June 20, 2009
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Netflix is Pretty Damn Cool!
Netflix knows how to serve its customers. I know because I am one, so please allow me to heap praise on them.
Recently, I have been turned on to the British car show Top Gear by a coworker. Sadly, only Season 10 is available via Amazon and Netflix, but you can Seasons 11 & 12 via iTunes (which I have done and already watched.) So I had the first DVD of Season 10 from Netflix and gave it to
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whester after I was through with it so I could get him hooked on the show.When he mailed the DVD back, I noticed that Disc 2 had a short wait. Ok, that’s cool, whatever. I wasn’t worried about it. Interestingly, Netflix decided to skip the third disc which was available, which is worth commenting on in and of itself. I know it doesn’t take a lot of programming to skip the rest of a series, but I think it is cool that someone at Netflix had the foresight to say, “Hey, if someone is watching a DVD series/boxset through us and the next disc isn’t available, it’s not going to make sense to send them the next available disc because they are going to miss all that content in the middle.
But that isn’t what I wanted to tell you.
I checked my email to see when the DVDs would ship and low, I had an email from Netflix, but it wasn’t telling me that they had shipped or received. They had sent me an email saying:
Shipping Update
Dear Tomas,
Top Gear: Series 10: Disc 2 was not available from your local shipping center. Fortunately, it was available from a shipping center in another part of the country. It’s on its way and should arrive within 3 to 5 days.
You’ll notice we also recently sent the next available DVD from your Queue to enjoy while Top Gear: Series 10: Disc 2 makes its way to you.
Your Queue now shows this extra DVD rental. Enjoy.
-The Netflix Team
I thought that was pretty damned cool and wanted to tell Netflix so. I searched and searched their site for a way to send them an email saying, “Hey, you know how to treat your customers right. I appreciate it and wanted to tell you ‘Keep up the good job.’”
So I called and told them instead.
This isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this either. I don’t think I blogged about this, but one holiday (I think it was Thanksgiving) I really, really wanted to watch The Eagle Has Landed. I bought the film when I first moved into the apartment, but I lent it out to a co-worker who had never returned it. I hadn’t watched it in over a year and was really jonesing to watch the film; this was around the time I bought the score as well as the novel. I couldn’t find any place in town that had the DVD for rent or sale. Desperate, I added the DVD to the top of my queue. There was no way I could really expect to get the DVD before the holiday anyway, but I had to try. I called Netflix and asked them if I upgraded my plan to the four-at-a-time (I do the three-at-a-time) if they could at least ship it the same day. She said that they could, but here’s the coolest part: she said I didn’t need to upgrade but rather she could have the DVD sent out complimentary!
Just last night, I made the comment to cmd_keen that Apple was the only company that made me want to rush out and give them my money because the entire experience felt so good, but upon reflection, I need to correct that statement. I love Netflix just as much. They dazzle me with their customer care as well as their selection and efficiency. All in all, I have to say, the experience of being a Netflix customer is pretty damn cool.
Comments (15)
Wow. That’s great customer service.
We’ve had Netflix for one month. We’re ending our subscription, because I have to leave.
I’ve seen one episode of Top Gear – the one with the tractors, and where they tried to get the corn for their own ethanol petrol. I haven’t fallen in love with it; but it’s alright.
– Soledad
That sounds like a very friendly company!
@treelights – I absolutely love Netflix. What I didn’t cover in my post was the online streaming. That’s cool too if they have a title that you want to watch but can’t wait to get it in the mail. The problem there is that their online catalog seems to be hit or miss.
I promise if you watch two more Top Gear episodes, you’ll be hooked.
@nattata – Netfilx is a great company to do business with. Get your account today!
@ProfessorTom - Okay! lol
@ProfessorTom - Unfortunately, my computer is too slow for online streaming. Otherwise, I would never sleep or go outside, even to check the mail for more Netflix.
But I’ve seen some of the offerings for online streaming, and they do seem a bit subpar.
And, I’ll watch more Top Gear. We still get BBC America, and Top Gear has come on a lot lately, so I will watch.
– Soledad
PS: Can you explain why they kept calling a certain bend on the race track “Chicago?” I heard it called that repeatedly on the episode, and want to know why.
Awesome post! I’m really interested in getting a subscription, because I’m impressed with them. Just comes down to the good ol’ moo-lah.
Think Obama can wrangle a free subscription for me!?
On another side-note, I also think it’s Netflix who are behind the recent explosion of Redboxes that have sprung up – rentals-by-vending-machine for a $1/night plus tax.
It’s super awesome, both here in Texas and again in Kansas where every MacDonalds has one, apparently
@treelights – I actually did some research on this for you.
A couple of weeks ago, I watched a video on topgear.com where they discussed they layout of the track, but I regret to inform you that I couldn’t find the video. If you use the search feature on the website, it’s the top of the four results, but when you click, you get their version of a 404.
I then thought I might have read it on Wikipedia, so I spent about an hour there reading the various articles. Here’s the article on the track. Sadly, neither the video I watched nor Wikipedia explains the name “Chichago.”
@cmdr_keen – I thought you had Netflix at one point. Here’s something of interest: the first two weeks are free just so you can see if Netflix fits your lifestyle. (And we know you need to take Netflix up on this offer. Aren’t you still having an indentity crisis, ya Britishly stiff Aussie Texan cowboy?
)
Obama can wrangle you a free subscription if you can give him a lot of dough and voters for 2012.
Yes, Netflix is behind Redbox, though you Texans are weird. I’ve seen Redbox in Kroger’s, Walgreen’s, etc. but never in a McDonald’s. Then again, I haven’t been in a McDonald’s in quite some time. You drive through those things here. What the bloody hell are you doing in Kansas?
P.S. How’s all that home improvement work coming this weekend?
Good! And I just got to have the longest conversation with Texas in two weeks, so I’m a happy bloke right now
Ah, we went up to Kansas twice this year for furniture and crockery that we picked up cheaply on Ebay.
Texans DONT have them in their MacDonalds. Just outside pretty much every other store you care to name
It’s just those Kansans that are weird… XP
@cmdr_keen – Yea! for talking to Texas.
It’s just those Kansans that are weird
There’s a reason we call it “fly over country”.
@ProfessorTom - Well, that was very generous of you looking that up.
Because of that, I did a Google search. (Probably should have done this in the beginning), this is what came up:
The course starts on the Perimeter Road outside the Top Gear studio.The first bend is a fast left-hander into a short service road with an apex, followed quickly by “Chicago”, a long right-hand around a tyre wall onto the main runway, at the end of which is the “Hammerhead”,
Apparently, the Top Gear fellas just have ridiculous names for every swerve of the track. :]
– Soledad
@treelights – If I would have know that “the Top Gear fellas just have ridiculous names for every swerve of the track” would have sufficed, I wouldn’t have bothered. That having been said, I’m still not satified. Why?
Take Gambon’s corner for instance. The reason it has that name is Sir Michael Gambon almost flipped the car going through that turn. I thought that Chicago might be an homage to something in the town in the fair State of Illinois, but alas, I can find no such evidence.
@ProfessorTom - Oi! I have found the answer! Another Google search, and the BBC pops up.
So, here is the truth pertaining to Chicago Bend: “Down to second gear, around the tyres and through Chicago – as in the band Chicago, another old Stig favourite.”
And that original Carpenters part was named after the band The Carpenters before being renamed for Sir Michael Gambon.
Here is the link: BBC.co.uk – Top Gear – The Track
– Soledad
@treelights – Heh. I never would have thought of the group.