This morning, like many others, I woke to find an apologetic email from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings explaining yet another change to my Netflix service. As you may already be aware, this email discussed the further dismemberment of Netflix services by explaining that Netflix DVD service is now re-branded as Qwikster, a service that will replicate the current Netflix DVD service, but will ultimately be a separate entity from Netflix and a separate website.
When I first joined Netflix in 2009, I was lured in by the convenience of having an instant library of movies that could stream to my computer as well as the flexibility of receiving DVDs by mail when my movie or TV show of choice was not available in streaming. It was like having access to a complete library of movies and shows practically 24/7 and it couldn’t have been any more convenient. On top of that, the prices for the plans were unbeatable. So much so, that I did not and, still do not, have expanded cable. Netflix was saving me and plenty of others probably about $100 a month!
But then of course, earlier this year, they announced the change in their plan pricing that doubled the price of my plan. Although many were unhappy enough to leave Netflix behind, I understood the reasons Netflix was forced to take up pricing as even that was still a good price for the convenience and excellent service Netflix provided. So, I continued my same service, DVDs and streaming at the new increased price.
But then of course, earlier this year, they announced the change in their plan pricing that doubled the price of my plan. Although many were unhappy enough to leave Netflix behind, I understood the reasons Netflix was forced to take up pricing as even that was still a good price for the convenience and excellent service Netflix provided. So, I continued my same service, DVDs and streaming at the new increased price.
This new change, rather, separation, of the services has pushed me over the line. The major reason for this is that now, instead of having one website where I can go to browse movies, I will now need to browse two. The Netflix site was great because you could view movies by your taste and if you found something you liked you could add it to either one of your queues. Now, if you can’t find a movie in streaming, you will need to look for it on Qwikster and then manage that queue. I don’t want to seem lazy, but I am a consumer after all and I want things streamlined. I don’t want to jump from list to list, site to site to put my entertainment in order. Now, since I do use a majority streaming, I don’t want to loose that. I only use about 1-2 DVDs a month and the movies are usually things I can get on demand from Comcast my cable provider. So instead of paying Qwikster $8 a month to give me two DVDs, I will just rent the new movies from Comcast for a few bucks each. For the price of the service, its just not worth it to do double duty for something I rarely use.
I am sure I am not going to be the only one that feels this way, but if you have an opinion on the matter, please feel free to comment to add to the discussion.
As always, thanks for reading!