Press Release USHE Press Release: Back To The Future Trilogy (4k UHD)

[Mark Booth]

We just finished watching the first film. Absolutely gorgeous transfer and amazing sound! Best of all, YAY... no "To Be Continued" at the end. Thank you, Universal, for not adding it to the first film (where it never existed in the first place).

Mark

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It wasn’t on the BD or DVD either.

I kinda wish it had been thrown in as a bonus feature of seamless branching option.

 

[Britton]

Waiting for shipping info from Target.

Me too.

 

[Jake Lipson]

My local Best Buy store has three copies of the steelbook available. Because I need to return my online order, I called over there to see if there was any way they could hold a copy for me to make sure it doesn't get sold before I can make the exchange.

The guy who answered the phone was really nice and said that he could go inspect the copies they have available and make sure the best one gets pulled for me so that I know I won't have another damaged copy. But he also said that they couldn't guarantee it for me if other people ordered it online in the meantime. If I could go into the store at a moment's notice, this wouldn't be an issue, but I can't. So I had to pay for it again to ensure that the new copy wouldn't be sold out from under me. Then I take in the copy that I have and a refund for it will be processed later.

This is a really messed up, unfortunate way of doing things and it is one negative side effect of store pickup. There exists no mechanism for them to prevent a copy they picked out for me from being claimed by someone else. So essentially I am double charged until my refund is processed.

The damage on my copy is a scratch/spine slash on the spine of Part II. The first film steel looks fine. The Part III steel looks fine. But anyone looking at the package would be able to notice the scratch without even opening the shrinkwrap (which I didn't.) I understand that Best Buy's warehouses are really busy and they probably just don't have time to do this, but a pie in the sky wish of mine would be for a steelbook collector to work in the fulfillment center. That way, this person would know right away that a copy is defective without even having to go through the problem of sending it, and another one would've been chosen off the shelf for me. Like I said, I'm under no illusions at all that this is remotely realistic or plausible. But wouldn't it be nice?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Man, I had an experience with Best Buy tonight.

I went in to return my spine-slashed steelbook set for a refund and intended to come out with the other copy I paid for this afternoon. Instead of an exchange, this became a return for refund and a pickup of what was technically a new purchase.

When I got in there, I went over to the customer service desk and saw that the copy which had been chosen as my replacement (by a guy who I was on the phone with when he inspected it) also had scratches. So did the only other copy of the steelbook which was available there. They didn't even have a single copy that wasn't damaged.

I decided to give up. I just went over to the new release display and picked up the general release instead. I love the way the steelbooks look, and I don't like how the general release is packaged without trays to secure the discs. However, it wasn't worth going to another farther away store on the off chance that they might have one that is in good condition. It also wasn't worth starting the process over again online because I can't guarantee that one wouldn't arrive scratched either.

Did I mention that these scratches are on the spines of the steelbooks themselves? They are not on the outer slipcase and they are not on the shrinkwrap. Because the shrinkwrap is over the steelbooks, it can only be that these left the warehouse wherever these are made with the scratches on them before they were sealed into the box. This to me makes it even more annoying. I'm not sure what causes spine slashes/scratches of this nature on spines, but the manufacturer obviously didn't do a good enough job on this, and they probably don't care.

But Best Buy wasn't done yet. Even though they were the same discs in different packaging, they were unable to process the return of the second steelbook set (which I prepaid for so they would hold it) as an exchange to the regular set. Instead of being able to give me the regular set and credit me the price difference, I had to buy the regular set as a totally separate purchase. So I have three charges on my credit card this week for essentially the same thing. The two steelbooks are $65 each + tax and the regular one was another $43 + tax. To me, that's not an insignificant total amount of money. Yes, I'm going to get two of those three charges back after the refund is processed. It will probably be posted back to my card in a few days and then it will be fine. But it is still a whole lot more money than I should have needed to charge to get this. And I still didn't even get the edition I really wanted.

I was as nice as could be with the staff who helped me with this. I'm not mad at them. But I'm mad, in general, and disappointed. I almost felt like leaving there with nothing and just buying it from Amazon instead just so that Best Buy wouldn't get my sale on this purchase. I don't think they deserved to get it. But the set was right there, and I want to watch the films tomorrow for Back to the Future Day. (Technically, I guess that's "today," because I'm writing this after midnight now.). I didn't want to wait to get the new set, and I would like to celebrate the day with the new transfers rather than the old ones. So I just got it.

Also, this trip got me out of the house for the fifth time in the past eight months since the start of the pandemic. So...yay"

I'm still bummed.

But, since it is after midnight now, I can at least say this and mean it: Happy Back to the Future Day, everyone.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi Jake!

I have been reading your experience with much interest.

I am not overly fond of using Best Buy for Blu-ray/4k disc purchases.

However, I have found myself ordering from them for the same reason you have: some of their steelbook releases are really nice.

I generally won't buy a SteelBook from Best Buy unless it's close in price to the Amazon standard version. In the past I have bought JAWS, THE GOONIES, and THE BLUES BROTHERS from BB as the prices were nearly identical. BACK TO THE FUTURE was $20 more, which is too rich for my blood.

That being said...

It seemed like Best Buy tried to solve the issue. However, it's disheartening to hear that all the copies they had left in the store also had scratch marks on the case itself.

The refund process seems a bit screwy as well.

Unfortunately, not much that can be done here if one still wants a nice Steelbook release. I have a preorder in for V FOR VENDETTA steelbook and I can only hope that it does not arrive damaged.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Yeah, that's an unfortunate, inconvenient side-effect of BB's process that's designed for low-pay-grade clerks to follow successfully (much like a script on most big companies' phone support). It is what it is.

RE: the steelbook damage, that sorta thing is largely why I almost never go for them. They just damage too easily (and I'm slightly OCD enough about such... though not as much as some others) even if not at the manufacturer as in this case. I certainly don't wanna pay significantly more for most any steelbook packaging... unless I'm prepared to keep it stored away in pristine manner, maybe as a separate showcase-only, decorative item that won't generally be touched.

That BTTF steelbook set does look very cool though, and I might've gone for it if it's say just $10 extra... and then maybe store the discs separately for playback...

But yeah, that's a major bunmer w/ what's essentially likely a manufacturer defect that sent you down this disappointing runaround, @Jake Lipson...

_Man_

 

[Carlo Medina]

Well...I pick mine up at lunch today. Praying to karma gods it’s in decent shape.

 

[JackieT]

My copy of the steelbook set just arrived, and there is a spine slash right through the middle of Part II.

Ugh.

Because the whole point of buying the steelbooks is for them to look good, I'm going to have to return this for an exchange, which I've never done with Best Buy before. Given that they have limited stock of the steelbooks, I'm a little concerned about this.

"Because the whole point of buying the steelbooks is for them to look good,"

I did not realize this was the case. How many folks visit your home to look at your steelbooks?

 

[TonyD]

"Because the whole point of buying the steelbooks is for them to look good,"

I did not realize this was the case. How many folks visit your home to look at your steelbooks?

That's condescending .

We buy these things because we want them and because we want to look at them ourselves.
Because they give Us enjoyment.

If we have opportunity to have someone else see it and for them to enjoy it too then thats a bonus.

 

[dpippel]

"Because the whole point of buying the steelbooks is for them to look good,"

I did not realize this was the case. How many folks visit your home to look at your steelbooks?

Really? Why ELSE would you buy a release in special steelbook packaging if not specifically FOR the special packaging? It's the entire point of a steelbook release.

 

[JackieT]

I guess I'm used to putting cases in a storage box or throwing away the box to put discs in catalog sleeves to be stored in a storage ottoman or similar holder. I've never thought of discs as showpieces when I bought them.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I guess I'm used to putting cases in a storage box or throwing away the box to put discs in catalog sleeves to be stored in a storage ottoman or similar holder. I've never thought of discs as showpieces when I bought them.

Admittedly, it's probably largely a "collector's mindset" kinda thing, but I'm sure not everyone is quite that way w/ such.

I suppose some might also be more or less the opposite and prefer a kind of minimalism that might feel more freeing and such... And some of us are one way w/ somethings and the opposite w/ some other things and/or simply gradually grow from one to the other over time -- I'm probably a bit that way myself...

I imagine most movie (or music) physical media collectors tend to prefer having their collections stored in some kinda library-like form similar to a library of books, if feasible... and of course, some (typically rare edition) books are indeed treated as prized, specialty collector's items that might deserve special considerations (whether stored and/or displayed)...

_Man_

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It’s not like this is a forum of enthusiasts that are in a distinct minority compared to the general public or anything, or that hobbyists might take a different view than the average consumer...

 

[Rob W]

I guess I'm used to putting cases in a storage box or throwing away the box to put discs in catalog sleeves to be stored in a storage ottoman or similar holder. I've never thought of discs as showpieces when I bought them.

Think of steelbooks vs keep cases as similar to hardcover vs paperback books. Some of us prefer that little extra bit of luxury for favourite titles.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

It’s not like this is a forum of enthusiasts that are in a distinct minority compared to the general public or anything, or that hobbyists might take a different view than the average consumer...

I've never understood the people here who get upset that a DVD/BD/4K cover is ugly, but I understand that mindset exists.

And obviously I understand that a steelbook with a damaged steelbook is useless. You're literally buying it JUST for the cover!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I've never understood the people here who get upset that a DVD/BD/4K cover is ugly, but I understand that mindset exists.

And obviously I understand that a steelbook with a damaged steelbook is useless. You're literally buying it JUST for the cover!

That’s it! Guess I shouldn’t let you come close to my stash of slip covers, if we all make it out of this pandemic alive and well and I invite you over some day...

_Man_

 

[WillG]

Waiting for shipping info from Target.

cancelled my order from them when it was clear yesterday that my order hadn’t shipped and wasn’t even in a shipping soon status. Ordered from amazon who indicated my order could be here today and was the same price as my Target pre-order

 

[dpippel]

cancelled my order from them when it was clear yesterday that my order hadn’t shipped and wasn’t even in a shipping soon status. Ordered from amazon who indicated my order could be here today and was the same price as my Target pre-order

I did the same thing, Will, although my copy from Amazon won't arrive until tomorrow. No biggie.

 

[Jake Lipson]

BACK TO THE FUTURE was $20 more, which is too rich for my blood.

Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you on that point. Steelbooks are not something I will get all the time. I have 15 of them in my entire collection of hundreds of movies, so I view them as a special splurge for something I really care about. The vast majority of the time, I am good with the regular edition.

However, the deciding factor on this one for me was that I also really hate the "discbook" packaging of the standard release because it seems to me that the discs will get scratched more easily taking them in and out of their little flaps than they would if the case had trays and hubs to keep them secure. Plus, I personally have difficulty getting discs out of the type of packaging that Universal used on the regular version. So in this case -- mostly as a response to Universal's inept packaging of the standard release -- I could justify the extra $20 because the steelbooks provide an opportunity to keep the discs more secure.

That being said, I couldn't justify the extra $20 if the steelbook (or in this case, one of them) was damaged.

The genuine attempts by Best Buy's employees to resolve this for me were sincere, which is why I decided to rant about it here on HTF instead of going off on them. I also recognize that there are a lot of people with a lot of bigger problems than this in the world today, especially with regards to the pandemic, and this is a relatively lucky problem to have.

But it's annoying. That's it.

Thanks, everyone, for listening to me vent.