I have a dvd ethics question.

I once bought a PVD from a hollywood video. Problem was I lost my receipt, so I couldnt take it back to exchange it. The PVD was badly scratched. Several weeks later after trying to figure out how to handle the situation, I rented a copy of the movie and switched discs.

I know that is extremely shady ass, but what else could I have done..?

Well, it's to late to do anything differently now, but...

Check the DVD's in the store before you purchase them.
Keep track of your receipts.
Ask HV if they keep a record that they can look up using your CC number.
Ask for advice before swapping the movies.
Make the swap and not tell anybody.

dude, you're not alone, I've done that too.
i justified it to myself by thinking that given that it's a relatively old title (species 2), chances of it being rented again were probably slim, given the volume of new movies and tv shows that the store gets every week ...
But, yeah, it's not the most honest or ethical thing in the world. but probably less bad than driving away after running someone over on a dark and deserted road.

The second time it happened, I couldn't find my receipt, but the woman working at the shop remembered me buying the scratched up pvd (Talladega Nights) as I had bought a stack of movies there that day, and let me exchange it for a less scratched, working copy.

I've never seen a used DVD at a low enough price to buy used instead of new.

Same here.

You're joking right? I've used BB's 4 for $20 several times for DVDs that are still about $20/ea.

PVD at Hollywood are guaranteed for a year I believe. I'm sure there's a way that they could have looked up your transaction in their system to prove that you bought it there.

You made the mistake. You lost the receipt. Rather than accept the penalty for your mistake, you stole a rental disk and substituted a damaged one. The next person who rents that disk will get an unpleasant surprise when he get his movie home, and will have to wait in line to get his refund.

What else could you have done? Gone back to the store and tried to make a pitch. If it didn't fly, admitted that you screwed up and taken the $5 hit. That's how I would have handled it.

the hollywood i worked at didnt even clean the dvd'ss they put up for sale so we always had returns. I didnt care if they ahd a recipiept or not
Some people opened them in the store to check them first. i didnt blame them a bit.
Im surprised you found a good rental one to swap it with

SUPERDELUXE,
Well, basically you are going to burn in hell. You should have asked the following question before making such a wrong: "what would Jesus do?

SUPERDELUXE,

Have you been to church recently? There still may be room for you up there if you repent.




...you really believed me? haha

Well, Jesus would have just transmutated the disc so it's scratch-free, but he can't do that, can he?

I thought Hollywood Video had lifetime guarantees on their PVD DVDs.

Don't do that again. I would give the price of a nice, new DVD ($9.99) to a charity. You'll feel better.

Even if so, how much longer is Hollywood Video's lifetime??

Slightly cheaper brand new thru CH.

I have several duplicate dvds, that I can sell, and give the proceeds to a charity of dvd talk's choice?

Well, it's almost Thanksgiving. I'm sure you'll find a Salvation Army donation kettle near many stores. I'm not personally endorsing that charity, just giving an example. BTW, I think it's great that you know it was not the right thing to do when you switched discs. Too many people don't have a moral compass.

I'm no biblical scholar, but I don't believe Jesus even had a DVD player.

Your spirit of sacrifice is inspiring!

lol, true. Though none of them in my area have closed. I just keep the receipts in a file just in case I find a disc I haven't watched yet was scratched.

Only time I returned a DVD was because I accidentally picked up the full screen version. It was one of those covers where the version is typed in small letters on the lower right or left hand corners. This is where I appreciate WB's top banners.

I switched out my full-screen "Psycho 2" dvd for the widescreen rental copy at Blockbuster.

Am I hellbound?

Yes.