Netflix vs. Blockbuster.com

[suzycat]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:06am

Which is better?

I've been using Blockbuster.com for my movie rentals for about a year and a half and have very few complaints. But Netflix intrigues me. I like their search feature better than Blockbuster's, but I like that Blockbuster gives me 2 free in-store rentals every month. The plans cost the same amount, so for me the defining factor is getting those 2 free rentals.

Are there any die-hard Netflix fans out there that can convince me that it's worth it to switch?

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:54am

I have Netflix. It's great and cheaper than Blockbuster. It has the same exact quality as any movie rented from Blockbuster. How long do you get to keep a movie from Blockbuster.com? From Nextflix you can keep them as long as you want. I would switch to Netflix. Depends on where you live but, Netflix usually gets your DVD shipped to you the day of or, the day after you order it.

[suzycat]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:20am

Blockbuster is the same - you can keep movies as long as you want and receiving them only takes a day or two. As far as them being priced differently, for 3 out at a time both charge $17.99.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 2:27am

netflix sucks, as if you rent a lot of movies, you do not get newer movies right away as they realize they lose money on you.

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 10:05am

I would imagine everyone's mileage varies on this, but here's my experience. We were Blockbuster subscribers for a good while (and yes, the free in-store rentals were nice), but we ended up switching to Netflix when it got to where practically every dvd we got from Blockbuster ended up being unviewable at some point. It got old. We haven't had the same problem with Netflix.
And to be honest, as far as the free in-store Blockbuster rentals go, in a sense I'm glad that I don't "have" to go visit a store to take advantage of that any longer. We've toyed around with how many movies we got at one time, and for now, two-at-a-time is working fine, with a pretty good turnover rate.

Some of this may have to do with where movies are shipped from to your area. I've seen consumer web sites where people complained about receiving unviewable copies of movies from Netflix, so I guess it just depends.

suzykat, if you're happy with Blockbuster and the membership charge per month is about equitable, and you like the two free in-store rentals you get from Blockbuster, there really may not be much reason for you to switch.

[DAME]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 11:23am

We had subscriptions to both at the same time. I joined Net and my partner joined Blockbuster. The blockbuster dvd's would always take forever to get here. We also experienced many damaged dvd's and errors from them. We were only with them for 3 months. We have never had a problem with Netflix.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 11:38am

From what research I've done, Netflix also has a better selection...Here in NYC the turnaround is quite fast, but Elphie is right--if you rent too many, they will put you on a slower rotation. Which sounds like it could be fun, too.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:06pm

I've tried both. Netflix seems faster, though they were throttling (deliberately slowing shipping?) for a while last year. Blockbuster has a lot of hard to find movies not on Netflix. They were listed, but I don't believe they had them. It said "long wait" for the entire time I had it. I figured they were just waiting for more than one person to list it to warrant a purchase.

I love Netflix, I've used it for a really LONG time, when it was just beginning. They wont be around for too long though, as you can order most new releases OnDemand now.

[DAME]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:11pm

Not true. Netflix will be around for a very long time. On Demand is a entirely different thing.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:19pm

Dame - I guess I'm talking from an investment point-of-view. The company needs to move in a new direction (online downloads). The mail-order thing is gonna disappear really soon (5 years). This is part of the reason Wal-Mart bailed on it's Netflix like service.

Now Netflix offers Blu-ray and HD this will complicate their business model a lot. With OnDemand there the content is there when you want it.

[DAME]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:20pm

They are including on line downloads in the future. I visited their booth at the Vegas convention.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:23pm

The same was said about video stores... granted, only the big ones are surviving, but I think they'll be there for a while.

For me, I just never liked dealing with Blockbuster, from the time when they only had videos. So I don't want to give them any of my business.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:23pm

True, me, but you must also realize that OnDemand isn't offered in every city in the US, whereas the US Mail is.

Netflix also covers other markets as well, including the over 50 demographic that has alot of money but not alot of techie know-how...I think alot of those consumers would prefer to watch a dvd and mail it out than have to worry about downloads or ordering movies through their TVs. It's also a comfort to actually have the physical film in one's hands--I think it gives you more of a sense of value. And On Demand movies usually have a limited window of viewing time, 24 hours, so the Netflix is often a more practical choice.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:26pm

On lildogs' coattails... lots of people only have basic cable, which means no OnDemand. Isn't OnDemand a comcast service? I don't think satellite services offer it, do they? I have basic satellite, so I'm two strikes down.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:27pm

I tried Vongo for movie downloading. The selection SUCKS. I am not keeping it past the free trial. Anyone know of any other legit download sites?

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:34pm

lildogs, I know what you are saying, but I thought the same thing about Netflix when I started renting 1998. Who would ever rent a DVD on the internet? My mother still thinks it cumbersome to order something online. OnDemand is just beginning, I know it does not reach everywhere yet, but there has been a lot of progress wiring rural areas in the last 10 years. Plus you need an internet connection to access Netflix, and dialup is disappearing very rapidly.

[DAME]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:36pm

"Plus you need an internet connection to access Netflix, and dialup is disappearing very rapidly."

Dial up? Have you been asleep? Most people have dsl or cable.

Updated On: 9/25/06 at 12:36 PM

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:41pm

My mother uses Blockbuster at home on Long Island, and I use Netflix here in the city. I prefer Netflix, it seems to be way faster. I also feel like they have a better variety of things, but I could be talking out of my ass.

Also, the red envelopes are so classy. :)

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:44pm

But again, OnDeamnd is only available for 24 hours, whic would not help someone who is renting a film from Netflix for a class, research, or is watching a dense documentary like Shoah. And the OnDemand feature that is available to NYC folks now has a very poor selection. If that changes, great!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:48pm

I have blockbuster online and so far I really like it.

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:51pm

With NetflixI have not noticed the the slowing down sending at all. There was a time I was sending back a movie everyday, (with three at a time). In one month I got through a TON of movies...and they still came as fast!

I love Netflix, they have absolutly everything I want which is a huge perk. I looked into Blockbuster and wasn't too impressed.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:51pm

Dame - If you knew this then why would say Netflix will be around for a while? Broadband cancels out the need to rental-by-mail. If someone has broadband they will not need to rent that way anymore. Everything can be delivered on those same lines. And where have I been? It was only reported last week that the combined forms of broadband have surpassed dial-up in the US. Even though broadband is now the leader it only accounts for 56% of the ISP market, so there is a lot of people still phoning in.

Netflix has plans in place for a DL service, I really can’t say who will win out. But you can count on powerhouse media conglomerates squashing or acquiring these little guys like they do everytime.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 2:57pm

I've used both for years. Basically, it came down to Customer Service and Blockbuster won out. Netflix are shysters. They recently settled a massive lawsuit regarding their shipping practices, which is how I ended up with a free month of service. They also admit that any item shipped to them that is not a Netflix disc (i.e. a Blockbuster disc in a Blockbuster sleeve), they will keep and not return. They claim they are unable to determine who mailed the disc when they receive a wrong one (at least, this was one of the many cut-and-paste explainations they gave without directly answering the question, kind of like Chanticleer).

Blockbuster simply returns your disc with an envelope and a note kindly requesting you to mail the correct disc. And since Blockbuster started adding more distribution centers, I receive the discs as quickly as with Netflix. And the website is undergoing a HUGE overhaul. I saw the beta website and it is better than Netflix.

While it only happened to me once, the expiernce of communicating through Netflix was horrific. Honestly, I encourage anyone who asks me about Netflix not to use them.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 3:06pm

Hm... I have, by mistake, twice included my personal dvds in my netflix envelope, and both times Netflix alerted me to my mistake and promptly sent them back.

[lildogs]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 3:08pm

Matt, how does Blockbuster know who sent the wrong disc? They must scan both parts of the envelope, unlike Netflix. So I don't think it was a cut and paste explanation, but rather a good one. They just don't do the tracking job that Blockbuster apparently does.

You might also want to look up "schiester"...I thought at first you meant they were demure.