Netflix - Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

3 Movies a $700 dollar gift & not even a Thank you from Netflix

July 13, 2011 by Raul Colon

I had this post scheduled to come out the next few days but since I saw how I am not the only one dissapointed with Netflix I decided to publish this today. This is another post how Netflix has dissapointed me in the past.

I was a satisfied @netflix customer until they decided to raise my prices last November while their service was limited. I cancelled Netflix and also wrote “Was I a @netflix Platinum Customer?” back in November.

I have a bank account that is my emergency fund. I never even look at that account especially since the funds in that account are for extreme emergencies. I only check that account every once in a while. Since I am a new dad, there are even more tasks added to my already busy schedule that I really did not look at the bank account for a quite a long time. A few days ago I decided to look at my bank account and I realized I was getting charged over $21 from Netflix. When I told them I cancelled the service, they told me that yes it was cancelled but they where charging me for another Netflix account. They quickly told me to call my bank and report fraud.

It was not Fraud

Back in October of 2008 I had given someone a Netflix gift card so they could try it out for 6 months. The curious part was I had only agreed to pay 6 months. After that, I ran into financial hardships add that to the issues I had with having my house foreclosed and many other issues really put my finances out of control (and I have to say that is my fault).

So I called Netflix and they did say that they had sent the last movie in October and November 2008. Which means the subscription was not even used. So since 2008 Netflix has charged me over $700 for movies that where not returned.

As a customer I put my trust in them by investing in their services. I tried to get them another customer to try their service. And you know what they decided to do about my situation? They told me they would reimburse the last $21 dollars that where charged to my account and would keeping the rest.

Different to other places I was not even offered the opportunity to talk to a manager and after I requested one and spending a few hours on the phone I realized that they where clearly not going to do anything about it. They really did not care that I paid for two accounts.

I was clearly planning to return with them since they offer streaming to Puerto Rico but with the gift card incident, I am clearly not going to support them.

Kicking the Person when they are Down

Netflix clearly takes advantages of these situations although they could see the account had no activity. I had originally bought a gift card, and the amount charged to my account was ridiculous. They clearly said it was their business model and I am not the only one it has happened to. I have to say it was my fault for trusting Netflix in doing the right thing but then again you can clearly see they are another greedy Corporation just trying to take money away from our pockets not really caring for their customers.

Was this completely legal or ethical? I will let you be the judge.

I can clearly give them an F in customer service and I have no doubt about that. Are there any more Netflix stories regarding accounts being charged that where dormant and it was clear the person did not use the service.

They Don’t want to ship DVD’s but I have to Mail my complaint

I tried to contact @netflix but they said I had to send a letter via Snail Mail ( yes it’s 2011 and I have to mail a complaint). I guess they try there best in creating more business for the USPS but really don’t want to deal with solving an issue like mine.

As of the moment @netflix’s has replied with a few tweets that have not provided me a solution or an answer.

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Netflixhelps/status/89098928728981504″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Netflixhelps/status/90477898699517953″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/Netflixhelps/status/90544227699802112″]

Second Tier Customer

January 18, 2011 by Raul Colon

If you live in Puerto Rico like me you have to pay a premium on services. I still don’t know why we do it (including myself) when we are getting less services than anywhere else. There are various companies that to my understanding classify Puerto Rico residents as second tier customers. Recently I have seen how two companies doing business in Puerto Rico have increase their fees without improving service.

I wrote about the most recent one AAA in my post Did AAA give me a Toy. Pony? I was amazed how they decided to put a premium on what was already a very dysfunctional membership locally. In November i decided to leave Netflix and wrote about it in Was I a @netflix Platinum Customer?, @netflix does not allow streaming of movies in Puerto Rico but they still charge the same amount of money for the membership.

What do I mean by second tier customer?

Many companies classify Puerto Rico as International although we are supposedly part of the U.S. This classification normally works to the benefit of the company making warranties and services to suffer while we usually pay a premium on it. Also some companies do not allow online shopping from their websites. These companies who do not allow you to buy from there site for us to go through a third party having to pay a mark up on the item.

Quick list of companies that I have experienced treat Puerto Rico Residents as Second Tier Customers ?

Netflix – No online streaming is available but they charge you for it.
Sprint – My experience and of others if you call from a non Puerto Rico # with an issue you get the issue resolved.
AAA – Benefits are almost impossible to redeem not too many partners. Increased price of membership without improving service.
Mercedes Benz – The main dealer Garage Isla Verde sells so many cars they Corporate does not care about customer service issues locally.
Apple – Does not ship to Puerto Rico
Amazon – “Which doesn’t ship Electronics to Puerto Rico”~@hectorramos
Newegg – Shipping fees are extremely high compared to other U.S. Locations
abebooks.com – @MichaelDCC

Can you add to the List of Second Tier Customer Service Providers?

Updated – Will be adding suggestions to the list!

Was I a @netflix Platinum Customer?

November 23, 2010 by Raul Colon

Yesterday I received an email regarding @Netflix price changes. When I started my Netflix subscription I really enjoyed it. I was a @netflix customer for a few years.

One thing that I did not have as a customer was the convenience of shipping out movies since I did not have a postal office close enough where I could easily drop movies. I can bore you to death with many stories of when I go out to drop my @netflix movies I can’t find a mailbox close by. The other day it got to the point that I was right in front of the Post Office and since it was closed I could not access the Mail Box.

These last few months I have been so busy in between building my business, traveling for a whole month on @jetblue’s All You Can Jet, moving, and writing on various (unknown) blogs that my @netflix movies where just sitting there.

So I called to cancel today and I had to hold for a good amount of time. Once I got on the phone the process was very simple I told them I wanted to cancel for the following reasons:

The last 3 movies I requested I had them for an average of 6 months (the first one I have had since the beginning of April. I thought this main reason would make me a @netflix platinum customer. (CLICK TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE)

If you are in Puerto Rico you don’t have the option of live streaming since.

It takes longer for movies to get here than it does in most states.

They decided to charge me more for what I was not using already. Instead of analyzing how profitable I am (since I never return the movies) they decided to let me go just to make a few more dollars. I guess now their profit is Zero.

I joke around with being a @Netflix Platinum customer since I pay them and I don’t even use there services much less their support. My cost to them as to keeping mas a customer is pennies compared to the dollars I gave them.
If I calculate how much money I gave @netflix vs. how much I cost them I have detailed the amounts below.

Netflix Profit from me for the last 6 Months

6 month subscription (including tax) =	$109.08
– Sending 3 movies via mail =	$5.00
Total Profit Last 6 Months=	$104.08

Projected 6 Month Income After January

6 month subscription after January (including tax) =	$128.34
– Sending 3 movies via mail =	$5.00
Total Projected Profit for 6 Months after January=	$123.34

I guess to make an extra $19.26 cents in 6 months, they lost a customer and now they make zero revenue and profit from me.

I think they are moving to a Long Tail Business Model where they are eliminating their overhead of shipping by moving customers to Streaming Video via their computers. That sounds like a great business move for @netflix and a great option for those outside of Puerto Rico.

I really don’t understand how @netflix can charge Puerto Rico customers the same amount when it offers less services and there cost of keeping us is the same if not less.

Where you aware of the Price Increase on @netflix? If you are in Puerto Rico what do you think of @netflix increasing prices when they offer limited services?

Have you identified any other companies who lose customers because they take a similar approach?

If you where a @netflix customer are you moving to other plans, paying more, or leaving?

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