Netflix free trial won't accept ANY form of payment?!? HELP!!

[MuseChaser]

Our story begins yesterday, when our wonderful elderly neighbor asked me if I could get her on Netflix so she could watch her granddaughter on some show called, "The Circle." Sure... happy to help.. I do remote support for my Dad's windows and android machines, manage a bunch of accounts for him, maintain our own fairly complex and locked down network w/ fifteen or so devices attached... how hard can it be, right?

Background... I had a Netflix account a LONG time ago.. in the DVD era when streaming was still young. Have not had one since... probably 12 years ago, anyway. No other background needed.

The problem.. when trying to sign her up for a new account, using the "30-day free trial" option, NO forms of payment are accepted. The following message pops up every time...

"There appears to be a problem with the payment method you are trying to use."

I have tried five different email accounts, five different credit cards, PayPal, four different devices, three different browsers, logging on from her network, from mine, and from my cell data connection, and the same message appears every time. I know enough to clear the caches, cookies, history, and all other data of each browser, close it, and reopen it before every attempt. Netflix provided me with a gift code for one month, but I can't redeem it without entering a payment method. The "Skip" button a supervisor said should be present as an option is not present.

I was on the phone w/ Netflix support yesterday for a total of five representatives, two supervisors, and three hours. I also text-chatted with another support person for a total of six people contacted. I spent 8 hours on this for my neighbor yesterday, and another two hours so far today.

Netflix's answers can be summed up as "Some credit cards don't work." "We don't know what's causing your issue." "When this problem occurs, we recommend that the customer buy a gift card." Ummm... how can a 30 day free trial be free if you have to buy a gift card?

Devices used include a Win7 laptop with Brave and Firefox browsers, a Win10 laptop w/ Internet Explorer (hers, not mine), a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 using Brave, Chrome, and Firefox browsers, and a Moto G7 using a Brave browser. Email accounts have been two issued by our IP provider, Spectrum, ending in ... @twcny.rr.com, three different protonmail accounts, and two different gmail accounts. Credit cards include Discover, Visa. Also tried PayPal, with links to credit card and checking account.

The Netflix folks assured me that my past account 12 years ago was not a problem, and that they had no record of it. They also assured me that you could sign up for as many accounts as you wished from the same IP, and that wasn't the problem. Now, I have about seven accounts partially setup that I can log into the opening screen, but do nothing else.

I've written to privacy@netflix.com and asked that they wipe all of those accounts out, but got a form email back saying that they don't do support at that email address... yet that's the address the supervisor gave me.

Spoke w/ the folks at Discover today, and they assured me that my card works for recurring eCommerce transactions as required by Netflix, and that there had been zip, zero, nada transactions from Netflix attempted or denied. Even tried to setup a Netflix account w/ the Discover agent on the line at her suggestion, to see if ANYTHING was getting through. Nope.

If ANY of you, and I know there are a LOT of very skilled IT and network support folks here, have ANY idea what's going on and can help me help my neighbor, and maybe the ignorant souls at Netflix, solve this, I'd be very grateful. I've attached the transcript of the text chat... it was at the end of the day and I was getting a little "punchy," but hopefully it'll help elucidate the issue AND provide some entertainment. I was not at my best... not real proud of some of the things I typed... but we're all human.

[IceFyre13th]

Easy, the credit card companies are trying to prevent fraud because Netflix had a breach a while ago.......gift cards are an easy way to get payment without traceability....

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by IceFyre13th

Easy, the credit card companies are trying to prevent fraud because Netflix had a breach a while ago.......gift cards are an easy way to get payment without traceability....

That's an easy explanation... but it's not caused by my credit card company(ies). I was on the phone with one of them while trying to set up the account... nothing ever reaches them. This is entirely on Netflix's end. Gift cards require you to pay up front.. there's no way to get a 30 day "free" trial if you pay for a gift card.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

Sure... happy to help.. I do remote support for my Dad's windows and android machines, manage a bunch of accounts for him, maintain our own fairly complex and locked down network w/ fifteen or so devices attached... how hard can it be, right?

that right there is where you went wrong!

ask around the office, i'm sure someone can spare their netflix account credentials for someone who just wants to watch her granddaughter!

[Ultramaroon]

Google search returns a pile of complaints for this issue going back years. Looks like Netflix needs to get their act together.

[Ultramaroon]

Oh, they're all you.


https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/comm...o-help.123660/

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Oh, they're all you.


https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/comm...o-help.123660/

Hehehehe...thanks for checking. That one is, but there are others that aren't ....

https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/...s/td-p/1354454

There's a few other bits, too, but that one is the most similar. I duplicated my original post here and on that pilot's forum (the only other one I regularly participate in) because there's lots of IT/support type folks in both places. Still hoping for a solution. Netflix doesn't seem to know or care. Read the transcript I attached if you haven't already.

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Oh, they're all you.


https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/comm...o-help.123660/

Hehehehe...thanks for checking. That one is, but there are others that aren't ....

https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/...s/td-p/1354454

There's a few other bits, too, but that one is the most similar. I duplicated my original post here and on that pilot's forum (the only other one I regularly participate in) because there's lots of IT/support type folks in both places. Still hoping for a solution. Netflix doesn't seem to know or care. Read the transcript I attached if you haven't already.

[MuseChaser]

Annnnddddd...... for whatever strange reasons, one of the five accounts I set up finally worked this morning and accepted a card number... one of the same ones I've been trying for two days previously. Who knows. Not a real answer, but at least I can get my neighbor hooked up.

I had never heard of "The Circle" on Netflix. Looks pretty stupid and trashy. I hope my neighbor isn't disappointed in her granddaughter.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

Hehehehe...thanks for checking. That one is, but there are others that aren't ....

I was just pulling your leg.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

Annnnddddd...... for whatever strange reasons, one of the five accounts I set up finally worked this morning and accepted a card number... one of the same ones I've been trying for two days previously. Who knows. Not a real answer, but at least I can get my neighbor hooked up.

I had never heard of "The Circle" on Netflix. Looks pretty stupid and trashy. I hope my neighbor isn't disappointed in her granddaughter.

Which one is her granddaughter? Lol

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by finch1750

Which one is her granddaughter? Lol

Hehehe.. I have no idea, and don't have the intestinal fortitude to sit through that (or any other) "reality" show. She told me that she is on the second episode. That's all I know.

[p1l0t]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

That's an easy explanation... but it's not caused by my credit card company(ies). I was on the phone with one of them while trying to set up the account... nothing ever reaches them. This is entirely on Netflix's end. Gift cards require you to pay up front.. there's no way to get a 30 day "free" trial if you pay for a gift card.

Put $5 on a prepaid card?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

Hehehe.. I have no idea, and don't have the intestinal fortitude to sit through that (or any other) "reality" show. She told me that she is on the second episode. That's all I know.

Well she already got kicked off then (I think), so you wont have to worry about getting granny service any longer lol