I was searching through some old threads yesterday, and came across some that talked about floaters/rattlers. There seems to be a large number of people who won't even attempt to play a DVD if they open it and find out that it's a floater/rattler. They'll just exchange it for another one without even testing it.

So I'm wondering what stores do with these returned DVDs. Well, first of all, what are they supposed to do with them? Are they supposed to send them back to the manufacturer as defective items?

Regardless of what they are supposed to do with them, I have to wonder if some stores will just try to play the returned DVD and then if it works, they just re-shrinkwrap the DVD and put it back on the shelf as brand new. I read a few posts where people said that they bought a new DVD, and when they opened it, the DVD had fingerprints on it. How could a brand new DVD have fingerprints on it, unless it was actually opened before, and then just re-shrinkwrapped? I also went to a store today to look at some X-Files boxed sets, and I saw a few that had shrinkwrapping that was a little bit different than the others. The shrinkwrapping on those was a bit thicker than normal. I wonder if they came from the factory that way, or if the store had just re-shrinkwrapped them?

I've purchased a great many floaters, but it had nothing to do with loose discs.

the store i work in just sends them back as defective. They rarely make it onto the sales floor. We don't even have a shrink wrap machine in the store...many places don't.

fingerprints come from the workers at the warehouse. Many dvds are put into cases by machines, but they have people to check and make sure they are secured....quality control and all that....i have even heard of shoe prints on a disc before...so theres that.

I went through 6 or 7 copies of Blade 1 at Best Buy and all had scratches on the back. The lady said I could open all of them until there were no more because they would just send them back for credit, which is what all stores should do.

I don't know of many big chains that have shrinkwrap machines to do dvds. They just send them back as defective for credit, so it's not really worth the time & hassle for them to try and pass it to a customer again.

And as far as floaters/rattlers go, I've had quite a few and have never had to return any. They all played fine.

Best Buy definitely has a shrinkwrap machine and I've always suspected that some of their stores reshrinkwrap their DVDs.

I beleive they re-shrink wrap some of the more popular videogames (GTA San Andreas) . From what Ive heard, they put an extra security sticker inside to help prevent theft...any BB employees confirm? Tarintino?

As a former BB employee, I can say with virtual certainty that video games are never re-shrink wrapped. There is no point, because the store gets full credit back from the manufacturer on defective video games through the DEVO process.

Are we not men?

Officially, they are not supposed to re-shrink wrap any item suspected of being faulty, defective, or any returns. And, it is true that the big box stores receive full credit for returning DVDs, so it does not make much economic sense to spend the time re-shrinkwrapping.

Yet, some individual stores do. Some have shrink wrap machines, and there have been several Best Buy stores caught at re-shrinkwrapping merchandise which had been returned, and putting it right back on the shelf with the new stuff. I believe that the problem was widespread enough in one state that an attorney general has decided to go after the corporate offices, even though they repeatedly state that it is not Best Buy policy. (I seem to recall that this was Ohio, but I could be incorect on which state).

I am positive that my own local Best Buy re-shrink wraps returned stuff, because of four incidents.

1) Perhaps 10 years ago... I buy an expensive Creative Labs soundcard, and try to make it work. It will not. After seven hours on the phone with Creative Labs, the fifth person I deal with finally has me read the various labels and markings off of the card. It is not a Creative Labs card. In fact, a search shows that it is a generic no-name soundcard from an old Packard Bell PC. I take it back to Best Buy, and explain that I suspect someone returned this card in order to get a $250 refund, while keeping the product. They returned the box, the docs, the floppy disc with the drivers... and the soundcard that had come when they purchased their own PC.

So, how did this card end up in the "new" stock, with flawless shrinkwrap?

By the way, Best Buy suspected that _I_ was now trying to pull that same switcheroo. I decided I had tried to be too nice, by informing them of the problem, instead of saying nothing, and returning it.

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2.) Same store. Years later. Same thing happens, with a hard drive. This time, I spot the problem before I even try to install it. This time, I have learned. I merely return everything, and claim I "could not get it to work." Then, I cross the street and buy the identical product at Circuit City.

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3.) A friend tells me that he had the same thing happen at the same Best Buy, with a $400 video card (ATI All In Wonder Pro card). The card is a cheapie, he thinks it was a "WinTV" card. He takes it back.

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4.) Finally, same store, last year, I buy a $80 internal Lite-On DVD burner. The drive inside appears to be a rather generic no name drive, I look closely, and find it is not a DVD burner. It is nt a DVD-Rom. It is not a CD+-R burner. It is a CD-Rom drive.

It is also heavily marred and scratched in places. And, very dirty and dusty. Still, I throw it in the box, which I noted has a tear right along one edge, and what looks like red ballpoint pen scribbling in the "L" of "Lite-On." I check everything, and drive back to Best Buy, to return everything. They take it back, after carefully checking all documentation, warranty paper, and the drivers disc. The blemishes do not apparently bother them. Nor, does the ballpoint pen scribbles on the outer box.

Two days later, I am helping a frind shop for a new power supply for his PC, we visit that same Best Buy, and there is my DVD burner box -- with the same jagged tear, and the red ballpoint pen scribbles in the big white "L." Back on the shelf, just above where i had grabbed it less than 48 hours before.

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For a real fun time, read some of the testimonials over at "BestBuySux" web site.

-Bruce

Dude, I wouldn't shop there anymore.

A lot of times, it's not the store that reshrinkwraps that stuff. It's obviously an unscrupulous customer with a shrinkwrapping machine

How many times does it take buying and returning items from a place that re-shrinkwraps defective merchandise before you SIMPLY DON'T BUY THERE ANYMORE?

You found a floater in your DVD case?

Don't most DVDs have security stickers around all three sides, now? That would take more than re-shrinkwrapping them, wouldn't it?

I received a floater from Amazon.ca that was scratched signigicantly and had fingerprints all over it. I believe it also had 1 security sticker cut, so maybe someone sliced it open, ripped it, and returned it. It was no hassle to get a new one sent out, and return the old one with a pre-paid mailer. Who knows what happened to it at that point.