I special ordered Life Aquatic the 2 disc limited edition from a local store, and when I went in to pick it up, I saw that they had put a yellow post-it on the case with my name written in ballpoint pen. What I feared was true: they wrote so hard that the pressure from the pen engraved my name into the box. I refused to buy it in that condition and had them order a new copy, and the guy who was waiting on me said, "I'm anal about my DVDs but not that anal!"

So was that too anal? This is a thirty dollar Criterion Collection DVD after all. I'm picky about the condition of 9.99 DVDs, but I am sure as hell not accepting a DVD where they treated the case like that without any regard. They put in a new order while I was there and I said they would have to order me a new one every week if that's what it took to get one in good condition. And it was employee ignorance that caused the condition of the DVD to be undesireable in the first place.

I would have to say...

"I'm anal about my DVDs but not that anal!"

I probably wouldn't have accepted it and probably wouldn't have ordered another one as well.

Why didn't they just switch the slip case with a different one?

ditto

I'd do the exact same thing.

Probably because of the thing about it being a special order...

DJ

Well, why wouldn't they just give him a new one? Because they didn't have any others.

In response to the snotty employee, I would have asked for a manager and bitched until I received a discount.

A bit anal yeah, but it's your money.

Kudos to the store for being so gratious about it though. They must really want your business and thats how it should be.

They don't carry the two disc. It's been awfully hard for me to find, which is why I broke down and special ordered it. I know it retails at full SRP for 29.99 but I can get it through them for about 22.00, which is a bit lower than most online retailers I have seen, so I will hang out for a good copy. What I didn't understand about the sticky note on the case is why not just rubber band the special order form they filled out for it around the case? Might take a minute longer to find the form rather than picking up a sticky note, but a better idea in the long run, I would think.

That is like really anal, and I totally would have done the same thing. Actually, I did something just that bad once myself, and felt no shame, so neither should you. It's your money and your dvd. If you want it just.so, then that is how it should be.

Why in the hell would they write on there like that anyway? Kind of unprofessional, if you ask me. I expect that kind of behavior from Dave's DVD Barn, but not a respectable retailer.

Then again, where did you buy it?

Good for you, and yes, I would have done the exact same thing.

I had to return the two-disc SE of "Pulp Fiction" to Best Buy because one of the discs was scratched all to hell by the manufacturing equipment. The clerk at the customer service counter is required to remove the shrink wrap from DVDs when making an exchange so people don't turn around and try to return them for a refund. So the super-genius I was dealing with ran the tip of a ballpoint pen up the back of the "Pulp Fiction" slipcase to slit open the plastic, leaving an indented line up the back.

I told her I was going to get another copy because I refused to accept the one she just damaged.

Her response?

"Oh, you're a Case Nazi."

Hopefully they could find a big enough rubber band. I'd be worried if it was too tight around the case and . . . see, you have me doing it now!

But yeah, I'm pretty picky about my cases. When buying at a B&M, I usually get a copy from near the back. It hasn't been handled as much.

I probably would have done the same thing.

Have you tried Wal*Mart? At the one near me they still have a row of the 2-disc sets.

Thats why I carry a small pocket knife with me at all times, and demand that I open it myself... I too have experienced the ballpoint pen thing with Best Buy customer service in the past... never again.

I would have done the same thing you did

is it so hard to write the name on the post-it FIRST and then stick it?

Yes, get help immediately.

Just order online, man, and save the headache.

Oh and if you want something that's "too anal", I have some links I could give you. Email me

really it's not that hard to do. I used to work at a Book/Music store and I always did that - I didn't want to imprint some person's name on a book/CD cover/slipcase. Hell I was so anal when I was up at the cashier and someone was writing a check and leaning against a book, I'd be like - "please use the counter, not the cover of a book"

my personal retort would have been "and Oh, you're a real bitch"

Too anal? Hmm, my wife would think so. Me, not so much. I am the same way about my DVD's, comics & collectibles. I always look for the least damaged specimen. Just yesterday, the back label on my Jaws 30th peeled off the slipcase because it wasn't glued on well. I almost took the damn thing back. My butt actually puckered like a kid eating lemons.

Nah, not at all. I had a similar experience, but I was too timid to say anything. Plus, it was on the SCTV Vol. 2 "deal" at Blockbuster, so I didn't want to chance turning it down at the time.