Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh away [Updated]

Let me tell you a story.

It's a story about a husband and wife with vastly different movie tastes. Their preferences were so wildly divergent that they could hardly ever agree on what movie to rent at the video store. In fact, it has been known that the couple has even gotten into an argument over what movie to rent that grew so heated that it resulted in the two leaving the local video rental establishment empty handed. That is, without their Blockbuster (or indie flick) in hand.

Enter Netflix. Netflix's queue system brought peace and tranquility to the movie renting process. Husband and wife could both add the movies that they wanted to see to the queue. What arrived wasn't always everybody's favorite but it was there, sitting on the coffee table, so often it was watched anyway during a quiet evening together after a hard day at work.

As great as this was, however, it wasn't perfect. Hubby and wife started jockeying the queue to get their picks at the top. Even with the best of intentions (most of the time), things got out of balance. Questions came up like "Three Hal Hartley movies in a row? What's up with that?" and "How come Netflix is recommending 'Dr. Dolittle 2'? I didn't like the first one!"

Then Netflix said, "let there be profiles." And it was good. Husband and wife could now maintain their own queues and ratings. Husband was no longer recommended "Maid in Manhattan" and Netflix no longer thought that wife would ♥ "The Corporation" (or any other documentary, for that matter). Both were guaranteed to have something they wanted at almost any given time.

This brought balance to the household. Good ch'i. Harmony.

Why would Netflix want to mess with this? Why rock their boat? They've been customers for almost six years, and have been so happy that they've shared their story with dozens (maybe even hundreds) of people.

Why force two of your most loyal customers into the arms of another DVD rental company?

Me? I'll be their staunchest supporter, but I'm not sure about these two. And they can't be the only ones.

Update: It looks like these two will remain in movie rental bliss. After an overwhelming response, Netflix has canceled their plans for killing off profiles. Harmony is once again restored!


Original message:

Netflix cares

I received this email from Netflix last Thursday because I live in San Diego County. Just about all of greater San Diego County was affected by the wildfires, many of which are still raging over a week later. My wife and I were temporarily evacuated, but it was a minor inconvenience compared to the thousands left homeless.

It isn't much, but I appreciate the sentiment of Netflix's email. My service was only temporarily interrupted, but I didn't have to pay for it while the US Postal Service was dealing with the chaos (presumably to make it through their mail backlog). It's a smallish gesture, but still one I appreciate, and one they didn't have to make.

Big ups, Netflix.

Here's the full text of the email:

Your Account is on Temporary Shipping Hold

Dear Brad,

The U.S. Postal Service has let us know that postal delivery to your address has been interrupted due to the California wildfires. All of us at Netflix extend our sympathies to you and your loved ones during this difficult time. Given this situation, we have temporarily stopped shipping movies in your area. We are in regular contact with the USPS and will automatically resume delivery as soon as your postal carrier is able to deliver movies to you.

During this time, standard billing will be suspended but will resume normally as soon as your postal carrier is able to deliver movies to you. While we are unable to send you DVDs, you can still watch movies and TV episodes instantly on your PC at Netflix.

If postal delivery to your address has not been interrupted and you are receiving this message in error, please visit www.Netflix.com and follow the instructions at the top of the page.

If you have any questions, please call us anytime at 1-877-638-3549.

-Your friends at Netflix

Believe it or not, it's just me [Video]

Here's some nostalgia for your Thursday. I'm probably dating myself, but I used to love this show when I was a kid. There's something about a goofy reluctant superhero that I could identify with. Go figure.

This is definitely going in my Netflix queue.

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