The Long and Short [Waits that is] of Netflix

Written by Plus1 on February 29, 2008 – 8:24 pm

Does this frustrate you as much as me? Films that I do not end up catching in the theater or hear about via other critics (I do occasionally skim a few especially those of writer/critic David Edelstein of New York magazine), I put in the saved section of my Netflix queue.

The Assassination of Jesse James lasted only a few weeks in Boston theaters, despite the supporting role of hometown hero Casey Affleck. On February 5, it released on DVD. It is still listed as a Long Wait on my Netflix queue. Also Moolade (short wait and released on February 19), In the Valley of Elah (long wait—released on February 19), The Brave One (short wait—released on February 5) and Lust, Caution (long wait—also a February 19 release date). This is just for this month. It happens quite often. I get some DVDs from the library (great place to get classics and foreign films) but do enjoy the convenience of Netflix which is, let’s be honest, and holds a monopoly on this type of service.

But back to my outrage. A friend told me that I watch a ton of DVDs. Anywhere from 2-4 a week and that was why I wasn’t getting DVDs as fast as I would like. I’ve been a member for years and have the 4-at-a-time membership. I decided to call the customer service line at Netflix to get some answers.

I spoke with Matthew at netflix online dvd rental tonight February 29 at 6:45.

I explained to him my frustrations with the constant long and short waits. I said that I put films in my saved section and as soon as I saw a release date listed, I would move the film to the top of my queue.

Amy: Why does this happen?

Matthew, Netflix customer service rep: “Quite a few other customers do the same thing as you do and that is something we factor in if the demand exceeds the supply. Another factor is how frequently another customer uses our services.”

Amy: So you are telling me that because I watch a few DVDs per week I am penalized?

Matthew: Some people rennet less and we want them to get as much out of the service since they aren’t renting as much they aren’t getting as much value and they get DVDs ahead of you by a few weeks or so.

Amy: That’s fair? And a few weeks or so? That’s a long time! When new release comes out, I want to see it the week it comes out. The Assassination of Jesse James came out on February 4, a month ago. How can that be a fair system to allocate DVDs. I’ve been a Netflix member for a long time. And I shouldn’t have to go to a video store to rent something. Although I will (I got Lust, Caution today and I think Hollywood Video is getting cut off at the knees by some “Blockbuster Exclusives” because I didn’t see Moolade or The Assassination of Jesse James).

Matthew: Okay, well since you keep mentioning The Assassination of Jesse James, I can move it to the top of your queue and give you a bonus selection and get that out to you.

Amy: So if you bitch and complain enough, you’re basically saying, you can get the releases. [At this point, I don’t think he really wanted to acknowledge that remark so we ended the conversation]

update: I just checked my queue and The Assassination of Jesse James is shipping out on Monday. Being a bitch is kick-ass! It’s just like getting free movie tickets when I complain about people taking cell phone calls. And they were for silly films like Mad Money, so I was annoyed but would have been really mad if it were something else.