What the hell, Netflix?

[xannoside]

 I mean, seriously, what. the. hell?!

Ok, look.  I understand that your previous price-point might not have been ideal for you, that you were undercutting your own business with the smallest unlimited BD/DVD-rental plan being a $2 add-on to $10 streaming.  I get that you were contemplating a price increase already.

But raising your BD/DVD-rental plans by 400% *and* splitting it off from your streaming plan so you can charge people for *both* just feels like a price jack.  You say you want to accomodate the folks who want a DVD-only service, and that's fine.  But you do realize that those people will be paying less now, right?  Why would everyone else who doesn't want to change want to pay almost double overall so the first bunch can pay less?!

The very least you could do is offer a discounted bundle service.  $8 for either plan individually, but $13 (heck $14, even) if you get both.  It's not exactly unreasonable, and it's a still a higher price that what you were charging before.  And now, there's an actual clear value for people who might be interested in both.

Comments

[ecmyers.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have the 1/time unlimited plan, and I'm not sure what I should switch to, if anything. I don't need more DVDs out at a time, when I can barely keep up with one as it is, though I use it more often when I have more free time.

It's still loads cheaper than cable service, but I wonder if I'd be better off abandoning the DVD plan entirely and relying on iTunes to rent movies--though I don't think their digital selection can compare to the physical media.

[xannoside.livejournal.com]

I am wondering that myself. The streaming plan is pretty good for $8, and I watch streams regularly. But my DVD rental habit is...inconsistent.

If I rent only 1-2 movies a month, the Netflix rental is totally not worth it compared to iTunes, Amazon, or Redbox.

If I go up to 3-4, though, it becomes somewhat more difficult to determine.

[negativeq.livejournal.com]

The problem I have with streaming is that the movie is not reliably available. The license to stream it can be yanked any time. This is why I prefer physical media, and still buy DVDs.