MY LATEST NETFLIX RANT, AND THIS MIGHT BE MY FINAL STRAW!

I never thought I would say these words, but for the first time ever, I'm seriously thinking about giving up on Netflix. I've ranted about them many times before, like when they seriously thought about separating into two websites, on how they're business practices of pushing the streaming as their main product is idiotic and wrong-headed, on many other things in the past, but this latest strangehold they've put me under, this might be it. As much as I've complained in the past, I've always thought that they were the best place on the market to rent movies. I still do in fact. I've seen Blockbuster's model, which is similar, (in fact, I even discussed it with a reader on the comment section of one of my blogs fairly recently, in which I praise my allegiance to Netflix) but they just don't have the amount of content that Netflix can provide, and I'm still not convinced by anybody that streaming is going to overtake DVDs, in fact, I'm convinced of the opposite. (Something, I've tried explaining to Netflix before as well) Within the last two weeks, I've been without Netflix. Not by my own choice. I couldn't afford the payment at the time they were due last month. It wasn't surprising. We've been having it rough lately here, and while I disagree with the notion that food and rent should be paid instead of Netflix, I was outvoted in the house. Eventually though, I had the money, or thought I did, and tried to pay the Netflix bill, and a couple others, at the beginning of this month. Instead, it turned out, that I was $0.92 short. 92 cents. That's what this has essentially come down to. $0.92 on my $27.00 monthly fee where I get the 3 DVDs at a time + streaming fee, which I still think is far less than I need, but generally, it's what I can afford, except this time, I was short. I didn't realize I was short at first, but once I caught on, I put more money on my card, called Netflix, told them I'm okay, and waited for my Netflix to be approved. Well, not-so-much waited, but reissued my payment plan, so that I'd be approved, and that's when they started saying my card, was invalid, which it isn't. That, I know for sure, and that took me about three days of trying to get through on my bank's customer service center, which had an unbearably difficult machine to get through, just to get to the person in India who could help me. Basically, I now have a pending charge on my account, that for some reason, Netflix, won't take out, and now, they won't release back to me! Today, I actually went to my bank, with my cell phone, so that both of them can settle this disagreement, and they said they would temporarily shut down my account, release the pending fee back onto my account, so that I can, once again sign up for Netflix, but first, only under they're overrated streaming program, and then add the DVDs, because apparently, for some reason, they can't fathom the possibility that somebody can buy more than two different kinds of movie watching services at once. That's the only reason I can figure. They're claiming that they need to verify the card has money, which is bullshit, 'cause they have the money, from the card, simply waiting for them, and I just told them, it's verified, from the bank themselves. It doesn't matter if I have only $1 left on the account or $1000 left after, it shouldn't matter to them, as long as I have the money for them to pay them with, right? I hope I'm right. The money's there, all they need to do, is take it. Something's stopping them from verifying it. I don't know what it is, but it's stopping them. Probably the many times, I tried running the card on the website, when I was short, and when I wasn't, and the computer just kept saying, that I needed the card verified. Whatever the case, this should've been settled days ago, and now it's still going on. I waited until tonight, to check my card balance, and still, the money is listed as "Pending", which is not what it's supposed to be now. It's supposed to have gone back into my account, so that I can restart my membership, with enough money, make my deal, one movie service at a time, instead of getting them all at once like I had been, forever, and still they haven't released the funds. The bank says it's their job, the Netflix says it's mine, and I'm more confused than ever. I've called the Netflix Customer Service line more in the last week, than anybody else I've called this year, and let's not even begin starting with the bank card number. Right now, I want to just close my account at the bank, although that would cost money, which is stupid, and should be illegal, but it's not worth it right now to do that, so my next thought is to get rid of Netflix. If they'd release the pending transaction, I would right now. I'll go to Blockbuster, I'll sign up for Hulu Plus, I'll do something else. Doesn't matter. Except, Netflix is better. When it's working, it's better. More selection, more films, better bargain...; it's better. I wish it was run better, like by somebody other than Reed Hastings, and all this crap wouldn't be happening, and worse yet, happening to me, but that's essentially where I'm at right now. Held hostage by Netflix, and possibly my bank. If it didn't cost me more than a year's worth of Netflix, I'd talk to a lawyer and consider suing right now. I don't know for what, but I'd sue anyway. (It should be against the law to annoy the fuck out of me.) I'd sue somebody.

I've complained and I've bitched about Netflix for many reasons in the recent past, but it was always from a critical perspective, never a personal one, but not now. Now, it's actually affecting me. Believe me, I had something else I wanted to write on today, including movie reviews, but right now, I can't even get the movies I want to review, because of, a confusion over $0.92 essentially, one that should've been cleared days ago, if not a week ago! This is just frigging annoying. And what am I trying to do? I'm trying to give them money! I'm not trying to rob them or steal from them, or anything like that, I'm trying to pay a bill, give them money like I have been doing, and they're saying no. You know Mark Cuban said that the reason he decided to not buy a Major League Baseball team was because he was frustrated by all the hoops he had to jump through, just to write a check for a billion dollars. That's how I'm feeling right now Netflix. I'm trying to pay you guys money. I'm trying to buy your product, everything in your business, should be adapted so that that, can be done as simply as humanly possible for us. Until now, it has been. I've been late on a payment before, I've been short of a payment before and had to re-up my card, and then pay you again before. What the hell happened here, that suddenly, it's become impossible for me, to give you the money to purchase your product?! Seriously, Netflix, you're not the only game in town, and if I, of all people, am seriously thinking about going somewhere else, you need to seriously reconsider some of your business practices. $27, I'm trying to pay you. That's 27 trips to RedBox, and there's four of them within walking distance of me, not to mention a busride away from Blockbuster, which is also online, oh, and I'm in walking distance to a movie theatre by the way, that I don't go to nearly as much as I should. Tell me again, why you're not accepting my money.

Note: As of the time I published this, I was able to sign up, only for Netflix streaming, which I don't really want compared to the DVDs, both of my charges to them, are still pending now, and now, I have $3.91 on my card, and they still won't release the $27 pending charge, so I can buy the DVDs. I officially cancelled my Netflix account earlier this morning, and I will be calling them tonight, in order to either, once again, fix this, get them to release the pending charge back into my account, or... whatever, under the hopes that this doesn't end my consumer deal with Netflix permanently. I may also be calling my bank, although I will be trying to avoid that if possible. Hopefully, my next blog will be of some substance. Thank you.