The slapfight between GameFly and the U.S. Postal Service now extends to the question of official-or-unofficial "Netflix Only" mail slots, which the rent-by-mail service contends is another example of the inappropriate preferential treatment its peers and competitors receive.
Last month, GameFly filed an order to force the USPS to provide figures showing how many of its retail locations have Netflix, Blockbuster, or other dedicated mail slots for DVD-based mail. The Postal Service said, in effect, "don't know what you're talking about," and said such slots, if they exist, would be against USPS policy. GameFly came back with pictures taken in Alturas and Susanville, Calif. (Susanville pictured above; both towns are well in the northern part of the state) showing just such a thing. The Postal Service has refused to authenticate the pics.
Dedicated mail slots are just one facet of GameFly's overall complaint against the Postal Service, which includes hand-sorting of competitors' and peers' disc mail, to avoid breakage, and that USPS automatic sorters break $300,000 worth of GameFly games per month.
The case is still, as they say, pending. Still, has anyone out there seen dedicated Netflix slots at their local Post Office?
Update on Gamefly Complaint With USPS That Netflix and Blockbuster Get Preferential Treatment [Hacking Netflix via Game Politics]