Netflix Turnaround

How do they do it so fast?

[Jane_Doe]

The last two times I sent Netflix movies back, I dropped them off at the local post office box in the evening after the last posted pick up time.

On both occasions, Netflix sent me emails the next day saying they had received my movies back. This morning I had an email that they had already received and checked in one of the movies I dropped off last night, an hour after the last posted mail pickup.

So does anyone know how they get such fast turnaround? According to the local mail pick up schedule, the movies technically weren't even due to be picked up at the post office until 3:00 pm today!

Does the post office scan them in for Netflix?

[LifeinAsia]

The posted last pickup time is the *earliest* time of the last pickup. At 5:00 P.p. posted boxes, I rarely see someone there emptying it at 5:00. Usually 5:30 or later. So my guess is that the last pickup hadn't actually gone out yet when you dropped them off.

I usually mail mine in the morning and get the next DVD on 2 days later. I tend not to watch it until the weekend, so the quick turnaround doesn't usually matter that much.

I think they may get special early morning or late evening deliveries. Lately, I have been receiving an e-mail early in the morning the day after I mail.

I've heard from some other people that if you are on an unlimited plan and repeatedly have quick turnarounds (e.g., always return the day after you receive one), they may start to "throttle" the delivery a tad bit and not ship the next one out the same day they receive the previous one back.

[Jane_Doe]

I've heard from some other people that if you are on an unlimited plan and repeatedly have quick turnarounds (e.g., always return the day after you receive one), they may start to "throttle" the delivery a tad bit and not ship the next one out the same day they receive the previous one back.

I bought one of those Roku devices so when we can stream movies to the PC and then they go over the wifi to the big screen plasma TV in the living room.

The picture is great and they have some brand new movies in the instant download section so even when I forget to return the mail in movies we still always have something to watch. It is way cool.

I used to have Blockbuster so I could exchange movies at the local store and not always have to wait for the movies to be mailed to me. I cancelled Blockbuster after I joined Netflix and bought the Roku player and now we can just download movies instantly, plus we still get the mail in DVDs, too.

[LifeinAsia]

We have Tivo and can stream movies from Netflix as well.

At least until the local cable company decides it's going to go to tiered pricing. :(

[BillyS]

>>I've heard from some other people that if you are on an unlimited plan and repeatedly have quick turnarounds (e.g., always return the day after you receive one), they may start to "throttle" the delivery a tad bit and not ship the next one out the same day they receive the previous one back.

Sound like a conspiracy theory to me... Why would they even bother identify these accounts and flagging them? It's more work than it’s worth. Maybe it's the post office throttling the videos!

[arieng]

Hardly a conspiracy theory, but already taken care of. Netflix settled a class action lawsuit in 2005 around just such a practice.

[netflix.com...]

[BillyS]

arieng - Did you actually read this thread and the settlement you referenced?

I did. I don't think you did.

Consipracy theory.

[LifeinAsia]

Why do you consider it a conspiracy theory when it is clearly in Netflix's own ToS? They specifically state, "we may not always send you the top choices from your Queue, ship out your next DVD on the same day that we receive one from you, or process orders from your local distribution center." Also, "As a result of your viewing habits and our operational practices, the actual number of DVDs you rent in any month may vary, and you may experience differentiated service during the course of your membership."

[arieng]

I guess I must misunderstand the settlement. From everything I've read, my understanding is that high-usage customers that were having their deliveries "throttled" to reduce costs. What am I missing?

[Shaddows]

I think it's the difference between "conspiracy" and "published policy".

I don't have a dictionary to hand, but imagine the definition of terms would render them mutually exclusive.

[Rugles]

I thought Netflix had several warehouses in the US. Therefore you are likely only within a day from one of their warehouses.

They run a very efficient system from what I read. Unfortunately I cant use them because I am in Canada and the similar Canadian service was a disappointment when I used them 4 or 5 years ago. So enjoy it!

[Jane_Doe]

Unfortunately I cant use them because I am in Canada and the similar Canadian service was a disappointment when I used them 4 or 5 years ago.

Can you use the instand downloads? They have some cheaper plans that include download access. I think it would be worth it just for that option. You can watch the movies through several devices including Xbox online. I have a separate account for the kids in the family room and they watch the instant movies there through the Xbox setup.

[Realbrisk]

Usps Has a Return service they notify Netflix as soon as the envelope is processed

[Rottenlover]

Overnite Netflix informed me that they received my envelope but that the pouch contained a foreign disc (which was true and a mistake on my part) so scanning the return envelope wouldn't have allowed that information. Apparently Netflix throttles me because I generally return discs the same day I receive them, (a benefit of being retired). Recent releases placed at the top of my que always have waits associated with them. I have access to another family member's account,(which uses the same plan, one at a time, and served by the same Netflix hub); when I put the same titles at the top of their que, within seconds of seeing my wait, this same title is available to them with no wait.

A Netflix supervisor informs me that they do this in attempt to afford "equal value" to all their members. They feel I should be "punished" and not have access to recent releases which I'd like to have. They send something down lower on my list as some type of pacifier. I receive DVDs
within 2 days of returning my item, but not the ones I really want.

[Jane_Doe]

Recent releases placed at the top of my que always have waits associated with them.

I have two accounts - one for us and one for the kids - with hundreds of DVDs listed between the two queues and none have wait times at all, so it would seem like they are purposely putting movies on hold for you. We usually just get new movies sent via the mail once a week. There are lots of movies we haven't watched available on the instant download so often we watch them instead of the DVDs from the mail.

[piatkow]

I dropped them off at the local post office box in the evening after the last posted pick up time.

I don't know about the US but over here every box in an area will have the same pick up time shown.

[lawman]

I quit Netflix several years ago because of the penalty for quick turn-around. Looks like that policy is still in place.

[Rottenlover]

Quitting is just want Netflix wants us to do, because our ability to return DVDs quickly results in their making less no money on us, perhaps even losing money! If some reason they were able to make more money on quick returns you can bet they would be no throttling. I'm considering re-activating my Blockbuster account in order to get new releases; in fact that's the only way I can get them. I too can watch (some of their) movies using my Roku apparatus, however both age and listening to loud music has diminished my hearing and I sorely miss DVD subtitles, or in their absence, the ability to do closed captioning. Perhaps it's descriminatory towards some handicapped folks and Netflix should get another lawsuit. :-)

[Jane_Doe]

I'm considering re-activating my Blockbuster account in order to get new releases; in fact that's the only way I can get them.

Blockbuster used to have long wait times for many of the movies we wanted to watch. That was part of the reason we switched to Netflix.