid for, I don't think it's asking to much. These films that I'm asking for aren't all movies that played in theaters or have alot of popularity most of them are films made directly for video only market which most people don't know about or would want. It's not like these films are purely for my entertainment alone, after viewing most of them I get a critique done usually in an hour or two then I send it to the agent in New York to be include in the manuscript for the book. These films are all given street dates months in advance of their release to the public, so companies like Netflix can gauge the extent of a films popularity so they order accordingly. Based on that information Netflix shouldn't have any problem with getting films to me as I could inform them of what I need weeks in advance thereby allowing for the films that I need for review are singleed out before the street release date.

Netflix knows it has a problem with other ISP's accessing it's website. Netflix knows that their server conflects with AOL's server all the time which can mean getting access to certain pages on Netflix is impossible. I've spent alot of time just trying to get Netflix to add films to my queue. Another problem Netflix knows about but hasn't done anything about is while on it's own website I've found films listed as they have it but can't access the page containing movie information and the button for adding the film to my queue.

And what's gotta be one of the stupid's things I've ever seen a website do....the movies that Netflix has in stock are often mistakenly given storylines that are for another movie altogether but that's not the stupid part I'm refering to, when I sent them information with the correct storyline for the movie and to let them know about the mistake. Instead of Netflix taking the information and correcting the mistakes, Netflix sends it all back to me telling me that if the information is wrong then I should send it to another web site alltogether. I couldn't believe it, Netflix wasn't worried about giving out erronious information. Netflix doesn't care enough to police it's own site and take pride in getting it right. Netflix doesn't even respect me for trying to help them out, instead they tell to go somewhere else with it. I just don't get that one...why would Netflix not care about their mistakes, that they maybe loosing business because of these mistakes.

William
Sacramento, California
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Netflix