It's been a long while since I've posted anything here, and the last few times I have it's been me complaining about something. Well, it's time for that again. This is going to be the first of two complaints posted. While they may not be a very good way to get my actual problem solved, they are a good way for me to vent and to share my experience with other wondering consumers. Enjoy.

Netflix. They've been up in the news quite a bit lately with their rate changes and such, right? While that's a rant for another day, I want to share with you my current issue. I can't access the streaming.

As part of their plan changes, I now have only streaming service. While I do have one DVD in my presence still, the only way I can really access their service is via streaming. And wouldn't you know it, the only device I have that supports it (computers included) is my Xbox 360. After a very long weekend, I decided I want to go sit lay down in front of the TV, watching one of my favorite shows to lull me to sleep. Apparently that was too high of an expectation. You see, when I started the Netflix app on my Xbox, I was presented with an error stating that it was unable to connect to the service and to see http://www.netflix.com/tvhelp for more details.

I came back to my computer and attempted to access the Netflix site, but I could not log in with my known good user ID and password. After numerous failed attempts at logging in, I decided to try the lost password tool. Unfortunately, I didn't receive the e-mail until over an hour later. In the meantime though, I was able to find a way to log in using my name and the credit card number on my account. However, once I was logged in I couldn't really do anything, including reset my password: Their form decided that "apple" and "apple" were not the same strings (note: my password is not "apple" or anything of the sort).

Great, so I guess I'll call. Once I found the number and tried calling, I got a busy signal. UGH! I guess I'll just go watch a movie I've already seen instead.

After the movie was over, I decided to try it again. While I was finally able to log in to the Netflix site with my password, the Xbox was unable to connect still. I took a look at my authorized streaming devices and saw that there was nothing shown here, so I went about the process of reinstalling the Netflix app on my Xbox. The funny part of this was that when I entered the activation code into the Netflix site, I was greeted with the message of "Activation is complete -- Your {DEVICENAME} is now ready to instantly stream movies from Netflix. Go check it out now!". Really? I have a {DEVICENAME}? Nice to know. Will it stream movies better than my Xbox 360?

Okay, so it's still not working. Let's try calling...

Thank you for calling Netflix. We are currently experiencing a higher than normal call volume. Please try your call again later.

Now how is that helpful? Couldn't they spare the few second it takes to explain what the problem is? Couldn't they post something on their Twitter account? Couldn't they throw a status page up somewhere? All I have to go by is http://downrightnow.com/netflix, and that's not really giving me any indication of whether I'll be able to encrust the pillow on my couch in drool while unconsciously watching old episodes of Scrubs.

Is customer support really such a difficult science? What is up with these companies sucking so hard at it?