If you are a Netflix costumer like I am then you recently were sent an email from them "explaining" their idiotic business moves as of late. I went to their blog to post this return letter however in order to post a comment on their blog you must sign in through facebook, way to go alienating yet more costumers Netflix.
So here you go...my email response to Mr. Hastings.
Dear Reed Hastings CEO of Netflix,
You're whiny email was pouring salt into the fresh wound YOU caused. I don't care your reasons for screwing over your customers, it's the fact you did it AND now feel so justified in doing it (even after seeing you stocks drop and somehow being surprised that not every followed along with your scheme) that upsets me even more.
You just sat back and expected everyone to spend twice as much for what they were already getting at an amazing deal. Did you not think your customers would simply choose one over the other? I know many people who have Netflix and had to flip the coin on which they wanted the slow DVD by mail however having a lot more movies at your fingertips, or the fast service with limited choices of streaming.
I chose streaming, what with your competitors at REDBOX or Blockbuster Express I can go get DVDs much faster than mail and it STILL costs less than your dvd service.
You rumored that you were going full streaming if this is how you are doing it than I feel deceived.
I will gladly keep streaming in the hope that you and your company pulls it's collective head out of it's collective arse and realize that you need to go make more deals getting more tv shows and movies to streaming. And don't say that's what this split will do, all this is is a grab for more money and you know it.
I will be waiting for your email in two months sadly admitting this fact.
Sincerly,
Jaye, a pissed off costumer
I only moderately minded the split of services, and the email still insulted me.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind it because I can see that the content providers are squeezing the life out of Netflix streaming in hopes that we will pay Apple TV or TWC four dollars a movie for the same convenience. And I can predict how those content providers will try to force Netflix into selling after watching them develop the plugin to stream. I did not mind the split in service because they *claimed* their marketing data showed that customers predominantly used one format or the other. And frankly, by the time I get a hard copy disc with only two episodes of some show on it - I'm over it.
But I did not appreciate an email that begins with groveling and saying that it was a mistake - and ends with announcing no change whatsoever, except a typical corporate rebranding. What the letter essentially said was, 'this move was wildly unpopular; our data was wrong; so we'll do it anyway, but call ourselves something else. The only difference is there will be two charges on your credit card statement.'
To make matters worse. My poor mom, who wouldn't know how to stream a movie if her life was at stake, was very clear on that point when she called (yes, she calls instead of changing settings online). She told them as much and they have double charged her - I'm assuming for both services. Either way it's scummy.
Netflix - Quickster, whatever, I backed you. I was going to stick with you when the ISPs tried to overcharge for streaming through broadband. I saw the pickle you were in and I felt some loyalty, but 1) I hate Amazon, as any self-respecting CAian would and 2) you've insulted me with your sniveling letter admitting to everything and nothing in a cheap effort to rebrand your PR machine.