Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 519 posts

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#141

Post by csunbird »

btrettel wrote: post #52
cortesoft wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon did this for me back in 2005 when they introduced Prime. I used the free trial for an order (to get it in two days), but then didn't order anything else and forgot to cancel. They sent me an email that they weren't going to charge me because I hadn't used it, but I was free to sign up in the future if I decided I wanted it. It was so refreshing, it made me a lifelong customer.

Amazon definitely doesn't do this now. Amazon sometimes offers me a free Prime trial and they make it fairly clear that if you don't cancel before the conclusion of the trial, they'll automatically subscribe you to Prime and charge you. I'll sometimes take the trial but I always mark my calendar to cancel before the renewal. Personally, I consider this to be a dark pattern and it makes me reluctant to sign up for any…

They did add a "Notify me three days before renewal" button, but still finding the correct pattern to cancel it is a pain.

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#142

Post by sytelus »

chrischen wrote: post #85
goodside wrote: post #55

Years ago, I heard of a dating site doing the opposite of this. They normally sent periodic digests and newsletters to their users to try to increase engagement, but if a user went a certain number of months without logging into their account, but still allowed monthly fees to be charged, they were labeled as a “sleeping giant” in the database. Once in this state, they would not be contacted by the site for any reaso…

This is what Hulu did to me, and frankly, these companies are optimizing for short term revenue rather than for people actually want to pay for their products.

When you don't have a viable product, its hard to optimize for long term.

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#143

Post by sytelus »

goodside wrote: post #55

Years ago, I heard of a dating site doing the opposite of this. They normally sent periodic digests and newsletters to their users to try to increase engagement, but if a user went a certain number of months without logging into their account, but still allowed monthly fees to be charged, they were labeled as a “sleeping giant” in the database. Once in this state, they would not be contacted by the site for any reaso…

I'm getting charged by rhapsody.com every quarter for no apparent reason. I used their service like may be 8 years ago. They have a phone number in their merchant line which is invalid. When I filed request to void the charge to American Express, initially they declined! Then I filed appeal with angry comments and they finally voided it. It took over two months for the process. I just saw new Rhapsody charge again. The credit card companies literally have no control over who can charge us.

If anyone at stripe is reading this, I think this is golden opportunity for consumer focused payment service. One should be at least able to block a merchant from charging my card. I can do that for spammer email but can't do that for spam charge on my card - in 2020!

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#144

Post by trevyn »

KajMagnus wrote: post #104
gregjw wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had a similar experience with The Economist, it's also impossible to cancel your subscription online, you have to call them.

What happens if you block them, or your credit card, so they'll get no money? Is there any risk they'd sue you? Or other auto renew services, what do you, or others, think — do they sometimes sue their customers whose credit card expired? That sounds annoying b.t.w., having to call them etc.

It’s uncommon, but some will send your account to a collection agency, which has automated the process of causing you enough trouble that you’re likely to just pay if it’s a small amount.

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#146

Post by vkou »

utopcell wrote: post #81
jackson1442 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Many people give money to ensure that a service is available when they need it. Netflix, as a service, takes ~10 minutes to set up. This might be the case for a software suite like CC, where you might need to download a massive amount of data, or other software where you pay annually or enter into some kind of contract, but Netflix is strictly monthly and easy to sign up for by design.

That is mostly, but not entirely true. If one's Netflix account is deactivated for more than 10 months, they lose their history, preferences and personalized results.

I assume that ~99% of Netflix's users have no idea that this is the case.

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#147

Post by slx26 »

staticautomatic wrote: post #139
staticautomatic wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's fascinating and very smart.

I'm not salty about it but I don't understand. Could someone please explain to me why this is being down voted?

"fascinating" might not be the best word for a behavior like this. "smart" might also sound like an hyperbole to many. if you really want to earn more money, this kind of petty tricks are not difficult to figure out. overall, some people might take it like you being interested in applying this kind of tactics yourself.

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#148

Post by [deleted] »

Androider wrote: post #112
Hamuko wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a company sue a consumer because of a cancelled credit card?

A cancelled credit card does not mean bills are automatically void or the recurring subscription cancelled, but it's a scale whether it's worth it for the company to try to collect or not. If your rent autobill fails, I think everyone realizes it doesn't mean you don't have to pay. If the credit card for your gym membership expires, I think most people would likewise fear (and has been known to happen) that your bill…

[deleted]

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#149

Post by dredds »

goodside wrote: post #55

Years ago, I heard of a dating site doing the opposite of this. They normally sent periodic digests and newsletters to their users to try to increase engagement, but if a user went a certain number of months without logging into their account, but still allowed monthly fees to be charged, they were labeled as a “sleeping giant” in the database. Once in this state, they would not be contacted by the site for any reaso…

As an aside, when i top up my prepaid mobile i have the option to donate the top-up to another number. Yet dating sites i've seen don't allow subscribing someone else for a limited time (by opting-in on their side of course). Is there some reason as to why this is not an option on most dating sites? Seems courteous, but it might lead to scams or begging perhaps?

Re: Netflix stops charging customers who never watch

#150

Post by oarsinsync »

ukoki wrote: post #134
raiyu wrote: post #12

I always wonder when a company does this if it is completely altruistic or if something else is going on behind the scenes. Maybe notifying customers gets them to reactivate, maybe if they resubscribe later they can charge more, maybe it’s better for financial reporting and projecting subscriber counts. On the other hand it could just be a rare moment of a company doing right by the customer.

Just one theory: If I go to a restaurant I expect they'll give me to-go box if I ask for it; If I accidentally buy they wrong size shirt from a high-street retailer, I expect to be able to return it. If a business doesn't meet these generally-agreed on "consumer expectations" they may be complained about viciously. If Netflix can successfully normalize "only charge me if I use the service" into a basic consumer expec…

I hadn’t considered this angle and absolutely love it. I hope this becomes true.
Post reply on HN