Tuesday, August 11, 2009

GreenCine Availability Statuses Decoded

On the surface, GreenCine's availability indication system seems incredibly simple. The system is based on weighted colors bars and is a bit similar to the Department of Homeland Security's terror threat level system. In order, the colors bars are green, blue, yellow, orange, and red. A long green bar indicates a high probability you will receive a particular title while a short red bar indicates a very low probability you will receive a particular title.

There is one problem with this availability system, however. Any title with less than green availability may take a tremendous amount of time to ship. Basically, if a title's availability is blue, yellow, orange, or red, you are likely to face a very long wait to see it. Since GreenCine's availability system is deceptively simple, here is a proposed summary of what each availability indicator color actually means.

Green - We will send this to you in the next 24 hours.

Blue - Although the blue status might give you a lot of hope, it is very possible we will not send this title to you, even if you have had an empty shipping slot in your queue for days.

Yellow - Honestly, you are embarrassing yourself. Even though you have had multiple empty shipping slots in your queue all week, we are not going to send this movie to you. So have some pride and remove it from your queue.

Orange - Our last copy of this movie came back scratched three years ago, and we have not gotten around to ordering a replacement. We think we saw the DVD on Amazon for like $10 the other day.

Red - Seriously, we're not even sure if this is an actual movie.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Title Availability Is the Biggest Problem at GreenCine

If you have a GreenCine account, you are already aware of the tremendous title availability problems at GreenCine. GreenCine has thousands upon thousands of different titles in their inventory, but many of those titles are stocked in horribly insufficient quantities. Some titles are in high demand, and GreenCine does not stock enough copies. Other titles may be in low demand, but GreenCine has an extremely low supply. Regardless, GreenCine does not have enough copies of many titles to meet the demand for those titles. Conceivably, GreenCine could have only one copy of a title for the entire country, but they could still list that title as being in their inventory.

Fortunately, GreenCine does have an availability indication system. Generally, if GreenCine's Web site indicates a title is in adequate supply (with a full green bar), there is a very good chance GreenCine will ship that title to you within the next business day. If the title's availability is anything but green (i.e., blue, yellow, orange, or red), there is a very good chance you will not be shipped the title. Even if you have had empty shipping slots in your queue for days in a row, and your queue is loaded only with titles having less than green availability, GreenCine might not ship a DVD to you for days. Theoretically, if your queue contains dozens of titles but no green titles, your GreenCine account could sit idle indefinitely even though all of your shipping slots are open.

If you have a GreenCine account and you want to maximize your benefits, it highly advisable you keep at least ten titles with green availability at the bottom of your queue. Do not, however, put titles in your queue that you do not want to see. It is highly likely GreenCine will pass over dozens of less than green titles in your queue and ship only the green titles.

The sad truth about this is that if GreenCine's Web site displays a title with anything less than green availability, there is a real chance you will never get to see this title as a GreenCine rental. At the very least, you are in for a long, long wait.

This availability problem has been an issue at GreenCine for a few years, and GreenCine does not seem to be doing enough to address the issue. It is unclear why GreenCine does not do a better job of gauging and meeting customer demands. Either, GreenCine has serious inventory management problems, they have found limited availability is profitable, or they just do not care. Regardless, GreenCine has a frustrating availability problem, and this is a huge disadvantage for GreenCine subscribers.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

GreenCine Promises No Throttling

Amidst a storm of criticism of throttling in the DVD-by-mail industry, GreenCine has wisely clarified their "no throttling" policy. Click here to read more.

Friday, November 25, 2005

GreenCine Corporate Mailing Address

GreenCine
PO Box 7103
San Francisco, CA 94120-7103

GreenCine Email Adresses

From the GreenCine Web site:

Questions about your GreenCine service: support@greencine.com. Our cheerful customer support will fix your problem and brighten your day. Seriously.

Press Inquiries: pr@greencine.com. Arrange for interviews, learn about upcoming stuff at GreenCine.

Partnerships: partnerships@greencine.com. Our people will talk to your people. We'll do lunch.

Events events@greencine.com. Question about something coming up? Reactions to our last shindig? Here.

Editorial: editor@greencine.com. For inquiries about writing featured content for GreenCine, syndicating content, or about existing pieces...

Film Content: content@greencine.com. If you're a filmmaker, producer or distributor of GreenCine-type movies, we should talk.

DVD Requests: dvdrequest@greencine.com. If you think a title is missing from our catalog that should be there, feel free to nudge us with a request.

Catalog Error Corrections: corrections@greencine.com. We're shocked, shocked to hear there's an error in our catalog. Send any suggested changes to this address and we'll try to correct the error.

Greencine Functionality: suggestions@greencine.com. Drop us a line here if you want to make a suggestion related to our web site's functionality.

General Information or Comments: info@greencine.com

About GreenCine

From the GreenCine Web site:

GreenCine is THE West Coast DVD Rental Community for the Alternative Scene

GREENCINE IS ABOUT ART NOT ARTIFICE
We're not about being a chump; we're not about being a cheerleader. We're about having a conscience and making cultural cocktails that will knock your socks off.

GreenCine carries the best selection of off-the-wall indie, arthouse and excellent DVD fare out there. GreenCine is about a life of art and the art of life AND celebrating a return of the arts to the Bay Area. GreenCine is about community AND making sure great filmmakers, art houses and festivalgoers all have a place they can call home. We're committed to the community of artists who make it happen, in a City that's happening - and we want you to be involved!

GREENCINE IS ABOUT DIVERSITY NOT MONOTONY
Fascism sucks. On both ends of the spectrum. That's why at GreenCine there's something for everyone. We like anime, foreign, HK action and classics titles - and even an occasional blockbuster or two. If what you like to see is off-center, or dead center, in terms of taste, GreenCine is for you.

GREENCINE IS ABOUT GETTING CONNECTED
GreenCine is about community. It's about bringing together like and unlike people who have a yen for the offbeat, eclectic and unusual, generating heat. We mean white heat. And action. Social action, cultural action, creative action and interaction. So when you've had enough of sitting on your duff waiting for the world to come to your sofa, look us up and get involved. Make a difference.

GREENCINE IS ABOUT SASS
Don't just sit there. Be a critic. Show your colors. Rate, review and compile lists that you thought only a freak like you would be interested in. Throw a topic into the discussion boards and watch the churn. Don't feel like yakking? Rent and run. Content, community, online and off-we've got you covered.

SO WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?
Your GreenCine membership gives you access to over 25,000 titles in our DVD library through the web. We send them to you by mail - you return them when you like. No due dates, no late fees, no postage fees. Or, without even having to be a member, you can choose from thousands more titles via our Video-on-Demand service.

SOUNDS INTRIGUING, WHAT'S NEXT?
Check it out. Register now so you can see what's cooking. Read our FAQ. Or take a peek around town for those GREEN flyers at local clubs and stores, and sign up. You decide.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

GreenCine Customer Experiences

Have you used GreenCine? Please share your experience.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

GreenCine Opinions

What is your opinion of GreenCine?

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Saturday, March 13, 2004

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