Netflix complaint: Downloaded Content Doesn’t Play

I have gone round and round with Netflix Help trying to solve this issue – apparently I’m the only person in the world that this happens to: I frequently travel, and I always download shows and movies to watch on flights and while on my trips. On my Microsoft Surface Pro, this content becomes unavailable and cannot be viewed as soon as the computer is placed into airplane mode – which is the exact point of downloading movies. I understand regional restrictions, but they are always downloaded in the US, and frequently I try to view them in the US, but once airplane mode turns on, I cannot load anything.

During the last conversation I had with Support, I was told that Netflix searched for my location in order to honor regional restrictions on shows. Even when in airplane mode. They also said that Netflix-created shows and movies had no such restrictions, therefore I should stick to those for downloads. That worked for a little while, but again, I have no access to hours of downloaded content. In addition, there are download limits on every show, so in order to follow their recommendations and reset the app, everything has to be erased. Sometimes they cannot be downloaded again, ever. This is simply the most frustrating use of a paid service I’ve ever had. Before the pandemic, I was traveling 2-3 weeks a month for a year and a half, and was unable to use my Netflix account during most of that time.

I spoke with Microsoft Support who agreed with me — it makes no sense that Netflix is looking for my location when the computer is in airplane mode. Downloaded content is downloaded content. Web support is nearly nonexistent by Netflix.