Netflix’s anti-giveaway trials have left some users confused, according to a Rest of World report. The streaming service began experimenting with account-sharing solutions in Peru, Chile and Costa Rica in March, encouraging subscribers in those markets to pay extra for it.
After polling more than a dozen Netflix subscribers in Peru, Rest of World found that most users were not formally notified of the policy change via email or notification sent by Netflix—less than two months after Netflix’s initial announcement.
The publication also learned that the level of compliance with Netflix policies varied from user to user, with some users with shared accounts reporting ignoring verification prompts without any penalty to the account owner.
Another user told Rest of World that he never received word of the policy change and continued to use the shared account without any problems.
“ A Netflix account is for people who live together in the same house ,” Netflix spokeswoman Kumiko Hidaka said in a statement to The Verge, commenting on the concept of “family sharing,” which many use as a loophole for the quite official use of one account for several people.
The cost of an additional account is less than the cost of registering a separate new account. Netflix charges an additional fee of $2.89 in Chile, $2.99 in Costa Rica and $2.13 in Peru for adding two more users who are outside the account holder’s family.
