Stupid netflix customer service....

[dubb93]

So I had planned on watching Star Trek the original series since I've never seen it before and it appears to come in 40 volumes. They have volumes 1-6, and 8-40 but not 7. Not really a big deal untill I alerted them of the problem and they are playing completely stupid.

I was expecting them to tell me that they had all been broken and they were working on ordering a new copy...but no...

They inform me that it hasn't been released yet and to keep checking back for updates on the release date....So I tell them that it came with season 1(vols 1-15) so I KNOW it is released and that I would just like a straight answer...At this point I get a generic response saying they constantly looking to improve customer service and they appreciate my message and if I have any further question I should feel free to contact them.

Who the hell do they pay for customer service? I just sent them back another e-mail saying that I would like a straight answer on the problem and it is either...

A. A computer glitch like I suspect and they really have it, it just isn't showing up right.

B. They were all broken or damaged.

C. They magically didn't get it with the rest of season 1.

Wonder what they'll say this time?

[ISiddiqui]

Call up and demand to speak to a supervisor and threaten to cancel your service unless you get a straight answer (it doesn't have to be true, just forceful ;)).

[Draft Dodger]

it's just a glitch

[dubb93]

Well the response is...

Thanks for your message.

We apologize for the difficulties you have encountered.

Please be aware that the title's wait time may vary dramatically, depending on
how long other customers hold onto the limited number of copies in our
inventory.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks,
Steve H,
Netflix Customer Service .


These guys are idiots....they can't understand that it shows up thats its not available for rental, not b/c someone else has it, but b/c they claim it isn't released yet. I can't even put the stupid thing in my queue, it automatically goes down to be "saved" so I can track its release date. They aren't even listening to me.

[ShaqFu]

Write a letter directly to Reed Hastings, the CEO.

[sovereignstar]

I was having an alright day until I read this. Those sons a bitches!

[dubb93]

Thanks for your inquiry.

Unfortunately, on rare occasions titles may need to be removed from circulation.
Either the titles were out of print and we could not replenish our stock to meet
demand, or the DVDs continued to experience high breakage or defects. In unusual
circumstances such as these, we do need to remove the titles from distribution.

Due to the subsequent long waits and inconveniences this situation presented to
our customers, we decided that until a workable solution was reached, it was
best to remove these problem titles from our inventory.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks,
Kelly,
Netflix Customer Service .


I can't see how this makes sense, and I have a feeling they are just throwing excuses at me at this point to make me shut up, but if this title was experiencing a high number of "breakage" shouldn't they just make the people responsible pay for the DVDs and keep re-ordering it? That would make a little more sense than offering a TV series but removing one of the disks from their inventory.

[dubb93]

and its good to know that they have " Hillbilly Monster: Son of Jan-Gel / Grandparents from Outer Space" currently in stock and ready to be rented, but can't be bothered to carry a disk in the middle of a popular TV series.

[aran]

Perhaps there was a defect in the printing of that disc, so all of the discs that were pressed have some error that makes them unwatchable. There are a million ways that what they e-mailed you last could be the truth

Just because they didn't give you every detail about why they don't have the dvd doesn't mean tthat they are lying to you.

The first few e-mails were really dumb, though.I'd be annoyed if they gave me that runaround, too. I'd probably have just called them up, though, instead of going through an e-mail service that i know is going to generate generic and/or vacuous responses most of the time.

[Shkspr]

Well, if the seventh disc is the only one that got broken, they aren't going to order a complete set of season one to replace it, right?

Netflix is at heart the same sort of company as Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, so their suppliers are going to be the same as those companies - namely, the studios themselves and one or two major third party distributors. As it happens, I have access to the website of one of those distributors (they're also in the book business) and checked - it turns out that as a standalone item, the disc you requested is indeed not currently available. You can only get it from Netflix's likely suppliers as part of the season one package.

Now, if you check Amazon, or Best Buy, or B&M retailers, you might be able to find a copy for sale, sure. But that's likely because those retailers also have access to the discounters (think Woot's parent company) who have liquidated the last bit of inventory from Paramount/whoever's original pressing. It's very possible that Netflix can't go there to get inventory (likely because they aren't in the sale video business and you never quite know what you're going to get).

Finally keep in mind that since the title you want is a catalog title and not a new release, they've got a limited replacement budget. Which will be turned more - the odd disc in the middle of a show that has been playing on TV continuously for 40 years, or the 7,540th copy of "Alexander - Director's Cut"? They may only order catalog TV discs once a year. That kind of demand won't bring the individual discs back.

So why give you the runaround by claiming it's "not available yet?" Two likely reasons. Number one - I would wager that 95% of the requests for movies come from people who are in fact looking for new releases that haven't hit the DVD window, and number two - their data team likely has the release date set to some date like 1/1/2012 for videos that their suppliers have never had in stock while the title was in Netflix's database.

However it is interesting to note that the honeymoon is beginning to wane for Netflix. :)

[Draft Dodger]

so, somehow, episode 7 is all alone one one disc, while the other 28 episodes are squeezed together on the other 7 discs?

[Lidstrom]

Perhaps Netflix used to have it and it was damaged/stolen and they cannot replace it yet (because their suppliers don't have it). It wouldn't be the first time that has happened with them.

[JeeberD]

so, somehow, episode 7 is all alone one one disc, while the other 28 episodes are squeezed together on the other 7 discs?

Ooh...good observation.

[thetrilogy]

I had a similar problem with NetFlix and I have since cancelled them.

I had a Mickey Mouse collection. It was a set from the early years of animation and it got pulled out of my queue.

Try this:

Check to see if WalMart's online rental has it and sign up for a month to get it from them.

[Draft Dodger]

I had a similar problem with NetFlix and I have since cancelled them.

I had a Mickey Mouse collection. It was a set from the early years of animation and it got pulled out of my queue.



you know this is, ostensibly, a FOOTBALL board, don't you? :p

[thetrilogy]

you know this is, ostensibly, a FOOTBALL board, don't you? :p

I knew it would be a risk to mention the mouse, but if you've seen the early stuff, it's not like the later cutesy stuff. We're talking cartoon's from the 30's. It's dark, pre-code and pretty good.

I do play FOF2004 religiously.

[Shkspr]

so, somehow, episode 7 is all alone one one disc, while the other 28 episodes are squeezed together on the other 7 discs?

No, the first season was released as either a boxed set of eight discs or, as dubb93 clearly pointed out in his first post, on a set of 15 standalone discs containing two episodes apiece. Since I'm guessing the 7th disc in that 15 disc standalone series is the one that Netflix has run out of, that SKU, 097366000744, is the one that Netflix would have to find from Paramount itself to restock the item. And since Netflix is not in the business of hitting up ebay auctions or hitting up the amazon bottomfeeders to pick up a copy, they probably won't get it. Catalog goes away - it's a fact of life in any video rental business even in the age of Netflix.

That said, dubb, it might be an excellent idea to see if Netflix also carries the eight-disc box set.

[kcchief19]

No, the first season was released as either a boxed set of eight discs or, as dubb93 clearly pointed out in his first post, on a set of 15 standalone discs containing two episodes apiece. Since I'm guessing the 7th disc in that 15 disc standalone series is the one that Netflix has run out of, that SKU, 097366000744, is the one that Netflix would have to find from Paramount itself to restock the item. And since Netflix is not in the business of hitting up ebay auctions or hitting up the amazon bottomfeeders to pick up a copy, they probably won't get it. Catalog goes away - it's a fact of life in any video rental business even in the age of Netflix.

That said, dubb, it might be an excellent idea to see if Netflix also carries the eight-disc box set. Precisely. These are not new season sets he's referring to; it's the older standalone discs.

[dubb93]

Precisely. These are not new season sets he's referring to; it's the older standalone discs.

It's all they carry.