I told Hollywood Video to shove it! (1 Viewer)

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Picked up a few DVDs for New Year’s Eve (the first night we’ve stayed in in several years), including The Mummy Returns. Well, I got home and noticed that Mummy was “Full Screen” (I guess that’s a polite way to say “pan and scan”). I didn’t notice it at the store because they had the “Full Screen” label covered by a strategically-placed sticker.
Well, I promptly returned to the store and demanded a wide-screen version or a refund. They had more than a dozen copies, but no wide-screen! Amazing.
I encourage everyone who wants to ward off the proliferation of pan and scan DVDs in the stores to do this every chance you get. Demand a refund; decline their offer to make another selection! This way they know they have lost money!
Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Robb Hudspeth]

Or, you could just boycott the store alltogether. They don't get any of my money. Blockbuster? Hah! I rent online or from Mom & Pop stores. If you live in a small town, check out netflix.com or rentmydvd.com. (I live in Texas and I know Katy ain't that big. My parents still live in Kilgore so I set them up with Netflix so they could rent decent movies).

 

[Patrick Mirza]

Good for you! It really is disturbing that most rental outlets are being pressured into only getting Fullscreen copies for rental.
A local store that is pro-OAR (and, incidentally, is owned by one of the guys who was suing Blockbuster and the studios) has gotten into the habit of only stocking the fullscreen versions whenever there is a dual release.
:frowning:

 

[Brad_W]

At what point though did you tell Hollywood Video to "shove it" like the title of your thread exclaims?

 

[SteveGon]

Hollywood Video doesn't "give refunds" as I recently found out. Bastards.

 

[Butch C]

He told them to shove it on the car ride home.

 

[Jamie Cole]

Folks,
I know how annoying it is to get something you didn't bargain for and get bilked out of money. I haven't rented from a certain corporate giant since I mistakenly got a pan and scam copy of "Remember the Titans" and they wouldn't refund or exchange it when I told them why... I should have just said it's defective, which would have been true.
But, I would caution that not all franchises of major chains are the same. The Hollywood Video I rent from (in the Vestevia Hills suburb of Birmingham, Alabama) consistently gets widescreen versions of films, even when they have a choice. I was happily surprised to see widescreen "Grinch," for instance, lining their shelves last week. I have complimented them profusely every time I notice this, and they always say "Thanks" and tell me they will pass it on.
I use Netflix (still the best thing since sliced bread IMHO) for catalog titles, but for high-demand new releases, Hollywood Video has been my oasis in a pan and scam rental world.

 

[Robyn Young]

As a HW video employee, I have to disagree with you a little. Don't take your wrath out on the employees. It's just not right.

We are more than happy to exchange discs, but we don't give refunds. Frankly, if you come in and politely explain what's going on, we'll exchange the disc. You can demand a refund, but getting mad at me, a csr(which I do part time, in the evenings after I've worked a full day at my real job), when I have absolutely NO(I REPEAT, NO) feedback regarding the format of the films we get seems excessive. Then, if you call the Manager, the most they will do is what the csr or shift leader was willing to do the night before if it were okay.

Dude, just take the replacement movie and write letters to corporate. That's the best you can do. If you come in and yell at me, I'll tell you point blank that corporate doesn't listen to us and try to work with you. At that point, the ball's in your court. If you decide you don't want anything to do with us after that, then fine.

For the record, maybe you're honest, but on the average day, we get maybe 10-15 people who come in wanting something for free, purposely wanting to defraud the store. They'll rent a movie that we have 50 copies of, bring it back 4 days later saying that it doesn't work, and demand a different movie in exchange(meaning, they watched it, and now want a new movie for free.) They'll keep doing this, blaming it on the player, the disc, the rude csr, whatever.

To sum up--call coroporate--they are the ones who make the difference right now.

Sorry, the holidays have sucked. I spend all day explaining fricking widescreen to people, then they go get the vhs version because of the black bars. That and the fact that they've been really rude this holiday is taking the fun out of the job.

robyn

 

[Michael Vasquez]

This is getting ridiculous, I read these sorts of posts on this site way too many times. Either its Blockbuster or Hollywood, and they are "forcing" people to rent pan and scan.

I have been going to my local Hollywood DVD for years now, and I have never, ever, not once, picked up a pan and scan by accident. I want widescreen and that is all I will rent. Maybe its just that my store is exclusively DVD, but I really haven't noticed an overabundance of pan and scan, when it is available it is in addition to widescreen. Perhaps your store was just out of the widescreen copies.

Caveat emptor, if you want widescreen, check the back of the box and make sure, sticker or no sticker.

 

[Basi Nanda]

I had bought the pan'n'scam TMR disc by mistake during the 2 for $20 sale. I immediately brought it back to the store and they let me take a different movie in exchange.

 

[Scott-C]

Well, I still rent DVDs from "a large corporate video rental store" because of convenience, but I try to be very careful about not renting P&S movies (though I definitely understand how accidents happen and what happened to Wayne sucks, since they hid the P&S designation on the box). If I really want to see a movie and can't rent in WS, sometimes I even buy it. Heck, if I don't like it I can sell it and come out even.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Well, I got home and noticed that Mummy was “Full Screen”

The same happened to me at Blocksucker... well, I didn't return mine.. I stomached the P&S version.

I don't seem to have trouble finding widescreen titles at retail locations.. even the jumbo chain outlets (ie: Sam Goody). Why are Blockbuster & Hollywood picking up these pan & scans when the stores are selling widescreen?

 

[Will K]

I stopped going to Hollywood Video a while back. I made a similar inquiry about their availability of widescreen titles(they had pan/scam only, obviously). I was told by the rental clerk in exact words "it doesn't matter." These corporations(BB included) are doing absolutely nothing to educate their employees in the matter.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I was also fooled by the sticker covering the "Full" half of the bottom bar. I ended up stomaching the pan & scan as it wasn't a movie I cared all that much about.

 

[MarkPayton]

Seems to me that we who believe in widescreen should be making as much noise as possible. (gee i wonder if anybody has said THAT before on this forum?) Telling anyone we can that it is the proper way for a movie to be presented, that anything else is butchery. I agree with Robyn that we don't need to get rude/nasty and take it out on the CSR's or even the managers, but we should say SOMETHING. If I ever go into a BB or HV again :b I will make a point of always asking in a clear loud voice if they carry any versions of movie x that show the whole movie as it was made for the widescreen, not just the chopped to fit my TV type.

Robin's suggestion of letters to corporate is a good idea, even if rather vague. If there were some person at HV or BB "corporate" that had some creative genius, they might see a way of actually bringing in MORE renters by creating a special "home theater center" rack of titles within their stores to focus attention on the widescreen versions and create some pull to bring in aficianados like us. Not that we would pay a premium, mind you, but that way they might at least avoid LOSING OUR BUSINESS ALTOGETHER. Perhaps it will take a few enterprising mom & pop shops to start doing just that on an exclusive basis and eating into BB & HV's market to bring them around. Hmm...

 

[Clint B]

I understand how you feel. The Blockbuster that's just around the corner from me is stocking P&S only of dual releases. But the Hollywood Video that's just a little bit further has exclusively widescreen versions. When I went in there this afternoon, I told the guy at the counter that I was pleased and that they need to keep up the good work.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I did the same thing: rented the full-screen by accident at Hollywood and turned around as I was walking out of the store and asked for a widescreen version. When none were found, they offered me credit/another movie which I did.

Remember that we have heard several Studios push Pan&Scan claiming that recent market research said there was a preference for it. The fact that Mummy Returns and a few others are found P&S in Blockbuster, Hollywood, and Bradley makes me think that the STUDIOS are behind this one, not one of these individual companies.

In Hollywood's defense, they are the only rental franchise that has opened some DVD only stores so I think they are the most progressive/DVD friendly chain.

I have tried writing to Hollywood corporate about selection and placement policies, but got little/no response. But when I was in the Hollywood DVD store this week and grumbled about the parking, the clerk pointed to the DISTRICT number printed on the wall. He basically said that the employee complaints carry less weight than a customer taking to time to call the district/franchise office.

So go back in and ask for the number of the District/Franchise office and complain. Not corporate, not the employees.

 

[David Lambert]

I don't seem to have trouble finding widescreen titles at retail locations.. even the jumbo chain outlets (ie: Sam Goody).

I'm not surprised that Sam Goody stocks plenty of WS product, since they are owned by Best Buy (as is Suncoast).

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Oh, come on guys! Widescreen's cool! Sheesh! I wish you'd all just accept Pan n Scan already! Crybabies! Welp, I'm off to Blockbuster to buy several NON-previously owned P&S DVDs, butchered the way nature intended!

(The above statement was brought to you through the miracle of Sarcastron! Buy your Sarcastron today!)

 

[Tom-G]

I just returned home from Hollywood video and while I was there, I noticed that they had nothing but widsescreen copies of "Jurassic Park III" for rent! I had to do a double-take to make sure it was really widescreen. Looks like I'll be renting at that store a little more often. I'll have to check and see if they have other widescreen titles like "The Grinch" and "The Mummy Returns."