She's stuck in perpetual suspense as the Netflix gnomes struggle to find the cure for what ails her. She writes:
I have been a Netflix subscriber for five years, since November 2004. I've never had any issues with Netflix, and always highly recommended the company above other rental options, especially Blockbuster. What I've been dealing with lately, however, has me strongly doubting my loyalty to the company and my faith in its service.
I am a big fan of the Showtime series "Dexter." In May or June of this year, I added Dexter season 3 to my Netflix queue, even though it was not scheduled for release until late August. It sat in the "saved" section of the queue, and as soon as it was released I moved all discs to the top positions. Short wait at first, which is typical for a new release, but I received disc 1 just in time for the Labor Day weekend (August 30), watched it, and sent it back; it was received by Netflix on September 3rd.
It has now been 2.5 months - today marks 75 days - since then, and I still have not seen disc 2 of the season. It's been at the top of my queue, along with the rest of the series, but has had "long wait" as the expected availability status the entire time (note: it has not said "very long wait," only ever "long wait.")
What's interesting is if one goes to the FAQ/Help section on Netflix.com, there is an explanation of "long wait": "Long Wait: This means there is a serious demand for the title and the wait is generally less than 14 days." I'm no mathematician, but I know 75 days is significantly longer than 14.
I gave Netflix a lot of leeway on this one, because I do understand that there is a high demand for new releases, I had other discs to keep me entertained, and oh, I have better things to do than fret about when I can watch more of my show.
Two weeks ago, though, I did call Netflix customer service regarding this issue, and was told that this was an unexpectedly popular series, and that there were "more problems with disc 2 than with other discs in the series," which the rep went one to explain meant breakage, lost discs, etc. He said there was nothing they could do about my issue except be patient, to which I said I'd been patient in waiting 2+ months to contact them. When the call ended, I received an auto-gen. customer service survey, which I responded to by politely but firmly expressing my disappointment in Netflix and explaining this specific issue; as of now, I have received no follow-up or further response, so I'm turning to the Consumerist.
I realize this is a petty issue compared to many of the stories you receive, but I wanted to share my frustration at what I feel is a completely ridiculous situation. One that could seemingly be resolved by Netflix springing for more copies of this series, following the basic rules of supply and demand. The demand is here, Netflix, so supply it... before your subscribers turn away.
One quick, easy solution would be to sign up for a Blockbuster Total Access free trial, fill up on Dexter then cancel the account. Wow, it feels weird recommending Blockbuster to someone.
Anyone else having trouble getting certain discs from Netflix?
]]>Wow. I didn't know that about blockbuster. Since we don't have one around here, I don't keep up with blockbuster news.
]]>I just checked my Netflix queue, and Dexter Season 3 Disk 2 had been on the different "wait" comments, but now says "Now". Moved it to the top, so we'll see what happens. I've only been waiting since the first week of October.
]]>@Dyscord: Dexter season 3 is not available to stream. Seasons 1 & 2 are, but I've seen them.
As for what's so bad about Blockbuster, I just don't agree with their corporate philosophy. I don't know if they still do, but they were censoring movies in their stores and not marking them as such. I recall something about the owner/founder's extreme Christian views as well, but the specifics aren't coming to me.
As for Blockbuster. It's perfectly fine to use a free trial to take advantage of this. But 1) What's so bad about Blockbuster and 2) Why not just stream Dexter to your computer if you want to watch it so bad. I imagine that's one of the reasons Netflix has a "watch now" feature and I'm pretty sure Dexter is one of the shows you can watch.
]]>I don't think they "stock" more DVDs though due to demand. Maybe if they were broken or something. But when it comes to demand, They probably expect you to be patient and wait.
Streaming online is also an issue if you want to watch it right away.
]]>Last comment/update: I went ahead and signed up for the Blockbuster online free trial and - guess what? - they're shipping Dexter S3 discs 2,3, and 4 today. I know it's probably because I'm a new customer they'd like to keep, but whatever, I'm happy. I'll cancel before the free trial ends, though, because I'm opposed to Blockbuster itself. Ethically questionable for me to take advantage of this offer? For sure. But I want me some Dexter.
I'm still very disappointed that I never received even a brush-off response from my written complaint to Netflix. It really does put a sour taste in my mouth.
@LeChiffre: In case you're not aware, Dexter is a serial killer that specializes in dismemberment.
]]>@LeChiffre:
That's not HIS arm necessarily.
I too have Dexter Disc 2. On Blu-Ray. I got it immediately. I think the designation was even now available.
]]>Weird picture of that guy above. His face is tan but his arm is pure white.
]]>@Munchie: Hmm, as far as I can tell, seasons 1 and 2 are available through their livestream, but not season 3. I've been keeping an eye out, though, hoping it gets posted.
]]>@Dyscord: I guess I figured that if the demand is so high that people are waiting 2+ months for it (even though it's in the top slots on my queue), they'd stock more copies of it. I'd understand if it were an obscure title, or something out of print. I was patient for two full months.
However, judging from other comments it sounds like this might be an issue specific to my distribution center. I'm in Seattle, and our discs come from Tacoma.
How is this Netflix's fault?
]]>@Tedsallis: Mr. Ruthless likes to watch obsure Japanese films occasionally, and I love that Netflix does this. I'm sure they only have a few copies of these random movies, and when it's not close by, they mail us another movie while we wait!
]]>I watched seasons 1 & 2 on Netflix instant. We finished S2 this weekend, and put the S3 discs in our queue, and moved them to the top. We got discs 1 & 2 today, after putting them in queue, say, Sunday. That's crazy. I saw someone else say upthread that they had just received it, too. We're in North Texas...I guess they have them in our distribution center, but not yours. That doesn't make a ton of sense either, because when we've ordered discs that aren't nearby, they've sent us the next disc in queue to watch while we wait for the hard-to-find disc to be mailed from east Wyzeristan.
For the record, we ripped the elusive disc and mailed it back (for shame!) so maybe it will find its way to you soon.
]]>Netflix comes in a little red pouch
~a little red pouch?
a little red pouch!
For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the supply problem is local to you: I just had them ship that disk to me and I never noticed a long wait time except when it first came out.
]]>Honestly, if you want a brand new movie you should go to Redbox. For television series, that's obviously not an option, so this is unfortunate for the OP and irritating I'm sure. But I hardly see it as some sort of overall horrible trend in evil or anything.
]]>I've never had an issue with a series before, though. I put Dollhouse Season 1 on my queue the week it released and got the full series no problem, which freaked me out, so I'd have to assume its a manufacturing issue.
I think the last time I got a DVD (Movie or series) the week it came out was when Repo! The Genetic Opera released.
Don't judge me. I get free unlimited rentals per month. As a result, I'll watch anything.
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