We’ve had no less than 20 people email us to congratulate Netflix for apologizing after their shipping system experienced some delays. Here’s the email and some comments from Netflix’s customers:

“IMPORTANT: Your DVD Shipments Have Likely Been Delayed

We’re sorry to report that since Tuesday we’ve been experiencing issues with our shipping system, so many of you have not received DVDs in a timely manner and many of you have not received emails letting you know we got a DVD back from you.
We pride ourselves in delighting you, and we’ve let you down. We apologize and are working around the clock to restore normal operations. To all of you whose shipments have been delayed, we’ll be automatically applying a credit to your next billing statement. Or, if you are new to Netflix and your first shipments have been delayed, we recognize that this is not a good way to begin your Netflix membership and we’ll automatically extend your free trial.
Our goal is to ship DVDs as soon as possible and to keep you updated. Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience we’ve caused you and thank you for your patience.
The Netflix Team”

I actually didn’t even notice that my Netflix had been delayed until checking the website, but I appreciate that they are straightforward about the issue. -Kristin

Unlike the J. Crew “We’ve made some mistakes…” notice, Netflix here acknowledges the cause of the problem, that the company is working to fix it, and offers customers compensation. -Brent

I’m HAPPY about how well the service provider is handling the outage, mostly because other service providers handle things like this SO poorly. -Steve

While my personal experience hasn’t been affected by this shipping delay, I am still pleased by their efforts to publicly own up to an error. Not to mention their effort to smooth things over for anyone bothered by the hiccup. I have always been pleased with Netflix and their customer service, and this is just another instance that tells me I’ve chosen to give my business to a great company. -Annie

1- they admit they messed up (I hadn’t even noticed)
2- they said they were sorry
3- they will be crediting me for the error

I’m left happy, even if I need to wait an extra day or two for the new Harold and Kumar movie. -B.

If something did happen, I haven’t noticed. Thank you once again Netflix for rising above my expectations. You quickly own up to a problem and provide the appropriate compensation without making me get into a verbal fist fight with a CSR. -Eric

Way to go, Netflix. Now fix your site!

(Photo: corsec67 )

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