At least that’s what some people are thinking, after Netflix announced they were splitting their unlimited streaming and one DVD-at-a-time plan, and would be charging you a little more for the two. Well, I have to admit I didn’t like reading about the price increase yesterday, but apparently it upset a lot of people more than it did me. Netflix Users Protest Proposed Price Increases With Social Media FirestormNetflix users stormed the streaming video and DVD rental services’ blog and Facebook page by the thousands on Tuesday to criticize a new pricing structure that will raise some users’ monthly bill by 60 percent. PC World | Screenshot Some of those highlighted comments are the nicer ones. There are some that are just down right ugly. I’ll let you go and read the comments people have left on the Netflix blog. Likewise, TechCruch had this to say: Dear Netflix, Thanks For The Customers! Signed, Redbox…yesterday Netflix announced its new plans. Suddenly the cost to rent a DVD shot up, going from a nearly unnoticeable charge to almost double the cost. It didn’t make sense to keep the option and so I canceled it right away. Netflix’s own announcement email and blog post noted it’s easy to cancel, which, while honest, doesn’t inspire confidence in their pricing. TechCrunch | Screenshot Obviously these people don’t have kids that can come up with some of the most obscure requests known to man. Look at the results I found for “Strawberry Shortcake: Big Country Fun” (requested by my daughter, of course) at Netflix and then Redbox. The TechCrunch post also stated: Netflix announced a new pricing scheme yesterday that effectively raised the price of a popular subscription plan by 60%. Instead of costing $9.99 for streaming and DVD rental, Netflix separated the services and priced them each $7.99, which results in a combined cost of $16. TechCrunch | Screenshot No value added? They’ve been adding value to their streaming service ever since it started. Does anyone remember the selection of movies when they first started streaming? I think the service is great and I think the price is fair. No, I don’t like the price increase, but I still think it’s fair. Regardless of what you might think, I’m not a shill for Netflix, I just remember how much I hated going to Blockbuster or even a Redbox kiosk not only to find they didn’t have the DVD I wanted, but also wasting gasoline in the process. Maybe the backlash will sting enough to make Netflix reconsider a discounted price for bundling the two plans. I don’t know and ultimately don’t care. I guess I just want people to put this into perspective. Sure a 60% increase sounds like a lot, but we’re talking about $6 here. Now if the increase had been 400%, that would have been a story! (Screenshot) UPDATE: Well at least I’m not the only one who isn’t spitting mad over Netflix’s price increase. And obviously none of those hateful comments on the Netflix blog are from columnist, Paul Thurrott. Netflix Raises Prices, Garners CriticismIn my case, this change will result in about $5 in addition costs per month. Is it worth that? Yes, to me it is. But I understand where the additional cost will be problematic for many people. I also understand that Netflix likely expects many to simply drop the DVD part of their subscription. Which, when you think about it, was likely the plan all along. (emphasis added) SuperSite for Windows Blog | Screenshot UPDATE 2 (July 14, 2011): Well, Sarah Jacobsson Purewal of PC World certainly has an opinion about Netflix’s streaming service. She probably left one of those ugly comments on the Netflix blog. ;-) Netflix’s 60% Price Hike: You’ve Gotta Be Kidding Me!…Netflix kind of wants you to ditch the DVDs and start seeing the company as bleeding on the cutting edge of streaming video technology. So, what’s the problem? PC World | Screenshot Okay, everybody has a right to their own opinion, and if you want to leave Netflix that’s fine, but come on, the last video you streamed was Mega Python vs. Gateroid? Netflix has a lot of great selections for streaming: Secretariat, Iron Man 2, the latest Star Trek movie. They also have the complete collection of The Andy Griffith Show, the original Mission Impossible, the Cosby Show, and that’s just scratching the surface. If the best you can do is Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, then I’d say there’s a problem with your video preferences and not availability. I can understand the anger over the price increase, but frankly, Purewal’s article, to me, is rather misleading about what Netflix has to offer. UPDATED UPDATE: (After Feb. 2012) Well, as you may know, some of these streaming titles have been lost due to Netflix and Starz parting ways, but hey, you can still get the DVD’s. You can’t say that about Redbox. UPDATE 3 (July 18, 2011): It just keeps getting worse for poor ol’ Netflix. Good thing we’re not addicted to our movies, or anything like that. Netflix streaming service hit by outageNetflix’s streaming service was down and unavailable for much of last night but has since been restored. Reed Hastings RespondsThis past Sunday, I penned an open letter to Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX ) . Writing with my tongue somewhat in cheek, I intended to capture the frustration some people felt, while keeping an even-tempered perspective on what this means for long-term subscribers and investors. But I never actually expected I’d get a reply. Comments are closed.
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