Hey guys...

I bought the V THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD and it wasn't the complete series...This is the 3rd TV series boxed set...I tried returning the item which had been opened and 5 minutes of disk one was watched to Best Buy which I had spent $700 at the day earlier. They told me they wouldn't give me store credit nor exchange it...SO, I contacted my credit card company to dispute it and they couldn't help...

What to do? Bite the bullet on this boxed set I'll never watch or what? Best Buy has definetely lost a customer though.

Was there a disc missing? I haven't opened mine yet. The two mini-series' are not included, but that is marked on the package. " All 19 episodes". What's wrong with it? They should at least give you credit or exchange it if it's defective or something is missing. The three times I've returned defective dvds or cds I just grabbed another of the same title no problem.

Write to the corporate headquarters. Also, ask to talk to the manager and have him tell you exactly WHY they are selling repackaged goods as new, and refusing to make good on any implied warranty?? Make the manager sweat. do it on a crowded saturday afternoon and make it happen on the busy sales floor. Be loud and remember, they HAD a chance to be civil earlier. they were pricks about it. Your turn to hammer them! 3rd step, call the police and tell THEM they are selling repacks as new.

sorry matt, but if rw is correct, and what's in the package is what is marked on the cover.. in other words the 19 episodes of the series.. you have no recourse. you should have done your homework and found out whether or not the miniseries were part of the set before you purchased it. the packaging might be a little misleading, but its not false. it certainly isnt best buy's fault.

i thought you didnt buy dvds?

Hey Mr. Iverson,


You going to be at DragonCon? You usually go...YES, I have come into the 21st century and bought a DVD player and $700 worth of DVD's at Best Buy...The Batman the animated series and the 1967 Spiderman are what got me to buy it...WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING? It's like a whole nother world...

You are right guys..I didn't do my homework. I wanted the original miniseries and I got this thinking it was...Didn't know there were other miniseries...But still...I have returned lots of things like CD's books etc to other stores and they have always taken it...Keep in mind what I spent! I think they should have just to keep a customer. I'll never buy there again...Hopefully I can get half my money back by selling it on Ebay or something...

Yeah, I'll make a fleeting appearence at Dragoncon, hit the dealers room, get some autographs, spend some time with Marta and go home. I've been going to cons for 20 years and they all start to blend together after a while.

Really want to see Marta again, and I am looking forward to meeting Sybil Danning.

Steve

I had a similar experience about 18 months ago when I purchased "Jason & The Argonauts" at BEST BUY. There was nothing wrong with it but the film transfer by Columbia was so disappointing that I got ticked off. Here's what I did: I lied. I took it back and said that the disc was defective and that it skipped. Fortunately they didn't have any more copies in stock and told me it would be two weeks before they could get another one in. I said I thought that was unreasonable and they let me exchange it for a different title. That's a little harder to do with a brand new boxed set as they are likely to have a lot more in stock. I understand BEST BUY's policy. Otherwise, they'd be getting returns everyday from people who just wanted a "free rental".

Has there ever been a good transfrer of Jason?

I think the return policy has more to do with preventing people from making a copy and then returning the original. Somewhere I've read "Our return policy is in accordance with federal anti-piracy laws" or some such. If the item is open you can only exchange for the same item. If still sealed you can exchange for something different or get a refund.

You are right guys..I didn't do my homework. I wanted the original miniseries and I got this ...

I'll never buy there again...

Let's be reasonable Matthew.

I understand your dissappointment but, by your own admission above, you didn't do your homework. I've got all three boxed sets of "V" and they are all clearly marked as THE ORIGINAL MINISERIES, THE FINAL BATTLE and THE COMPLETE SERIES.

Best Buy has (usually) a very good selection and very good prices. You can't black list one of the worlds biggest DVD retailers for something that isn't their fault...it won't hurt them...it will hurt you. You've had a DVD player for about a week and it's too early to start getting P.O.'d at the big stores :).

I've made my share of mistakes. But here is what I do now:

Before I buy ANYTHING, I search the title at amazon.com. You don't have buy to from them, just look up the title. A quick search there would have immediately revealed 3 different "V" sets.

For example, a quick search at amazon would reveal that several movies are available in multiple versions. You don't want the old version of THE GREAT ESCAPE, you want the new, two disc SE with the anamorphic transfer. See what I mean. Protect yourself by doing that quick check first.

But what I am saying is that I JUST spent $700 with them and brought the receipts...They should've wanted to keep a customer rather than hold to their scrict policies...

So the original V is out there on DVD huh? I need to find it then...

$700? That aint a lot I'm afraid. My first purchase at Circuit City was well over 3000. And that's small potatoes (yes there is an E in potatoes). These guys sell in the tens, if not hundred plus thousand a day. Sound excessive? My sis-in-law works at Black's, a photo store, and they do 30K plus on a good day, and it's a small store.

I think you'll find few stores will take something back (especially opened software) simply because it wasn't what you thought it was.

Oh my god (and I'm agnostic!) I hate Best Buy. I tried to help a foreign friend buy appliances. He had shopped there.

They tried to rip him off with very hard sale on their crappy extended warrantees and then practically bit my head off when I told him it wasn't a good value.

He bought a large TV which we came back the next day to pick up. They accused us of trying to steal another tv because we failed to get the receipt marked that the item wasn't picked up. Their inventory was so crappy they couldn't verify they had an extra tv on hand.

They almost called the cops I was so mad. It took days for my friend to get his TV.

I'll go anywhere else before Best Buy.

You have to be careful with any retailer.

The local Best Buy was charging $4.99 for the "free" NBC Fall Preview DVD. When I brought it up to them that that was a mistake, they refused to concede their error, even after I pointed out to them their own newspaper ad stating that the NBC preview disc was free with no purchase necessary - limited to one per customer. They claimed that it was me who was mistaken, that the disc was indeed $4.99.

A few days later, I stopped back in, just out of curiosity, and discovered large standups and posters offering the "free NBC preview DVD" and that even though the discs were still tagged at $4.99, it would now ring up at the register for $0.00. One employee admitted that they received a number of complaints from upset customers who came in to pick up their free DVD, only to be charged $5. Evidently someone got wise and made a correction, but only after having p.o.'ed a number of otherwise loyal customers.

BTW, Best Buy is charging a whopping $106.99 for the Star Trek season 1 set. I ended buying my set at Costco for $81.99 - $25 cheaper! The reasoning that BB had for the price? It technically was not a "new" release in their minds, so they were not offering a new release discount. A friend of mine who buys everything at BB, gave me the extra bonus disc, since he has no interest in any extras or interviews other than the episodes themselves.

I can't stand Best Buy. I've had so many bad experiences that I loath to go in there. I've tried to buy stuff their, only to have thier stuff out of stock. If its in stock you have to suffer them trying to sell you totally uneeded, overpriced maintainence plans. When you check out, there are 20 guys standing around doing nothing with only two checkouts open. I've had stuff ring up wrong and had to spend another 20 minutes in line to get the price corrected or refunded. I've actually cussed out checkout people. No I don't want your credit card. No I dont want a subscription to Sports Illustrated. No I don't want a service plan. I just want to buy this freaking DVD!!!!

The downside is that there is a Best Buy right off the freeway on my way home. So when I do feel impulsive, I still stop in there. But at least I know the service will totally suck and I just may leave everything in a pile at the check out and walk out.

Steve

I've actually cussed out checkout people. No I don't want your credit card. No I dont want a subscription to Sports Illustrated. No I don't want a service plan. I just want to buy this freaking DVD!!!!

Steve



And, of course, the checkout people are responsible for initiating these things and for the prices of the discs, and wanting to push service agreements.

Sorry Steve, but you're in the service profession, you should know better. They just work there, they don't make the policies.

Here's my "best" Best Buy advice. Stay away from the "open box specials". More than once I've returned items that I known for a fact were defective, only to return to the store a day or two later and see the same item repackaged and sitting on the shelf labeled with an "open box special" tag. :mad: I think they just keep reselling these things until someone doesn't bother bringing it back, rather than return it to the manufacturer for credit.

Sorry Steve, but you're in the service profession, you should know better. They just work there, they don't make the policies.
Actually when the boob behind the counter screws up, he deserves it. Incompentance is not a good excuse for poor service, and it is not a policy. I'm smart enough to know the difference. Thanks.

Steve

But what I am saying is that I JUST spent $700 with them and brought the receipts...They should've wanted to keep a customer rather than hold to their scrict policies...

So the original V is out there on DVD huh? I need to find it then...

matt, if they didnt enforce that particular policy strictly, they'd be in a world of trouble.
let me make a couple paralells to you. my brother and i sell hallowen masks and related goods on the internet. we also used to run a brick and mortar costume shop. with extremely rare exception we have a "all sales are final" policy. we exchange defective merchandise for another copy of the same item. why? 2 reasons: the first, on november first a huge proportion of our customers would decide they didnt need the mask anymore, and try to return it. (matt, just because you are honest doesnt mean that everyone is. we live in a very amoral society.) seondly, we couldnt resell it we did. ( theres no way to truly sterilize them. would you buy a latex mask that someone unknown to you has breathed in, or thats been in contact with their hair?) this is paralell to best buys situation. if they relaxed that policy, they'd be in a world of hurt.

the other paralell is simple going to take your situation to the extreme: you buy "it the terror from beyond space" and then try to return it saying you thought it was "stephen king's it". i fully believe in treating a customer right, especially a big spender... as long as that customer is being REASONABLE, which in my view you are not. how does that best buy manager know that you didnt watch the whole thing, then decide you liked it and then wanted to watch the other V set, on their nickle? (and yes, you and i know that you are honest, but he doesnt.) if they relaxed their policy for a second, people would be treating the joint like a free video rental club.

i have no particular love for best buy, and very rarely shop there, however this time in in their corner. rather than accusing them of poor customer service, realize that the fault lies entirley on your shoulders, sell the darned thing on the e-place, and get over it.

When I buy something, I shop around, decide what I want and find the best price. I rarely impulse buy.

If I'm looking for DVDs, I check out the prices in the store and in the Sunday paper ads. A majority of the time I end up in Best Buy just because they have the best price on what I want. I don't go there for the friendly sales staff - although I've had good experiences including one guy who took 30 minutes to explain the pros and cons of plasma and LCD TVs in layman's terms.

I'd say there's a 99% chance that I'll be in Best Buy on September 21 because they'll have the best price on the Star Wars trilogy. Of course, if Circuit City has some great freebee and a slightly higher price, I could go there.

As with most 'big' stores, it's always best if you do your homework ahead of time and not assume you're going to get an educated sales person.

Jim

As with most 'big' stores, it's always best if you do your homework ahead of time and not assume you're going to get an educated sales person.



When 2001 first came out on VHS in letterbox format, I went to Best Buy to see if they had it. I talked to two salespeople, one supposedly in charge of the video section, and neither had any idea what "letterbox" meant.

Unless I'm feeling impulsive, I purchase most of my DVD's online. I highly recomend the following sites:

www.dvdpricesearch.com

www.deepdiscountdvd.com

To get more info on DVD releases, I recommend the following:


www.DVDfile.com

www.thedigitalbits.com

www.dvddrive-in.com

There are quite a few good sites for DVD info out there.

Steve

Thanks for the links Iverson...I'll also have to find Costco in Atlanta if they indeed have discounted DVD's...

Luckily, I only shop at the big box electronics places occasionally (mainly because they are all about 40 minutes away from me).
I have little trouble with salespeople trying to foist things on me.
At the first few words, I politely cut them off and say "I only want what I have right here on the counter, no more, no less"
On the rare occasions where they persist, I tell them in no uncertain terms "You try to sell me one more thing, and you are going to have a big scene"
The one time this didn't work, just happened to be one of the managers manning the counter at Office Max. He was pushing hard for an extended warranty. I unloaded on him.
I generally don't bother with the people behind the counter unless they are the actual problem (like standing there visiting for 5 minutes with some friend that is checking out, while the line is only getting longer). Most of the time, they are only doing what they are told to do, and take a bunch of crap they shouldn't anyway. I go right to a manager and make my feeling known.