Netflix Review - Do You Know What You're Getting

I tried Blockbuster Online a while back after being a member of Netflix for four years. There was a promotion with Blockbuster Online where one could get a 30 day Free Trial. Plus, the monthly rate at the time was about $2.00 cheaper than Netflix. So, I was curious to find if Blockbuster was better than Netflix. The vouchers for in-store rentals appealed to me as well at the time.

Here's the pros and cons:

Pro -

1) Not only can you receive DVDs through the mail, but based upon your membership option, you're entitled voucher(s) for in-store rentals. This was to help when you needed a DVD quickly and didn't want to wait for the mailed DVD. I really had to toy with this as to whether it really should be considered a Pro. The reason is, if I'm subscribing to mail in "online" service as Blockbuster calls themselves (Blockbuster Online) why should I have to drive to a Blockbuster to get a DVD. I'm just saying.

Con -

1) The turn-around to receive a DVD is slow. I would send my DVD in on a Thursday and wouldn't receive another DVD until Friday (if I was lucky), sometimes Saturday.

2) Didn't have as many titles as Netfix.

3) Getting Blockbuster Online to cancel my service was a joke. I ended up having to pay for two additional months (after I told them I cancelled). I kept calling and would receive very friendly customer service reps, that said they would handle the situation. Again, the next month, my credit card was charged. Sooo, finally, I had to contact my bank and explained the situation. I was impressed, the bank took care of the situation and I wasn't charged again, AND was reimbursed the two months I was charged. Now, hopefully, this was an isolated case, but it did happen to me.

As I stated earlier, I was a member of Netflix for four years and decided to try Blockbuster Online. I had both memberships at the same time and was totally opened to either/or at the time. Because, I wondered if I could save a couple bucks with Blockbuster Online and receive either the same or better service. Interestingly enough, I was more impressed with Netflix than Blockbuster Online.

Here are the Pros and Cons:

Pros -

1) The turn-around to receive the DVDs is much faster than Blockbuster Online. I mail a DVD on Monday and like clock work, I receive the new DVD in Wednesday's mail. If I mail a DVD in on Wednesday, I receive the new DVD on Friday. It's like clockwork.

2) Neflix offeres INSTANT watch on some of their movies. Meaning you can login to their site and watch a movie right then. There used to be a limit as to how many minutes you can watch, but Netflix now provides unlimited hours with your unlimited plan.

3) Netflix now has a type of converter that you hook up to your TV and you can watch your movies through the converter box. There's over 12000 movies that you can watch this way.

Cons -

1) Although there are thousands of titles for instant watching, a title that you're looking for may not be available for instant watching.

2) I have read that some people have experienced problems with scratched DVDs that were promptly replaced when reported. I have to say that I've been a customer for four years, and had my first non-playable DVD this month. It was on Blu-Ray and it didn't work at all. I called Netflix the next morning (it took 14 seconds for a response, yes, I timed it). They were pleasant and told me not to worry and they were sending another one. Surprisingly, I received my replacement copy the next day.

3) You have to purchase the converter if you want to watch movies instantly on your TV

My recommendation based upon personal experience is Netflix. At the time, there was a difference of $2.00 between the two plans that I was interested in.

I come to realize that to receive my DVDs in a day (business day) after they send it as well as the capability to watch the movies instantly was worth the additional $2.00. I was so sick and tired of waiting for Blockbuster to send the DVDs AND you're only provided with a limited amount of vouchers per month.

Please feel free to provide your experiences with either Blockbuster Online or Netflix.



Here's the link to Netflix if you would like to try their two-week free trial offer