What fucking planet am I living on? I bought a DVD at Best Buy and brought it home. A full 11 seconds into the movie the thing skips and sputters, then it stops playing altogther and I get the message “This disc cannot be played.” Oh well, I bring it back to the store for a refund, and they say that in accordance with copyright law, they can only exchange it for the exact same movie. Ok, fine. Except it’s an obscure movie and they don’t have any more copies. Do they offer me a refund? No, but they’ll tell me every Best Buy within fifty miles that might have a copy. Gee, thanks. I really want to drive all over the fucking metro area because you assholes sold me a DVD that doesn’t work. This is the most outrageous horseshit I’ve ever seen. Your fucking product was DEFECTIVE. Doesn’t that supercede copyright law? Fuck, why should DVD companies even fucking sell movies anymore? Basically, they sold me a blank disc for 7 bucks and apparently can do it with impunity. Just…fucking…eat me.
A friend of mine had this exact same experience at Best Buy. Only in his case, it was a Django Reinhardt cd which for some reason actually contained an awful, awful unknown pop bank cd instead. Even though the object he ended up with was not the object he paid for, Best Buy refused to give him a refund or let him exchange it for anything but the exact same CD. Which they didn’t have. And wouldn’t order. And since this was in the middle of Illinois, there wasn’t another Best Buy for at least an hour’s drive, maybe two, they were essentially telling him to get stuffed.
I was flabbergasted. I honestly couldn’t believe a store could have such a policy. As a result, I don’t shop at Best Buy any more.
But don’t you know? You’re a criminal! The RIAA and the MPAA say so, and that’s why the DMCA must be passed to Protect The Chil… er, Artists! And the CBDTPA! And anything else the RIAA and the MPAA decide the artists need!
After all, you’re not a customer, you’re a criminal.
Derleth, I don’t think the problem is the fact that they want you to exchange an open DVD for the exact same product (to keep people from buying CDs/DVDs, copying them, and returning them, which would be understandably bad for business). The problem is the fact that Best Buy for some unknown reason won’t order a replacement item if they’re out of stock on something you need to exchange. Other stores don’t have this policy. Only Best Buy, as far as I know.
It’s because they’re crazy, and they hate you. So in that way, they’re like the RIAA. But I think that’s the only connection in this case.
Oh, so this is a Best Buy rant instead of a Copyright Law rant?
I’ll take my kneejerk somewhere else.
Assuming you have a dvd-rom, or access to one. If I were you I would get decss, rent the movie, and then rip it to disk. You paid for it you should get to watch it. This method sucks because you would not get to watch it on the tv unless you have a dvd burner or a tv out on your computer. If you have a cd burner you could burn it to a set of vcds but you would need several cds and the picture would not be as good.
This has nothing to do with copyright law, it has to do with Best Buy’s stupid policy and their dishonest excuses for it.
I can dig Best Buy’s policy of only offering exchanges for defective discs. It’s the whole “we won’t help you get a replacement” part that boggles the mind. What, like it’s going to bankrupt the company to give the customer a raincheck, place a special order, then call him when the disc arrives from the central warehouse two weeks later?
Quite frankly, the best things MrSarcasticus can do are (1) never patronize Best Buy again, and (2) loudly tell everyone he knows about how they should never shop at Best Buy because they’re a bunch of boners.
Hmm… guess I won’t buy any DVDs at Best Buy. But you’ll have to do better than this to convince me not to shop at Best Buy at all. I love that place. 
Hell, he already paid to buy the DVD, why should he pay again to rent it? I’ve heard rumors that some people trade movies on the internet… perhaps he might seek their guidance.
Here in Australia. even if shops have signs up stating that they don’t give refunds, it is illegal to refuse both a replacement and a refund for faulty goods.
Similarly in English law - IIRC, it’s the Sale of Goods Act, 1979. (Disclaimer: IANAL.) Generally speaking, Acts of Parliament trump “store policies”.
Ireland too: they try to get round it by saying, e.g. “Exchanges only, no credit note, no refunds”, but they have to put in the small print “Does not affect your statutory rights”, which counteract the initial store statement, which is actually only policy.
Though who you would go to to get this sorted if a store started playing silly buggers, I have no idea.
Sorry, man, but everybody knows that consumers or people in general having any rights at all in relation to big corporations is against the principles of free trade, hence it is nascent communism.
I’ve heard similer, problem is to hear people tell it some of the quality is lost in compression. Renting and ripping would get the best quality. Sometimes you can find good downloads though, I heard. Depends on how good the person who encoded it was. People also tell me that bitzi is good for getting reports of the quality. So what ever floats your boat I guess.
A Bestbuy rant? Good.
After a month or so of checking out computers, my SO found one on Besbtbuy that looked like a good deal. Everything checked out nice except for the monitor, which was listed as “17 inch flat panel LCD”. We dig around the site trying to get more details on the monitor but have no luck. OK, no big deal, we’ll call the 800 number, and they’ll tell us. Keep in mind this was an Internet only deal, so no brick and mortar stores would be hip to it.
Bestbuy: thank you for calling BB, how can I help you?
Me: I saw a computer deal on your site and everything looks good, but I wanted to know a little more about the screen it comes with.
BB: I see it comes with a 17-inch flat panel LCD
Me: Well that’s the problem, I wanted to find out the brand and the model number so I can do some research and make sure it’s decent.
BB: Sure I understand sir, let me see if I can find that out <puts me on hold>
<Still holding>
BB: Sir? Unfortunately I can’t seem to dig up that info.
Me: Well why not? You can’t tell me the brand of the monitor?
BB: <starts giving me the long-winded we only have access to the same info you see on the Internet bullshit>
Me: So what do you suggest?
BB: try calling one of our stores
I call a store, they have no idea what I’m talking about, and tell me they don’t deal with Internet only specials.
I call back the 800 line.
BB: How can I help you?
Me: I have a little problem here, and I’m getting pissed because I’m getting the run around. I see a computer I like on your website. I want to buy it, however a question answered before I do so.
<Same interaction as above, same info that you see on web, blah blah blah>
<Call ends with them suggesting calling BB Canada> 
Final call - Bestbuy corporate offices - a supervisor
BB: How can I help you sir?
Me: I just wanted to tell you how fucked up your company is, and that you lost a sale… <Bring them up to speed with everything, yada yada> …nobody in your company can answer a simple question? Not a single person could use a brain cell and try and dig up an answer for me? How about calling the shipping department and asking the guy that packs the fucking box? I bet he knows what brand the monitor is. Would you pay $1,200 for something and you have no idea what you’re getting? No? I didn’t think so. When your midlevel ass is getting laid off because your stupid company fell short on earnings, think about this $1,200 that was one click away if you actually cared about performing your job correctly, and could have answered a simple question.
They will never get any of my money, ever. They could have the sweetest comp in the world for $1 and I would tell them to roast in hell.
Moderator’s Notes: I think this thread has become gray enough that it warrants a word of warning. Do not discuss methods for committing illegal acts on the Straight Dope Message Board. There are other places where this restriction isn’t enforced on members. We’d prefer that you get those folks in trouble rather than us.
Please continue with your Best Buy rant(s) and leave the ripping/copying of CD’s and DVD’s out of it.
Unless you think Best Buy has some kind of machine in the back that allows them to instantly make you a new DVD to replace the defective one, but that they didn’t use it, your rant has exactly nothing to do with copyright law. I mean, if you bought a TV from them and it didn’t work, but the one you bought was the last one, and all they did was offer to tell you where else you could buy it, you would have substantively the same complaint. The MPAA didn’t make the DVD defective, nor did they say that you couldn’t get a replacement.
Now, the weird thing is that they couldn’t check the inventory of every Best Buy in the area and get another store to send it over or put it on hold for you. That’s just bad customer service.
In the UK trading law states that all goods must be ‘fit for the purpose for which they were sold’.
That is actually part of EU law andhas caused lots of problems with copyright protection.
Recent CDs and DVDs have various methods of protection but this has been known to prevent operation of the disc concerned for legitimate users.
Result is that the legal basis for copyright protection is getting caught up with consumer rights.
Looking at the OPs case though, it seems a fairly clear cut case, the seller is responsible for providing a replacement at the customers convenience or a refund.
I’m a little surprised that in the US someone has not yet sued this retailer for the value of the goods and for exemplary damages for stress and psychological damage.
If someone can sue a fast food chain because they cannot keep their jaws closed enough to stop the entry of burgers and the consequent weight increase one would think this case would have some merit.
<slight hijack>
While I thoroughly understand Uncle Beer’s warning, I do have a question about this. I understand that we may not discuss the how-tos of committing an illegal act, but may we discuss why people, under certain circumstances such as those outlined in the OP, may feel that committing such an act would be preferable to complying with the law?
Did you buy it with a credit card? Call the credit card issuer, and tell them you want to initiate a chargeback against Best Buy. 99% of the time they automatically side with the credit card holder, and credit your account with the purchase price; you don’t even have to return the merchandise. Best Buy eats the loss, and there’s nothing they can do about it.