Netflix policy

Has anyone else noticed a slow down in Netflix shipping turnaround? When I first subscribed, the average turnaround time was 2-3 days. If I dropped a movie in the mail on Monday, Netflix would receive it on Tuesday and mail out a new movie that day. Typically it would be in my hands by Wednesday.

These days if I return a movie on Monday, I'm lucky to get a replacement by Friday. A couple of days might not sound like much, but it adds up. It seems like this all started with Blockbuster coming on the scene and Netflix lowering their monthly fee to stay competitive.

So, I wrote Netflix a note asking if their policy or process had changed. Their response was a letter explaining their process for shipping DVD's, along with this enlightening nugget of information:

In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we give priority to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service. As a result, those members who receive the most movies may experience next-day shipping and receive movies lower in their Queue more often than our other members. By prioritizing in this way, we help assure a balanced experience for all our members. Those that rent a lot of movies get a great value and those with lighter viewing habits are able to count on our service to meet their limited needs.

Is giving their members a balanced experience the goal? Or is it to quietly increase profits? Clearly their business model results in higher profits as turnaround times increase.

Apparently the marketing pitch "members rent as many DVDs as they want" doesn't apply to those who want to rent as many DVDs as possible.

Harumph.