Netflix Kills the Value for Customers

Are we the only Netflix subscribers seeing this?

I called Netflix a few weeks ago and apparently, since February, they have been restricting the number of simultaneous streams allowed per account. That wasn’t the case in December when we were still paying $8.99. So we learned to live with paying more (they did already increase the price, of our plan, to $9.99 this year) for less service. But then yesterday’s announcement came and now this is how we see Netflix:

This is what scares me: I am 100% confident they are fully aware of this, but either

1. don’t see the need in helping current customers along Netflix’s growth or
2. they do care, but the movie folks have Netflix over a barrel and Netflix is looking for a path to survival (i.e. Sony has already pulled all of its movies once)

Either way, more rate increases and cutting of services are bound to happen.

Our house is a cable-free one. We only get our news and entertainment over the internet, so streaming services are very important to us. So now we’re looking at using Hulu Plus (hoping RedBox can make something happen). Maybe we’ll look at iTunes or Amazon OnDemand.

I mean, why wouldn’t you bail on an entertainment expense that increases 77.75% in 8 months, while decreasing the services? Especially one that’s going to be having ongoing contract issues with all of the movie folks.

Perhaps I’d feel differently if I still saw Netflix as struggling against the industry and helping shake it up, as they once pitched themselves. But now they’re acting just like any other big spoke in the entertainment industry. And maybe they have to. Maybe they don’t. It’s a shame, either way.

(h/t s.enriquez for RedBox tip)

Why Did It Take So Long?

This is one of those unsolicited cold medicine-induced posts, as I am just now coming out if the haze of this year’s summertime cold.

My wife brought these home last week and I have to ask all if the super-smart engineer/lab/doctor/business-savvy folks running the world: what took so long to invent the holy marriage that is Puffs Plus with Vicks? I mean products like this are why universities were invented.

So just a huge thank you to the chemical engineers for making this happen and to the legal lawyers for not screwing up the trademark paperwork and to my wife for introducing me to this box of fluffy menthol-laced goodness.