Click here for the full list of new releases this week (94).
Interesting titles include Valkyrie, 24: Season 7, True Blood: Season 1, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Fanboys, Yonkers Joe, My Bloody Valentine, Outlander, Detective Story, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and Man Hunt.
Over the last few weeks, movies I send back on Saturdays are not showing up as received until Tuesday. Anyone else noticing this? This week, I sent two in on Saturday and one showed up as received today, but not the other. (Maybe it could be processed later today, but it's usually pretty early in the morning.)
Is this some attempt at limiting new release rentals? Or just a bad-luck coincidence for me?
Posted by: Bob Ritchie | May 18, 2009 at 12:44 PM
I am still scoring good with sending movies back with the Saturday mail and getting new ones shipped Monday.
Posted by: banter | May 18, 2009 at 02:06 PM
I have mailed in 3 DVD's at the same time and only have 2 of them show up as being received and the mailing day of the week makes no difference. I know exactly when the DVD's leaves the USPS and when they get to the distribution center. Maybe NETFLIX needs to randomly track DVD's to see if they show up when they are supposed to. Could a postal worker be borrowing a movie for the night? Saturday pick up and delivery may be a mute issue if the USPS stops working on Saturdays.
Posted by: El Maracucho | May 18, 2009 at 03:50 PM
Sometimes if I send a movie back on Saturday they don't get it until Tuesday. That's why I try to send movies on Friday if at all possible to ensure they get there by Monday.
Posted by: Karva | May 18, 2009 at 07:15 PM
USPS has never said they were stopping Saturday delivery - and would probably NOT choose that day IF THEY DID drop a day!!! They only suggested dropping one day to save money. That would probably be Tuesday or Wednesday, the slowest mail volume days of the week. Saturday would cause even more delays on Mondays (which would then have 3 days worth of mail delivery) and image what a holiday Monday would do!!!
No, USPS employees are NOT selective stealing/watching/borrowing/etc. your DVDs!!!! Not as routinely as many buffoons believe.
The normal process is: carriers sort dvds (NF, BBO) into tubs (laundry basket sized boxes) as they do their routes. Those tubs get dumped into larger bins (hampers) or individually dumped into trays for stacking (sorting out NF & BBO). All those make they way to the nearest GMF (general mail facility) and are then placed in a holding area for NF pickup. NF has their DCs near GMFs and utilize their own trucks for PU/Drop off.
The chances that all your discs will stay together are slim in that journey of dumping, redumping, sorting, stacking, etc. NF also has a cutoff time for processing returns. Once that time comes, they break and then shift to process outgoing discs. On high volume days (MONDAYS - get it?) it would be very possible for some discs to not make return status - especially if your center is near capacity.
Posted by: BoB | May 18, 2009 at 07:17 PM
wow...talk about derailing a thread..
Posted by: TheCrow | May 19, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Okay, so explain this Bob. That second movie I returned on Saturday was marked as received at netflix on Tuesday...but the next Movie was not shipped. Now, one is marked as Shipping Today (Wednesday). If my top choice was not available at my local shipping center, shouldn't a "bonus" DVD have been shipped yesterday? I've had good luck in the past, but this is pretty frustrating.
Posted by: Bob Ritchie | May 20, 2009 at 08:03 AM
I still don't totally understand how the bonus disc program works - the one time I've received one (due to my local shipping center not having 'Timecrimes') it took a week or so before the bonus disc was sent.
Also note that AFAIK the bonus disc only kicks in if your local distribution center doesn't have that movie at all - you don't get one just because your shipping center is all out of the movie you want.
Posted by: Patrick | May 20, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Any idea when they'll start shipping theh May 26 new releases w/ Monday's holiday?
Posted by: jingle bells | May 20, 2009 at 09:11 PM
Could it be a clever throttling technique? Netflix receives the DVD then delays a day or two in acknowledging receipt of the DVD and the Post Office takes the blame?
Posted by: Edward R Murrow | May 22, 2009 at 09:35 PM
In the past, I have returned TWO movies in one sleeve and NF pretended they did not get one of them.
That hasnt happened lately, Well, I dont send them in the same envelopes usually but I have not had a throttling problem for awhile.
But, Im sure I will again soon.
This week is a holiday which means I wont get movies untill Wed and thursday and Im stuck on sunday night with 2 returned and 3 waiting in my mailbox for pickup and nothing to watch.
I can watch 24 for hours on end.
Posted by: rjm | May 24, 2009 at 11:51 PM