I’m giving the Netflix DVD rental service a try, and this is the second installment in a diary I’m keeping of my experiences with them. I’m hoping the information in the diary will be helpful to others.
I like the way Netflix shows the status of my account on the Web. They make it easy for me to find out when they claim to have shipped each DVD to me and when they record receiving each DVD I send back. They also send me emails when a DVD is sent to me or received from me. But when DVDs are inside the postal system, I don’t seem to have any way of knowing what’s going on.
Although I’m sure Netflix tries hard to avoid mistakes, it seems to me the people working there must sometimes make them. I would guess that it’s possible for a DVD to be scanned and recorded as having been shipped when in reality it never gets into the postal system. Also, I’ll bet there are ways that a returned DVD could reach Netflix, yet something goes awry in logging it in.
But enough with my paranoia. Here’s a breakdown of my second week with Netflix:
Sunday, September 19: After having had “The Last Waltz” at my house for four days, I dropped it in a mail box that claims a pickup early next morning.
Tuesday, September 21: After having had the “Purple Rain” two-disc set at my house for six days, I dropped both discs in a mail box.
Wednesday, September 22: Netflix acknowledged receipt of all three discs I had sent them, one of which had been mailed three days earlier, while the other two had been mailed only one day earlier. Netflix also notified me they were sending me “Woodstock” and “A Hard Day’s Night” (2-disc set).
Thursday, September 23: “Woodstock” and both discs for “A Hard Day’s Night” were delivered to my house by the postal service.
At this point, the three Netflix DVDs are sitting on top of my TV while I try to find a good time to watch them. It’s looking like Netflix would be very convenient for me, but each month I’ll probably get around to watching only a handful of their DVDs at most.
I signed up with Netflix on September 13, and my two-week free trial is almost over. Netflix has performed flawlessly so far, but I’m still skeptical that the service is right for me. I must soon decide whether to cancel my account or keep it and have Netflix charge my credit card.
