NetFlix: 19 Movies in 3 Months
Posted July 30th, 2004 @ 07:05pm by Erik J. Barzeski
I've "rented" and returned 19 movies in the three months I've had NetFlix. I think my first month was $19.95, and later months became $21.95. Total cost: $64.
Had I rented the same movies at Blockbuster or via DirecTV Pay-Per-View, I'd have paid $3.99 apiece: about $76. Not a big savings, but fairly convenient - and I got to see some older movies I probably wouldn't have seen if I had gone to Blockbuster.
Do you use NetFlix? What do you think?
Donate Life
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 7:19pm #
Blockbuster movies are $2.
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 7:38pm #
Uh, no they're not. New releases are $3.99. Only some older releases are $1.99 - and good luck finding what you want on DVD.
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 8:21pm #
Blockbuster also censors many of their movies (well, they buy censored copies).
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 8:40pm #
Where Netflix really shines vs. Blockbuster is the late fees.
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 9:10pm #
d.w. - agreed. I used Netflix extensively while at college. Now that I've come home I've been *very* lazy and kept the same 3 discs for 4 months now. I just haven't bothered viewing them yet (the main reason is because they're the ending of the anime series Evangelion and I don't know if I *want* to watch it because I'm afraid I won't like it). 4 months and not a single late fee (although I have paid for Netflix for those months without actually seeing anything, I think I'm still ahead given the number of discs I went through while at college).
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 10:21pm #
All releases at bb (even "hot new releases") are $2. They've cut their prices. Better luck next time.
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 10:29pm #
They're $3.99. Saw it with my own eyes today when I dropped off a movie with a friend. Stop posting, buddy, especially if you ain't got the balls to leave a real name.
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 11:32pm #
$2 Overnight. Why do you need a week? Great site!
Posted 30 Jul 2004 at 11:42pm #
I've been with Netflix for at least a couple years (can't remember exactly). I love them. I'd never go back to the Blockbuster-late charges-never finding what you want deal. Plus, I can rent all the TV shows I want at Netflix, as well. Blockbuster only has the big shows, if you can find them on the shelf at all.
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 12:41am #
I've had netflix for about a year as well, and love it. I rent 3 a week, so the savings are much better for me. There is a distro center in my city, so I get them the next day after they are shipped, which helps me enjoy it a lot more. If i had to wait 3 or 4 days to get a movie like some people do, it probably wouldn't be worth it.
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 1:09am #
We did NetFlix for two semesters in college and it was great. I don't do BB or NF anymore though because one of my neighbors has a couple hundred DVDs and we just borrow from him.
What was great about NF was that everything was on DVD. We went on a war binge one month... Henry V, Richard III, Gallipoli, Mother Night, etc... They were all on DVD, it was great. No way one could do that at BB...
BTW- if anybody ever wants to see the worst movie ever (IMHOP), rent The Lair of the White Worm.
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 4:24am #
I don't use NetFlix (mainly as I'm in the US), but for the last month or so I've been using an equivelant service. It's $35/month, and I've had a 2 week free trial + about 3-4 weeks into this "month". It's about $9/week, and I get through around 3 a week, so thats NZ$3/movie.
I'm ahead of paying local DVD rental prices ($8/overnight for new releases, then $4/week for not-quite-so-new-releases, but they do have a decent selection, and half price tuesday), but the main thing is I can build the list of dvds I want to see, it has searching not just by broad genre (Drama/Comedy/Etc.), so its easier to find movies I want to see.
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 10:30am #
Aaron -- Lair of the White Worm is great fun -- we used to rent it over in over in college. 🙂 It's like that on purpose.
Blockbuster astroturfer: so called "overnight" rentals are a great way to rack up ridiculous late fees. (Who wants to race back to the video store before noon on a Saturday after spending Friday night watching goofy movies, drinking, and sleeping in late?) 🙂
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 12:03pm #
d.w.: You have until midnight the next day to return those "so-called overnight rentals." Drink away. Sleep in. Take them back.
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 4:40pm #
For me price ends up being about the same, but there are two HUGE reasons why I LOVE Netflix:
a) I can find random movies (unedited) that BB would never have
b) It keeps my list of movies for me.
Before NF I would spend a ton of time roaming the store looking for a movie. Now whenever someone says, "You should see X," I go to their site (which is surprisingly fast) and add it to my queue. I then have a list of 100 movies that I want to see. It's great.
Cheers,
Steve
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 5:15pm #
BustBlocker -- I've got a better idea:
Stagger to my mailbox (18 inches to the right of my front door.)Place last night's movie in the mailbox.There is no step three!
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 6:36pm #
d.w.--
Umm, there is a step 3. And 11 more after that... You sound like an ideal candidate for a certain "twelve step program" after you return that movie...
Cheers!
Posted 31 Jul 2004 at 8:47pm #
I've been using Netflix for about a year and I'm on the 8-out program. I usually get about 32 movies a month, or about 8 per week.
Posted 01 Aug 2004 at 12:22am #
I have been with Netflix for over a year. I love them. I have rented 24 movies in the past 90 days. It has cost me 71.07 (3 months of Netflix at 23.69) total with tax etc. If I were to rent those movies from Hollywood Video (I don't do Blockbuster) which is the same price as Blockbuster (3.79 per DVD, 4.08 with tax) it would have cost me 97.92, so I have saved 26.85. I have 120 movies in my queue lol. Not too bad 🙂
Posted 01 Aug 2004 at 1:33pm #
Hey, I'm just high on life.
Posted 02 Aug 2004 at 2:59pm #
I've been with Netflix also for about a year... It's an amazing service. Distribution center is on the other side of my state, so movies get here in 1-2 days. I've rented a ton of movies that I normally wouldn't have even seen had I not been a menber. Our local video store charges crazy prices for one night rental, and usually I never even watch it! I end up returning, re-renting because I just didn't have the time, or keeping it out another day, incurring a $3.50 late fee! Almost as much a fee as it was to rent it in the first place. Plus their selection of DVD's has pretty much sucked until recently, and even getting a copy of one is a miracle. Plus I don't own a VHS player anymore, so renting a tape wasn't an option (as if it ever was... why would you even consider VHS if they had a DVD of it...)
Just my two cents...
Posted 02 Aug 2004 at 3:04pm #
"the main reason is because they're the ending of the anime series Evangelion and I don't know if I *want* to watch it because I'm afraid I won't like it"
Skip straight to the 'End of Evangelion' movie. Seriously. You'll be a better person. EoE is pretty weird, but not as weird as the 'series' ending.
Posted 03 Aug 2004 at 4:37pm #
I've been using a Canadian version of netflix called Zip.ca, for the past month. I love it! I was able to turn over 18 DVDs in the single month. Definitely worth the $25. I don't even watch broadcast TV any more.
Posted 17 Jun 2005 at 4:25pm #
Now that I've got my HD TV and am somewhat settled down in the new house, I've signed up for NetFlix once again. I paid more before - $19.95 and $21.95. I rented 19 movies in three months, resulting in...
Posted 31 Oct 2005 at 4:47pm #
From iodine, I found the NetFlix History Analyzer. I'll update this post when NetFlix sends me my history. I wonder if it will be tainted by the few months when I had unsubscribed… My previous run wasn't too spectacular. I...