Butting the Netflix line

What's it called when by reporting on something you end up disrupting the very thing that you're reporting on? Heisenberg's uncertainy principle of journalism? No matter. On an unrelated note, Shawn Morton claims to have discovered a method to move selections on your Netflix queue from "very long/long wait" immediately to "shipping." Morton says that by removing all of the movies except for the very long/long titles from his list, he has twice succeeded in getting films to quickly move categories; he believes that the Netflix software feels it must send you something, so presumably your greed may be screwing over some other more-deserving movie lover whose choice was rerouted. Either way, as everyone passes this little tip around online and by word-of-mouth, if this "hack" really does work it probably won't for very long.

[Via Thomas Hawk]

[Florian @ Jan 26th 2006 9:56PM]

Didn't work for me. I deleted all except 40 yr old virgin and the constant gardener. Nothing happened. Both stayed at long wait. I re-added some regular no-wait movies today.

[mike @ Jan 26th 2006 10:22PM]

It's called the Hawthorne Effect, when the observation of something has a directl affect on its behavior.

[Sean @ Jan 26th 2006 10:24PM]

This doesn't work. You get an empty queue and it says "We expect to ship your next movie on Tuesday!" Then on monday it says "We expect to ship your next movie on Friday!" etc etc.

[Mark @ Jan 26th 2006 10:27PM]

Nope. Not true. I had "The Perfect Man" in my que, by itself, for over 3 weeks. It took 2 months to get.

[TGunz @ Jan 26th 2006 10:50PM]

So who is actually receiving the when everyone on the planet has a very long wait? This makes me angry and cry sometimes.

[Scott @ Jan 26th 2006 10:52PM]

I'm really suprised to find this posted on Engadget, because I expect more from this site. Let's summarize:

* Person with no outstanding qualifications makes a statement on how to improve one's Netflix service.
* Said person has only personal anecdotal evidence to support claim.
* They don't even bother to test the reverse case after the so called success case.
* Everyone who tries it fails to duplicate the effects.

Brilliant!

[Big D @ Jan 26th 2006 10:56PM]

Yeah this hasn't worked for me either. The most often time it crops up is when a user first opens an account. If you only put high-demand in films in your queue, it takes a while to get your first shipment

[Dave @ Jan 26th 2006 11:04PM]

I'm glad you posted this. My wife and I have been considering signing up for NetFlix.

I had never heard that there might be long waits (2 months??!) for popular movies. I'm surprised Blockbuster hasn't been playing up that factor in their advertising.

I guess will stay the video stores for now.

[nonstatic @ Jan 26th 2006 11:45PM]

that's because blockbuster's service is awful. i have tried them 3 times and have found netflix to be consistently better.

the long wait thing is really silly, they aren't a freakin video store! put something else in there until the demand goes down. are you really that much of a lamer that you don't have anything else among 40,000+ movies to watch?!

[Dave @ Jan 26th 2006 11:54PM]

Get this, I had disc 2 of a 2 DVD HBO series go from "Very Long Wait" (which it'd been in for about 2 months) to "Saved" (which is usually reserved for movies that aren't out yet). Seems they somehow don't have any more copies of the thing.

[busted @ Jan 27th 2006 12:03AM]

Netflix is great, except if you want the hottest and most popular new releases, I have way too many movies in my queue to try this, I just move all my "very long/long wait" movies to the top and if I get them, then great. The service and selection still beats brick and mortar in my opinion!

[LD @ Jan 27th 2006 12:34AM]

I have had some movies at the top of my queue for weeks without them shipping. I have then had friends who added those same titles, while I was already waiting, and had them shipped immediately. We are in the same town, get our movies from the same distro center.

Netflix is starting to piss me off lately. In fact, I just sent an email about this yesterday because I am sick of having movies in my queue for weeks on end while people who add them after me get them right away.

[toadvomit @ Jan 27th 2006 12:39AM]

I gave up on NetFlix... too many DVDs with scratches. How fun is that to start watching a movie only to have the whole thing come to a halt 45 minutes later. And then havint that happen to you several times in just one month. Screw you, NetFlix. Advice to those who have not tried them yet: Don't! They have no quality control process. I am using iTunes video more and more these days. Quality is great and you get to actually own the content in digital form. Can't wait for them to have real movies too. Will happen soon and then, bye bye NetFlix.

[Russ @ Jan 27th 2006 5:40AM]

Don't be a tard #14... It's the people renting the DVDs that are scrathching them. If you think Netflix is gonna go through get and every DVD shipping around the world for scratches, you're dumb... It's a waste of time and money... Unfortunately they employ us to let them know when they are unplayable, saving them millions maybe. Free labor is the best way to go!

[charlie @ Jan 27th 2006 6:46AM]

14: I semi agree with you. I had Netflix service for only three months, and in that short time I recieved maybe two disks that were completely and maybe 5 that had skips in multiple places. Very frustrating. But then I had to weigh the pros and cons. The majority of disks worked fine, and all you have to do to avoid letting scratches ruin your experience is glance at the disk as soon as you recieve it. If there are a lot of scratches, you can pop it right back into the mailbox and set the disk as broken one their website. They'll send you a new one immidiately.

[sMoRTy71 @ Jan 27th 2006 8:03AM]

OK, I'm the guy who posted *my* observation on my blog. I completely agree that this is anecdotal. However, it worked twice and I thought it was something interesting for *my* blog. I had no idea it would be picked up on Engadget, Hacking Netflix and Digg.

Regardless of whether this "trick" consistently works, it does show that NF is reserving a portion of their inventory for certain customers (new customers?). Otherwise, how could a movie (like "40 Year Old Virgin" in my case) move from "Very Long Wait" to "Now" simply by deleting all other movies in my queue.

And to be clear, I waited until NF showed that I had returned a disc and that they would be shipping my next disc that day. Could be the timing. It could be that I just got lucky twice.

Either way, this wasn't meant to be something that everyone try. It was simple observation. I do appreciate all of the pageviews, though :)

[Jason @ Jan 27th 2006 8:20AM]

Netflix has a horrible policy where if you check out more than 9 movies per month, you get put in a "heavy user" bucket, thus you get deprioritized for receiving the more popular movies. Netflix wants to make sure the more popular movies are available to the "lighter users" so that everyone gets the "same user experience." So, if you check out a lot of movies, netflix incurs more cost to accomodate you as an equal-paying customer - they figure you're more likely to stay keep paying even if your most popular movies aren't always available, hence the long waits.

Whoever blogged this was wrong, if you're in the "heavy user" bucket, it takes up to 2 months to get out of it. Even if you're a "heavy user" and dequeue all of your movies, and only put one popular movie on your list, it could potentially sit for 2 months, until you get taken off the "heavy users" list (see post #4).

I'm assuming that most people who use this site are "heavy users" and that's why we all see the same issue. Gotta love Netflix!

[G-Money @ Jan 27th 2006 8:41AM]

I would like to know how these DVD's get so scratched. I mean, its real simple, take the DVD out of the sleeve inser into DVD player. Upon completion of film, remove DVD from DVD player and insert into sleeve. Insert sleeve into envelope, seal and ship. Can someone explain how a DVD gets scratched during that process. Some of the DVD's I have recieved from Netflix look like they were rubbed against cinderblocks. And i'm not talking about old movies either.

[deuce @ Jan 27th 2006 9:00AM]

I'm not a new customer, been using for 8 months now and technically I would be considered a heavy user for the 9 movie a month rule. Yet I consistently receive my movies weekly and I've never had to wait 2 months for anything. I tend to watch older movies though and by the time I get to current new releases they are at least a month old. Hooray Netflix.

[rodders @ Jan 27th 2006 9:01AM]

Part 1. How a DVD gets scratched

Moron with buttery popcorn/pizza grease on hand picks up DVD, slips out of hand on to floor. Moron cleans DVD with anything on hand: shirt, napkin or cinderblock

[jackchance @ Jan 27th 2006 9:06AM]

The netflix wait thing is certainly mysterious. I got BSG season 2 the first day it was released. But i had to wait months for BSG season one and i've been waiting weeks for 40-yr old virgin and wedding crashers.

RE: skipped discs. I have had one cracked disc. and several discs that skipped. Everytime i have a disc that skips i take it to my bathroom and use some toothpaste and rub the disc from center to edge! NEVER RUB IT AROUND! ONLY CENTER TO EDGE.

This has worked every time.

[Hoffy @ Jan 27th 2006 9:29AM]

For my past 4 DVD shipments Netflix has been shipping from the bottom of my queue. It skips over about my first 20 picks and starts towards the bottom, and all the movies on the top of my list say "available now". What's up with that?

[Carlton Bale @ Jan 27th 2006 10:39AM]

I don't know about eliminating a very long wait, but Netflix most certainly was delaying shipping movies that were in stock to users on "unlimited" plans. I found it strange that so many movies were "still in the mail" (5 days to ship within the same city?)

There is a class action lawsuit over this. Netflix offered a terrible settlement, but that is being contested. Check it out:
http://www.NetflixSettlementSucks.com

[Secret Squirrel @ Jan 27th 2006 10:40AM]

Not a Netflix "fanboy" by any stretch but i haven't recieved but maybe a couple scratched or "unplayable" discs.. I've had just about as many at blockbuster. Never recieved a "broken" disc. never had a problem with "new releases" not being in stock or at the "Nth waiting" status, only the more obscure videos tend to be in "long wait" and if there is enough demand they DO end up getting more. I only have a half dozen in the "saved" spot, only a couple are actually discs even out as of today, most are in "saved" because of them being future releases. I reccomend Netflix for casual convenience, and better than blockbuster, it's like a hard-copy vid-cast ;)

[DG @ Jan 27th 2006 11:07AM]

Very Long Waits and scratched discs are the exact two reasons I dumped Netflix. I put "Raging Bull" on my list two weeks before the 20th anniversary re-release. It was next on my queue the Monday before the rerelease and the day it was supposed to come out, lo and behold, "Very Long Wait."

Also, after dutifully reporting many scratch, unplayable discs, I was promised a replacement disc that never came. Further, there are very few things more frustrating than watching a movie for an hour only to have it break up and go kaput.

Netflix as an idea is terrific. Netflix in performance, however, can be way too iffy for me. I replaced it with cable and haven't really looked back.

[RS @ Jan 27th 2006 12:00PM]

Wow, so this is all of a sudden a sounding board for how much Netflix sucks?

I've had it for well over a year and I have had no problems whatsoever. I also don't order movies that pander to the lowest common denominator (see: Anything with Adam Sandler) and routinely get shipped to frat boys who don't know how to handle DVDs without destroying them.

[theSAWzall @ Jan 27th 2006 12:13PM]

The best way to use Netflix (for you and them) is to rip the DVD's to HD, delete the files after you've watched them. You can keep several movies ahead of your watch list, so you aren't waiting for a movie and get to choose what you want to watch at that moment.

This maximizes your use/cost ratio for your membership as you can turn your DVD's back around in a day. I could easily hit 2 dvd's a week, sometimes maybe 3.

From Netflix's side, they shouldn't care as their major cost is inventory. You've paid to have 1 or 3 or whatever DVD's at a time. That's just a part of their inventory, it doesn't matter to them if it's in a warehouse or your house.

This would only help those heavily-in-demand movies, as the turn-around is quicker, more people will see it in a shorter amount of time.

[Hitchcock @ Jan 27th 2006 1:11PM]

This is why I just switched to Blockbuster. They have the same problem with long waits for many new releases (Cry Wolf is still listed as "comming soon" despite being released in December), however they give you two coupons a month for free rentals so I can just go into the local store and pick up that must have new release.

I do wish they'd upgrade their website, Netflix has them beat there.

Oh, and 3 weeks ago I deleted all but 3 movies from my que, ones that had been on Long Wait or Very Long Wait to see what would happen (since I was switching to Blockbuster). On Monday they shipped one of them, and today they list a second as being shipping today. The other is still Long Wait. I don't consider 2.5-3 weeks "rushing to the head of the line".

[David @ Jan 27th 2006 1:31PM]

I do the same thing as #26. This also helps identify discs with unplayable portions.

[ET @ Jan 27th 2006 2:19PM]

Doesn't work on Blockbuster. I had Season One of Nip/Tuck in my que for months...then decided to remove EVERYTHING except Nip/Tuck Season One. Well, I went a month without receiving a single movie. I cancelled immediately after that and wrote Blockbuster a letter. To make matters worse, my local Blockbuster stores did not ever have the disc in either. Very frustrating.

[raccoon @ Jan 28th 2006 12:44AM]

No, this does not work. I tried it a few months ago, and instead of getting the movie, I ended up movie-less for a long time. Netflix doesn't know pitty. Or the definition of "Unlimited," apparently.

[Danny @ Jan 29th 2006 9:54PM]

i tried both, really no differance, i kept the blockbuster because of the free in store rentals which i really never use anyway lol. if u live in jersey/new york city area, there really is no differance

[Jay @ Jan 30th 2006 7:55AM]

I think I'll still be moving to Netflix despite this and despite probably putting me on a lower-priority queue. For the past month, BlockBuster has sent me random movies off of my queue even though there are at least 20+ movies with "Available Now" status.

[James @ Jan 30th 2006 1:57PM]

I just tried it today, and it worked. Thanks for the tip!