Netflix blames slow DVD service on U.S. Postal Service
Wikimedia Commons photo | Willking1979
When the news broke in January that Netflix had closed its Salem distribution center and shifted work to Greensboro N.C., a Netflix spokesman told Roanoke Times reporter Jeff Sturgeon that customers in the Roanoke area wouldn’t see any change in service.
“Netflix DVD members in the area will continue to enjoy the same uninterrupted one day service as they have in the past,” spokesman Joris Evers wrote Sturgeon in an email.
Netflix relies on the United States Postal Service to deliver and pick up DVDs to and from customers. But the USPS doesn’t deliver and pick up the DVDs to and from the Netflix distribution centers. Instead, Netflix sends a truck to the post office’s distribution center to pick up and deliver the DVDs, cutting out a day that it would take the USPS to deliver the DVDs to Netflix.
Since the closure of the Netflix distribution center on Chapman Street, I’ve noticed that my DVDs are a day slower to arrive. It used to be that if I sent out a DVD on Monday, I’d have one back on Wednesday. Lately, it is taking an additional day to receive DVDs.
I understand the DVDs have farther to travel, but since Netflix assured us the service wouldn’t change, I contacted Evers to ask what was going on.
“We’re working through some glitches with USPS that should get your delivery up to par again real soon,” he wrote in an email.
Have you noticed slower service? Has it made you question whether to continue your DVD service, or are you already relying on only the streaming service?
March 18, 2013 - 12:30 PM
We dumped the DVD service when they went through the botched spin-off of the DVD service and have not looked back since.
We have the DVDs and streaming, and it’s a 2 day difference in turn-around from when they were in Salem. I attributed to the fact that Greensboro is a lot father away than Salem. I don’t blame it on the USPS, and I can’t see what “glitches” they’re going to “work through” to magically make Greensboro a couple miles away as Salem is.
The services are cheap enough that we’ll keep both. We started House of Cards last night and really enjoyed it….we find both services useful.
We changed our account to online only and enjoy it much more.
Not a bit surprised. They’re winding down their DVD service, plain and simple.
They’ve wanted to be out of the mail-order business for years now. However, the Quikster fiasco taught them that they can’t mess with the formula overtly. So instead they’ll just let it wither slowly from neglect and “cost-cutting”, and hope that everyone makes a clean transition over to streaming.
Personally, I dropped DVD service at the first of the year. I realized that I was no longer maintaining my queue, which led to a lot of older or less interesting titles sitting around the house for weeks.
For whatever reason, I’ve shifted from looking for specific titles to watch, to just looking for *something* to watch and picking from what’s available. Streaming may be woefully inadequate for the former use, but it’s perfectly fine for the latter.
I opted to stick with the online streaming, which is much easier and convenient. I always find something new to watch, even if it is from the 60′s and 50′s. I stopped my order of the DVD snail mail a while back. I really enjoy the streaming to my TV. Netflix is not current with movies,but their are 1,000s of streaming movies to enjoy!
I’ve definitely noticed a slow down. What used to take 2 days now takes 3 to 4 days. We won’t be dropping DVDs any time soon however, since the streaming selection pretty much sucks. Streaming is fine if you are not too picky about what you watch, however there are just too many good movies and shows to watch on DVD only.
This is the same process that the USPS wants to implement for your everyday mail delivery….shut down the Roanoke processing center and ship all of the mail to Greensboro. They have said that mail service would not be different, but hopefully this article puts that in perspective. If it goes 100 miles away, service will be delayed by a day at least. Greensboro is already overburdened with mail as they have absorbed other facilities in the last 2 years. You will hear more of this in the coming days, as we are supposed to be consolidated in 2014. If you want to keep your same service, contact your congressmen and senators and tell them you want to keep the Roanoke P and DC open for good!!
It’s quite obvious the fault lies with the USPS, despite #2 above. Common sense explains why it would take longer, and common sense also tells us that there will be no improvement. A three day turnaround in getting a new DVD is certainly a first world problem.
We switched quite a while back away from DVD’s. Like the video store, they’re now antiquated, so one should probably be thankful for what service is provided, regardless of time frame.
Bottom line? Go to online streaming, and allow Netflix to continue the discontinue of the mail service. It’s better for everyone involved.
Since I typically use Netflix to “test drive” titles I’d buy if I enjoyed them, streaming is fine for most of my needs. My problem is that I still have a DVD out that I’ve had for months, so I’m without the benefit of my DVD service until I return it. Could’ve bought multiple copies of that DVD by now, and I know that story is not uncommon. I’m fine with Netflix phasing out physical media, especially since DVDs are very cheap now, and I can resell titles I no longer need. Obviously not everyone wants to deal with having to buy DVDs they don’t even know they’ll like, and they may not have an eBay or Amazon seller account to get rid of them. However, as long as Netflix increases their streaming selection to at least get close to what they offered on disc, I’d be fine doing without discs. Of course it remains to be seen if any improvements will be made to their streaming selection at all, even if the DVD plans go away.
On the issue of streaming in general, though, one thing that does frustrate me is all the “exclusivity” going on. It would be bad enough to just have to flip through various “channels” on your TV to find certain shows, but certain services (iTunes, etc.) are only available on certain devices. I don’t mind having to pay a flat $3 or so to rent something on Amazon, although obviously it would be ideal if that title would be available from Netflix as part of my monthly subscription. It just bothers me when I can’t find a particular title on my “smart” TV and I have to move to another room where my PS3 or AppleTV is located. Another problem is the various titles that for whatever reason are available for sale (at full “physical media” retail prices) but not rental.
Kind of drifting off the topic here, so I’ll shut up now.
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I put he disc in my mailbox Monday and the new disc (Game of Thrones, which, because it is from HBO, will never be offered steaming) showed up today (Wednesday).
I also dropped DVDs a long time ago; I found I was only getting 3-4 disc a month and using coupons codes I would spend less than 5 a month to rent blu rays from Redbox. I do however still use NETFLIX streaming service and love it. I have thought about dropping it a few times, but I get my 8 bucks a month out of it. Between Redbox, Amazon instant, NETFLIX, VOD, and iTunes if there is a movie I want to see I can see it. I don’t mind NETFLIX push into streaming and won’t be surprised when they drop disc for good in hopes that they can get more first run content.
I’m I the only who doesn’t find the 28 day rule (The one where studios hold dvds from redbox etc..) an inconvenience. Honestly if I wanted to see your movie that bad I would have paid to go to the theater and enjoy it on there. That isn’t pushing me to buy the blu ray of a marginal movie it just means I will wait a little longer.
I’ve had the disk service from Netflix for several years. Since the closure of the Roanoke distribution center, I haven’t really noticed much difference. I mail a DVD back on Mon, they get it the next day, then usually I have the next one on Wed. Once in a great while, it may take an extra day, but I don’t mind. Unlike some, I don’t really need instant access to everything all the time. Use that extra day to read a book, play with your kids or grandkids, or take a walk.
I restarted the disc service last month after coming to the realization that Netflix streaming options are typically tier 3 movies. This is especially true with their children’s offering. The problem is not with USPS. It’s Netflix processing. The returned discs get to the return center just as quickly. Netflix just takes 2 days to process. A disc we send back on Satirutday is now typically proceed on Wednesday or in some cases Thursday. Last time thus year it was Tuesday. Love Netflix but will switch in 2 seconds when I can find a vendor with a better streaming lineup.
Mike, that was our feeling. We have the streaming as backup, and we just finished House of Cards, which was great, but otherwise the streaming offerings are things like Ghostbusters or stuff that went straight to video. I’d prefer to go 100% streaming, but until the offerings are even comparable, we won’t be giving up the discs.
It does sound like the posters here are correct, Netflix is slowly trying to get out of the postal order business. We are having problems with Netflix, but the USPS system is absolutely not the problem; that works perfectly with respect to delivery and turn around times. Obviously, Netflix is looking for a scapegoat.
We are beginning to have a lot of problems with them though, (DVDs coming in foreign languages, sent back, only to be returned the same again, no way to communicate problems with Netflix, etc.)
So, is there anybody else in the DVD mail order business? Guess not. Still, we prefer DVD by mail. Maybe go back to Block Busters?
If Netflix and others force us into the streamline business then it is certainly not going to be with Netflix. We are on satellite (Dish). Our son and others suggest we go the Dish streaming route as they find it great. If we do that, it is going to take some adjustment to our system, like a different receiver, etc. plus, I have to train wife how to use it. Haw, but that is not an easy thing to do (understatement).
This isn’t about the online streaming this is about the DVD rental portion so all you netflix employees saying “I just dropped the DVD by mail for online streaming and haven’t looked back” please go push your agenda elsewhere