Stephen writes: "My wife and I are on the 5-out plan. We have been subscribers to Netflix since Nov 2004. We live in Austin TX and have begun to notice in the past 45 days that it seems to be taking Netflix an awfully long time to receive movies and send the next ones in my queue. My wife works downtown and routinely drops our movies at the State Capitol Post Office. In the past, Netflix would always receive these movies the very next day. No longer is that the case. She mailed back two movies Monday AM and as of Wed 12:30 Pm they still have not been "received". She mailed a movie yesterday, same story. At first, I thought I was being throttled. However, my average monthly rental is 12 movies. In the past 30 days I rented 11. So I find it tough to believe that I am being throttled......"
Anyone in the Austin area notice a slowdown, too?
How fast does Netflix receive your movies?
Yes! I've noticed the same thing, starting roughly a month ago, in Austin. It has been extremely frustrating. Movies I sent in on Monday have not been received as of today (Thursday), although a movie I sent in yesterday was awknowledged today. I dont think I rent nearly enough to be throttled; I average 13 a month.
Since Austin has so many wonderful video rental stores (Vulcan, I Heart, Waterloo), Netflix needs to fix this soon or they may lose a lot of business, mine included.
Posted by: november | December 14, 2006 at 05:46 PM
I live in Waco. All our mail goes through Austin and we are serviced by the Netflix distribution center in Austin. I have also seen a slow down in how long it takes Netflix to receive movies. They used to get them the next day all the time. I have found it makes a big difference in which day of the week I send in my returns. If I mail them on Monday it is not uncommon for it to be Thursday before they are received by Netflix. If I mail them on Thursday they usually receive them on Friday. If I mail them on Friday usually receive them on Monday. Of course every year close to Christmas it slows down even more.
Posted by: skehl | December 14, 2006 at 05:48 PM
With BBO if I drop in PO Box it would take 2-3 days normally, or up to 7 when the throttle kicked in.
Now I drop into BB employees hand at B&M store and it takes, oh, 7 seconds for BBO to acknowledge I have returned them and clear spots in my queue. In addition, I get the same number of replacements instantly.
Posted by: Rusty Ramrod | December 14, 2006 at 06:11 PM
Umm, folks? Haven't you noticed what time of year it is? CHRISTMAS!! Before you get upset with the USPS or Neflix remember; mail volume has quadrupled. The fact that your stuff takes longer is a fact of the season. If you are still slow in January, then you can gripe.
Posted by: biggfigg | December 14, 2006 at 06:19 PM
Yes! (me too). I'm in Austin, on the UT campus, and only noticed this slowdown in the last week or two. I also dropped one movie Monday and it hasn't been received as of today (Thursday) after 5pm. I was about ready to report it as lost, and I may still.
@november: Do you have a personal take on any of the local rental stores you mentioned?
I Heart Video always catches my eye. I've also been trying out Blockbuster with their Netflix flap promotion, and I must admit, I can see the potential for added value. I completely agree the Netflix in Austin needs to get its act together in a hurry.
Posted by: machinegunn | December 14, 2006 at 06:24 PM
I'm in Austin as well and I have noticed a dramatic slowdown! I thought it was a fluke cause it's normally very quick, but not anymore. Holiday-shmoliday. Fix it!
Posted by: Andy | December 14, 2006 at 06:26 PM
@biggfigg: Holiday mail volume increases may well be the reason for the slowdown, but that doesn't mean I have to put up with it. I'll gripe now. My disc sent on Monday will have taken at least 5 days for a crosstown mailing. I've been more than happy with Netflix for many months now, despite a Blockbuster within a short walking distance of my apartment, but this length of delay will lead to me canceling if it persists. Netflix must find a way to cope with all sorts of market pressures, including USPS complications, if it wants happy customers
Posted by: machinegunn | December 14, 2006 at 06:33 PM
I'm in Georgia, and I've noticed slow-downs too. It hasn't been just during the holiday season, it's been a continuing problem ever since I moved here a few months ago, although it's gotten worse lately. I'm a very low volume renter (usually only 4-6 per month) so I'm sure it's not throttling.
I've been experimenting with different post offices to see if that's a factor. I mailed three movies two weeks ago, at three different post offices. Two arrived after two days, but the third took 5 days. I'm going to repeat the experiment and see if it's a consistent problem with one post office, or just chance.
Posted by: kwheless | December 14, 2006 at 08:27 PM
The holiday season shouldn't matter as far as folks in Austin having their DVDs processed through the system. As we've come to learn, the red envelopes are kept apart in the system. Your local post office just tosses them in a bin.
Sounds like this is more of a case of the folks at the DC not having enough hands to sort the load and they just randomly grab hampers as they arrive.
Posted by: corey3rd | December 14, 2006 at 08:37 PM
machinegunn:
I think every Austinite swears by a different store. I've never been in Vulcan, but friends speak very highly of it, and I occasionally check their online catalog and am generally plesantly surprised.
I Heart Video is great. Every Tuesday, they have a keg and pour you free beer as you browse for movies, though they seem to have the snootiest employees. Their international selection is great, plus they have a lot of thing you'd never come across on Netflix—stuff they personally assembled, for example. Their Criterion Collection deposit policy is a negative, but I've always loved the Buñuel Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie drawing on the wall next to the front door. They'll waive your signup fee if you let them cut up your Blockbuster card, which I think is nice touch.
Waterloo is pretty cool, though it seems much smaller and lacking in personality. The staff is friendly though.
All of them are worth checking out, especially if Netflix doesn't figure out how to fix this slowdown really soon. This is my fourth Christmas with Netflix and the first time it's been a problem.
Posted by: november | December 14, 2006 at 08:47 PM
@november: Thanks for the summary. If things with Netflix don't improve, I'll be sure to make my first visit on a Tuesday with Blockbuster card in hand.
Posted by: machinegunn | December 14, 2006 at 08:56 PM
I put my account on hold mid-November just for this very reason. Otherwise mail delays get too frustrating. I'll start it up again January 2nd. In the meantime I get my DVD fix from the library, my DVD collection, and (occasionally) Hollywood Video.
Posted by: Manda | December 14, 2006 at 08:57 PM
Yup, the NFLX DC in Austin has been pretty slow this month. I put 6 discs in a campus-area drop box on Monday morning and they're still not checked in.
Also, Vulcan Video South is pretty cool and laid-back, but they certainly can't come close to competing with NFLX's selection.
Posted by: Scott | December 14, 2006 at 11:43 PM
Same story here. I'm in Tulsa, and I was really excited when NF opened a distribution center in Oklahoma City. It has always taken one day for postal mail to go from Tulsa to OKC and vice-versa. I thought I would start getting this next-day service that NF customers keep raving about.
It never happened.
My returns always take 2 full days to get into the NF center, and only 1 day for the next one to arrive. To me, that makes no sense unless the OKC center is horribly understaffed. And if it is, why not beef up the staff a bit to offer 1-day turnaround to the immediate surrounding areas? Why bother opening the distribution center if you can't deliver next-day service?
The 2-day + 1-day imbalance really got under my skin because I knew they could do better. I ultimately suspended my NF account in November in order to try the BBV Total Access plan (I have one store near my home and one near my office), and I haven't regretted it so far -- except for getting more movies than I have time to watch. :)
I'll probably check back in with NF in a few months to see if it's improved, because there's a lot about their service that I still prefer. But in terms of cost per rental, BBV is spanking them hard.
Posted by: dirjy | December 15, 2006 at 12:23 AM
dirjy - The USPS processing for discs coming FROM Netflix is a lot better optimized than the process for discs going back TO Netflix. Coming FROM Netflix, the discs are pre-sorted and delivered to the USPS all at once; in effect, there is a bundle for each postman. Going TO Netflix, the discs are deposited at random times in thousands of locations and have to be collected; not all will make it by early AM to the specific postal center which serves Netflix; this even though you might be able to get a letter to the same city by the next afternoon.
Posted by: Hunter McDaniel | December 15, 2006 at 09:14 AM
"this even though you might be able to get a letter to the same city by the next afternoon."
I would agree with this if I didn't spend a year dropping off movies at the same time location and having them processed religiously at Netflix...of course this predates throttling.
I would say either Netflix can't handle their growth or they are intentionally slowing down their acknowledgment of movies.
I used to believe Netflix when they blamed the Post Office, but the Post Office never lied to me about processing my mail.
Posted by: mattd0g | December 15, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Perhaps 5-6 million customers is as far as a business like this can scale? It appears that there are too many inefficiencies in each DC once some number of customers is hit.
Posted by: Edward R Murrow | December 15, 2006 at 11:46 AM
>>>it seems to be taking Netflix an awfully long time to receive movies and send the next ones in my queue.<<<
Just the opposite here...For the first couple of years, NF never mailed us flicks on Mondays. From those that we returned on Fri. & Sat. new ones weren't mailed till Tues., arriving Wed. (8/mo plan).
A few months ago I started receiving replacements for our Fri & Sat returns on Tues., i.e., they were mailed on Mon.
We watch as many as we always have, so I don't know why they stopped throttling us.....I'm very happy ...hope it lasts!!
Cheers
Posted by: peter | December 15, 2006 at 12:06 PM
forgot to add...DVDs have always only taken a day to reach us..other then the occasional ones that are sent from non-local DCs.
Posted by: peter | December 15, 2006 at 12:10 PM
I've noticed the same problem here in Austin. I mailed "Lois & Clark" Season 3 Disc 5 on Wednesday and mailed disc 6 on Thursday. I received notice that they received disc 6 today, but still have not received disc 5 (mailed from same mailbox). I've also noticed that it seems to be taking longer for them to ship the next item out from my list after they receive a disc back from me. In addition to that, I've been getting an increasing number of discs shipped to me from Houston, Dallas and California.
Posted by: Rowdydog | December 15, 2006 at 12:15 PM
OPPS...sorry everybody...I missed that this question concerned the TX area..I'm in SF Bay, CA.
...as he shuffles to brew another pot...
Posted by: peter | December 15, 2006 at 12:23 PM
Actually, Peter, I think the question is open to everyone. No harm, no foul.
Netflix generally receives my movies the next delivery day -- I mail them directly from my local post office. I am in Southern California, about 20 miles from the Santa Ana distribution center, which I believe is one of Netflix's largest DCs.
Lately, however, I have noticed a delay in receiving movies. I don't think this is "throttling," however, since I am actually watching less movies with all the holiday preparations, shopping, parties, etc. I think this involves a delay at my local post office.
Posted by: hawk5391 | December 15, 2006 at 01:54 PM
Still waiting for the 6 DVDs that I mailed early Monday to be checked in. Is there anyone working at the Austin distribution center?
Posted by: Scott | December 15, 2006 at 02:32 PM
"my average monthly rental is 12 movies. In the past 30 days I rented 11." (on the 5 out plan)
I have some kind of switch in my head that will not allow me to be on the 5 out plan and only rent 11 movies in a month. I don't know what caused it. When I go to a buffet, I eat as much as humanly possible and then I eat a little more. For awhile I was obsessed with watching the movie the day I got it and sending it back the next morning in the mail. This is part of the reason I cancelled my Netflix because I had guilt about not renting enough movies.
Posted by: mattd0g | December 15, 2006 at 05:23 PM
How long do you all wait before reporting a disc as lost?
I think Netflix is generally fair to its customers, so I don't want to abuse the reporting system if delays are only due to holiday mail increases. Still, where is the line drawn? I dropped my disc Monday and it hasn't even been received as of Friday. That, to me, seems unacceptable. So, just wondering, what is an acceptable time to wait?
Posted by: machinegunn | December 15, 2006 at 09:02 PM
NFLX says six days. I say that's ridiculous. They tout one-day delivery in major cities, so there's no reason it should take six days for discs to be received, especially when they're just going across town. I have been with NFLX since 1999 and this is the first time I've had to deal with this problem.
Posted by: Scott | December 15, 2006 at 09:34 PM
Also in Austin, TX. I'm a brand new NF customer.. less than 45 days. For the first month everything was great... but like about everyone else here... I mailed back movies on 12/9 and they have not been rec'd. Oddly enough, my check to Austin Energy mailed at the same time from the same mailbox has already cleared the bank.. Hmmm.. If a gov't institution moves faster than a private business, you've got problems. An e-mail to CS has not been answered.
Posted by: mrgoodatx | December 15, 2006 at 10:49 PM
Well I sure hope that the postal worker or Netflix employee in Austin that absconded with all these DVDs is enjoying them- sounds like it was huge haul.
/kidding about theft
//serious about my disappointment with the service currently
Thanks for that info, Scott. I agree and am reporting the problem now.
Posted by: machinegunn | December 16, 2006 at 02:41 AM
How about sending a few discs back using USPS delivery confirmation to see when they get to Netflix? Of course the data might be inaccurate but still might be an interesting experiment.
Posted by: Qdoba Addict | December 16, 2006 at 01:24 PM
Netflix is really slow. Man I wait 2 3 4 DAYS. And now they say their doing download MAN!!! still more waiting!!! and the picture quality will suck... probably Windows media. I came across this site MYTVPAL.COM and they have hundreds of channels and instant playing TV and movie content.... That's cool. I want Netflix to be more like MYTVPAL.COM
Tony Brunner
Posted by: Rippers | December 16, 2006 at 06:22 PM
MAN!!! I HATE when sites like MYTVPAL.COM send some stooge in here to plug their product. That really sucks... worse than Windows media. I wish MYTVPAL.COM could figure out a legitimate way to attract consumers to their site.... I want MYTVPAL.COM to be more like HOMEGROCER.COM (i. e. out of business).
Posted by: hawk5391 | December 17, 2006 at 12:18 PM
Just to compare and contrast against Blockbuster's Total Access:
1) Received BBO DVD's on Tuesday via mail
2) Finished watching them on Thursday
3) Sealed up the envelopes, took them to my neighborhood Blockbuster and picked out 3 movies off the shelf on Friday. Maybe not my top picks, but movies that I was interested in and haven't seen before.
4) Got an email from BBO that my next 3 DVD's shipped on Saturday.
That means I will have 3 movies out from my neighborhood Blockbuster and 3 movies out from BBO for a total of 6 movies on my 3 out plan.
That's an unbelievable value proposition that I get from Blockbuster.
Compare that with the Netflix shipping delay stories from the posts above.
Posted by: Edward R Murrow | December 17, 2006 at 01:12 PM
"Oddly enough, my check to Austin Energy mailed at the same time from the same mailbox has already cleared the bank."
Exactly. That's why this "it's the holidays" stuff doesn't fly in my opinion. There is NO reason why it should take 7 days (or more) for 6 DVDs to travel less than a mile and be checked in.
"How about sending a few discs back using USPS delivery confirmation to see when they get to Netflix?"
Not possible with Netflix return mailers.
"That's an unbelievable value proposition that I get from Blockbuster."
Maybe if you want to spend time commuting to a Blockbuster store. The entire reason I use Netflix is that I DON'T have the time to visit b&m video stores.
Posted by: Scott | December 17, 2006 at 04:37 PM
"Maybe if you want to spend time commuting to a Blockbuster store. The entire reason I use Netflix is that I DON'T have the time to visit b&m video stores."
I your case I would say the Total Access plan is probably not for you.
- It sounds like you may not have a convenient BB B&M store (I literally drive right past our local store every day, so it is extremely convenient for me).
- Since you don’t have time to even visit a B&M store then it stands to reason you wouldn’t have time to watch the extra 30 movies you would get from Total Access for the same price as your NetFlix account, and if you weren’t planning to utilize the local return/rental advantage of Total Access provides, then the online BBO and NF services are a pretty much a toss up in my experience. Although on the numerous times I was signed up with both services I personally had better luck with BBO if for no other reason than their more generous reporting system, which has now changed for the worse. Even though it is still half the time of NF’s, it is now 3 days minimum to report a disc not showing up.
Posted by: Rusty Ramrod | December 17, 2006 at 05:15 PM
As of Monday, December 18, the 6 DVDs that I dropped in a downtown Austin street USPS box on the morning of Monday, December 11 have still not been received by Netflix.
I declared all of them as lost on the Netflix site and my account was promptly put on hold. I attempted to call their 1-800 customer service during my lunch hour, but after being on hold for over 20 minutes was forced to hang up.
Also, I have not yet received a reply to the email I sent on Friday to Netflix CS about the lost discs.
Have any of the other Austin commenters had their movies checked in yet?
Posted by: Scott | December 18, 2006 at 02:33 PM
Netflix just awknowledged two movies I sent in over a week ago. I reported them lost and had two new ones shipped, but I don't know if I can keep on doing that. If this doesn't improve, then Netflix was fun while it lasted.
Posted by: november | December 18, 2006 at 03:22 PM
It took me a while to figure out that by "B&M" you meant "brick and mortar." When I use BM in relation to Blockbuster, I usually mean...uh, never mind.
Posted by: hawk5391 | December 18, 2006 at 03:48 PM
"How about sending a few discs back using USPS delivery confirmation to see when they get to Netflix?"
Not possible with Netflix return mailers."
I understand that but what about putting 3 mailers in a bigger envelope and using delivery confirmation with that? I know the results wouldn't be 100% accurate as I'm sure an envelope would get some special treatment vs. the mailers.
Posted by: Qdoba Addict | December 18, 2006 at 06:54 PM
I upgraded and chose to wait until the 1st to pay. Now I want to upgrade NOW and pay NOW! Why can't I do this? I tried to click 8-at-a-time again and see if it would give me the option to pay now...it didn't!!! Is NETFLI$$ too good for my money???!!!
Now, the reason that I chose to upgrade is because I've moved to Korea (USArmy) and there is a horrible turnaround time from here. It takes almost a week and a half to get my movies. I'm going crazy! So, while I feel for you guys, you're talking about a matter of 2 or 3 days...I'm talking about a slow down of a week or better!!!
I put "the getaway" and "behind enemy lines" at the Post Office last Wednesday. Today is Tuesday and they haven't been received by NTFLX yet!!!
By the way, in earlier posts people are saying "i sent mine on tuesday and NTFLX hasn't received it yet" Come on ppl, help us out here and tell us what day it is when you're posting so we don't have to look to a calendar (using the posting date) to figure out what day it is for you! Smooches!
Posted by: Shaphan | December 19, 2006 at 02:18 AM
@fellow ATXers Scott and november
I returned one disc on Monday the 11th that I reported lost on Saturday the 16th. It was finally received on Monday the 18th. I had also returned a different disc on Wednesday the 13th which was received on Monday the 18th. Sounds like we all had a similar experience.
Posted by: machinegunn | December 19, 2006 at 01:15 PM