Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 11:32 am Post subject: Read this if you're a Gamefly member (or thinking about it)
I hate spending $50 for a game that turns out to be a stinker! I live in a small town with only one store that rents Xbox games and my collection is nearly as extensive as theirs (they think NASCAR Thunder 2003 is still a new release) . If you have a local Blockbuster video store, that might work out well for rentals, but, alas, I have none.
I have subscribed to Gamefly.com for about 4 months and their service is good, but a little slow for me. I read a TechTV.com newsletter that mentioned www.GameznFlix.com as an alternative. As I have just recently enrolled with them, I can't speak of their service yet.
Their website seems to be Mozilla-unfriendly (like xbox-hq, unfortunately), as I can't log in with Firefox, but I can with IE. It's not nearly as nice to browse for Xbox titles as Gamefly and the way they setup their queue makes it a pain in the neck to change a title's position in the queue.
Sounds pretty bad so far, huh?
Here's the GOOD part! They charge $34.95/month for 6 DVDs or game discs at a time, compared with $29.95/month for 3 game discs at a time with Gamefly. Their game selection appears to be large (I haven't found a US title they don't have).
Also, they have an East Coast & West Coast (US) distribution center, unlike Gamefly, which is currently only West Coast. Since I'm on the East Coast, I'm hoping the turnout time will be a few days quicker, too. Since they also rent movies, I may be able to cancel Gamefly AND Netflix to save some money.
Furthermore, they have a 7 day free trial. I signed up Saturday and their website indicates my free trial ends May 23rd, so I guess they don't enroll you immediately (bummer!). I sent an email to customer service to see if I can find out why this is the case.
I'll post my experiences here to let you know about their service.
forahobby Administrator
Joined: May 22, 2003 Posts: 23944 Location: NSW, Australia
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 11:45 am Post subject:
that is good news.. Thanks for the info.. Im sure our other US Residents will thankyou too..
Joined: May 23, 2003 Posts: 4031 Location: NSW, Australia
Posted: Wed May 12, 2004 10:47 pm Post subject:
Hm, I dunno what to think of these places, it depends on a few things:
The delays in sending the DVDs / Games to the Renter
If the Rentee (the place you're getting the games from) covers return costs
If the DVDs / Games being rented are actually Originals and not DVD-R's
If the discs are in good condition (not all scratched up etc.)
If the place done meet these standards I would suggest that our US Members take a look into this, but the best option I think will be to wait for some more news from PorscheXboxster on how they go.
BTW PorscheXboxster, I also noticed that our site doesn't look too great on Mozilla when I was checking it out using Mozilla on Xebian (Xbox Linux). Maybe later on in the future we actually might look into trying to make the site more Mozilla friendly, but for now I can't say if or when it will be done.
PorscheXboxster V.I.P. Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 1:24 am Post subject:
For Gamefly.com:
- it's just about one week from when I mail out the game disc until I receive then next disc in my queue. Not bad considering it has to travel from Virginia (East Coast) to California (West Coast) and back. GamezNFlix is in Kentucky, which shares a border with Virginia, so I hope it's a few days quicker (but this remains to be seen)!
- you reuse the mailer that Gamefly sends the disc in... and it's postage-paid by Gamefly both ways.
- all discs are original for Gamefly. I don't think they could send out copies, as only a small percentage of Xbox owners are brave/crazy enough to crack open their case to mod it.
- so far, all the discs from Gamefly (probably about 10 so far) have been in pristine condition, unlike the local video store, where many discs look like they've been cleaned by dragging them repeatedly along the pavement!
I'm expecting a similar level of service from GamezNFlix, but that remains to be seen. Still no reply from customer service RE: the start of my membership.
I'll keep you informed.
DJB Administrator
Joined: May 23, 2003 Posts: 4031 Location: NSW, Australia
Posted: Thu May 13, 2004 4:01 am Post subject:
Thanks for the feedback
PorscheXboxster V.I.P. Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 1:27 am Post subject:
Well, I finally heard back from GamezNFlix.com (about 10 hours after their promised response time of 48 hours). I had asked them why my 7-day free trial was set to end about 2 weeks after I signed up.
Here is their response....
"Our trial is not for 7 days but for 15 days. We noticed the bug and are fixing that promptly.
Member Support
GameZnFlix, Inc."
So, it looks like there is actually ample time to see what their turnaround time will be. I'm renting games I have no interest in first. I'll return them the next day and see how long it takes to get the next disc. "The Cat In The Hat"... here we come!
An additional note... I just checked my game queue to see if they had indicated sending out any discs yet.... MY ENTIRE GAME QUEUE HAS BEEN ERASED! I had about 50 games picked out...
So far, my experience has not been particularly favorable. I gave them my credit card number nearly one week ago and still apparently no discs sent out yet (I waited about two weeks to get my first discs from Gamefly, as well). They took longer than their stated policy to response to my email. Then, erasing my queue. hmmmm.....
DJB Administrator
Joined: May 23, 2003 Posts: 4031 Location: NSW, Australia
Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 2:49 am Post subject:
Hmm, I figured something like this might happen with a place like this. I've never considered online renting to be any good, mainly for the fact that half the time you're getting the rentals from other states, so it's not too easy to confront them in person if they ripped you off.
Abusive or negative phone calls about their service might work though
TheModGod Xbox-Hq Legendary
Joined: Apr 18, 2004 Posts: 5303 Location: Greensburg PA
Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 4:54 pm Post subject:
I have been a Netflix subscriber for over three years now, and was dying for them to offer games. It never happened and I even contemplated starting my own venture offering games based on the same premise. I was going to concentrate first on a local level versus national. When I first started with Netflix, turn around times were awesome. As their business grew, so did DVD delays. Luckily, I am one of the few that still gets to hold 8 DVD's for only 34.95 per month and their addition of extra warehouses as helped greatly.
Another option versus gamefly or other vendors is your friendly neighborhood Blockbuster. A lot of them are test marketing a service called GamePass. For 19.95 per month you can take out as many games as you want. Catch...you can only hold one at a time. It's still a great bargain considering one game rental costs almost 6 bucks there. It's always a bummer to rent a stinker of a game (True Crime: Streets of LA) and turn it in three days early only to lose that rental money.
The other downside is you actually have to drive the game back or pay a late fee....unlike the internet/mailing services where there are no late fees. The business model still intrigues me. As a previous video store owner (1987 to 1993), I am very curious to actual operating costs. Back when I had to purchase VHS movies, they were going for almost a hundred dollars a pop. Gotta love cash and carry operations though..HA. _________________ Good Deals: Death@Hand, funkydopenloven, StaticMind, Slamscaper, PorscheXboxter
Bad Deals: None Yet
Pending Deals: Vanguard
PorscheXboxster V.I.P. Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 7:29 pm Post subject:
How did you get 8 for $34.95? I'm paying $39.95 and it's going up over $10 next month ($49.99). I'll definitely downgrade, if not cancel, the account.
Well, the top items from my GameznFlix queue are missing. I assume this means they've shipped out some discs today. No indications on their website or via email what they've sent. This is a little annoying. I know "The Cat In The Hat" was number #1, and it's no longer in my queue, but I can't remember what else I picked. Gamefly said they sent out Freaky Flyers (which I noticed GameznFlix does NOT carry) today, so we'll see which arrives first (I'm predicting Monday for both).
TheModGod Xbox-Hq Legendary
Joined: Apr 18, 2004 Posts: 5303 Location: Greensburg PA
Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 8:04 pm Post subject:
The first accounts that Netflix offered were three dvd's for 19.95, five for 25.95, or 8 for 34.95. I have printouts from my earlier rental months (November 1999). My first month I received and watched a total of 23 movies. I now average around 12-18 depending on how many new releases hit each month. It is very nice being able to hold onto 8 movies though. Gives you a wider selection. Even though I own approximately 200+ DVD's, I still get use from their service. For whatever reason, my account has been under a sort of grandfather clause and I haven't been dowgraded nor price increased. I venture to say I was probably one of the first hundred accounts. I can't even remember how I found out about their service, but when I did it was very novelty at the time.
I think Netflix is probably one of the most successful internet stories out there, right behind ebay of course. You can actually buy stock in this company. They did over 100 million in the last quarter..not year....QUARTER!! That is probably around 4 million subscribers. Just another thing to add to my very long long list of, "why the hell didn't I think of that".
If someone had the capital and put a free month coupon in every PS2, XBOX, and GC they could definitely build a clientel in a three year term. Netflix benefited from an outpour of DVD Player purchases. DVD use became popular much faster than VHS did. I think the game console boom is in it's middle stages. With SONY and M$ offering new consoles in the next two years or so there is definitely a market for a Gamefly type of company. If someone can combine lighting turn around times with a simple to use interface, they would definitely have something there@ _________________ Good Deals: Death@Hand, funkydopenloven, StaticMind, Slamscaper, PorscheXboxter
Bad Deals: None Yet
Pending Deals: Vanguard
PorscheXboxster V.I.P. Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 10:42 am Post subject:
Blockbuster is a good choice if you live in civilized parts of the USA. I visited my neighborhood Blockbuster store this weekend... it's 62 miles (100km) each way! If you're in a rural area, like me, not the best option.
FINALLY, a GamezNFlix disc arrived on Monday. It took 8 days from sign-up to receiving my first disc... rather long if you ask me! Actually, I received TWO discs from them today.... "The Cat In The Hat" and "Batman: Rise of Feng Shui" (actually "Sin Tzu").... both disks looked brand-new, and ran for about 5 minutes without problem. I packed them up, drove them to the post office, and mailed them out. I had intentionally ordered some games I thought I'd hate just so I could test their turnaround time. Their website doesn't indicate that they even shipped out Batman yet... go figure! By the way, the discs came from Gordonsville, Tennessee, not Kentucky like I'd read somewhere.
I also received DOA 3 from Gamefly today. It's actually pretty cool so far. It's neat to watch hot chicks beat the stink out of each other! I'll probably hang on to it until I get bored or until I find it cheap on ebay!
TheModGod Xbox-Hq Legendary
Joined: Apr 18, 2004 Posts: 5303 Location: Greensburg PA
Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 5:02 pm Post subject:
Wow, I would have thought their turnaround time would have been better. Since your post I have seen Netflix ads on PrimeTime TV. In their ad they claim movies are received in one business day. It's fast, but not that fast. Maybe your provider will be able to get you better service as their business grows and they have the ability to add hubs around the US. I know that has helped Netfix tremendously. _________________ Good Deals: Death@Hand, funkydopenloven, StaticMind, Slamscaper, PorscheXboxter
Bad Deals: None Yet
Pending Deals: Vanguard
PorscheXboxster V.I.P. Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Thu May 20, 2004 10:23 am Post subject:
The biggest problem I have with GamezNFlix.com is their goofy website. According to it, they never even shipped out the Batman game. Yesterday, it suddenly listed that they shipped the Fairly Oddparents game out on May 14th! I check the site every day, so I know it wasn't posted until the 19th! Why haven't I receive it if it was truly shipped out on the 14th?
I've seen those Netflix ads, but I don't believe them. I've sent several discs back at the same time, but, according to Netflix, they have sometimes been checked in over a 3 day period. They may get them SHIPPED in one, but they often don't seem to be in a big hurry to process them. If I send a disc in on Monday, I haven't gotten its replacement before the following Monday, and occassionally later. But their ads DO sound appealling... too bad its not entirely true!
Guest
Posted: Fri May 21, 2004 11:52 pm Post subject:
UPDATE:
Gameznflix:
I received 2 discs today, so their tunrnaround time is good. I sent the first 2 back on Monday, and had the next 2 on Friday. Their website is really screwed up, however. It doesn't show that I have Arx Fatalis at all, but I did receive it today (Along with "Fairly Oddparents").
This looks like a viable alternative to Gamefly, if you can tolerate their messed-up website. Good turnaround and decent, though not exhaustive, game library.
DVDAvenue.com:
This is a site that I also found out about through TechTV's website. Advantages including decent pricing, they carry both DVDs & games discs, and hopefully decent turnaround time for people living on USA's East Coast (they're in the Washington, D.C. area). Here's their pricing :
2 DVD's out at the time for $14.95/month
3 DVD's out at the time for $19.95/month
4 DVD's out at the time for $24.95/month
6 DVD's out at the time for $34.95/month
8 DVD's out at the time for $44.95/month
The major disadvantage is this.... Gamefly currently lists 496 Xbox games in their library, while DVD Avenue has 111. Now, there are probably not over 111 games that the majority of Xbox users would classify as great games anyway, but here a list of the games they DON'T have that Xbox Nation magazine lists as the top 50.....
Prince of Persia
GTA
Steel Battalion
Soul Calibur 2
NINJA GAIDEN!
KOTOR!
BREAKDOWN!
SC: Pandora Tomorrow
Max Payne 2
Proj. Gotham 2
Sims: Bustin Out
RainbowSix 3
FIFA Soccer 2004
Metal Arms
Fight Night 2004
NBA Live 2004
NFS Underground
Sega GT Online
SSX3
Top Spin
Madden NFL 2004
MVP Baseball 2004
LOTR-ROTK
NBA Ballers
NBA 2K2
NASCAR Thunder 2004
Armed & Dangerous
Broken Sword
Deus Ex
Morrowind
007: EON
Amped2
CRIMSON SKIES!
Tiger Woods 2004
Otogi
MotoGP2
Timesplitters 2
Phantasy Star Online
Jet Set Radio Future
Dance Dance Revolution
--------------- Not on the Top 50 list (yet), but still not in their library, is Rallisport Challenge 2 (they do have the first one).
You're probably wondering what they DO have.... well, pretty only HALO. They DO NOT offer a free trial. I joined and I'll check out their service level, but unless they SERIOUSLY improve their library, it's not a very viable option to Gamefly.
PorscheXboxster V.I.P. Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 1067 Location: Virginia, USA
Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 12:17 pm Post subject:
DVD Avenue reported via email that they sent out 8 games on Friday evening. All 8 arrived Monday. They were sent two to an envelope, with a prepaid envelope inside.
I'm (half-jokingly) thinking about starting an Xbox game review site where I spend 1 hour playing a game, then evaluate it. I'll call it "www.jumpingtoconclusions.com". After one hour, I usually have a pretty good feel for whether I think it's worth spending my money on.
Why don't places like Wal-Mart set up displays, letting you play the new releases (or at least limited demos)? Guess it would cut down on game sales!
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
HQ Network: 8,142 | 
Guests: 1224 | 
Members: 1 
Forums 
After one hour, I usually have a pretty good feel for whether I think it's worth spending my money on.
