Scratched / damaged rental DVDs

johnny_ultimate

Seems everytime I rent out a DVD these days, the person before has managed to destroy the underside in some manner. Now I'm confused. I can see only a few illogical reasons how anyone could manage to scratch a DVD, outside of throwing it on the ground when finished. These include the following possibilities:

1) It is possible that folks use rental DVDs as a frisbee replacement. If this is the cast, may I please recommend one of these fine products. They are of good quality.

2) No matter how much you try, Mr DJ, scratching a DVD on a turntable will not make any noise.

3) DVDs, contrary to popular belief, are not the optimum way of avoiding drink stains. Coasters are cheap objects, available in any decent homestore.

Now, for those of you who may have been confused by the actual purpose of a DVD, this advise should steer you in the right direction.

In conclusion: please, renters, follow the instructions here

Don't hold CDd and DVDs by the rim, with your fingers splayed out. It's too easy to drop the disk that way. Hold them by putting your thumb against the rim and one finger in the center hole. When you're taking the disk out of the player or the drive, catch your finger in the center hole first and lift it out.

Now let us all enjoy rented DVDs without the dreaded shudder, stutter, stop that I have seen far too many times in the last few weeks. ktnxbye.

Signed,
A disgruntled film-lover.

senordingdong

This used to drive me up the wall something fierce.
I just go to the cinema more now.

The Bollox

it really is shítty. and I have found, for some reason, it's the new DVD's, the ones that have only been on the shelf for a week or less that are in the worst shape. the ones that have been there for ages are notmally fine (atleast I have never had a problem with a DVD I got from outside the New Realeases section)

johnny_ultimate

The Bollox wrote:

it really is shítty. and I have found, for some reason, it's the new DVD's, the ones that have only been on the shelf for a week or less that are in the worst shape. the ones that have been there for ages are notmally fine (atleast I have never had a problem with a DVD I got from outside the New Realeases section)

This is a good point. I rented out Blades of Glory last night which has been out for what, a couple of days? When I put it in the player, it refused to start due to smuding all over the underside. Had to get out the cleaning apparatuses (read: tissue) to even get the thing to play (which it eventually did). A couple of weeks ago I got out another new release which was in the worst state I have ever seen a DVD - entire chapters were pretty much destroyed. Thankfully, they refunded me for it.

Although I have gotten my fair share of older DVDs with issues - usually just a few seconds stuttering though.

The Bollox

I remember a year or so ago I rented out Harold & Kumar when it had just been released and the DVD is in bits! it looked like someone had a go at it with a shard of glass. after 30 mins the film was stuttering (or whatever the technical term is) and it didn't stop until the last chapter. I made sure to get a refund. I was asked whether I would like a different copy but I got a older film instead and it was perfect (bar general age wear and tear, but the film played perfectly)

qwertplaywert

happens alot for me in planet dundalk

although, when i rent outa xtravision and dont watch in time, i just said it didnt work,always get a free extra 2 days

I remember renting out The Assassination of Richard Nixon the day after it was released and haveing to walk back up town ten minutes after I putting it in the DVD player. The disc was destroyed, and I don't mean a few scratches. It looked as if someone had suck it to the underside of their shoe and dragged it across gravel.

Snake Plisken

Yeah its a real pain, is it that hard for people to put it from the box into the dvd player and back into the box rather then leaving it on the floor for someone to walk on? If I ever bought ex-rentals I always made the staff show be the disc before purchasing, if its even a small bit scrathed I get them to look for another. Also I always check brand new discs especially if they are not in the original boxes, to make sure whatever way they've been stored hasn't damaged it or some of the staff decided to watch it and its gotten scratched in the process. Worse crowd I'v come across are Gamestop who store all of their Blu-Ray/HD-DVD discs in really old and used plastic sleeves, I've looked at some the discs and it looks like someones taken a brillo pad to them, I've tried to educate them on storage but no good.

Snake

Snake Plisken

Snake Plisken wrote:

Yeah its a real pain, is it that hard for people to put it from the box into the dvd player and back into the box rather then leaving it on the floor for someone to walk on? If I ever bought ex-rentals I always made the staff show be the disc before purchasing, if its even a small bit scrathed I get them to look for another. Also I always check brand new discs especially if they are not in the original boxes, to make sure whatever way they've been stored hasn't damaged it or some of the staff decided to watch it and its gotten scratched in the process. Worse crowd I'v come across are Gamestop who store all of their Blu-Ray/HD-DVD discs in really old and used plastic sleeves, I've looked at some the discs and it looks like someones taken a brillo pad to them, I've tried to educate them on storage but no good.

Snake

Gamestope are terrible for damaging discs. I bought Last House on the Left and a number of others in Gamestop in Galway, and I was rushing to catchthe bus home so I didn't get a chance to check the discs till I was on the bus. Who ever had cleaned the disc had just poured the mix onto the disc and never put it thorugh the cleaning machine.

tvnutz

Some people just don't give a crap about something that isn't theirs.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

As someone who works in a video rental outlet, people destroying dvd's really pi55e5 me off. A guy came in today with just the disc and told me that his dog ate the box. Needless to say the dvd was absolutely wrecked and unrentable.
It's hard to understand how some of the scratches get on the discs, because it doesn't happen in the store. Funnily enough anytime I put a dvd on in the store or rent one out, I never have any problems with them and I've gone through a fair few dvd's in my time. A lot of people come back and say the dvd is scratched so that they can rent something else out free of charge. I also have a feeling that some people watch the dvd then scratch it themselves so they can come back in and claim a refund.

Karl Hungus

You think scratches are bad? I once got a Playstation game back from someone that was covered in jam.

CaptainNegative wrote:

I also have a feeling that some people watch the dvd then scratch it themselves so they can come back in and claim a refund.

That makes a sick kind of sense... ****ing jerks.