sleepyhead55

Here's my experiences with dhell/usps when bn.com uses that shipping:

1) They gave me the wrong tracking number--for a week or so the number didn't work

2) It gets stuck on some point in delivery--I've had it stuck in Cincinatti for a previous order (where it didn't seem to update at all) and on my current order it's been at Richmond, CA since July 20th (don't know whether to blame dhl/usps or both)

3) The total shipping time far exceeds 1-3 business days or whatever is advertised by bn.com

4)Even if they use only regular usps priority that is far quicker than this dhl/smartpost garbage.

And I got this in my email today--

Dear xxxx,

We apologize, but due to an unexpected delay, we are unable to ship the item(s) listed below in the time frame we stated in our previous email. We anticipate that your item(s) will be shipped within the next 1-5 business days. (Please note: business days are Monday through Friday, excluding holidays observed by the Post Office.) As always, you will not be charged until this item(s) ships from our warehouse.

However, if you would like to cancel this portion of your order, you may do so online at: http://btob.barnesandnoble.com/orderstatus.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay.

-- Barnes & Noble

Naturally it is for my order that I placed the other day for three criterions. At this point I'd only do online bn orders at a last resort considering all the factors involved.

kndy

I know there are people here who have problems with B&N but I'm going to tell you, I haven't had a problem.

In the last B&N sale, I spent $2,000 worth of Criterion's and they messed up by not including one. So, I contacted them in February...despite the sale was in November because I didn't realize I was missing one until late. And sure enough, they were kind and sent me a replacement for the one I was missing quickly.

With this sale, I spent over $700 and I got everything quickly. Two DVD's I ordered in the second to the last day or so, shown as they didn't have it in stock but I received a letter not long after that it's been shipped.

But in all my experience with B&N, I've gotten my stuff in time. My only complaint is the way how members were not able to utilize the coupons online this year, nor was there any incentive 10% discount. The incentive were for those who went in-store and it sucks for many of us who don't have a B&N nearby.

I do agree though, that if you got a product that was priced as is...used a coupon, you should be charged for that item as is. If there was a miss-price, they should of canceled your order and informed you that there was a pricing error not charge you for more than what you paid. That's ludicrous and it is illegal.

Hopefully there is a quicker solution out there for you guys instead of having to put up with all this. Have you tried to talk to another person at customer service and talk with their manager instead of the employee?

PubeOnAPipe

Replacement packaging? How does that work? I'd much rather prefer the hardcase since my Chungking digi shipped all bent up. The double digis Criterion did with it's DVDs look amazing but these Bluray digis are flimsy and kinda cheap.

kndy

E-mail Criterion at the e-mail below (here is the original message from Criterion's Jon Mulvaney):
======================================

We are offering replacement cases for the following titles:

THE THIRD MAN

THE LAST EMPEROR

THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH

BOTTLE ROCKET

CHUNGKING EXPRESS

THE 400 BLOWS

THE LAST METRO

EL NORTE

LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD

Please note that we are temporarily out of stock on all cases and expect more to arrive next week. The cost for the replacement cases is $5 per case; this includes the cost of shipping. For multiple cases we offer a discount of $10 for the first two and $2.50 for each additional case beyond that (so, for instance, $12.50 for three cases).

To order the cases, simply make a payment to the email address [email protected] through PayPal, providing your mailing address and item(s) needed in the message field, and we'll send out the materials!

I hope this information is helpful! Please let me know if you have any more questions and thank you for supporting Criterion!

Best,

Jon Mulvaney

tasog37

Kndy was kind enough to give you the full details, but yeah. You paypal them (it was around $27 for all the cases) and they'll ship you cases. Just you stuff the booklet in and move the disc over.

I'm super OCD, so it was completely worth the price to have all my Criterion bd's on a shelf, the same size/packaging. It looks quite nice and yeah, they're much sturdier.

kndy

The only problem for the OCD Criterion fans...Bottle Rocket's spine (for the C) is higher than the others. And unfort. "By Brakhage" is a digibox.

cine

I am curious what the plastic-case artwork for Last Year at Marienbad looks like. Same "white tableau" design but behind plastic, or something completely different?

Adboy151

It's pretty much the same.

It's hard to tell from the pictures above, but the cover is not as white as the digipak, it's grayer.

tasog37

It's basically the same, but the text is not raised like on the digi.

Here's a few quick pictures from my phone (sort of a hard thing to take a picture of due to the nature of the design, sorry for how terrible these are).

Front:
http://www.tasog.com/img/front.jpg
Spine:
http://www.tasog.com/img/spine.jpg

PubeOnAPipe

Oh wow, thanks for that info dudes. I'll definetly be picking those cases up.

Undeadcow

Any idea on a timeframe the next StudioCanal bunch is speculated to go OOP? I missed out on a few of interest this go round and fingers crossed I'll get a chance in November.

I understand that there has been no official announcement of anything but we all know it's expected...

cine

Thanks.

I actually like the digipak artwork -- I think it matches with the color tone and mood of the film, I just wish that it were made of sturdier material.

PubeOnAPipe

Yep, agreed. There's a trade off - the inside of digis look better, but the outside and shape(from being flimsy) doesn't.

HistoryProf

you didn't? it's pretty sweet.

HistoryProf

October 22nd.

X

Anybody else notice that Pygmalion quietly went OOP? Luckily I got that one during this sale and it appears to still be available at B&N.

I still have some coming in and when they do I'll post my semi-annual haul.

g

I just checked and bought Pygmalion at some point. I'm happy I don't got to get it now.

Mosskeeto

I can't figure out all the various reasons why titles go OOP. The pressing number probably depends on anticipated demand; popular films have larger runs versus more obscure ones. Then the film studios may decide to not renew the license to Criterion for whatever reasons.
Etc, etc. So finally, all the stock of Pygmalion (spine #85) have been exhausted. The Milky Way (spine #402) is also OOP. Different reasons for sure.

bse

Criterion keeps everything in print unless they lose the license or release a updated version.

Maxflier

When they are losing the rights to titles (like the Studio Canal thing), howcome they don't print a shitload of more copies right before the rights revert back to Studio Canal or whoever it may be? That way they still have plenty to sell for a while.

g

Sometimes they do other times not. . Tokyo Olympiad for one disappeared faster than any that I've seen. While others were printed to the roof. It maybe just what demand they see for each title and stocks were printed up or not for that reason.

bse

There is a certain date in which they would have to destroy all copies and their distributor has to request copies be sent back from stores, sometimes stores don't send back product, but their distributor can not sell any copies after the date put in place.

Maxflier

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks.

Tim Tucker

Where did you hear that that would be the day when the next batch goes OOP (or Criterion announces they will go OOP)?

X

Finally got the last ones I ordered online in. Here are my purchases during this sale:

Paris, Texas
Ride with the Devil
Mystery Train
Red Desert
The Leopard
Black Narcissus
Days of Heaven
Revanche
The Secret of the Grain
Last Year at Marienbad
Vivre Sa Vie
The Fugitive Kind
The Earrings of Madame de...
I Vitelloni
The Burmese Harp
Make Way for Tomorrow
Dillinger is Dead
Indiscretion of an American Wife & Terminal Station
Europa
Presenting Sacha Guitry
Pygmalion
Eisenstein: The Sound Years
Maîtresse
Coup de grâce
Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy
The Naked Kiss
The Cranes Are Flying
Mamma Roma
Night Train to Munich

It sure seemed like I bought more with the number of trips I had to make to the local store. On the last day they even refused the $5 off coupon saying it was to be used only once per customer, not even once per visit. Another store let me use one per DVD, I just had to make individual purchases.