Netflix Checking Delivery Times

Netflix has sent me several e-mails over the past 2+ years that I've been a member, checking to see how long it takes for me to get to a movie.

Yes, I rented and enjoyed Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

Has anyone received an e-mail like this from Blockbuster?

Thanks to Andrew for suggesting this story.

Comments

[Dan]

Yupper, I've gotten a few of them.

"Yes, I rented and enjoyed Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle"

Well send it back, dammit. There are other people waiting on that movie, ya know. That and Napoleon Dynamite.

;-)

[Keith]

I've gotten these a few times from Netflix. I think it's best to choose the latest possible answer, or just don't respond.

yes , I've received these emails several times, and I'm always honest about my '1 day' shipping, is that the best way to avoid being slowed down to the recent and recurring DVD 'shipping tomorrow' phenomenon?

[Sadsack]

I have received about 6 in the last 2 years. All but 2 I answered as 3-day delivery (which is true), 1 was at 4 days - which I answered as "after the XXth" and the 6th one never showed up! I had to report it as missing. There is not an option for that!!!

[skebenin]

Per the NetFlix FAQ:

"In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we give priority to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service. As a result, those members who receive the most movies may experience next-day shipping..."

If you don't watch a lot of movies, you'll probably get fast shipping most of the time.

If you want more movies *and* fast shipping, opt for a higher plan, or multiple plans.

If you want more movies *and* want to save money, you'll have to accept 'shipping tomorrow'.

You get what you pay for.

[Dan]

I have the cheapest plan, and I watch a lot of movies. And yet my shipping is also very fast - usually one day.

They don't address it in their FAQ, but probably the most important factor is the proximity of the distribution center.

[CashForFlow]

Dan,

Your number of days as a user is a large factor. All new users get precedence over all others. Delivery times are not affected by how many movies you watch as people like to suggest. The CEO Hastings says so explicitly in the 2004 fiscal year conference call.

[skebenin]

Okay, but I'd call that delivery time (how long it takes the post office to deliver it once NetFlix ships it).

Shipping time is how long it takes NetFlix to ship the next disk once they receive a return. I believe that's the definition NetFlix used in their FAQ. That's unlikely to be affected by your proximity to the distribution center.

More important perhaps is the rental behavior of the population serviced by the center. If a center has a lot of customers that rent very few movies, they won't have many high-priority returns to process, and low priority users (heavy renters) at that center will benefit.

I suspect this is why some customers (like yourself) report they can rent plenty of DVDs each month, while others have problems getting more than 10 or 12.

[J-Bird]

I've received a lot of these in the past, but haven't received one in a couple months.

Skebenin, I think you're speaking cold, hard reality. As much as it pains me, it looks like "shipping tomorrow" is here to stay.

It makes sense that it just wouldn't make fiscal sense to get the extra resources needed to guarantee same day shipping for everyone. It's the byproduct of being TOO good and everybody telling all their friends to use the service (DAMN! I shoulda kept quiet...lol). I would not be surprised if BBI gets their shipping numbers on par with NFLX, but if they start to get anywhere close to 2.5mil subs, I can guarantee you will see the same shipping problems NFLX is having now, if not worse.

[skebenin]

@CashForFlow (the real one, not the foaming at the mouth one)

I believe the 'new user' experience is a nutural consequence of NetFlix's priority system. A new customer has no rental history, and therefore doesn't have a recent history of heavy rentals. They therefore get higher priority.

I imagine it takes 4, 6, maybe even 8 weeks for a new user to establish themselves as a consistently heavy user.

[skebenin]

@J-Bird

You just need to move near a distribution center that has lots of very low use customers. Or find a way to stop customer's near you from watching so many movies - maybe start a campaign of super-glueing mailboxes shut.

[CashForFlow]

skebenin,

Perhaps you are right. I agree both policies effectively produce the same results. Their CEO’s statement may just be a clever, but legal, rewording of throttling users. I also agree with the user ‘Aron’s post about establishing a limit on the number of DVDs sent per month occurring eventually. Relying on a moat of lazy users to neutralize heavy users is too unpredictable. So far Netflix moves heavy users to other online services with enticements – throttling or a priority system.

[Aron]

Yeah, I got one of these fairly recently. It was the first time in probably a year or so. They probably have had an uptick in complaints prompting this.

1. Delivery surveys are sent randomly. If you haven't gotten one or gotten one in a while, it just means that the random number generator isn't rolling right for you.

2. There is no connection between your answers to the delivery survey and any future shipping decisions for your account. How much sense would it make for NF to ask if you're getting good shipping and then "punish" you for your answer?

3. How fast the movies get to you and get back is not under NF's control. NF has no way to tell the post office to "slow boat" a disk because you're a heavy user.

Delivery survey results are used to figure out where to build new hubs. The delivery surveys are not the only mechanisms used to check up on how the postal service is doing. If you don't feel like clicking on the delivery survey because you're apathetic or don't remember when a disk came... all that is fine. But don't avoid the surveys or give wrong answers because you think it will change how you get treated. That's just silly.

[greg]

I get them occasionally. But it seems like only when they send the movie out early in the morning. When they know I will get it the net day. If they send them out in the afternoon, and I get it in 2 days, I never get the survey. Kinda makes me mad, that they play that game.

[manuel]

"Delivery survey results are used to figure out where to build new hubs...."

You seem to know a lot about Netflix.

"Delivery survey results are used to figure out where to build new hubs...."

Then you would think that after 2 years of getting 3 day delivery, Netflix would realize they needed one to better serve North Florida and South Georgia, Alabama and Lousiana.

i'm giving harold and kumar 4 stars!

great fun.

loved it... most of it at least!

YES!

extremely.

[Aron]

Correction, memory failed me. I have received 3 such delivery questions in the last 6 months.

If hub location is the primary purpose then it's clear that Netflix does not apply any filtering on who it asks. I have a hub in my county and no need for another.

Unless Netflix has gone to level 2 in complexity, and are trying to establish delivery times from alternate hubs. If this were so, it would suggest that I was questioned when receiving movies from an alternate hub.

It's interesting to contemplate the tradeoffs between expanding the size of an existing hub, and locating a new one.

[M-Class]

I've forgotten how many of these I've received from Netflix, but just after two of them the shipping center for my account changed.

The only complaint I have about these is that they are not accurate! These surveys only measure half of the trip that a DVD makes. In my case (Nashville, TN area), I get DVD's the very next day from Louisville, KY. So, to Netflix I'm a next day customer. The return trip (to a Bowling Green, KY address) always takes 4 days though, meaning the total round trip is 5 days!!!

Ironically, Bowling Green is less than an hour drive from here... why USPS takes 4 days to get there is beyond me. I have confirmed this as a USPS delay by driving to Bowling Green and dropping it in a local mailbox.

[David]

M-Class,

Do you live in North Nashville by chance? The reason I ask is I live in South Nashville and my discs go to Chattanooga. I didn't know some Nashville discs were being sent to Kentucky.

NF has absolute control over how quickly you get your movies. I'm not suggesting that NF can dictate to the USPS how fast they should deliver your mail or to be able to 'slow boat' it, well actually they could by paying for a lower class shipment, but I don't think they do that.

They do have control over when they post the 'date' in which they receive you movies. For example, a simple function in their software would allow them to post a delayed date of reciept. NF could have received your movies on Monday, but you wouldn't know it and post on your account that it wasn't received until Wed.

Also, NF could have your next movie ready to ship and just hold it for a day or two, but you wouldn't know it what the true status of the availability of the movie. How can NF say that it will ship your movie tomorrow. If the movie is available, put it an envelope and send it out. If the movie is not available, send out the next movie on your queue that is available.

I understand that NF is a business and they need to make money, so they have decided to punish members that cycle through a lot of movies. I admit that I'm one of them. The thing that isn't apparent is that I don't completely watch every movie I get. If the movie, sucks, I stop it and return it. Sometimes, it's a movie for my wife or my daughter, which I don't watch at all. REGARDLESS, I'm sure that NF has members that only what 3 movies month and these members should balance out members like myself.

To be honest, I don't mind paying more for fast service and availability. If NF had a super user fee of $5-10 extra/month, but guaranteed 2 day turnaround and availability of all movies, I would gladly pay it to offset my high cycle habit.

[Zee]

I've been a member snice July 2004 and have recieved about 5 of these

[D Bates]

I was with Blockbuster for 3 months cancelling yesterday multiple reasons and only time I remember recieving anything similar to the one netflix sends out often was after a hassle with 2 back to back shipments.