by Jim Thomason

Created on: January 19, 2009

A year ago, I signed up for a two-week free trial with the online DVD rental company, Netflix. I planned to cancel my membership prior to the end of the trial period. I figured I would watch a couple of free DVD's and cut them loose. I spent a few minutes filling my Queue with movie titles and ordered my first flick. The next day I got an email from Netflix. The movie had been shipped and I could expect it the following day. Based on my experiences with other companies who constantly promised the moon but failed to pass the mustard, I deleted the message and moved on. The DVD was in my box the next day. I was impressed.

I watched the movie and shipped it back in the nifty reusable envelope it had arrived in, postage paid no less, and the next day received another email informing me the DVD had arrived safely. A day later, another email telling me my next selection was en route and I was hooked. A few weeks later, I returned a DVD and did not get a follow-up email. I waited a few more days and decided to call customer service. I found their phone number on Netflix's website-another pleasant surprise-and reported the lost movie to a support representative. She apologized, told me not to worry about the DVD, and said she would send another title out that day. I thanked her and made my membership permanent.

You can also rate genres, as well as individual movies on the Netflix site. Based are your likes and dislikes, Netflix will compile a list of movies you will love. More often than not, they are spot on.

Netflix offers not only movies, but classic television shows as well, and all genres are represented, from action-adventure to thrillers. Many can be viewed on your computer monitor and if you purchase a Netflix player made by Roku for ninety-nine dollars, you can view your selections on your television.

Netflix offers several rental plans ranging from $4.99 to $47.99 per month depending on how many titles you can have out at a time. And there are no late fees or time limits. Keep the DVD as long as you wish, but the sooner you return it the quicker you will receive your next selection. For the cost of two DVD's rented from a brick-and-mortar store, I can average seven titles a month as a Netflix member. The website is easy to navigate, customer care is stellar, and with over 100,000 available titles, netflix is the premier choice for movie fans. The only thing missing from this fine online movie rental company is the popcorn.

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