On Knocking Down Pedestals...
This is a sad day here at the Halls of Mental Midgetry. I am not totally unlike you. I have not become so cynical and jaded that I won’t admit to having people, beliefs or ideas that make up the foundation of my very being. I will not pretend that when those beliefs come into question that it doesn’t affect me at all, that I become some sort of stoic. I can be wounded…especially when one of my icons, my pillars, is revealed to be imperfect.
You’ll remember that my first experience with this was finding out my own mother, someone whom I had revered, was found to be a reality TV…purveyor. You'll also remember the devestation that wrought upon my world. Her betrayal will not soon be forgotten…I mean, after I find out who wins Dancing With The Stars…
Now comes truly horrific news. As you are no doubt aware by now, I tend to count Netflix as one of my inner posse. I confide my hopes and dreams in it, laugh at its jokes, cry at its pain…basically we spend a lot of time together. I can’t help it. I’m hooked. I believe I was born this way. While the other little boys were noticing other things, I was pining away for a mail delivery system for movies. I mean, is that so wrong? My passion for Netflix was preordained…
The Washington Post, an organization which has confirmed links to hell, apparently did not see fit to let my utopian beliefs on Netflix last. An article appeared in today’s Post that took Netflix to task about a practice that is being called “throttling”. Apparently, this concept affects those who rent the most movies from Netflix every month, and not in a good way. The average Netflix user rents 2-11 movies per month, but there are those of us who try and get in as many movies as possible. This maximizes the already great deal we are getting for $17.99 a month. The allegation is, Netflix doesn’t make as much profit from those of us who are passionate for the love they are selling, so they cater to those who rent lesser amounts. I could not believe what the Post was selling, so I had to do a little research on my own. I went to the Netflix’s Terms of Use and this is what I found:
"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 subscribers who receive the most movies may experience that (i) the shipment of their next available DVD occurs at least one business day following return of their previously viewed movie, (ii) delivery takes longer, as the shipments may not be processed from their local distribution center and (iii) they receive movies lower in their queue more often than our other subscribers."
Come again. You mean there is truth to this. I feel so…blind. I have about 15 movies at the top of my queue in some sort of waiting period. I thought this was a sure sign that Netflix had just become so popular that wait times had increased. Once things stabilized, those waits would go down and things would return to normal. The truth is, I'm being punished for loving them too much. Netflix is intentionally sending newer movies to lesser customers to keep them happy. They know I’m addicted. The know I’m easy. They know they are not profiting as much by my patronage.
Even worse, judging from the Post’s article, there are other people out there like me. That’s disturbing in itself…
I can understand why Netflix has this policy. You always want to cater to your newer customers, which in this case means giving them first dibs on the just released movies. I can wait to see the newer stuff. My queue currently has 480+ movies on it, it’s not like I don’t have something else to watch. But deliberately “throttling” back my pace of movie consumption seems to go against what Netflix was supposed to be selling. I can see not sending me The Wedding Crashers upon release, but why delay my copy of Tootsie…is that movie really that in demand? Listen, there are just some of us who have no lives, or more directly, some of us are currently trapped in the house with a newborn…give us a break.
I’m still a Netflix shill, the company, and the deal is still way to good compared to anyone else. Plus, in all truth, I haven't really been inconvenienced by this policy. It's just the thought of it that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The bloom is off the rose.
You’ll remember that my first experience with this was finding out my own mother, someone whom I had revered, was found to be a reality TV…purveyor. You'll also remember the devestation that wrought upon my world. Her betrayal will not soon be forgotten…I mean, after I find out who wins Dancing With The Stars…
Now comes truly horrific news. As you are no doubt aware by now, I tend to count Netflix as one of my inner posse. I confide my hopes and dreams in it, laugh at its jokes, cry at its pain…basically we spend a lot of time together. I can’t help it. I’m hooked. I believe I was born this way. While the other little boys were noticing other things, I was pining away for a mail delivery system for movies. I mean, is that so wrong? My passion for Netflix was preordained…
The Washington Post, an organization which has confirmed links to hell, apparently did not see fit to let my utopian beliefs on Netflix last. An article appeared in today’s Post that took Netflix to task about a practice that is being called “throttling”. Apparently, this concept affects those who rent the most movies from Netflix every month, and not in a good way. The average Netflix user rents 2-11 movies per month, but there are those of us who try and get in as many movies as possible. This maximizes the already great deal we are getting for $17.99 a month. The allegation is, Netflix doesn’t make as much profit from those of us who are passionate for the love they are selling, so they cater to those who rent lesser amounts. I could not believe what the Post was selling, so I had to do a little research on my own. I went to the Netflix’s Terms of Use and this is what I found:
"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 subscribers who receive the most movies may experience that (i) the shipment of their next available DVD occurs at least one business day following return of their previously viewed movie, (ii) delivery takes longer, as the shipments may not be processed from their local distribution center and (iii) they receive movies lower in their queue more often than our other subscribers."
Come again. You mean there is truth to this. I feel so…blind. I have about 15 movies at the top of my queue in some sort of waiting period. I thought this was a sure sign that Netflix had just become so popular that wait times had increased. Once things stabilized, those waits would go down and things would return to normal. The truth is, I'm being punished for loving them too much. Netflix is intentionally sending newer movies to lesser customers to keep them happy. They know I’m addicted. The know I’m easy. They know they are not profiting as much by my patronage.
Even worse, judging from the Post’s article, there are other people out there like me. That’s disturbing in itself…
I can understand why Netflix has this policy. You always want to cater to your newer customers, which in this case means giving them first dibs on the just released movies. I can wait to see the newer stuff. My queue currently has 480+ movies on it, it’s not like I don’t have something else to watch. But deliberately “throttling” back my pace of movie consumption seems to go against what Netflix was supposed to be selling. I can see not sending me The Wedding Crashers upon release, but why delay my copy of Tootsie…is that movie really that in demand? Listen, there are just some of us who have no lives, or more directly, some of us are currently trapped in the house with a newborn…give us a break.
I’m still a Netflix shill, the company, and the deal is still way to good compared to anyone else. Plus, in all truth, I haven't really been inconvenienced by this policy. It's just the thought of it that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The bloom is off the rose.
posted by Beeley at 3:18 PM
7 Comments:
Wouldn't have pegged you as a Tootsie man...
If you'd like, we'll bring our copy of the Wedding Crashers when we come this weekend! You'll be glad to know, my dear Son, that I'm not watching The Bachelor this season, at least. I am being more selective in my Reality TV watching. But I am in a quandry on Thursday nights now with Survivor and Dancing with the Stars coming on at the same time. I want to see them both in "real" time.
Bringing the Wedding Crashers with you this weekend will go a long way in healing this rift we have between us lately. I'm also glad to see you are doing something to curb your reality TV habit...
...now if you'll excuse me, I believe Celebrity Fit Club is comeing on and I must go watch that train wreck...
Bill, I hate to call you out, but weren't you addicted to Big Brother a few years ago? Isn't that reality TV?
You can watch Wedding Crashers with your parents? Brother, that's a place I never want to go.
Netflix simply baffles me - they have come up with some of the great business ideas of the past few years, and yet seem so intent on destroying their status with boneheaded business maneuvers.
Mike, these lies you spread have got to stop. I wouldn't say I watched Big Brother so much as winced at it...repeatedly.
Dogburt, you speak truth. I will watch The Wedding Crashers after the folks leave.
Now I'm embarrassed!! Sounds as if The Wedding Crashers isn't a movie I'd like to watch. I'll just stick to my Anne of Green Gables!
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