Netflix price increase is a very bad idea

The price increase is only really huge for the lowest one. It used to
be that you could get one dvd and unlimited streaming for like $10 now
that price has doubled. They still have one dvd with out streaming
though and they have streaming without dvd both for low prices. I
watch a LOT of dvds so it's rather annoying to have to wait for the
one dvd. If I watch it on a Sat and turn it in that night they usually
don't get it till Tuesday which means I don't get my next movie till
usually Friday. It's even longer if there is a holiday in there.
That's why I like the streaming but I can't afford the extra money.
IMO Netflix is no longer the cheapest way to go if you are just doing
dvds because you have to wait for the mail and for the same $9 I can
use redbox and get 9 movies plus the more I use them the more coupons
I get so it ends up being even cheaper and lets me watch as many
movies as I want without having to wait on the mail. However, Netflix
is WAY more convenient and better customer service so I will, for now,
keep paying their prices. One more price increase and I may be gone
though.

It was really inevitable for Netflix to have to increase prices. I
think that there will be an expectation of an increase in availability
of newer/better titles to an extent but it's tough because they have
the Starz deal about to expire and a significant increase in the
amount they will have to pay to keep it. In addition to that they
just signed a huge deal with NBC/Universal for additional content and
to continue with existing deals for some shows it currently has.
While a price increase does suck it is really pretty reasonably priced
still. Hulu charges around the same price for streaming only and
doesn't have the selection of movies that Netflix does (but does have
current tv shows). So if this increase will enable Netflix to get
newer better content I think people will end up being okay with it. I
certainly hope that's the case.

In the grand scheme of things, Netflix is still extremely cheap
compared to cable/dish. I think the biggest issue people have with
the price hikes is that the availability of programs for instant
download is limited. It's gotten much better than when I originally
started getting the streaming a year and a half or so ago, but there
are definitely gaping holes still.

That being said, I personally think that $8 for unlimited downloads is
extremely reasonable, even with the limited selection. I'm a stay at
home mom who's children never have an issue finding something to
watch, and neither do I. I may not always be able to watch the
programs I want to through Netflix, but it certainly doesn't bother me
enough that I'm willing to go back to paying $50-$70 per month for
cable. Not to mention the fact that many of the tv shows I can't get
through Netflix I can get through websites.

I do think that Netflix will start to see a decline in their bottom
line. The first thing hubby and I did yesterday after receiving the
email was switch to the unlimited streaming option from the streaming
+1 DVD option. We would only return the DVD two or three times a
month, so it definitely is no longer worth it to us to have the DVD
option. We'll help boost Redbox's bottom line and rent through them
when there's a movie we want to see.

If you have a limited budget, watching 12-15 dvds a month is not
abnormal. Especially if you have to cut out things like, say, cable.

Shoot, I'm lucky if I see a new movie in the theaters every 6 months
or so. The economy sucks and if having Netflix means I can catch up on
series that I didn't get to see because I don't pay $200 a month for
cable, then so be it. It's not a huge crime to want to save money and
be entertained at the same time.

If I watched a lot of DVDs, then I might consider paying $16/month for
both options. When I get a DVD, I may not watch it right away, so
paying $8/month for the option to have a DVD that may not be watched
for 2-3 weeks doesn't make sense. I'll keep the streaming
subscription, since I do use that. When I want to watch a DVD, and I
have the time to do it that day, I'll go to Redbox or PPV through
FIOS.

We just dropped it completely. Two price increases in a year is a bit
much, esspecially for a company already making money hand over fist.
Verizon is now offering movies for as little as $1.99 (since we only
watch about 5 movies a month its cheaper than netflix and we dont have
to wait for a DVD). It also has a ton of movies for free (pretty much
the same ones netflix has) so it seemed pointless to keep the service.

I got the same e-mail, but will be dropping the DVD option. I've got
RedBoxes all over near my house, so when I NEED a DVD, I'll just go
there.