NetFlix is the best service in the world for renting an unlimited number of cracked, scratched and otherwise unplayable DVDs. Through my NetFlix membership, I have been able to rent a shattered version of
Oceans Eleven, a scratched-beyond-belief edition of
The Bridges of Madison County, and a rare, limited copy of
Citizen Kane that looked like it had gone through the San Francisco municipal recycling station (and still managed to make it out in the basic shape of a DVD disc).
The NetFlix website offers an amazing catalog of pre-scratched, cracked, broken and otherwise marred
DVDs, along with an impressive recommendation system that says things like, "People who liked the cracked
Oceans Eleven movie also enjoyed the crushed DVD of
Fantastic Four."
Why is NetFlix such a great deal?
Because renting damaged DVDs is far less expensive than buying and destroying your own DVDs. And if you buy your own DVDs from Best Buy, for example, then accidentally find them in your kitchen garbage disposal after griding up the turkey bone leftovers of a Thanksgiving dinner, you can't take it back for a refund.
But you can with NetFlix! Just mail the movie back in any physical form whatsoever -- cracked, pitted, shattered, crushed, chewed, mutilated or mangled -- and the NetFlix company will happily forward your DVD to the next customer waiting for it.
And if, by chance, you receive a DVD from NetFlix that isn't already damaged, simply ask your mail carrier to FOLD all your mail, no matter how difficult that may seem, so that it fits into your tiny, overstuffed mailbox full of useless coupons for toxic laundry detergents and cancer-causing
body care products. Folded DVDs, by the way, do not play very well. Unless, of course, it's a DVD of Ben Affleck's failed movie
Gigli, in which case the playable and damaged versions of the DVD look exactly the same on screen.
Seriously, this is all just a humorous exaggeration. NetFlix is a great service, and most of the DVDs they send out aren't really damaged. Not at first, at least. But then U.S. Postal Service employees get their hands on the DVDs and from there, nobody has any idea what really happens behind that USPS counter. I personally suspect the mail people go postal on the DVDs and use them as drink coasters and frisbees for a day and a half, then they deliver the ones they don't want to keep for themselves.
I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix's opinion of the U.S. Postal Service has been shattered (along with a couple million DVDs).
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created NaturalNews.TV, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Friday, May 11, 2007
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