Fawlty Towers Set Packaging- A Disgrace! (1 Viewer)

[Kevin McCorry]

I just spent a tortuous half-hour extracting
my three Fawlty Towers DVDs from their package.
Rather than give each disc its own keepcase,
BBC and Warner put them in a booklet with
transparent plastic and utterly inflexible
spindles. Putting the package on everything
from tables to carpet to blankets, I pushed
down on the spindles and the accursed things
would not release the discs. The centre of
the knobs said push, but doing so had no effect
on the grip-of-death spindles. So, had to
completely destroy the package to get at the
discs and put them in Alpha keepcases and
in the process subjected the discs to pressure
that, I hope, did no serious short-term or
long-term damage.
It's the most user-unfriendly case I've ever come
across, and I never, never want to see it again.
I'll even go so far in future to boycott any
product known to use such an abomination.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

That packaging is the only reason I didn't (and won't) buy the set. Had that been in three keepcases, it was a done deal.
I'm also not paying an extra $25 to buy these separately.
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[Rich Allen]

I had no problem getting mine out. I rather liked the packaging as it takes up so much less space, and I'm real tight on that right now.

 

[Bob Movies]

I honestly can't believe that I just read a post where someone said he wasn't buying Fawlty Towers on DVD because he didn't like the box.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Yes, I'll pass on it because of the box. I already have these on LD. I need every excuse I can muster to pass on titles these days, and packaging is right up there.
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[Craig S]

I'm with Rich. The packaging for this set is fine. It just took a couple of seconds to get each disc off of its hub.
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Too many DVDs, too little time...
AFI 100 Challenge - 36 to go!

 

[PatrickM]

I had absolutely no problem removing the discs from the plastic inserts. Now, the Jurassic Park discs were another story.
Patrick
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Evidence of my obsession.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Key to these type of cases is: DO NOT PUSH THE SPINDLE!! Just grasp disc by the edges and twist gently. It will come right off. Pushing the spindle just makes it grip harder.
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"This movie has warped my fragile little mind."

 

[Marty M]

I had a problem initially, but once I figured it out it has not been a problem. At $36 including shipping, the 3 disc set was a great deal.
[Edited last by Marty M on October 25, 2001 at 02:17 PM]

 

[MickeS]

Marty, where did you buy it?
/Mike

 

[Marty M]

I got this set at BestPrices.com. Like most places they have increased the price since its release. This was the price that was available in July 2001. I think it was even raised a little the closer to release date.
They have very competitive pricing, but I received this two days after steet date. At the price I paid I was not complaining, though.

 

[Kajs]

Half-hour huh? Took me only half a second.
I actually like the packaging.
I've really noticed I've gotten a lot of DVDs with the plastic on cardboard setup recently.
This, Citizen Kane, Ultimate Jordan, The Simpsons, Benny Hill, Godfather Collection

 

[Mick B]

Don't get me started.

 

[Kevin McCorry]

I'm pleased that some of you have no problem with the
packaging. Maybe you'd seen it before and have gotten
used to it. As for myself, I've had Amarays, Alphas,
Scanavos, snappers, the grip-of-death Twilight Zone
cases and have never had such a problem removing
discs.
Cosmos had this kind of packaging, but I was able to remove the discs from that albeit with a bit of difficulty
and an occasional crak in the plastic. But these spindles
were a nightmare. Even rotating the disc on the spindle was problematic since they were so tight. I doubt that would have released the discs without me having to do guite a bit of disc bending. In any case, the knobs said "push", not "rotate" or "gently nudge upward". I guess it's academic now anyway as two of the three discs won't play properly. Vols. 1 & 3 lock up during the Cleese interviews and skip in some episodes. Difficult to tell if this is due to invisible damage from removing the discs or bad discs to begin with.
After 2 years on problem-free disc play, I've had 3 in one week that have locked up. TV Guide Looks at Science Fiction and now two of these. Looks like the honeymoon's finally over.
[Edited last by Kevin McCorry on October 25, 2001 at 06:55 PM]

 

[Jeff D.]

I honestly can't believe that I just read a post where someone said he wasn't buying Fawlty Towers on DVD because he didn't like the box.

I can't believe it either. It is hard to imagine that such a silly thing as packaging is a deterrant to people buying this package. Absolutely ridiculous.
I do agree that the packaging is sub-par. I did have mild difficulty in getting the discs out, however I found if one just applied enough pressure and was conscientious, it was no problem. Also, it appears that the disc holders "loosen" after the first few uses, and now my discs pop out very easily.
The set itself is fabulous. Interviews with former cast members, especially John Cleese, are the most entertaining. The interview with Andrew Sachs was wonderful and actually provided insight, IMHO. Listening to Cleese talk was a joy.
The director's commentaries vary. The second series, with Bob Spiers, is much better than the first, with John Howard Davies, who doesn't seem to know what a commentary is all about.
Plus little tidbits like a (very) few outtakes and images of the Grange after the fire sweeten the pot. Finally, of course, there are all 12 episodes themselves, the most important part.
No _true_ fan of this series would simply pass up on this because of packaging.
----
Jeff
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"They're coming to get you Barbara..."

 

[LarryH]

I guess I'm mechanically challenged, but I found these disks absurdly hard to remove.
I also wonder why this package, like some others, has indentations which look like they are for your finger or thumb to grip the disk, but then have a ridge of plastic along the circumference of the disk which blocks access for gripping. In this case the two indentations at the bottom of each disk are blocked while the two at the top are open. However, one needs to grip the disk from opposite sides to get a hold on it - which means you need to use the access at the bottom.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I'm a true fan, but I'm not buying the 3 disc set in a disintegrating cardboard box, nor am I paying an extra $25 for 3 keepcases and 3 inserts.
I have the LD box if I need to see it. If the individuals go on sale I'll get them instead. They should have just boxed the keepcases, then no argument.
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[Chad Parks]

I just bought the set today, and I don't have a complaint at all. Discs were removed without any real drama...

 

[cafink]

I'm a true fan, but I'm not buying the 3 disc set in a disintegrating cardboard box, nor am I paying an extra $25 for 3 keepcases and 3 inserts.

A true fan would buy the discs if they came in a ziplock baggie.

 

[Thomas D]

You've got to love the security tag stuck on the artwork behind the second disc. My favorite part was how the adhesive was so strong, it tore the artwork.
Seeing as how there's not a middle finger emoticon, I'll have to go with this one.

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