Netflix Reviews in Portland, OR Area

Pros

-$$$$$$$$$$!!! ($13-$14/hr to start w/full time hours immediately)
-Free rental subscription--the highest one they offer (8 @ a time)
-Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance available right away
-free food in breakroom along with Netflix connection & big screen TV to watch shows
-showers in bathrooms if you walk/ride a bike and need to clean up before work
-peers are fun to work with
-high speed internet & laptops available to check e-mail, facebook, myspace on breaks

Cons

-fear-based company
-anyone higher up than you will NOT respect you. Period.
-cliquish environment (if you're not with the in crowd, you're invisible.)
-very poor communication about job performance
-do not uphold their own company values
-rarely promote from within
-contradictions galore!

In the nine days I was there for training before being unfairly dismissed, I saw several examples of employees being treated like children and unreasonably scolded. One girl was in the classroom 5 minutes before break was over. She suddenly had a bathroom emergency, so she left quickly to take care of it. She made it back just as they were shutting the door. On the next break, she was taken aside by the supervisor (supe) who said, "I noticed you made it back from break just as I was shutting the door. I just wanted to let you know that's unacceptable. You need to be back from break several minutes early." (In other words, you really don't get your full break.) She apologized, saying she'd been there five minutes early but had an emergency. He said, "I'm sure it won't happen again."

One girl had to call in sick because her child gave her the flu. They forced her to speak to three different people who scolded her, the last of which was the call center manager himself! He said he was going to give her the opportunity to come in for the rest of the week.

Another girl simply asked her neighbor for a pen during class. She was pulled into a conference room afterward and told by two different supes that talking during class was unacceptable and wouldn't be tolerated.

Netflix has a zero-tolerance policy for what they call "push back". They touched on this very briefly in class during our second week of training. The example they gave was this: "If your supe tells you to change something and you say, 'I don't feel like it, so I'm not going to', that's considered push back and will not be tolerated." Basically, it's outright insubordination. My supe said I needed to work on verifying every account. When people call in, their account auto-pops onscreen....unless they don't give their service code to the automated answering service before they're transferred to a live person. This happens about half the time and it's mostly people who don't have accounts and are just asking about the service. So I asked my supe, "Is that even when they're just calling with a general question about the website?" He said we needed to at least ask for a name and warned me that what I'd just said was considered push back but he'd let it slide this time. I was baffled but just said, "Okay." The same supe told me he liked that I was resolution oriented because that was a good thing. An hour later, he took it back saying it was bad and I needed to focus on empathy. When I was let go, they gave me the opportunity to give feedback. I mentioned the contradictions I'd noticed and also that I didn't understand how asking a simple question during training was considered "push back". I was told that it's all about perception and I just wasn't a right fit. They also said this sort of thing happens often.

Before you go to work for Netflix, ask yourself this: if the pay is excellent and the benefits are great, why is the turnover rate at Netflix so high??? Why are there so many bad employee reviews out there? Notice the recurring themes in the reviews, i.e. lack of respect, no job security, fear based business, no career growth opportunity, etc. There comes a time when the realization that it's not everybody else, it's the company, has to set in.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more reasonable with your employees. Maybe if you applied the same amount of empathy you insist on for call flow to your staff, people would be more inclined to stay with you.

Pros

In this time of uncertainty, this is a good job. You have to be self motivated and naturally competitive to survive here.
-Free food for working mandatory extra hours.
-Stock option
-Free subscription
-Clean facilities good

Cons

-A bit scary in terms of job security at first. If you're scared for your job after being there for a few months, then you are likely not a good fit.
-Advancement is limited and competitive.
-Getting approved time off.
-AOL, little old ladies, prepaid cards, IW history, all authorizations in general.

Advice to Senior Management

Management is a little iffy, but improving. There are some internal changes happening that I notice that address a lot of issues mentioned here. I hated the mandatory extra hours, but after addressing my concerns to my supervisor, my needs were met. WFM has their job to do with their own set of guidelines, so it can feel like they are unresponsive. Persistence pays off and complaining to your co-workers will get you nowhere.

Pros

-decent starting wage (assuming you make it out of training)
-inexpensive benefits and decent health care coverage
-for the most part, employees (CSR1) are really cool to work with
-sheltered smoking area
-Free Lunch (Mac and Cheese, Oatmeal, or Ramen)
-Unlimited coffee (caution... don't take a bathroom break!! You may get fired)
-Schedule choices offered after training (Choose Wisely)
-fairly decent training support for the first two weeks of employment (if you made it)

Cons

-Out of every 100 customers who you interact with by phone, you may only have 5-6 upset customers or you risk losing your job
-you are always tied to your desk by a phone cord
-The calls keep coming whether you want them to or not...
-There is no set concrete guidelines for evaluating personal performance. It is all subject to caller reviews (i.e. You're job may depend on somebody's bad day!!)
-After your initial training (assuming you made it) there is a real lack of support for training from the management team. You will only see your team manager during your last week of training and then your first reprimand and your last day. (Watch out for the RED PACKET!!!)
-Netflix is great at finding talented people to do the job, but they are HORRIBLE at retention. Do they have a quota for firing people???
-Whether you are a CSR, CSRII, Supervisor, Team Manager, or the Call Center Manager, you are never secure in this position. Do not count on it for long term stability/security in employment.

DISCLAIMER: I was not fired from my job... I quit, gave notice (albeit through the attendance line).. In all honesty, Netflix was a great transitional job for me. I needed quick money, and work and Netflix filled that vacancy. I was very happy with the people I worked with, as I made some really good friends while working there, and that is the only positive thing that came out of Netflix. I now shop the Redbox.

Advice to Senior Management

Customer Service is not simply a game of numbers. As a Customer Service Representative, and as a former Customer Service Manager, and trainer, with a reputable company, who Netflixs' own Michael Osier, vice president for information technology operations and customer service, based the Hillsboro call center after; my advice is to focus generally on the broad customer service experience and not sweat the small stuff. A good former CEO of Southwest Airlines once said "We can't take ourselves too seriously" If you're not having fun, and treating your people with decency, the you will have a poisonous atmosphere that is impossible to come back from.

Thanks

Pros

Health insurance from day 1 is always nice.

Cons

Hostile work environment. They are constantly hiring and firing. If you don't meet the metrics, be prepared to walk. Management fires people and says nothing to their teammates. You can take a reduction in pay to get vacation time which I found completely ridiculous. I did not ever feel like they appreciated the hard work that I did. I exceeded all metrics, trained new hires, and monitored the team chat for assisting on calls. People who have worked there for 2 years have never gotten a raise.

In addition to the above, I found the people there to be extremely unhealthy. Netflix offers food in the break room, but all of it is cheap with high sodium levels and MSG. simply add water, heat and serve. I'll pass.

The customers can also be downright abusive at times. Why on earth do you feel the need to cuss someone out when your movie didn't arrive? Calm down folks!

Advice to Senior Management

Offer incentives for good service other than allowing the reps to keep their jobs.

Pros

Top pay if your of high intelegence you will advance given all tools necesary to do the job leading technology

Cons

not alot of personality or diversity of management and empoyees. Very competitive for performance

Advice to Senior Management

Mix up the management team to have more personality not everyone is a rocket scientist

Pros

it will be hit or miss if you make it, some do some don't it's almost random or luck of the draw

Cons

a lot of turn over, you get hired with out knowing that in 2 weeks only 50% or less ppl make it to next level

Advice to Senior Management

be straight with ppl just cuz u get hired doesnt mean you have a job

Pros

The ONLY reason to even consider this position is the compensation:
-Solid pay
-Great benefits from day one
-Free Netflix account (8 at a time!)

The facility is nice, they keep the break room stocked with goodies and the coffee is usually hot.

Cons

Everything else (you know, the actual "job" part)
-Dealing with customers. Yeah, this is what you signed up for, but it's the worst part. You will get yelled at. A lot.

-Monotony. There are no scripts but you will spend your work week uttering the same core phrases OVER and OVER forever.

-Horrible scheduling. More likely than not you'll get stuck with a bad schedule and no way to negotiate out of it.

-Excessively stat driven. Ignore everything they imply during training. Every customer gets an email survey and DSAT will make or break you here. Keep it low and you're fine. Don't and you could be in trouble.

-Turnover. It's ridiculous, but it definitely keeps management looking busy. Every couple weeks it seems like someone is gone and a new person takes their place.

Advice to Senior Management

-Communication. Management has a funny way of saying just enough to cover their rears later on if they decide to write you up or axe you outright. It was incredible watching what seemed like casual "coaching tips" turn into do or die ultimatums in hindsight. Be crystal clear about expectations.

-Listen to the reps. Really. The CSRs are treated like generic cogs in a big machine. There's a lot of people working the front lines that are just as qualified (maybe more so) than management to be running the place, yet they don't have a real voice.

-Fix the scheduling. If you actually let the employees work with you to create a schedule that meets their needs as well as yours you would get better performance.

Pros

- Higher that average pay for a call center
- Free food/ fun incentives
- Good benefits package

Cons

- No job security what so ever
- Extreme lack of communication (you can be told you are doing great 4 days in a row and then "let go" on the 5th.)
- Sickening climate of fear in this workplace
- Lack of respect and sensitivity during the "let go" process

Advice to Senior Management

Do not hire people just to fire them. People have feelings, and goals, and bills... do not just hire people, train them and then let them go for not being a "good fit." I followed all the rules, was an exceptional employee, and was fired for no legitimate reason. This company is getting a bad reputation for treating it's employees like disposable pee ons. Take some PRIDE in your people, let them excel and nurture them.

Pros

Get health insurance on date of hire, and decent pay
Eight free dvd at a time plan
Great co-workers
Free food
Very nice cleaning crew
Near easy freeway access
Close to many restaurants

Cons

Lack of communication between management and employees and many managers/supervisors who have little or no experience working with other people or managing in a constructive manor. Fear based management style, the sense of loosing your job for lack of staying within the metrics, your supervisor having a bad day, or any other reason they come up with. Manditory overtime with the expectation you will work it or loose your job. NO respect for doctors notes. The large number of people getting walked out on a daily and weekly basis. Seeing co-workers in tears over there job.

Advice to Senior Management

It would be great to hear feedback some day that Netflix, is an awesome place to work. From ex-employees instead of disgruntle employees who wished they never worked for your company. Netflix has a great product, it would be nice to see the same effort put into the employees moral.

Pros

The pay, and the perks, ie. free netflix!

Cons

Terrible management! Very high schoolish. It is not how good you can do your job, its how good you are with your supervisor. Actual comment from a supervisor when asked to come in a couple minutes late for a school exam was "you need to think about what is important to you right now, school or your job." Supervisors are very self absorbed and if you are not all about them then you will be fired and off their team.

Advice to Senior Management

Training program is very good. They let you know what is expected of you and how to get there. Unfortunately the supervisors do not match up with the training. The training was very thorough and we went through a lot. I was very dissapointed when I got out and noticed that each sup had their own way and went a total different direction then training. We wer given examples of what not to do and you would see the supervisor doing it constantly. We were given specific verbage that we could use in certain circumstances and the supervisor will let you know how terrible you are for using that verbaige and that is not the netflix way! very contridictive. Managers only go by what their supervisors say about you so if your supervisor doesnt like you they have all the power to get rid of you. Very high turn over rate! I personally saw at least 30 people fired during the short time I was there. Even though I read the comments about get in and get out before getting canned, I went into the job thinking that would never happen! I did everything I was told to do was told I would be amazing by all the trainers and that I would go far, wasnt my supervisors best friend, so I got fired.