Monday, October 17, 2011

Netflix Revisited

When I first posted "Dear Netflix:" back in July, it was only the beginning of their branding and customer relations woes.

Last month, in an effort to make a clean break from their streaming service, Netflix announced that they were going to rebrand their DVD service into 'Qwikster'. Qwikster would work the same as Netflix, except with a separate bill, rating system, and movie selection. Wrong. Netflix users took to Twitter to voice their dismay:

Next time Netflix wants to make a rash, impulsive decision, maybe they should just buy a puppy or get a tattoo. #RIPQwikster

Dear Netflix, thanks for my very informing letter that I never saw coming. Qwikster a bad idea? And you're sorry!? Keep up the great work.

This is all stemming from Netflix's decision to separate their bundled DVD and streaming service in July, effectively causing a 60% price increase for customers who wanted both DVD and streaming features.

On October 11th, Netflix retracted their Qwikster plans, announcing on their blog that they would resume their DVD-by-mail service under the Netflix name. However, the damage was done, Netflix had made the mistake of overcomplicating what customer's have always loved the most with Netflix, their ease-of-use and simplicity.

Have you continued your service with Netflix? Why or why not? What do you think of the Qwikster retraction? Let us know!

1 comment:

Tiffany and Apple said...

This would be a company that was in some serious need of consulting before they went and angered their entire customer base. From a PR standpoint (and having worked with an awesome PR Firm for quite some time) - it was disaster, and true to their word, their customers left.