Netflix has apologized for an outage that left subscribers unable to stream content through its website on Tuesday.
“Recently you may have had trouble instantly watching TV episodes or movies due to technical issues,” Netflix said in an email. “We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.”
The site was reportedly inaccessible for about an hour and 40 minutes on Tuesday evening.
To make up for the inconvenience, Netflix is offering a 3 percent credit towards customers’ next monthly bill. Before you get too excited, consider that Netflix is offering a credit of 3 percent on $7.99, the monthly fee for Netflix’s streaming-only service. That comes out to just under $0.24 — small consolation to those who might have been begrudgingly forced to open a book on Tuesday night.
While $0.24 may seem small to individual customers, consider that if all 20 million of Netflix’s subscribers took advantage of the refund, it would amount to a total of almost $4.8 million in compensation. It’s not clear, however, if Netflix is extending the refund offer to all of its customers across the board.
Note that credit will not be applied automatically. Users will have to click on an “account specific link” contained in the email within seven days in order receive their two dimes and four pennies worth of compensation.
Netflix’s apology comes shortly after the company finalized a deal to distribute its own original TV series “House of Cards.” The series will star Kevin Spacey and will be directed by David Fincher, whose recent work includes the Oscar-nominated “The Social Network.”
