Netflix Causes Customer Freakout

I "cut" the cable cord back in 2010 and have relied heavily on streaming video to get my TV fix, with Netflix being my main squeeze since 2007. And who can beat $7.99/month, especially when compared to most people's cable bill? But I'm not here to profess my deep love for all things Netflix ... instead, I want to ask this question: Why hasn't Netflix recently informed me, and its 75 million other subscribers, that there's a price increase on the horizon? There's plenty of coverage on the subject of the price increase on Twitter: But what finally did it for me was the Marie Claire e-newsletter I received yesterday. Nothing against Marie Claire, because I love those #LadyBoss slideshows, but this should not be my news source. Why haven't I received ANY emails from Netflix about the increase? I searched through my inbox to see if there had been any, and I can't find a single one. Google the phrase "Netflix prices going up," and you'll receive 39 million results, with top hits coming from USA Today, ABC News, Huffington Post, Business Insider, but nothing from Netflix. I checked out the top story, from USA Today, which shed a bit more light: This isn't a new price hike for Netflix. Two years ago, the company announced it would raise the price of its standard plan to $9.99. At the time of the announcement in May 2014, Netflix said existing customers could maintain the older $7.99 price for two years, which is expected to expire this May. Okay, so Netflix announced the increase in 2014 ... but it's 2016. Why not send an update? Netflix could have cast the increase — which is $1 to $2, depending on if you were a new or existing member when the hike was unveiled — as something completely positive. Netflix: Do you like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? Me: Uh ... I love it. Netflix: Great! Well there's a second season coming out April 15, not to mention Season 4 of OITNB in June, Gilmore Girls in the Fall and a lot more awesome stuff! And because we're focused on creating fantastic original shows, we've found we need to increase the monthly subscription fee. Honestly ... Netflix would have had me at "second season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Take my money, and give me more music videos starring Titus. But that hasn't happened. Instead, Netflix seems to be sitting back and letting everyone else cover the price increase. After doing some googling I found this Engadget article from Jan. 2016. Within the article, I came across the 4Q letter to shareholders announcing the increase. Protip: Your customers, subscribers, readers should not have to google to find out about necessary information, like a price increase. The reality: Most won't. Instead, they'll take to social media to express just how annoyed they are. https://twitter.com/Love_N_Art/status/718392598533140480 https://twitter.com/bmiddaugh/status/718402956052135936 Netflix dropped the ball, and there's a good chance some subscribers will cancel. Or, they'll opt to downgrade the service to SD — instead of HD — and only have the capability of streaming to once device at a time for the lower price of $7.99. For me, this isn't about the increase. It's about Netflix's poor handling of its customers and lack of messaging. If Netflix can email me about a new show it just added, it can email me about a potential price increase. Letting the media run with this story — and have a fun time with the headlines — is just bad marketing.

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Netflix Causes Customer Freakout

Melissa Ward

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Melissa Ward