Netflix Changing Plan Structure, Raising Monthly Prices

If you're a Netflix customer, you probably received an email similar to the one I got yesterday. In essence, the California company is restructuring its services, separating streaming and DVD movie rentals into two different plans, and significantly raising the price for those of us who want both.

It seemed like such a great idea four years ago. "Unlimited movies starting at just eight bucks a month," is how I remember the advertising. But then something changed.  We bought a Blu-ray DVD player.  Blu-ray service is another $1 a month. Eh, just a buck, no big deal. "But, Dad, this DVD player is Internet-ready, so we can stream Netflix movies." My son Nick inherited the technology gene. Add streaming to our account:  Another $2 per month.

(Allow me to digress for a moment. The technology gene is dominant. I admit, I passed it on to him. I recently heard him say that if a movie or TV show isn't in High-Def, he's probably not interested in watching it. Wow.)

If you're keeping score, we're now up to $11 per month.  Then somewhere along the way, they decided that Blu-ray service was worth yet another dollar. $12 per month. There have been times when we've gotten our money's worth, watching and returning several movies per month.  There have also been times when the same Netflix DVD has lain in a pile for months. Unwatched. Un-returned. But the meter continues to run.

Their new pricing plan, announced yesterday, separates the two services.  Netflix will charge $7.99 for its streaming services; the cheapest DVD plan will also be $7.99.  Tack on $2 for Blu-ray. New rates go into effect on September 1st. As of this writing, over 31,000 comments have been made on the company's Facebook page.  Obviously, I haven't read them all, but an overwhelming majority of them are negative.

So do you plan to stay with Netflix? I haven't figured out if we'll keep one or both services, or just abandon them completely. $18 per month sounds like too much, doesn't it?