Dear Netflix,

I never thought I’d have to write this letter but the time has come. I’m breaking up with you. Don’t worry, though. It’s you, not me.

At first I was willing to deal with your price increase betrayal. I accepted that the days of cheap entertainment were over because with your vast library, not to mention your convenience, you were still less expensive than going to the movies and, given my propensity towards forgetfulness, I could return the movies when I remembered (which is not often, I admit). Not to mention the streaming library was perfect for lazy and forgetful chicks like me. And you also know how much I love a cheap date.

But then things started to go sour. Movies started to have a “short wait”. I realized that not every movie I had selected for Blu-Ray was now not always available in Blu-Ray. After that, the amount of movies available started to decrease. OK, OK, I understand that I don’t always pick the most popular movies or movies that more than 9 people have ever seen but that was part of your allure! I could find those movies and not have to suffer the shame of renting them from a video store (remember those? Those bastions of entertainment that you helped go the way of the dinosaur and Frankenberry cereal?). What kept me around was the Starz library and sometimes, if I was lucky, I could find a popular movie on streaming. I also enjoyed that fact that, when I finally get my iPhone, I could watch a streaming movie and my daughter could still watch one of hers on the Blu-Ray player.

Now that’s all going away. Netflix, what is the matter with you? Can’t you see that you no longer have a monopoly  on cheap movie rentals? Hulu, Redbox, Amazon, even iTunes…they’re all encroaching on what you created. And they’re doing a better job! Instead of fighting for it, you’re rolling over and taking it. That doesn’t sound like someone who wants to be in a good, healthy relationship. That sounds like someone who deosn’t care. I want to be with someone who fights and cares and provides me with what I need when I hand over my money.

Please realize we’ll still be friends. I’m not getting rid of the streaming service. That I like. It’s a reasonable price, it’s convenient and it has numerous Care Bears movies which makes my daughter extremely happy (not to mention, it gives me the chance to make dinner in peace). But as far as the other movies? Well, I’m just going to have to take my business elsewhere. Once I watch the Millennium Trilogy in Swedish.

Thanks for the memories, Netflix. We’ll always have Inception.