Warner Archive Discussion Thread (FEEDBACK) - Page 94

TonyD,
     No malace taken. Didn't mean my post to be as hardline as it sounded. As far as my block written posts. I just figured they were a rant and let them flow.Next time i'll be more careful with that.
     As far as my post.i was just trying to convey a problem with the ordering part of the Archive program. They still just don't seem to have a smooth way to fix an issue when it involves the warehouse end.I do think they need to fix that.And i hoped that by posting it on this board it may bring it to the attention of someone who may be able to fix that issue..

Happy to assist you guys.

I have created a new Warner Archives announcement and
discussion topic here.

Let me know if you need the title or description edited to
something that would suit you better. 

Jeff,

Let's try the two thread format for a while.

Reason being, I have received similar feedback from the
studio side that perhaps it would be better for the news
and complaints to be separated for the sake of being able
to keep things in better perspective.  In other words, the
news, reaction to the news, and the complaints are all
getting meshed together.

If the membership feels this is not working out better in
this format I will certainly look to go back to the single
thread system.

Suggested reading: BARRIE MAXWELL'S latest column in the DIGITAL BITS.  Where he reviews 2 WA titles and addresses the archive itself.

I received my sci-fi and crime archive bundles and I am happy with the quality as I paid around $7.50 per disc (by using a coupon) and I feel I got my money's worth.

However, there are no coupons that I can use anymore, one of the reasons being that they no longer allow you to use coupons on bundles. At $10+ dollars per disc, I just can't get myself to place another order...I guess I found the comfort zone for my archive purchases - around 7 to 8 dollars. Whether I buy any more bundles, (or any other archives), will depend on whether I see this price per disc again. I gues if I was only interested in 1 or 2 titles then the higher prices wouldn't worry me so much, but there are over 50 archive titles that I still want and I simply cannot afford the current prices.

 Oh, now ten dollars is too much.  I see.  This place never ceases to amaze me.

Some people are equally amazed that folks are willing to pay $15 to $20 for these. Your perception of a fair price is no more valid than theirs. 

It's a personal decision. Jay thoughtfully posted his opinion explaining how he views it, without denigrating others like you who obviously are willing to pay more. So go ahead and make your own judgments about the value vs. price. Post your thoughts about why you think these are worth the price. But spare us the condescending attitude about what other people think and decide to do.

 And please spare me the condescending responses.  There's nothing condescending in my one-line post.  It's my opinion - you've heard of an opinion, I'm sure.  The fact that anyone thinks ten bucks is too much for a movie they'd like to own, DVD-R or not, is, in my opinion, so typical of today's buyers.  I'm not talking about paying twenty or fifteen or twelve - ten dollars.  Really.  But seven-fifty is okay because then people are, in essence, playing with house money, and that seems to be the deal with a lot of people.  And I just don't get it really.  I'm not putting anyone down - read this entire thread and you'll see why I posted what I did - first people complain bitterly about twenty bucks.  Then coupons start appearing so they get to play with house money a little and everyone brags about only paying fifteen or fourteen.  Then that's gets old, more coupons show up, bundles show up, then they brag about getting it for ten bucks.  Then that gets old.  Now we're down to seven-fifty.  What's next?  Warners should just send everyone their discs for free?

Well, I've read the entire thread, Billy, and your posts do border on the condescending. 

It's all about the perceived value of the product which determines its worth to an individual.  And many people in this thread have made it clear that they don't think the quality of the product is worth $20, $15 or $10. 

I'm sure someone will chime in at any moment to say Warner could send them the discs for free and they'd refuse 'em. 

I agree with Jay.  I originally paid full price on my first order.  Out of five discs, one disc was the wrong movie within the correct box.  Warners' customer service corrected the error to my satisfaction.  But with quality not much better than what I'm getting by recording off TCM on a DVD-R and no extras whatsoever, I couldn't justify placing another order at full price.  I've used coupons to get the price down and ordered bundles on the rare times when the titles I wanted were offered in bundles, but over time I've come to realize that the whole enterprise is too flaky to waste my time with for the prices they charge.  I'm not receiving emails with valid coupon codes.  I have to find them here and sometimes they work but usually they don't.   One time the site would not accept my credit card information, even though it was already on file.  At this point, with limited access to coupons, I can't be bothered anymore, especially when factoring in shipping.  I prefer shopping in stores such as DVD Planet here in Orange County, CA anyway.  I'll just get what I want from TCM for as long as that source lasts.

However, if they start offering quantity discounts for placing large orders that would bring the price per disc below $10, I would reconsider.  Either that, or more bundles to bring the price down.  As Jay indicated, I've discovered my price threshold after placing several orders and finding the quality of the product and convenience of use just doesn't justify paying more.  I'd say $9.99 is my threshold.  Once you're into double-digit dollars, I expect professionally pressed discs.

Right on cue...     

Well, it's been a half-hour. Figured that was too long a wait...

Yes, it is too much for me. As I stated in my post, I simply can't afford to spend $10 or more on these, especially when I can buy most pressed catalog DVDs (including Warner's) at below $10 cost on the internet or by waiting for coupons or sales. I just can't see myself buying a lesser quality product like the Archives at a higer price than pressed DVDs, especially when there are over 50 archive titles that I want and my want list grows every month.

Whether you like it or not, this is simply how the DVD market is today in regards to prices. Now you may perceive that the value of these titles warrant a $10 to $20 price tag, which is fine...but you shouldn't be amazed that others may not feel the same way as you. I'm not amazed that people will pay $20 on these titles...I just assume they make more money than me

"you've heard of an opinion, I'm sure." -- Yes, I have. I suppose you feel that's not condescending either.

I just think you could express yourself in a way that doesn't belittle others here. Why do you need to say "this place never ceases to amaze me," to make your point? Why not just say that you think maybe people's expectations of lower prices are a little unrealistic at this point and that you feel $10 per disc is a fair price? Then we have both opinions expressed with no disrespect.

I don't know about your "house money" theory. Maybe that's the case for some. But for quite some time many had gotten used to paying an average of about $6 per pressed disc with new transfers in all the Warner box sets. Fairly or unfairly, that tends to set a precedent that makes it difficult for some to rationalize buying very many similar Archives titles at even $10 per burned disc with "as is" transfers. The quality of the product goes down and the price goes up.

I've blindly spent $6 to $8 per disc for some of the Warner boxes, based on the quality of their product and good reviews. But I have to really know and want an Archive film to pay $10 or more for it. On a single title here or there it isn't so bad, but it adds up if you want very many of them. No more "mass collecting" like in the past.

I've bought a lot of these Archive titles, usually using coupons.  I've bought a few of the bundles.  What it comes down to, for me, is how much do I desire a particular title? 

I'm assuming that few, if any, of these Archive releases will ever appear on a pressed DVD.  So first and foremost, I weed out the titles I have no interest in, at any price.  Then I try to identify the ones I want the most and, so far, with patience, those are the ones I have used the coupon codes on.  And I, like others, rely on someone posting those codes from time to time.  (For whatever reason, only rarely do they show up on the websites that list coupons.)  That leaves me with a large number of titles that I might buy if they become available at a sale or coupon price.  If they don't ever come on sale at a price to my liking I just won't buy them.  Right now there are about seven or eight I would buy should a nice coupon appear but which will go unbought by me until it does.

I waited for the Randolph Scott bundle, not knowing for sure if it would finally show up.  However, I did not wait for the elusive "Women of Warners" bundle that has never appeared; I have purchased most of the Lupino and Sheridan titles I wanted using other coupons.  Now I hope that there will eventually be Hedy Lamarr, Al Jolson, and Elizabeth Taylor bundles, because I think I would enjoy most of those titles, but not at the full price.  But if the bundles never show up I may or may not eventually pick a few of those Lamarr and Taylor titles that I find most interesting.

So what's my point?  That I have some idea of what I would pay for any title I am interested in.  There are a few as yet unseen titles that I might purchase for full price someday - but only a very few.  Whereas some might become attractive to me if they become available in the 5 for $49.95 category, etc.

The $19.95 is a single price applied to almost all these Archive releases.  Of course, I wish it were far less, say $12.95.  However, for some of us - a long-desired title might be worth that $19.95 price.  Others may choose to wait for bargains, etc.

I am sure Warners compiles sales data on all the Archive titles, including how sales respond to coupons, etc.  But I will say one final thing.  My initial ardor for the Archive has cooled somewhat and, with the appearance of more and more titles, the odds are less likely that I will rush to purchase any title except for the ones on my all-time want list. 

Over the years I have bought a very large number of DVDs and CDs - almost never at suggested retail prices, because I know if I shop around and wait I can find bargains.  Since the Archive is controlled by one source - Warners - (and don't think they aren't aware of what TCM and others are selling the Archive titles for) - it is up to me - the customer - to decide what each newly listed title is worth to me.

I think the issue of whether or not Warner should allow its coupons to work on the value paks and the 5 for $49.95 sales is an important one. It goes to the heart of consumer relations. 

Allowing the coupons to work would be a good PR move. It would show that they are trying to give loyal fans who buy in bulk the best price possible. Perhaps it would also slightly make up for the problems people have had with their website. 

I can't complain about the price of my last order,since they gave it to me for free because  of the hassle. But i wish they would keep up the coupons. I think $10 a movie is fair,but $7 is much more enticing.Where i may hold back on a movie or value pak at $10 per disc i would probably bite at $7. Just my feelings on the subject.

I'm wondering if anyone has bought I Died A Thousand Times? Is the transfer any good? What is the UPC?

 I seem to always pay full price and have never been offered a coupon.  They certainly don't come in any emails. 

Are you signed up to the mailing list? Scroll down and look at the bottom right:
http://www.wbshop.com/Warner-Archive/ARCHIVE,default,sc.html

Over the last couple of months, none of the emails I've gotten have contained coupons.  These days they're basically just using the emails to announce new titles.  Despite all of our complaining, the Archive must be doing pretty well considering they haven't really adjusted the prices and have become stingier with coupons.

Everyone keeps talking about the $10 price point -- where is this coming from?  If you don't count the one time they had a 10/$100 coupon, only a small fraction of the Archive titles have ever been available for $10, via the "value paks."

LOL! I'm still waiting for them to add international postage.

Other than the first e mail i received,i have not received anymore coupon codes in e mail.Most of my codes have come from this board .

Well, because sometimes the attitudes in this place never cease to amaze me.  I'm sorry some of you are so thin-skinned as to take that as "condescension" or "belittling."  I've seen real condescension and belittling go on here and it's a lot worse and a lot more personal than "this place never ceases to amaze me."  Really.  I do understand the times we live in and I certainly understand discussion boards and the Internet, but this sort of nitpicking thin-skinned misinterpretation is extremely silly, IMO.  You can disagree with my point, but there's no real cause to go on about the way in which I said it.  I mean, if I'd said the first line of my original post and followed it with "what a fool" or "how stupid" or "what a spoiled, entitled person" then you might have a point.  But I didn't, did I? 

 Like BorisW, I have only received one code in an e-mail - all others have come from this thread.  And certain people here have learned the fine art of working the Warner Archive system to somehow bring the price down to ten dollars.  I don't think I've had that happen yet - I always save twenty-five percent or so, plus the occasional, but not always, free shipping.  I must learn the fine art of playing with house money - it must take time to figure it out, but certainly it's working for some people on this board :)

If that's the case I think we should stop it altogether now.

Let's remain respectful to each other's opinions and express
those opinions without belittling.

Billy:  One of the hallmarks of the HTF is that it's a place to have a reasoned discussion on HT topics of interest.  While you might not have said "how stupid" as part of your reaction to the post in question...you also did not offer up any kind of explanation for your dismissive post that the OP was wrong to have named a $8 pricepoint.  I think it is generally considered bad form to make drive-by comments denigrating someone else's viewpoint without offering up a thoughtful response as to why you disagree. 

By not following up, it almost seemed as if you were implying the "how stupid" point without saying it.  I know I certainly inferred it.

I don't see the responses your post generated here as us all being thin-skinned (or nit-picking)...but simply trying to make the point we didn't see any reason to knock Jay E for his viewpoint--which he took the time to explain--without offering up your own opinion as to what a fair pricepoint would be.  That's all. 

And you certainly must realize that if you feel that you've been the subject of belittling or condescending behavior at any time (or seen it happen to others) you could ask administrators to review the situation, right?  They do a pretty good job keeping things flowing smoothly around here. 

I've always felt the discs were worth about $5.  Not $20, not $15, not $10, hardly $7.50.  I made an initial order back in the Spring to try it out and never since, until they started releasing shorts this month.  I did use a coupon code at the time and it worked... barely -- 4 out of 5 titles discounted 20%, go figure.  It irritates me to no end that they give out codes that apparently don't even work on every title (and I'm not even talking about trying to apply it to bundles).  They sent me a code for my birthday in July, so I tried to use it.  My shopping cart said the code had been "applied", but apparently it didn't apply to ANYTHING I cared to put into my cart.  Thanks for nothing.  Maybe they could have included a list of "these 5 titles" or however many it was the code would actually work with.  The site at least seems somewhat improved lately, but still easily one of the poorest shopping sites I've ever tried to use.  I don't really like it at all.

Anyway I like that they will be releasing shorts and other material.  I was able to slip in an early order for the Our Gang set for $19.95, and that was pretty nice.  I'd like the Dogville shorts, but not for $24.95!  For the record I can afford any price point they choose, its just a matter of value -- what's it worth to me.  Certainly not $20 for a 50 cent disc with no extras, a print that may or may not be all that good and may or may not be interlaced.