Netflix ditches email in favour of telephone support 21 Aug 2007

No Netflix support 2 Sep 2007 06:02 PM

You think this is well done? What if you can't speak on the telephone and can only email the company? They do not have an email address available and after receiving no movies for almost 2 months now, they did not even email us or call US. With paying for 2 full months services and receiving NO DVD's, on Thursday/Friday it said 2 DVD's from our list would be shipped. Today, 4 days later is states that the 2 movies will be shipped NEXT WEEK. NOTHING is great about their lack of service.

Chloe 17 Oct 2007 03:31 PM

An internet based service having no internet based customer support makes NO sense at all. If I had the time & wanted to be calling customer support, I wouldn't be doing things on-line for pete's sake. That said, it's a big secret but they still have the forms here: http://www.netflix.com/ContactUs Who knows if they actually check it though. I wonder if this is why the web site is full of more mistakes than ever now. Because who is going to freakin' make a phone call over a mistake on the web site?

Tommy 18 Dec 2007 03:57 AM

I agree! The lack of email support is crap. They should have BOTH email and phone support. Why do I want to call and hold for 5-15 minutes just to inquire about a website bug? Like a non-technical person could even diagnose the issue on the phone...

Ann Lessar 22 Jan 2008 05:24 AM

received a gift subscription, but when trying to enter it on the website it says code is not good? tried several times, any suggestions or should i just forget netflix? thanks

Becky 25 Mar 2008 03:12 PM

I also think it is ridiculous not to have an email contact option. I have been a Netflix customer for over a year now, and for almost exactly a year, the service was FANTASTIC, we were receiving all the newest movie releases right on time, but suddenly, EVERYTHING with them has gone haywire for a little over a month now, they are sending me movies that are 15-20 movies down my list (and quite old) while all the new movies get sent to other customers, and I have been having to wait literally for up to a month just to get new releases, among multiple other complaints, so it would be much easier for me to write out all complaints in an email than try to talk to someone on the phone who will take my comments personally and probably start arguing, VERY close to switching to Blockbuster's online service, without bothering to call Netflix at all. I would be much more likely to resolve the problem, and remain a customer if I could email them....

Becky 25 Mar 2008 03:55 PM

Well, I have to add to my previous comment. Just for fun (+many complaints) I decided to give this "great" customer service number a ring, and immediately was informed by a very friendly COMPUTER that my hold time would be at least 15 minutes....hold time turned out to be well over 20 minutes, then my call was answered by the typical custmer service rep that can only tell you what she sees on her computer screen, which is the exact screen I am looking at and telling me that my complaints were mostly unfounded and there was nothing they could do to help me, so I will be looking into Blockbuster here in the next day or two, and when I mentioned this to her, her response was pretty much "oh well"...What a ridiculous waste of time.

John 1 Aug 2008 11:12 AM

I too think they should also allow people to email. Sometimes your request is pretty simple and you don't want to wait on hold for 15-20 minutes, when it would take 2 minutes to send an email.

Yirmin Snipe 15 Aug 2008 09:24 PM

Yeah better service... you want me to wait on a phone for 20 minutes... I'm just going to cancel and use blockbuster.

MJC 16 Aug 2008 01:25 PM

I just became aware of the fact that I can't email Netflix for customer support. I've been a member for over 3 years, and in the first 18 months was able to solve several problems via email. That is good customer service. Bad customer service is making your customers wait on hold for close to half an hour! That is ridiculous. It is like saying "we don't want to hear from you at all"! In this day and age, multi-tasking is a requirement - no one has time to be on hold for more than 2 minutes. Reading about the Netflix member who says that he got unhelpful service after his 25 minute wait time makes me very disappointed in Netflix. Why can't the staff at the Netflix support center answer emails? Do they not know how to read and type? If my company stopped offering email support, we'd go under for sure...

HawaiiMermaid 27 Oct 2008 09:39 PM

This is a WEB BASED company thus the support should be web based. If they refuse to provide an e-mail address for Customer Service reasons, then why don't they just CALL US when a movie ships? I don't think they like putting things in writing. What happened with Netflix a few years ago I believe is happening again; We are 7 -year customers that watches 3-6 movies a week, and have had a new release in the #1 slot in my queue for months now. I had put it in the queue before it was even released in theaters (as I do with most of the movies), and moved it up to #1 as soon as there was a DVD release date. It was released a couple of months ago and it STILL sits there as 'very long wait'. I think it's BS. Are they sending their 'New' customers all new releases over long-term customers again?? We NEVER seem to get new releases on the release date anymore. I wonder why?! Well, I wanted to write and ask, but I CAN'T! I had to call and listen to some kid, who didn't even sound like she should legally be in an "R" rated movie, give some scripted answer about 'well, we have to wait for someone to return one before we can send it to you...'. BLAH...BLAH...BLAH. Whatever! We have been a customer since 2001...when most people thought it was a scam. We sang the praises of Netflix to dozens and dozens of friends and family, and this is what we get. After the lawsuit, you can't be trusted. Not being able to write and receive a response is NOT customer service. It's lack of accountability and responsibility.

HawaiiMermaid 27 Oct 2008 09:56 PM

I just ready BECKY's message and we're in the same boat. I'm anxious to see if I'll get either of my now 'old' new releases this week.

Here's what I did since I can't e-mail; While I sat on HOLD with Netflix, I wrote my e-mail. As soon as they answered I told them that I wanted to send an e-mail and they explained they don't have an address. NOR, do they have a physical address to provided me where I could snail mail it. I said, 'OK...then I'll read it to you...', which I proceeded to do without allowing them to interrupt me. But, before starting I made them sit there for a minute while I watched a few more commercials on the television. Twice she asked if I was still there and I told her I would be with her shortly. You think they liked that? We'll, I didn't like waiting 25-minutes and she barely held 60-seconds.

Once I completed my read she had nothing to say other than the same previously scripted answer. They must say the same thing a hundred times a day. It's now as familiar to me as 'Please have your seats and tray tables in an upright and locked position...'. No empathy whatsoever. Goodbye, Netflix. We're done with you. It was a good 8-years, but we'll take our $$$ elsewhere now. Maybe now I'll get more reading done and enjoy the great outdoors!

HawaiiMermaid 28 Oct 2008 08:10 PM

Just a follow up...

Guess what!?! The movie that has been STUCK in my #1 slot in my queue for MONTHS shipped TODAY! Wow...what a surprise!!! Do you think my calls had anything to do with it?? I mean she TOLD me that I'd 'just have to wait for one to be returned', and that 'it doesn't matter how long you've had it in your queue'. I find it hard to believe that they don't operate by shipping to the next in-line customer. What is it...a lottery??

If it doesn't matter...why doesn't Netflix post a date as to when a movie was entered in your queue??

I still want an e-mail address...

Rebalynn 21 Nov 2008 01:28 AM

I just now realized that Netflix no longer takes e-mails and makes you wait on hold to ask a question. I have been very happy with their service for over 2 years but I too am now angry. About six or seven months ago we put Ghost Hunters Season 2 Part One in our Queue but realized that they did not have Season 2 Part Two available. I e-mailed them and shortly thereafter those discs were available - great customer service. Now I have been watching all of the seasons of Friends in order and am up to Season 7 Disc 3 - which has been sitting up at the top of my queue for a couple of months listed as a Very Long Wait. When I called the customer service line to ask about this (and also to report that I was no longer receiving their e-mails) I was told a canned answer about how popular discs sometimes take longer to get. Okay, I'm sorry but Friends? How long has that series been off the air? No other disc from Season 1 until now has had a very long wait and no other disc up to Season 10 in my queue has a very long wait so why just one disc? I explained to him that I am watching them in order and this has really put a wrench in it but he said there was nothing he could do. If Netflix is trying to compete with Blockbuster they have a poor way of doing it. Are they under new management - maybe a manager with no vision? I am going to stick in there for now but may switch if it doesn't get better. GIVE US AN E-MAIL ADDRESS!