Netflix Alternatives

When Netflix decided to jack the price from $10 a month to $16 it felt like I was stabbed in the back. Stabbed by a friend I once praised, no less. But judging by the number of angry customers that have decided to cut the red enveloped cord, maybe it's Netflix who should watch their back. The villagers are grabbing their pitchforks and torches and heading for Netflix headquarters. Count me among them.

Never before has a company as popular as Netflix gone so completely out of its way to destroy the goodwill it enjoyed with customers. People are irate, and why not? A 60% price hike in an economy with a foreclosure epidemic and near double-digit unemployment can rankle a consumer. Go figure. A hike this steep is tough to swallow in a good economy, but in the midst of a recession it's downright inedible.

But lo! Netflix hears our pleas. They've sent us beleaguered customers an email offering their sincerest apologies. A late but welcome mea culpa. And I think, whew, somebody over there finally gets it. They're going to roll back this ridiculous price hike and put an end to this public relations disaster once and for all, right?

Uh, not so much.

Not only is Netflix keeping the hike intact it has also decided to split the company in two. Because that's always a good idea. Netflix will now only provide streaming services while something called Quikster will  handle DVD delivery. And the best part is us loyal customers now get saddled with two seperate billing accounts.

Uhmm, what??!!! Where the hell is my pitchfork....

Seriously, Quikster? Seems an odd choice of a name since what could possibly be any quicker than streaming! This can only mean one of two things. Either CEO Reed Hastings is secretly working for Blockbuster, or Netflix has done lost its corporate mind. 

Either way we're screwed.

So I cancelled my subscription. Panic ensued almost immediately. Where would I get my movie fix now? A quick poke around provided some much needed reassurance. Here's the gist:

   REDBOX   The ubiquitous red kiosk can fill the void left in my heart and TV. There's one right around the corner. A short walk. But what happens on those cold, rainy nights when I just don't feel like going out? No, I'm afraid Redbox just isn't relationship material. This feels more like rebound fling than commitment.

   HULU   King of TV programming, Hulu is rather thin on the movies. Even Hulu Plus, at $8 a month, comes up short on flicks. TV shows rule here, lots and lots of TV shows. Which is fine if that's your thing. But I don't think Hulu is my type. Still looking.

   BLOCKBUSTER   Hard to believe, but the rental chain whose throat was once wedged firmly under Netflix's heel has risen from the dead like a rancid corpse in one of those bad zombie movies I used to rent from them. They're actually offering a $10 streaming plan, which is awesome... if your a Dish Network subscriber. But I'm not and I won't be any time soon. However, BB promises a plan for non-Dish customers is in the works. Sounds good. But I'll have to wait and see. Until then the search goes on. Sorry BB, I'm just not that into you.

   AMAZON   Here we go. First, forget about Amazon Instant video. At $4 a movie it simply ain't worth  it. But there's more to Amazon than meets the eye. Sly devil. Turns out Amazon Prime members get unlimited streaming of movies, including new releases (take that, Netflix) plus free two-day delivery on any purchase, all for $79 a year. That comes out to about $6.60 a month. Less than a Netflix subscription. Love at first sight? Not quite. The movie catalogue, while growing, isn't extensive. Yet. But who knows, this just might be the start of something beautiful. And with a free one month trial I aim to find out.

Too bad, Netflix. It didn't have to end this way. You had me at $10.

You lost me at $16.