I know I have weeks of catching up to do. So much has been happening. But before I do that (hopefully sometime later this week), I need to rant. While eating a bowl of Reese's Puffs for dessert and scanning the Drudge Report online, I clicked on a link to a link that revealed an unsettling circumstance. Netflix will be raising the price on the plan we currently have: one movie at-a-time and unlimited online. Right now, we play 9.99 for this plan. Starting in September, that price will jump six dollars a month.
Are you kidding me?
In January, Netflix informed us that our currently plan, three at-a-time and unlimited online, would see a price increase. We talked to a customer service rep. to see if loyalty meant anything, but apparently being customers since 2004 when Shawn and I got married didn't really matter.
And actually, I was happy with the chance. One movie at a time is far more feasible for our busy lives, and we started saving five dollars a month. A win-win.
Skip to today. Now if we want to keep our plan, we need to think about spending almost six dollars more a month. Fine, I realize that is not a lot of money. The thing is, the economy is in a fragile spot right now, our lives personally will be seeing a lot of flux in the coming months (more on that later), and stock in Netflix has been...SOARING. When Shawn wanted to buy the stock in 2006, it was a whopping 16 dollars a share. Needless to say, we didn't go for it. At the beginning of the year, we considered buying Netflix again when it was a meager 100 dollars a share. Still, we didn't.
Guess where it is at today?
I just checked for you: 291. 291. 291. 291.
So clearly the company and shareholders are doing well. But I wonder if they aren't doing too well. I mean, the world is in financial turmoil, our own country's economic recovery is stalling, and Netflix thinks this is the right time to up the price? Why? At least explain the rationale in the courtesy email I received at 2:35 this afternoon. I thought, maybe it won't apply to me since I have been a member since 2004, and prices have already increased this year. But sure enough when I checked my account (after clicking into a section for see membership terms and details), I see a notice about the upcoming price jump.
I have loved Netflix. I have praised it to my family and my friends. I have urged random people on the street and through Facebook that Netflix is better than TV. It's better than sliced bread. Netflix has brought me Prison Break and Michael Scofield, Weeds and Desperate Housewives, Bones and Jersey Shore. When I can't sleep at 4am, I flip through Netflix. When I should be reading or grading, I'm usually watching Netflix. Netflix taught Riley Spanish (well, through Dora...)!
But now this. I am seriously thinking of canceling my membership. I am seriously thinking about spending 7.99 to sign-up for Hulu Plus. Then, we can Red-Box three movies and still only be at our current expenditure for entertainment: ten bucks.
I don't think I have ever used my blog to rant like this until now. Boy, it feels good!
If you are members and the price hike affects you and you didn't know about it, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Grrrr Netflix. I realize if I cancel my membership, the point I am making is a minute one. They surely have billions of customers by now. But I will share my displeasure with family and friends, random jaywalkers and Facebook friends. Maybe I will write a rambling blog post about it. I may call customer service when the wait time dips below ten minutes to complain (though probably not).
For now, I will question the company's timing and its loyalty to its customers. I will be bitter. I will read tonight (and if I wake up at 4am).
Hulu, here we come? Maybe.
No comments:
Post a Comment