Netflix Focuses on Phone Support - Updated

Update:: As pointed out in the comments, you can still contact Netflix through some forms, but the emphasis now seems to be on phone support. - Mike

The Netflix Fan Blog discovered that Netflix has eliminated e-mail support, instead recommending that customers call an 800#.

What type of support do you prefer? What kind of experience have you had using e-mail or phone support?

Comments

[gir]

Not that I've ever needed it, but e-mail all the way. No waiting on hold, read replies according to your schedule - definitely e-mail.

[Shrike]

Email all the way. I hate calling.

[machinegunn]

I've used Netflix's phone support maybe twice (I can't remember what for). There was a little holding, but not too much, and they were very helpful.

[neilk2350]

there email support took at least 24 hours. phone support under 15 minutes. i'd rather be on hold then wait to hear back

[Bogarts_Falcon]

Phone support is what I want.

With email you have to wait until they email you back. If something goes wrong you then have to email them again and then, once again, wait until they get back to you. Depending on the problem this could take forever. With phone support if the person doesn't understand the problem or if you're not satisfied you can speak to someone else. Usually you can get things resolved in one phone call rather that multiple emails.

[CJ]

E-mail support - phoning is so last century. I'm not about to pick up a phone to report a problem I could communicate better by e-mail.

For example, a new release DVD title (released 08-01-07) by NF, "Everything Gone Green", has a serious "authoring" problem - the main menu play selection sends you back to the FBI warning screen; there is no way to actually get to the first chapter and see the movie.

I couldn't find any way to report this problem by e-mail, so I figure NF doesn't want to know about such problems. And I'm not about to try to explain something technical like this to a customer rep on the phone...

[Meg]

I want the option to do whatever works best for me, depending on the type of issue I'm having. WHen I had to call Netflix two weeks ago for a problem, twice in one day, I was on hold over 30 minutes EACH TIME. I could easily have fired off an email or two in under 10 minutes and would've been perfectly fine with waiting a day or two for a response. It wasn't a critical issue. Instead, I was tied to my phone for over an HOUR that day. And for the first time in my many, many years of being a Netflix subscriber, I thought about canceling my account and giving Blockbuster a try.

Most companies offer both options (or, even better -- THREE options, including chat support). Why is Netflix limiting us to just one??

[longklaw]

That sucks.

[hawk5391]

I greatly prefer phone support. Otherwise how would I know what's going on in India?

[Meg]

Hey, that was my cantankerous comment made famous by Netflix Fan Blog! Yay me, for being cantankerous AND ubiquitous!

[Meg]

I just went to look some more at this issue, and wanted to mention that, at least for me, the option to send a message via a web form still exists if I have a correction, title to suggest, or web site comment. Of course, I just fired off a "comment" about this -- I'd urge everybody else to do the same if you want them to bring back the option of sending emails when you have a question or problem. Go here and click on "Suggestions": http://www.netflix.com/ContactUs

[Becky]

I don't see a Web form anywhere.

[eviltimes]

I have emailed them dozens of times over the years, they have NEVER gotten back to me. NEVER.

[Edward R Murrow]

Can you imagine the costs associated with answering customer questions from 7 million customers using phone only and trying to get to all phone calls within minutes? Clearly, only a small fraction of the customers call in but I'm sure this percentage of customers is constant while the number of subscribers grows (other than last quarter).

Looks like the lunatic fringe of Netflix management has taken over the customer support function and has no regard for costs.

[Meg]

Becky, what do you see when you go here:

http://www.netflix.com/ContactUs

And click on the word "Suggestions" in the list of options (under the heading "Requests and Suggestions")? Just the phone number? Not an input form?

If so, that's weird -- they must taking that web form away in stages instead of all at once. I get the phone number (and my identifying code) for all account-based help options, but can see see the input form for all the "Requests and Suggestions" items.

[Joel Risberg]

I can't imagine what people are finding the need to call or email Netflix about. I've been a customer since 2002 and have never once had a reason to contact Netflix directly.

The web site provides easy point and click solutions to missing or damaged discs, plan upgrades/downgrades, and anything else you could think of. Am I missing something?

Joel

[leonardodicrapio]

"Looks like the lunatic fringe of Netflix management has taken over the customer support function and has no regard for costs."

Edward, I would love to see how poorly you would run Netflix if you were given the chance. Apparently you haven't noticed that Netflix has been making millions of dollars. I am sure that profit is due to incompetent mismanagement.

[Becky]

Meg is right! The Contact Us link still works!!

Sorry, my bad.

[profpudwick]

Joel, I felt as you did, until I found a disc on the website with the wrong artwork displayed. The artwork was for a different disc. There is no way to click a box or two to tell Netflix about this problem. So I e-mailed them. What a mistake! Even though I spelled out the problem clearly and reread what I wrote 3 times before sending it, their response was to send me the same disc, as if I had reported that my disc was defective. The problem was not with my dvd, it was with their website! So my queue was delayed 5 days while the dvd that I already had shipped from 3000 miles away. I should have picked up the phone.
Vern

[profpudwick]

And the problem I reported by e-mail is still a problem. Type in "Tiger: Heavy Tank Panzer VI" and see what comes up: Their artwork for the dvd of the Panzer IV (that's a FOUR not a SIX). I'll pick up the phone and try again to tell them that 6 <=> 4.

[profpudwick]

I guess ASCII isn't basic enough for this website-- I used the More Than and Less Than characters (above the comma and period on the standard keyboard) along with the equal sign to indicate that 6 is not equal to 4-- I'll try again: 6 NE 4.

[gir]

I'm curious - 6 > 4.

[gir]

For the curious, this site allows character entities in comments: ampersand gee tee colon -> >

[Old Timer Too]

Joel wrote: "The web site provides easy point and click solutions to missing or damaged discs, plan upgrades/downgrades, and anything else you could think of. Am I missing something?"

Throttling. They didn't have phone support advertised when I finally "went away" from them, but I wonder how they would have reacted had I been yelling at them over the phone on their policies??? And telling them about all the money that I had spent and how I was not going to be customer much longer or how I would let all my many friends know about their policies and programs...

Anyone complain about throttling via the phone and what response did you get?

[d3vkit]

While I prefer email to anything else, I doubt that's the norm. For some reason I think most people like complaining in person, or at least on the phone. I'm guessing that they just received a lot more phone calls than emails, so they simply moved email support over to phone support. Actually would make good sense from a management point of view... if they really received so few emails.
I don't have NF, I have Total Access; I've had to email them a couple times, and was really surprised that they advertise about 4 hours for reply - that was really fast I thought.