Netflix's Farewell Offer of Extra DVDs Leaves Some Subscribers Unsure Whether They Can Keep Them
As Netflix prepares to end its 25-year-old DVD-by-mail service on Sept. 29, an email promising up to 10 bonus discs has sparked debate over whether customers must send them back.
By Amy Swan · · Originally reported by LAist
Netflix's plan to send surprise bonus discs to DVD-by-mail subscribers before it shuts down that service has pleased many fans, but it has also left some of them uncertain about what they are supposed to do with the movies once they arrive.
The company recently emailed customers a link inviting them to potentially receive as many as 10 additional discs on Sept. 29, the date its 25-year-old delivery operation ends. The message, shared with NPR, was upbeat in tone. "Let's have some fun for our finale!" it read, adding that subscribers "won't know if any extra envelopes are headed your way until they arrive in your mailbox!"
For Moe Long, a self-described film buff in North Carolina, the offer was welcome news. He told NPR he has 500 movies in his queue and does not expect to finish them all. In his view, Netflix is "doing everything that they can to help people watch as many films that are in their queue as possible before the shutdown." Long said he will return his discs as he always has. "You don't get to keep the DVDs," he said. "You do have to send them back."
Not everyone reads the offer the same way. An FAQ page on Netflix's website says the company will accept returned discs through Oct. 27, but the promotional email does not say explicitly what customers should do with the extras. That gap has caused confusion and sparked discussion on online forums such as Reddit.
Leslie Lowdermilk, another North Carolina subscriber, told NPR she understood the discs to be hers to keep once shipments stop. "Because after all, what are they gonna do with them?" she said.
It is a fair question for a company that has mailed more than 5 billion DVDs since it launched in 1998. The discs are not easy to recycle, and most end up in landfills.
A Netflix spokesperson told NPR the company does expect the discs to be returned and plans to share more details about winding down the DVD business in about a month.
Legal experts say ownership was never something Netflix could hand over. Lindsay Spiller, an attorney at the San Francisco entertainment and business law firm Spiller Law, said filmmakers and rights holders license titles to Netflix, which may then sub-license them to subscribers. "But they can't give anybody ownership," Spiller said. "They don't have it themselves."
Mary Gerbi, a Netflix DVD customer in Massachusetts, said she likes the idea of extra movies but wishes the communication were clearer. The company, she said, should have specified whether the discs were rentals and when they are due back. She added that she hopes Netflix finds a way to get the discs into viewers' hands permanently, or to libraries or other places "where they're not just going to waste."
