Subscribers to Netflix: The thrill is gone

Angry subscribers won a victory when Netflix aborted Qwikster, a separate service for mailed DVDs. On top of a recent 60% price increase, the move would have required customers to access two different websites to manage their DVD and streaming accounts. 

So, are Netflix customers -- a very vocal group -- again enchanted with their once-beloved company?

It doesn't seem that way. Subscribers are finding other flaws to complain about. Trust has been strained, and that's hard to rebuild in any relationship, no matter how good it was. 

The decision to drop Qwikster in its tracks was announced Monday in a short email to subscribers from "The Netflix Team." The same brief note was posted on the company blog and signed by CEO Reed Hastings.

It said in part:

It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.

This means no change: one website, one account, one password … in other words, no Qwikster.

No big apology, like the one contained in an earlier post that also announced the creation of Qwikster. And perhaps just a whiff of suggestion in the wording above that subscribers aren't clever enough to handle two accounts instead of one. The message also announced that more content recently became available for streaming. Post continues after video.

What did customers have to say? Many readers of the Netflix blog simply thanked the company for listening. But not all. Here are some samples:

• "Months after a firestorm of protests, we still have to hover over titles to get the title text when it should be visible at a glance and the horizontal scrolling is a frustrating implementation."
• "When does this miraculous 'more awesome videos' thing take place?"
• "Stop sending patronizing emails."
• "I'm offended you didn't apologize in this statement for taking your customers on these silly rides."
• "MORE MOVIES! I can't make it any clearer. I want more movies on streaming. More recent movies as well."

And then there's:

Surprise, they don't have YOUR best interests at heart, just their revenue. People need to stop complaining and realize it's a company. Sheesh.

Some wondered what all the fuss is about.

If only we gave as much of a damn about things that matter: cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, child literacy, hungry kids in Africa ... I could go on. If we gave that much of a damn where it counts, we could really make a difference.

Is that reader right? A friend of mine, who asked that I identify him only as "the smartest person I know," thinks customers have too grand a sense of entitlement. (He's the No. 1 fan of Louis C.K., who also talks about such things.) He was unfazed by the Qwikster plan and thinks some have protested too much:  

Any movie I could possibly want will appear in my mailbox within days; or, even better, on my TV screen immediately if I punch a couple of buttons on my remote.

BUT GO TO TWO WEBSITES? OH MY, THE WORLD IS ENDING HOW CAN THEY DO THIS TO ME BLAH BLAH.

Regardless, Netflix should have known how angry customers would be. "Clearly, the two business moves (price hike and Qwikster) were in the firm's best interest. But, somehow, the company seemed to have the notion that customers would happily support what was in the company's best interest -- without any pushback," Gloria Goodale of The Christian Science Monitor wrote.

Me? I'll continue to be a Netflix customer, although the thrill is gone. Is Netflix back in your good graces or are you moving on?

More on MSN Money:

• Shares rise as Netflix reverses plan to split in 2
• Netflix subscribers are hoppin' mad
• Netflix's risky bet on video games
• Alternatives for angry Netflix customers
• Can Netflix replace Starz with DreamWorks?
• Try the 50-30-20 budget