How do I return a Netflix film if my red return envelope is damaged?

June 22, 2009 8:44 PM

How do I return a Netflix film if my red return envelope is damaged?

What's a good way to return a Netflix film when I can't put it in the red return envelope since it's ripped. I can't stick it in an envelope from another DVD since it will take a few days for a new DVD to arrive. I could wait to mail it back once I receive the other movie, but that would significantly slow down my queue turnaround time.

posted by gregb1007 to media & arts (25 answers total)

From the Netflix help page

...

# Lost or damaged the red prepaid return mailer?: just place up to two DVDs in another Netflix red prepaid return mailer. If you are on a 1-out-at-a-time plan, or can't locate any red return mailers, please send the DVD back to us inside its white sleeve, in your own return envelope with sufficient postage to the address listed below. The white sleeve includes a special barcode that we can use to associate this returned disc with your Netflix account.

# Lost or damaged both white sleeve and red prepaid return mailer?: return the disc in your own return envelope including a note with your Netflix account email address, and sufficient postage, to the address listed below. We will need your account email address to associate this returned disc with your Netflix account.

Netflix
P.O. Box 49021
San Jose, California 95161-9959

Looks like you can either pay to have it shipped right now and include the appropriate information and postage or suck it up and slow down your turnaround time.

Personally, I'd suck it up and slow down the turnaround time. But that's also knowing that it takes me 3 days to get a movie from pickup at my mailbox to delivery.
posted by theichibun at 8:48 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

theichibun, those instructions seem suspect to me because they would have me, a resident of Massachusetts, sending my DVD to California, the furthest possible distribution center.
posted by gregb1007 at 8:52 PM on June 22, 2009

Here's a link, which may seem less suspect.
posted by kidbritish at 8:56 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I have done what theichibun has suggested and it worked; they received my DVD and sent me another. (I'm in Texas)
posted by rmtravis at 8:56 PM on June 22, 2009

Netflix HQ is in San Jose, CA. It's the most reasonable place for them to collect envelope-less DVDs for processing back into their system.
posted by phatkitten at 8:58 PM on June 22, 2009

I piggybacked on a neighbor's envelope... Both our DVDs went to a distribution center in Minneapolis. Ask around at work/the hood if you can send your DVD back with a note shared in another's envelope.
posted by ShadePlant at 8:59 PM on June 22, 2009

Whenever this happens I wait. Sucks, yes, but better than ponying up for the postage.

Also, for the future, I recommend you try and time some DVDs sometime so that you can send back 2 or more in a single whack and send them in the same mailer. You can put more than one sleeve in a red mailer, and that way you can keep the old ones as spares. I have about a dozen red mailing envelopes now, just in case this happens. It's paid off several times already.
posted by Precision at 9:01 PM on June 22, 2009

From a logistics perspective, you shouldn't even need the note to piggyback on a friend's envelope. Their algorithm is 1) Rip open the envelope 2) Scan the barcode on the sleeve 3) Your DVD is returned. Note that the return envelopes aren't coded to a specific user at all.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:03 PM on June 22, 2009

I just get creative with scotch tape. No problems so far.
posted by fshgrl at 9:13 PM on June 22, 2009 [3 favorites]

theichibun, those instructions seem suspect to me because they would have me, a resident of Massachusetts, sending my DVD to California, the furthest possible distribution center.

Yes, they do this so you can get fewer movies each month. When I had netflix while I still had my free trial I took an envelope (addressed to the distribution centre in the very next city) to work and made a tonne of photocopies and cut the address + zipcode/barcode thing out with a papercutter. Then my free trial ended and they started sending my DVDs from across the country and wanting me to return them to across the country. Of course this means that even if they do send me a DVD the day after they receive mine, it takes several days and that means I can only do this so many times in a month.

So Before sending each dvd back, I took one of my photcopied envelope addresses, glued it onto their across-the-country-envelopes and mailed it to my closest distribution centre. Never had any problem. Of course they kept sending me discs from across the country, but not much I could do about that.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:17 PM on June 22, 2009

I could wait to mail it back once I receive the other movie, but that would significantly slow down my queue turnaround time.

For one cycle, right? I'm on the 3-at-a-time plan and routinely mail all 3 returns in the same envelop.
posted by @troy at 9:28 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yes, they do this so you can get fewer movies each month.

I go through 20-24 movies a month on my 3-at-a-time plan and they generally temporarily up my quota one when they ship a disc from BFE.

NetFlix FTW AFAIC.
posted by @troy at 9:30 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Or they just saved time and put the main address (or some randomly selected one).

The address in Greensboro, NC is as follows:

Nearest Netflix Shipping Facility
PO Box 46740
Greensboro, NC 27499-3632

I'll bet there's one closer. You could also try blacking out the actual address and trust the postal system to deliver it somewhere.
posted by theichibun at 9:32 PM on June 22, 2009

Ask around at work/the hood if you can send your DVD back with a note shared in another's envelope.

A note is not necessary. The bar code on each individual sleeve identifies unique subscribers.
posted by special-k at 10:20 PM on June 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I assume you have tried returning multiple movies in the same envelope? I do this all the time.
posted by special-k at 10:21 PM on June 22, 2009

Try calling their customer service line at 866-716-0414 or 800-279-5688 (yes, you will get a live human). They can probably help you.
posted by magstheaxe at 10:27 PM on June 22, 2009

• Go to your queue
• Click on Report a Problem
• Click on I returned this DVD, but Netflix hasn't received it

They will send you your next movie immediately. You get X many of these a year, where X is a mysterious number greater than 1.

Then when you return the next one put both discs in the envelope.

(If I don't get a best answer for this one, I'm done answering these damn things.)
posted by Bonzai at 11:45 PM on June 22, 2009 [5 favorites]

Surely others do as I do? I stock up on envelopes addressed to the distribution center in my city. When I receive DVDs from across the country with a red envelope to same far-away center - I throw them away. By returning two DVDs in a single envelope (which I always do) I get stocked up on local return envelopes pretty fast. Then, I am always returning to the local center.
posted by Gerard Sorme at 1:23 AM on June 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

Seconding the tape. Works every time.
posted by thejoshu at 8:56 AM on June 23, 2009

Not sure if this helps, but I'm in MA too, here's the address my envelope has:

Nearest Netflicks Shipping Facility
PO Box 5400
Brockton, MA 02303-5400
posted by sarahmelah at 10:21 AM on June 23, 2009

Bonzai, I came here to answer just exactly as you did - keep answering these damn things.
posted by TochterAusElysium at 12:23 PM on June 23, 2009

Last time this happened to me, I bumped my plan up one more disc, waited till it arrived, bumped the plan back down again, and returned both discs in the new envelope.
posted by johnsu01 at 2:06 PM on June 23, 2009

A whole day and no best answer yet? I'm going to give you the benefit of doubt and assume you just have not gotten around to marking one(or more). These are all very good answers...Bonzai and johnsu01 probably the best as they will most likely have the shortest wait time.
I did what bonzai suggested with a a disc I lost. No problems, got the next disc in my queue two days later There's no magical trtansporter that will zap your disc to your nearest Netflix distribution center. I know you're dying to see "From Justin to Kelly" but just be patient and all will be o.k.

/nothing personal..I'm just bored and drunk and itching for a internet throwdown...
/am fully aware this is a lame attempt
/what of it bitches?!!???
/seriously though mark bonzai's the best so he/she can move on with his/her life
posted by Epsilon-minus semi moron at 5:30 PM on June 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

Update: I followed fshgrl's advice and patched up the ripped return envelope with scotch tape. It worked because Netflix received the DVD today.
posted by gregb1007 at 7:54 AM on June 24, 2009

Note: Thank you everyone for lots of good tips on Netflix in general: i.e. sending two in one envelope to stock up on spare envelopes, reporting a problem, sending DVDs back to my local center.
posted by gregb1007 at 8:08 AM on June 24, 2009