Hacking Netflix: "Has disc arrived yet?"

Melonbread 2005-07-15 05:57:32 UTC #1

Netflix sent me an email asking "Has Blazing Saddles arrived yet?"

Do they intend to gather customer data to:
a) optimize MY turnaround rate or
b) optimize THEIR profits which might somehow end up bottlenecking my turnaround rate in the long run.

I got the DVD on Wednesday. In the email I can notify Netflix that I got it either Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday or later. If I want to optimize my turnaround should I:
a) ignore these emails (which I have been doing)
b) tell the truth and say Thursday
c) Tell them I got it on Saturday!

Nemesys 2005-07-15 07:02:53 UTC #2

I think the word "Hacking" is used too loosely these days.

It is my guess that Netflix is seeking ways to optimize their delivery methods and you can only help by being truthful.

Melonbread 2005-07-15 08:30:46 UTC #3

All supercilious wet blanket liars must be ignored!

Quema34 2005-07-15 08:51:25 UTC #4

I can only say that it was probably about a month after I started with Netflix that they sent me a mail like that, asking if I was getting the DVDs in one day. I don't think it has anything to do with 'optimizing their shipping' at all. How long have you been with them? The last 2 weeks (after basically 2 months with them, with about 20-22 dvds/mo), they've 'delayed' each shipment at least 1 day and then sent me dvds from as far away as they could find (one from Tacoma WA, another from Lexington KY), that were both avaiable here in TX. So, I don't know what to tell you, although my first instinct b/c of my experience would be to ignore/keep deleting the emails, as that might be their 'first step' to 'slow you down' to 12/mo. and get that data in their system to use basically against you.

Others have said their system uses algorithms for shipping quotas and such, and it seems true. I would just keep ignoring the emails asking when you get the dvds, because they'll try to use it against you in the end, to minimize the DVDs you recieve and to maximize their own profits.

Melonbread 2005-07-15 13:46:45 UTC #5

You and I are of like mind my friend. You couldn't have painted a more wretched vision of those gluttonous, goblins of greed and OH so well-deserved. You can be rest assured that this sportscaster will NEVER respond to any email from Netflix. This is Howard Cosell, telling it like it is.

(I'm still high from Monday Night Mayhem-holy fudgcicle that was a kickass movie)

knightsmadness 2005-07-16 04:44:34 UTC #6

I used to think the same thing, so I would always say that the DVD arrived a day later than when I recieved it. After about a year of this I decided to try answering honestly to see if anything would happen and it did. My "Estimated Arrival" dates starting being correct, where up until now they had always been a day later than the actual arrival.

The point is that the emails only affect their predictions in your Queue, the time is still the same. Netflix does use algorithms, but those are based on how many DVDs you downloaded last month and how long you've been a member. This manifests in availability and longer turn arounds (you'll see more "short waits" and "ships tomorrow" where normally everything was available and shipped the day they got the disc back), not longer shipping time (Netflix can't control the post office).

1969 2005-07-16 05:01:53 UTC #7

knightsmadness:

I used to think the same thing, so I would always say that the DVD arrived a day later than when I recieved it. After about a year of this I decided to try answering honestly to see if anything would happen and it did. My "Estimated Arrival" dates were correct, where up until now they had always been a day late.

The point is that the emails only affect your predicted arrival date in your Queue, not your actual arrival. Netflix does use algorithms, but those are based on how many DVDs you downloaded last month and how long you've been a member. This manifests in availability and longer turn arounds (you'll see more "short waits" and "ships tomorrow" where normally everything was available and shipped the day they got the disc back), not longer shipping time (Netflix can't control the post office).

I ignored all emails and my arrival time changed to one day as well so while your explanation sounds likely, they seem to apply the knowledge to all of us.

One other trick I have seen is delaying the shipping until after the mail has been collected but saying it was shipped the same day. I went through a period of a few months where everything I mailed to them took 1 day and everything they mailed to me took 2 days. It turned out they were mailing all my discs after 5PM. It has started to happen again recently; just another way to add a 1 day delay.

Nemesys 2005-07-16 07:00:36 UTC #8

Rightfully so.
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with HACKING.

Cousult your dictionary, once again, for the word hacking.

knightsmadness 2005-07-16 07:18:35 UTC #9

I'll have to try ignoring the email next time. I don't think it will change anything since my shipping time has been pretty consistant no matter what I tell them, but it can't hurt. If anything changes I'll be sure to dig this thread back up.

And yeah, the things they due to delay shipping is pretty shitty. The worst were the ones that would say "Shipping Wednesday" and then Wednesday would come and it would change to "Shipping Thursday." As if previously unforseen forces of nature were keeping them from putting it in the mailbox.

Gurm 2005-07-17 06:37:29 UTC #10

Oh feh. All you "Netflix Conspiracy" theorists drive me nuts.

My friend has used Netflix and gotten 30 DVD's a month out of them for 9 MONTHS at a stretch. There's no such thing as a conspiracy that targets YOU but doesn't target HIM (he's the biggest DVD pirate I know).