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June 19, 2008 11:33 AM PDT

Netflix to eliminate profiles, instigate roommate feuds

by Caroline McCarthy

For the past two years, my roommate and I have split a Netflix user account, mostly so that I don't have to deal with his trashy action-movie picks mucking up my queue of navel-gazing Wes Anderson knockoffs, and so that we can ensure a clean split in our four-at-a-time subscription. He'd totally hog it otherwise.

But starting on September 1, we're going to have to suck it up. The rental-by-mail service announced on its blog on Thursday that it would be doing away with separate user profiles on the same account.

The reason, the post explained, is that it's a little-used feature that some people found complicated: only a percent of Netflix members use it. "We will do our best to find better ways for families to share accounts than the existing profiles feature," it read, "and will continue to invest in improving the Web site experience in many different ways."

So maybe a new kind of split-household account is on the way, but for now, my roommate and I are going to have to either share a password (which could raise security concerns for some people) or pay for two separate accounts (which will cost more for both of us). Customized recommendations will be directed to both of us rather than our individual accounts, which means--eek!--that I'm going to see Meet the Spartans recommended to me instead of Flight of the Conchords.

Lousy move, Netflix.

A thread on feedback forum Get Satisfaction revealed that other people aren't too happy either. Some raised concerns that they could no longer operate separate queues with parental controls for their children, and others expressed plights similar to mine--they share accounts with roommates or housemates who have vastly different cinematic tastes.

"Way to go, Netflix, I'll just be canceling the service at this point," one user wrote. "I specifically upgraded to the four-at-a-time service to split out the queues for my wife and myself. I'm not going to pay for another separate account."

And if you've been using separate Netflix profiles as a way to cloak your porn habit (or chick-flick habit) from your spouse, get ready. You'll have some explaining to do come September.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (31 Comments)
by HlLLARY CLITON June 19, 2008 12:28 PM PDT
Seems ok to me, change is hard for some. There are more important things to cry about
Reply to this comment
by bwvla June 19, 2008 12:29 PM PDT
A couple years ago when I lived with a roommate I found this feature incredibly useful.

For Netflix to drop this feature without an equivalent replacement is a bit odd. Their explanation was also a bit lacking. If they have the technology already in place and paid for, and movie deliveries have been smooth why drop it?

Perhaps Netflix needs to explain this a bit better.
Reply to this comment
by sanenazok June 19, 2008 12:51 PM PDT
One less thing for them maintain, I guess. They should focus on instant movie playback anyways.
Reply to this comment
by steveray June 19, 2008 12:57 PM PDT
I'll probably drop netflix because of this. We use it less and less as it is, and removing this feature would cripple its utility.

The PR spin is lame, they wouldn't remove functionality like this unless they thought it would increase revenue.
Reply to this comment
by dfsmith June 19, 2008 2:39 PM PDT
Does the Blockbuster service offer profiles?
Reply to this comment
by xhalarin June 19, 2008 2:41 PM PDT
This is not OK, nor an issue of coping with change. This was a service differentiator that made life much easier for many Netflix customers. Loosing the feature combined with the poor way in which it was communicated and being handled is going to cause big problems for Netflix.
Reply to this comment
by Muhammad I. June 19, 2008 2:49 PM PDT
Netflix has porn??
Reply to this comment
by youngstarrenterprises June 19, 2008 3:23 PM PDT
no seriously.. they have porn?
Reply to this comment
by deecee June 19, 2008 3:42 PM PDT
Hey, why don't you complain about you and your roommate each having to pay for a cell phone account? It is quite obvious that Netlix is nixing this so in situations like this, you will have to each pay for a subscription or deal with the hassle of mixing your movies.
Reply to this comment
by papa272 June 20, 2008 8:13 AM PDT
For a typical family this is a big problem. This means my wife and I will have to constantly adjust the queue to make sure we both get equal share. And it is not something customers just have to get used to. This is a basic convenience that should be provided in one for or another. You don't have to pay for cable for each person in the household separately do you? So then why should I pay $20 x 2? We never rent enough DVDs to actually make Netflix financially cheaper than Blockbuster. But it is a convenience. If they rub us of this convenience we will simply drop the service.
by benjamin straight June 19, 2008 3:43 PM PDT
Boo!
Reply to this comment
by gary85739 June 19, 2008 4:27 PM PDT
I just downgraded my Netflix account from 6 at a time to 3 at a time!

It's not NICE to limit subscriber choices Netflix!
Reply to this comment
by gary85739 June 19, 2008 4:27 PM PDT
I just downgraded my Netflix account from 6 at a time to 3 at a time!

It's not NICE to limit subscriber choices Netflix!
Reply to this comment
by josejrp June 19, 2008 5:23 PM PDT
So let me get this straight... first they announce that they may start charging more for Blu-ray rentals, and now they are getting rid of one of my favorite features? I use to like Netflix, but if Blockbuster offers profiles and Blu-ray, I am done with them. How am I supposed to keep my wife's crappy movies away from my queue without profiles????
Reply to this comment
by drummerhul June 19, 2008 6:00 PM PDT
I didn't even know they had this feature... Maybe that's why no one uses it...
Reply to this comment
by stupidjonas June 19, 2008 6:02 PM PDT
Crap, I didn't even know they HAD that feature, I've been wanting that for ages so that I get personal recommendations instead of everything being mixed together (kids movies for my son, period pieces for my wife, and zombie movies for me). Well, I hope they figure something else out. Like why can't you check the movie as a pick to a certain user in your household? Problem solved!
Reply to this comment
by ewelch June 19, 2008 6:41 PM PDT
Netflixfreak.app makes it so easy for me to manage my Queue I don't see it as a major problem.
Reply to this comment
by amandachuck June 19, 2008 7:58 PM PDT
4 at a time is $24 a month.
2 at a time is $14 a month.
Splitting a 4 at a time into 2 shared 2 at a times each is obviously $12 a month per person.

You spent an entire article complaining about $2 a month, 7 cents a day. If nobody uses the feature, then it's not worth it for Netflix to maintain it so some cheapskates can save 7 cents a day?
Reply to this comment
by treet007 June 19, 2008 7:58 PM PDT
"or pay for two separate accounts (which will cost more for both of us)"

WWAAAAHHHH! If you can't trust your roommate to possibly steal your identity from all of your confidential papers lying around, why are you with your roommate in the same space? Either share an account or have your own account. No different than a credit card.
Reply to this comment
by kieranmullen June 20, 2008 12:02 AM PDT
For the crybaby cheapskate article author. Maintenance is an issue for something people don't care to much about. Also liability is a concern. If your roommate lost a dvd or left you high and dry you would be liable. Liability is also a major concern as well.
Reply to this comment
by thateasy June 20, 2008 12:32 AM PDT
Now they are behaving like cellphone and cable companies.... instead of innovating they are crippeling their own service to make more profit. Its frustating to see Netflix behaving like this coz so far I liked that company.... If verizon, comcast etc does this kind of dirty trick it will be business as usual .... I wont care... since I dont like them anyway but Netflix .... I liked.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (31 Comments)
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About The Social

CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

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