There are certain companies and services that consumers feel very strongly about. Apple, for one, has always fostered a sense of community with its customers, and those customers remain loyal. This year, Netflix made a series of business moves (some would say blunders) that left its customers feeling offended, hurt and even betrayed. First, it split its DVD-by-mail and unlimited-streaming package into two separate services, which equaled a 60% price hike for customers who wanted both services. Then it renamed the DVD-by-mail service Qwikster. The moves prompted tens of thousands of comments on Netflix's Facebook page, including some like this: Todays to-do list: #1. Cancel Netflix service. #2 Sell Netflix stock. #3 Call/email/write everyone I know and tell them to do the same. Within days, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings was backtracking and apologizing to angry customers. The Netflix outrage seemed to signal a shift in how consumers view themselves in regard to the companies they love something that goes beyond the traditional client-business relationship that may reflect the ties that social networking has fostered between companies and customers.
The Top 10 Everything of 2011
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Business Blunders
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Comebacks
- Top 10 Consumer-Spending Trends
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Campaign-Debate Moments
- Top 10 Best Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Worst Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Food Trends
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Trends
- Top 10 Marriage Stories
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Memes
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Worst Movies
- Top 10 Best Movies
- Top 10 New Findings in Parenting
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Numbers
- Top 10 Oddball-News Stories
- Top 10 Overreported Stories
- Top 10 People Not Running for President
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Protest Signs
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Ridiculously Obvious Study Findings
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Smart-Phone Apps
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Space Moments
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 Toys
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Best Tweets
- Top 10 Worst Tweets
- Top 10 U.S.-News Stories
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Creative Videos
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 World-News Stories
- Top 10 Photos of the Year
In 54 wide-ranging lists, TIME surveys the highs and lows, the good and the bad, of the past 12 months