I made no secret in my last blog of the fact that I [heart] Netflix. I’ve been a member since November 2004 and I’ve sung their praises often and have been mostly content ever since.

Two things have happened recently that have slightly tarnished my happiness, however. First, they got rid of their “Previously Viewed DVD” sales section. I understand that it wasn’t a frequently used feature, but I loved it.

Next, however, was something that really irritated me. When I first joined Netflix, I learned quickly how to play the “New Release” game. All new releases come out on Tuesday. If there’s something you really want, move it to the top of your queue and time your latest return so that it gets there Monday morning. Netflix will then send the new release that Monday so the new DVD arrives on its release day.

I’m sure I’m not the only member to have figured out this little “secret.” Recently, however, I’ve noticed that the game doesn’t work anymore. For whatever reason, I’ve had several new releases languishing at the top of my queue for more than a month, each one branded with “Very Long Wait.” It reached a level of such frustration that I ended up reverting to my secret identity as “Dissatisfied Letter-Writing Customer.”

Even bigger disappointment was the initial response I received: A bland acknowledgment from customer service, telling me that if I wanted new releases, I should add them to the top of my queue. Really? I hadn’t figured that out before you pointed it out to me! Thanks. For nothing.

But then…as if someone at Netflix could sense the disturbance in the force from my extreme frustration and expanding disappointment, I received an unexpected and wonderful e-mail a few moments ago. Apparently, someone has decided to send me an extra DVD, from my “Very Long Wait” choices. Seems in other parts of the country, this selection isn’t wait-listed, so I’m getting a copy from there. It’ll probably take an extra day to arrive, but you know what? It truly is the thought that counts. I wasn’t expecting this at all; I figured that Netflix felt they had resolved the issue (even though I strongly disagreed).

Truth is, I’ll probably still remain surly over any future extended wait periods, but this has served to temper my surliness slightly. All anyone wants, really, is for someone to acknowledge that their complaint is legitimate. And this is what Netflix has done. So, yeah. Thanks for that 🙂