DVD case contains blank CD-R! (1 Viewer)

[Kevin P]

A week ago I picked up "'Til There Was You" at Best Buy. Tonight I remove the shrink wrap, and all three security stickers and get the keepcase open, and what do I find inside? A PNY Technologies 80-minute blank CD-R!
There is no insert in the keepcase either.
At first I thought maybe someone stole the disc out of the case and re-wrapped it, but the security stickers were still in place! Something really whacked out must have happened at the packaging plant. But how the heck would a blank CD-R get into a case meant for a DVD??
I guess I'm going to have to exchange it for another copy, if I can get them to believe me that is...
KJP

 

[Kyle McKnight]

Kevin....someone must have swapped the disc, re-shrink wrapped it and returned it. The security stickers on DVD's can easily be removed and reattatched. I work at GameStop, and all our display products are empty. We simply peel off the security stickers, store the disc in a locked cabinet in the back, replace the stickers, wrap and display as a "cover box". When someone wants to buy it, and we don't have any extra copies, we just reverse the process.

 

[RobR]

Some manufacturers shrink-wrap their DVDs with a studio-embossed wrap. How easy or difficult would it be for someone to recreate such an embossed shrink-wrap?

 

[Kevin P]

Some manufacturers shrink-wrap their DVDs with a studio-embossed wrap.

I don't recall seeing this on Paramount discs though, and that's what this was.

Oh well, I'll exchange it next week sometime. I thought the multiple security stickers were intended to prevent theft of this sort. The stickers didn't look like they had been pulled off and reapplied.

KJP

 

[RobR]

You're right. Paramount does not use embossed shrink wrap. I recall seeing it on certain Columbia titles though.

 

[Lance Nichols]

thought the multiple security stickers were intended to prevent theft of this sort.

- Kevin P

Boy, did you ever think wrong. Those multiple stickers are to keep DVD cases from remaining in pristeen condition!

Seriously, that had to suck. I wonder what the theif was thinking. The time and hassle could not have been worth the "savings".

 

[Kevin P]

Well, I tried exchanging the disc, and the drone at customer service simply told me that I'd have to contact Paramount and deal with them on this, since he seemed to think it was a packaging snafu.

I went onto Paramount's website and the email links don't work, and I couldn't find a phone number. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks... KJP

 

[Kyle McKnight]

Kevin, don't listen to him. Go over his head. Ask when the store manager will be in. Only speak to him. If he tells you know, get the name & number of the general manager. If it was a packaging fuck up (ya right) then Best Buy is still responsible for it.

 

[Martin G]

Just be really firm and act really annoyed. If you make the manager feel uncomfortable enough he will take the disk back. Just be sure not to get violent or too nasty.

 

[MattB]

This is so freaky...

I had the same thing happen to me Kevin!

I picked up the Twin Peaks set from Wal-Mart last night.

It too was all shrink wrapped, but didn't have any security tags. Imagine my surprise when I open it up at home and find four PNY CD-Rs in there.

I was furious and stormed back to Wal-Mart.

I didn't want to confuse the poor Customer Service woman, so I just told her that I wanted a new set because this one "had the wrong discs". Got my new set, which I opened up there in front of her. I noticed that the shrink wrap was a lot heavier on the "new" set. Obviously somebody must have bought the set, swapped the DVDs, re shrink wrapped it and returned it. How LOW is that!??

I'm just glad that I didn't get any problems when I got my new copy. I mean, if confronted how would you prove that it wasn't YOU who swapped them.

Are we to expect a wave of this type of crime now?

Oh, I'm really not having much luck with buying DVDs locally lately. Last week I had to return a copy of Courage under Fire that I had bought at K-Mart. It came with a blank DVD. But at least it wasn't a CD-R, so in that case it was more like a manufacturing mistake.

Matt

 

[Yohan Pamudji]

Wow, everybody needs to read this thread. I used to buy DVDs and sometimes not unwrap them for weeks/months. I quit doing that when I realized that if a disc were loose in the packaging and got scratched up I wouldn't be able to trade it back after 1 month. I suspect many members do what I used to do: leave their DVDs shrinkwrapped for a long time.

Note to self: definitely open DVD packaging immediately after purchase!

 

[Kevin P]

MattB - where in MA did you pick up your Twin Peaks set? Also, did the replacement set have security stickers on the cases? I'm wondering because I picked up my DVD at the Best Buy in Manchester (at the Mall of NH), not far from MA. I wonder if someone in So. NH/No. MA is buying DVDs at various stores, taking the discs, replacing them with PNY CD-Rs, re-wrapping them and returning them. I think I'm gonna look on EBAY and see if anyone's pawning off Til There Was You and Twin Peaks DVDs without cover art (though they could be scanning and printing new cover art too).
Yohan - that will be a new policy in my house. All DVDs will be opened and inspected immediately after purchase. And I love your sig!

 

[MattB]

Kevin,
It was at the Wal-Mart in Chelmsford.
So not too far from you.
We also picked up a few other movies at the same time, I didn't check all of them ... since some were from the bargain bin. $5-8 - not too worried there.
But the Buffy box set was duely inspected.
Matt