Countless consumers have also turned to the company’s Facebook page, with negative feedback far outweighing any other kind of response. And on Twitter, the discussion around the plan changes has made “DVDs” an unlikely trending topics in a number of cities... [see also "dear netflix"]
What does all of this uproar mean for Netflix? Of course, it’s unlikely that any price increase would be met with a thumbs-up by many consumers. However, the intensity of the backlash seems to suggest that Netflix really does have a problem.
Netflix has long enjoyed a lot of good will from its customers, simply due to the breadth of its DVD offering. Consumers tolerated the lack of selection in the company’s streaming catalog because it was seen as a value-add to their existing DVD subscription. Recent hiccups, such as Sony removing titles from the streaming catalog, also didn’t lead to many complaints.
However, with streaming and DVDs effectively being separated from each other and users being forced to pay twice as much, many customers are seemingly losing their patience with Netflix. The company may have to go back and do a better job at explaining these changes — or even unveil some great new streaming catalog additions before the September 1 deadline that will force people to pay more, choose between streaming and DVDs or cancel altogether.
Netflix has NOT "long enjoyed a lot of good will from its customers"! Subscriber data is carefully controlled, but for long-term "customers," it has become VERY obvious that netflix is losing "customers" ALMOST a fast as it gains new ones. It has also become obvious that netflix intends, eventually, to be a streaming-ONLY source for video, thus the price-increase NOW, before the announcement that DVDs will no longer be offered. (Naturally, the excuse will be "the cost of postage" or the "cost of DVDs" -- both obviously irrelevant, i.e., fundamentally unchanged since netflix's inception.) The extent of DISapproval among netflix "customers" is only beginning to be impossible to disguise. Watch for a mass exodus before a takeover bid by one of the already overblown mediamonopolies...
ReplyDelete"the excuse will be 'the cost of postage' or the 'cost of DVDs' ... you're right, especially with the slow & steady death of the US postal service (soon to cancel saturday mail, no saturday night movies for families)
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