Netflix Review: More of a Headache Than a Blessing

I will admit it, I am terrible when it comes to returning movies on time. The video store must love me because I almost always accrue a late fee when I rent. The sad thing is, the video store is only a half mile down the road and I'm just too lazy to return movies on time!

When I first heard about Netflix, I thought this was the answer to my prayers, because you do not accrue late fees! I signed up quickly for their three-at-a-time deal, which cost me $17.99 a month. I thought I easily spent that at the video store in a month, so why not give it a shot!

So, how does Netflix work, you ask? You go online and you browse their selection of over 75,000 different titles. When you find movies you want, you put them on a list. After you have your list of movies, you rank your movies by what you'd like to get next after you send your other movies back. As soon as you watch your movie, you put it back in the mail in the prepaid postage envelope. Your next movie gets there in a couple days.

Netflix has a variety of different programs to choose from. They range from a 1-at-a-time with a limit of two DVD's per month for $4.99, all the way up to the 4-at-a-time unlimited DVD's a month for $23.99. Each program contains a certain number of hours that you can view movies online, as well. They did not have that special when I was a member of Netflix.

Okay, so now you've heard all about Netflix. Here's my opinion of their program. For me, it wasn't worth the money. If I didn't have time to watch movies, they just sat on my DVD player for a week or sometimes longer. It was money wasting away. Then, they don't have delivery on weekends, so sometimes you would have to wait four days for new DVD's to come in the mail. I hated how you browsed their selections. I wish they worked like a video store and just browsed all of the new releases, but they were separated by genre, so you really had to search and search for movies. If you didn't know the name of the movie you were looking for, you were more screwed. Also, sometimes you're just in the mood for a certain time of movie on a certain day, so that was a downside as well. It's a little nicer to be able to run up to the neighborhood video store to grab a movie. The other thing is that sometimes your spouse or child might want a movie, too, so you tend to argue over what items get rated highest in your list!

I had Netflix for several months, then I canceled. I wasn't that impressed with it. If you are someone who is more home bound, then it's a great idea for that type of person. I am a movie buff, so I would have to say that Netflix wasn't a good option for me.

Now, Blockbuster has the option of returning your online movie to one of their stores and exchanging it for another. I am interested in doing that, however the nearest blockbuster is about 15 minutes further away from my home than the neighborhood video store.

I would suggest that you research your options, or if you are really interested, give it a try for a month or so with their cheapest plan so you can understand how it really works. You can always upgrade or cancel without penalty at anytime.

Good luck with your search! I give Netflix Two out of Five Tiaras on the Amy Gayle Scale.