My So Called Life - DVD Boxset Release Details (2 Viewers)

[Jodee]

Yes, my creidt card company also initially said the same thing (it was too long after the limit) until I told them that it was a pre-order and that the promised delivery date kept getting pushed back (to June to Septemeber etc.). I told them I had emails promising delivery in September and that they never shipped the item so I cancelled.

They were then able to grant my request since the "expected delivery date" fell in time of the limit.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Good for you! As you can guess, I am still hoping against hope that we will get the lunchbox, and a bonus disc with some meaningful "extras" on it, other then Ross dancing gleefully in a big pile of cash ripped off from us, the fans. Maybe enough complaints to Visa, etc. will get some recourse.

Please note, that this is my first personal diatribe against Ross. I have mentioned th entire company before, but it seems more an more, that he is the head weasel, and what he does, the other(s) follow. I am personally very angered over the whole thing. The fact that I have the discs did very little to mollify my anger.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Lance, I wouldn't get my hopes up. AU is not going to deliver on the bonus material. They are broke and will be out of business before any lunchboxes or bonus discs ship.

 

[Mark_Wilson]

Does anyone know when (or if) this set ever did ship?

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

That depends on what you mean by set. If you mean the 5 disc box with the whole series, it has been shipping from most major etaillers since November. AU shipped about a week after all the major etallers, but had to ship is 3 waves over as many weeks.

There has been no word from AU at all about the bonus items promised. They still have numerous cancellations and overcharges which they haven't delt with. Their phones are out of service. They don't answer email. Make of that what you will.

 

[nousername]

Okay, I'll start right out by saying that I have not been following this thread at all, at least not since it was first started.

I remember I signed the petition to get the series released on DVD well over a year ago (on the mscl.com website), but when the offer came to preorder the boxset, I declined to do so because I didn't like the idea of prepaying for anything that wasn't even finalized yet. Since I thought this was the only way to get the set, I thought I'd never get to own the series on DVD, let alone see it in the stores.

However, I walked into my local FutureShop today and--lo and behold, there is the My So-Called Life: The Complete Series boxset (5 discs, 19 episodes) from BMG!

Huh? What happened? Did they finally decide to give it a general release after all? I thought it was only available to those who prepaid and preordered. Can someone summarize everything and bring me up to speed? Like I said above, I haven't been following this thread, so I don't know all the gory details.

Anyway, I decided to pick up the MSCL boxset. It was $87.99 Canadian dollars, for those who might be interested. I'm glad to finally be able to see all the episodes now. I missed some during its first and only season on the air...

 

[GaryEA]

Allan,
AnotherUniverse originally had a window of time where they were the "exclusive" vendor of the set. That included the regular set, the 4-19 set, and the lunchbox edition with bonus disc.
However, because of the numerous delays, AU ate all but one week of their exclusive rights to ship the set. Amazon, DDD and other online stores, who had started taking pre-orders at greatly reduced prices weeks before, began shipping around the same time AU did, and the sets appeared in retail stores as well. It should be noted that the retail and Amazon/DDD editions do not include any bonus items.
The lunchbox and bonus disc are still AU exclusives, but they are also MIA, with no official word as to when (or if) they will be released. The lunchboxes are done and awaiting shipment, but no one knows anything beyond that or about the bonus disc because of a total lack of info from AU.
There's a lot more going on as well in terms of customers not getting refunds for cancelled sets or overcharges, and there has been reports of sets being shipped to people who had cancelled months before. Basically, it's a mess.
BMG will lose it's rights to the show in the first half of next year (or should I say this year... D'oh!), with the rights reverting back to Buena Vista.
Hope this helped.
Gary

 

[nousername]

Thanks for the update, Gary!

Since this thread is 20 pages long, and my Internet speed isn't all that great, I really didn't want to go through all 584 replies to get the info I needed. So thanks again.

You're right about the mess. Whew! I don't know how they're going to sort THAT out. But I do hope that people get their refunds and all. It just ain't right to withold goods that have already been paid for...

 

[ryan_m]

I'm trying to get a refund and not getting anywhere. I guess I'm going to have to go the credit card route. This is an email I received over a month ago (when I was still optimistic).

From: Customer Service [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 11:25 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: MSCL DVD: Problem Processed
Dear Mr. Merrick,
I have changed your billing address to the correct address you listed in your previous email. In addition, I have submitted your canceled invoice to the accounting department. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to continue contacting us here at Another Universe. -Thomas, Customer Service at Another Universe.com

Since then I've sent a few emails to [email protected] with no response. Just sent another one and it get's returned saying user doesn't exist. Nice. Hey I did get the set at my work for $40, so $155 for a box set ain't bad (arhg!).

 

[nousername]

Hey I did get the set at my work for $40, so $155 for a box set ain't bad (arhg!).

Ouch! $155 is highway robbery! I hope you get your money back...

 

[David Lambert]

For the benefit of anyone who didn't get the mass e-mail I received yesterday from Jason Rosenfeld (Dry Grass Partners, LLC), I will quote that message here:

My So-Called Life DVD Update
(Note to Hotmail and other webmail users, you may have to cut and paste the links for them to work).
Summary:
1) A working number for AU.com 916-450-0707
2) No official word on bonus material.
3) Help in getting credit card refunds
3) AU/MSCL related sites and resources
First, I apologize for using mass mail to communicate with everyone, but with thousands of people to reach, it is the only time/cost effective method. As always, an unsubscribe link is available at the bottom of this email. We will use this list sparingly. If you are still waiting for bonus material or refunds, I recommend remaining on the list. It will not be used very often. Nevertheless, I recognize that mass mail is inherently intrusive, and I apologize once again.
Many customers continue to write to me to inquire about the status of their overcharge refunds. Unfortunately, there has been no offical word from AnotherUniverse.com. I am no longer in contact with them, but I have continued to try to push for refunds and many customers have offered to assist.
The main thing that people email me for is an AU.com phone number. AU.com disconnected most of its numbers in the last months of December. 916-450-0707 was originally disconnected, but it is now back in operation. There are no live operators, but you can leave a voicemail.
http://www.drygrass.com/mscl will remain in operation for the foreseeable future, although AU.com has not logged in for over a month. Still, it is not a bad idea to report a problem so that you can receive a record of the problem if you need it in the future. (No need to resubmit problems, they are all logged).
One thing that we have noticed is that some people were receiving credits from their banks, while others were being declined because the charges occured more than 60 days ago. It is my belief that by putting customers in contact with each other, and letting them get the word out, they can perhaps pressure AU *AND* their credit card companies to provide refunds.
Therefore, I am sending a list of sites that might be helpful in bringing customers together and sharing advice. If you successfully received a refund from AU or your credit card, there are many customers who would appreciate your advice.
Here are some sites that you can visit to make a difference:
Sign the Open Letter of Complaint to AnotherUniverse.com and be counted:
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/AU2/
Have helpful links for other customers? Add to the list of links at AnotherUniverseSUCKS.org, or add your story to the message forum:
http://www.anotheruniversesucks.org/...nks&file=index
Talk to other MSCL customers at:
http://www.mscl.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10
Additionally, I would like to ask AnotherUniverse.com to communicate with its customers via email to let them know when they can expect the balance of their bonus material.
Warm Regards,
Jason Rosenfeld
Dry Grass Partners, LLC

In case you guys forgot, Jason partnered with AU originally to help them get the MSCL set out. After the debacle with AU customers getting double-charged, customers cancelling (due to finding sets in-stores) and not getting refunds, vendors not getting paid on a timely basis or at all (including himself), etc., Jason had pulled out of the partnership. His involvement is now to assist customers to get their refunds where possible, because he's a stand-up kind of guy who doesn't want to see folks suffer as a result of something he was involved in (albeit unknowingly; he had no idea AU's customer service would turn out to be this bad!).
Many of the messages in this thread are from Jason, so you can read for yourself his involvement if you wish.

 

[Mark_Wilson]

I couldn't get my CC company to give me a refund because it was too long ago. I must have been one of the first to pre-order this in February of 2002. Someone had forwarded me an email from AU that listed the 'final' ship date as 9/18/02. That put it into the 60 day window and my CC comp. credited me no problem!

 

[GaryEA]

Allan,
No problem. I'm glad you're enjoying the set.
ryan_m,
Try to concentrate on getting a refund from your bank or cc company. If they deny you a refund because the item was ordered beyond a pre-determined length of time, go back and stress to them that AU continually changed the release date, had constant delays, and still hasn't delivered a complete set (nobody has received the lunch box or bonus disc).
Gather up all of your emails, especially the one from AU that states that the set would be released on 9/18/02, and be insistant that this is not an issue of "you changed your mind".
Stress to them that AU has not offered a single official notice on when the remaining items will be delivered. They have left their customers in the dark.
Gary

 

[Robert Ringwald]

WOW! What a fantastic series, which ABC sadly didn't have much faith in I guess.

I was just wondering though if anyone has this info. the series kind of ends on a cliffhanger, for everyone. I was wondering if anyone's ever heard of any interviews or anything, on what would have happened if the series would have continued?

 

[DanGuyF]

the series kind of ends on a cliffhanger, for everyone. I was wondering if anyone's ever heard of any interviews or anything, on what would have happened if the series would have continued?

The interview I conducted with the creative team behind MSCL, for inclusion on the bonus disc, addressed this question. Winnie Holzman, the writer/creator has always refused to speculate on what would have happened. She says, "I know how it ends. I wrote it. It was episode 19." -- saying, of course, that there is no end beyond the end of the show. More on the bonus disc. With any luck everyone will be able to watch it soon.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

More on the bonus disc. With any luck everyone will be able to watch it soon.

Is there some new development we should know about, or is this still on the assumption that AU will finally release it - meaning a lot of those who funded the project but later cancelled won't be seeing it.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

I suppose that's good. It wasn't so much a series about a beginning a middle and an end. It ends wherever it ends. It wasn't about the location of the journey's end, it was getting there.

 

[DanGuyF]

Is there some new development we should know about, or is this still on the assumption that AU will finally release it - meaning a lot of those who funded the project but later cancelled won't be seeing it.

No new developments that I know of; last I heard the lunchbox manufacturer confirmed that the lunchbox would be done this month and Ross said the bonus disc was on target to finish in the same timeframe.

Last I checked, AU had yet to pay my previous employers for the interview I did. They own the footage until they are paid for it. If they are never paid for it, there are a few possible options for distributing it through the fanbase.

 

[JasonRosenfeld]

But how is the bonus disc on track if he hasn't paid for the footage?

No new developments that I know of; last I heard the lunchbox manufacturer confirmed that the lunchbox would be done this month and Ross said the bonus disc was on target to finish in the same timeframe.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

But how is the bonus disc on track if he hasn't paid for the footage?

That's what I'd like to know. If he hasn't paid for the interviews, then I doubt the museum footage has been paid for either, which means there is jack squat in the way of a bonus disc, unless AU intends to release a bootleg (assuming they are in possession of the footage for authoring).

I'm actually hoping the bonus disc falls through so AU doesn't get a chance to screw that up too, and hopefully someone else can step up to bat and make it happen. The further away from AU this series gets the better.