Ever manage to replace one disc out of a set? (1 Viewer)

[Jason Bennion]

So here's my sob story: my girlfriend got me Magnum PI: The Complete First Season for my birthday last September. I've been watching it a little at a time and have just made it onto the final disc in the set when I encounter a manufacturing defect.

It's the usual pain that comes from Universal's double-sided discs -- the image freezes up and locks my DVD player so I can't fast-forward or reverse. I've tried cleaning the disc and playing it in different machines. Same problem regardless of what I do, so it's obviously a bad disc.

The receipt on the set is long gone and my girl doesn't remember for sure where she got it. Best Buy won't take it back without a receipt. Costco will accept the set, but they don't have it in stock anymore so I can't trade straight across.

Even if I do replace the whole set, then I'll be pressured to view the whole thing ASAP to make sure there isn't another defect. The easiest solution, if I could find a way to do, would be to keep the current set and just swap the bad disc.

My question is this: has anyone ever gotten Universal to replace a single disc from a TV set, and if so, how? I've tried emailing them with no response...

 

[Vader]

Ah, the days of multidisc sets on LaserDisc.... The local Sound Shop had a really cool owner: He would let me mix-n match until I got a complete set..... No such luck on DVD (this why I'm terrifed to get Star Trek TNG.... 49 discs at once?!?!?!)

Jason, I would keep trying.... Good luck!

 

[Pete Battista]

The only way I been able to is through the distributor. Happened twice with FOX for me. But these cases was a mistake on their end. Wasn't due to scratched or damaged discs.

 

[Jason Bennion]

Derek, it sounds like your local laserdisc dealer was a cool guy. That's partly why I hate dealing with national chains, because you don't get that kind of treatment very often.

Pete, in this case I believe the problem is a manufacturing defect as opposed to damage - I can sort of make out an object of some kind just below the clear outer layer of the disc, dust or maybe a small hair or something. Universal Quality Control strikes again!

At this point I'm thinking I'll just go the Costco option, get my money back and try buying another set elsewhere, unless anyone else has an idea?

 

[GuruAskew]

My "X-Files" Season Three played fine on all six discs with episodes on them, but the extras disc, #7, wouldn't play at all. I took the set back to the store where I bought it and exchanged it, but since I didn't want to have to go through the first six discs again to make sure they weren't defective, I asked if I could just swap out the old Disc 7 for the new one and keep the discs I had watched, and of course they let me.

 

[Mark Lx]

I've took my Dallas set back which had one flawed or damaged disk and they opening a new (5 disk) set and replaced the one disk. That's customer service.

 

[Bill Williams]

I've had it happen to me twice. The first time around was with Artisan's Twin Peaks S1. For some reason the fourth disc kept locking up and wouldn't play. I wound up taking it to Best Buy and got a replacement set, and I was very happy with the disc playing normally as it was supposed to.

Last year I got Have Gun, Will Travel S1, and the fifth disc wouldn't even play at all. I contacted Paramount Home Video and requested a replacement disc, and they were very happy to supply me with a replacement set altogether. Now that's class.

 

[Jason Hughes]

Universal has good customer service (in my past experiences, anyway). Get the contact info from the Digital Bits. The key is you have to call, not e-mail. Make sure you get a live person and they will be responsive. I've always asked to talk to somebody from the DVD deparment (that seems to work) and the operator will send to directly to somebody (not just another customer service loop).

The people in their DVD department have been very nice (on the two times I had to send a Universal disc back). They are a little slow (something about only being able to send product out once a month) but they replaced my Gladiator disc that rotted, years after I bought it.

That said, I don't know what they would do for large, multi-disc set. It would seem best for them to just have you send in the bad disc only (like in one of those AOL cases or something).

 

[John*P]

I was thinking of trying to replace a disc in my Gilmore Girls: Season 1 set. On an episode on disc 3, the audio and video glitch up for a few seconds during a few scenes...its pretty annoying. There are no scratches or anything on the disc, it is visually in mint condition. How would I go about getting a new disc from WB? Would I have to send them my copy of disc 3 in the mail or something? That would be kind of uncomfortable for me...in the possible event that they never get around to sending me a replacement for whatever reason. Or maybe the replacement disc could be even more glitchy then my current one. Oh, the paranoia... :-p

 

[Dean C]

I am amazed you can do that. Not all companys will do that. A store clerk was even amazed.

I replaced 2 box sets both that had double sided for instance Gilligan's Island was one I had to. Good thing they were reduced in price.

I'll try that next time but isn't the postage extra too? I hope nothing happens to bigger sets where 1 disc gets ruined.

 

[Josh LM]

Why do you keep bringing back year old posts?