Justice League 4K & 2D Steelbooks (Best Buy Exclusive)

[Kylo8791]

Originally Posted by MIWinfamous

Decided to pick it up since I hate the photoshopped look of the regular 4k cover, I don't know why this one bothered me as much compared to the other DC film's covers, but it did. My copy I quickly grabbed off the shelf this morning was in mint condition, which I'm shocked after reading about all the problems everyone else seems to be having. If this does end up going on sale within the next 30 days I'll be able to price match it. So I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and pick it up while they're easy to get.

The standard cover......even tho I bought both steel and standard 4K releases...the regular cover art bothered me so much because it’s like they copy/cut/and pasted from the Wonder Woman 4K coverart

[Brian81]

Although I ordered the 3D steel as an import, I figured I would still pick up the 4K. I walked out with the digibook. It's really nice looking. I'll end up buying the 4K later on and swap out the DVD.

[Jacques Souvenir]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Honestly if I was the manager, I think after the 3rd one I would have asked you to leave the store without a copy since you now removed about $600 of stock from their shelves for a $1-2 profit unless you walked out with a $3000 4K TV in addition

Yeah, god forbid he gets what he payed for.

[gemcgee64]

I have a lot of steelbooks, but I am skipping this one. Just not a fan of the steelbooks with the cartoon artwork on the covers. I'll pick up the regular 4K and 3D versions after the price drops....

[SteelMe]

Watched this last night and forgot how disjointed and scattered the last two main series films were.

[Kellz]

Originally Posted by Jacques Souvenir

Yeah, god forbid he gets what he payed for.

he hadn't paid for one yet. if he had paid and found the problems and exchanged, it wouldn't bother me so much. but had he not bought anything at all, he still opened 10 products that will have to be addressed by the store for repackaging, markdown, whatever it is they do, without any sales at all

[Boston007]

Originally Posted by Petey Parker

Can't be read without a subscription or being signed in

PM me and I will send you the article
Screw it, here it is
How Your Returns Are Used Against You at Best Buy, Other Retailers
Best Buy, other chains pay to track customers’ shopping behavior and limit items they can bring back
At Best Buy, returning too many items within a short time can hurt a person’s score, as can returning high-theft items such as digital cameras.
At Best Buy, returning too many items within a short time can hurt a person’s score, as can returning high-theft items such as digital cameras. PHOTO: CRAIG MATTHEWS/THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY/ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Khadeeja Safdar
March 13, 2018 5:30 a.m. ET
476 COMMENTS
Every time shoppers return purchases to Best Buy Co. BBY +0.33% , they are tracked by a company that has the power to override the store’s touted policy and refuse to refund their money.

That is because the electronics giant is one of several chains that have hired a service called Retail Equation to score customers’ shopping behavior and impose limits on the amount of merchandise they can return.

Jake Zakhar recently returned three cellphone cases at a Best Buy store in Mission Viejo, Calif., and a salesperson told him he would be banned from making returns and exchanges for a year. The 41-year-old real-estate agent had bought cases in extra colors as gifts for his sons and assumed he could bring back the unused ones within the 15 days stated in the return policy as long as he had a receipt.

The salesperson told him to contact Retail Equation, based in Irvine, Calif., to request his “return activity report,” a history of his return transactions. The report showed only three items—the cellphone cases—totaling $87.43. He asked the firm to lift the ban, but it declined. When he appealed to Best Buy and tweeted his report, the company referred him back to Retail Equation.

“I’m being made to feel like I committed a crime,” said Mr. Zakhar. “When you say habitual returner, I’m thinking 27 videogames and 14 TVs.”

Stores have long used generous return guidelines to lure more customers, but such policies also invite abuse. Retailers estimate 11% of their sales are returned, and of those, 11% are likely fraudulent returns, according to a 2017 survey of 63 retailers by the National Retail Federation. Return fraud or abuse occurs when customers exploit the return process, such as requesting a refund for items they have used, stolen or bought somewhere else.

Amazon.com Inc. and other online players that have made it easy to return items have changed consumer expectations, adding pressure on brick-and-mortar chains. L.L. Bean Inc., which once allowed customers to make returns even years after they purchased items, recently clamped down, citing abuse.

Points of No Return
The Retail Equation develops 'risk scores' based on shoppers' behavior. The actions that hurt a customer's score and thresholds for denying a return vary by retailer.

Examples of

actions that

can hurt

your score:

Returning

a large

percentage

of your total

purchases

Returning

a high

dollar

amount

Returning

an item

without

a receipt

Returning

an item after

a certain

period

Returning

items that

tend to get

stolen at

the retailer

Returning

too many

items in a

short period

Returning

an item just

when a

store closes

Source: The Retail Equation
Some retailers monitor return fraud in-house, but Best Buy and others pay Retail Equation to track and score each customer’s return behavior for both in-store and online purchases. The service also works with Home Depot Inc., J.C. Penney Co. , Sephora and Victoria’s Secret. Some retailers use the system only to assess returns made without a receipt.

Best Buy uses Retail Equation to assess all returns, even those made with a receipt. Dozens of shoppers have complained on Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and other online forums that they were prevented from making returns despite following the store’s policy.

Retail Equation said its services are used in 34,000 stores, but declined to provide a full list of its clients. The Wall Street Journal learned of the relationship between some retailers and the firm by reviewing return activity reports from customers.

“We are hired by the retailers to review the returns, look for suspicious situations and issue approvals, warnings or denials,” said Tom Rittman, a marketing vice president at Appriss Inc., a Louisville, Ky., data analytics firm that acquired Retail Equation in 2015.

The company said its system is designed to identify 1% of shoppers whose behaviors mimic return fraud or abuse. Its statisticians and programmers have built a customized algorithm for each retailer that scores customers based on their shopping behavior and then flags people who exceed a certain score. The company said it doesn’t share a person’s data from one retailer with another.

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“You could do things that are inside the posted rules, but if you are violating the intent of the rules, like every item you’re purchasing you’re using and then returning, then at a certain point in time you become not a profitable customer for that retailer,” said Mr. Rittman.

At Best Buy, returning too many items within a short time can hurt a person’s score, as can returning high-theft items such as digital cameras. After the Journal contacted Best Buy, the company said it created a dedicated hotline (1-866-764-6979) to help customers who think they were wrongfully banned from making returns.

“On very rare occasions—less than one tenth of one percent of returns—we stop what we believe is a fraudulent return,” said Jeff Haydock, a spokesman for Best Buy. “Fraud is a real problem in retail, but if our systems aren’t as good as they can be, we apologize to anyone inappropriately affected.”

Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly said the company is “looking very seriously at the process and partner around this.”

When a consumer makes a return, details about his or her identity and shopping visit are transmitted to Retail Equation, which then generates a “risk score.” If the score exceeds the threshold specific to the retailer, a salesperson informs the consumer that future returns will be denied and then directs them to Retail Equation to request a return activity report or file a dispute.

It isn’t easy for shoppers to learn their standing before receiving a warning. Retailers typically don’t publicize their relationship with Retail Equation. And even if a customer tracks down his or her return report, it doesn’t include purchase history or other information used to generate a score. The report also doesn’t disclose the actual score or the thresholds for getting barred.

Dave Payne, a 38-year-old public relations professional, said he learned of the system for the first time when he received a warning at a Best Buy in Orlando, Fla. He was returning a digital scale and a router extender, with a receipt for both items.

He said neither Best Buy nor Retail Equation provided a clear explanation for what he did wrong: “Best Buy advertises a 15-day return policy, but they are not advertising that at some point when you’ve crossed an arbitrary line, that policy no longer applies.”

The ban on his account was lifted after he complained to the company’s public-relations department, but he remains upset that his information is being shared with a third party. “It creeps me out.”

Write to Khadeeja Safdar at khadeeja.safdar@wsj.com

[neoz]

Originally Posted by Kellz

he hadn't paid for one yet. if he had paid and found the problems and exchanged, it wouldn't bother me so much. but had he not bought anything at all, he still opened 10 products that will have to be addressed by the store for repackaging, markdown, whatever it is they do, without any sales at all

Yeah that is a pretty crappy thing to do. I hope they don't post this crap here again.

Talk about a blue falcon.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by neoz

Yeah that is a pretty crappy thing to do. I hope they don't post this crap here again.

Talk about a blue falcon.

You can bet they would be the first ones to cry to the high heavens if retailers stopped doing exclusives, or even worse: physical releases due to declining sales because a bunch folks felt the need to open dozens of copies in search of a perfect diamond that doesn’t exist.

It never fails, give some folks an inch and they will always take a foot.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by gemcgee64

I have a lot of steelbooks, but I am skipping this one. Just not a fan of the steelbooks with the cartoon artwork on the covers. I'll pick up the regular 4K and 3D versions after the price drops....

I think it is good when it is a cartoon film (those DCAU titles as an example). Otherwise, I agree. Granted this doesn't include drawn artwork like seen in older film posters.

[Brian81]

Does anyone have any advice with ordering from Amazon Italy. I'm thinking about ordering the JL SteelBook there, but have ordered four times from Amazon Italy and every order has been damaged. The last order, even the plastic shell was destroyed and had to be tossed.


As far as damaged steels, for those of you attacking the guy, how many of you would knowingly CHOOSE to buy a damaged SteelBook second hand off of eBay? So a person who buys multiple steels to get a copy without damage, is he to spend over 100 or more to get a copy without damage? If you WOULD buy a damaged SteelBook off of eBay how much as a percentage of the original price would you be willing to pay? Say, these copies with a spine slash or worse, a dent or paint scrapes/scratches...would you pay even half of the original price? While I don't think I would go through 10 copies, especially without having placed any money down first...I don't think a customer should have to settle for a damaged product.

Now, I have never returned a SteelBook for a spine slash, but I went through 3 or 4 copies to get an Avengers MetalCase that didn't have major flaws, and several copies of the Nolan 4Ks. As far as Amazon Spain goes, I now have three copies of Empire of the Sun, each at $25, with major dents on the corners on all three (unfixable - any buyers?). That is $75 spent and no good copy. Two copies of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Amazon Italy) with numerous dents on each, one of which the plastic inner case smashed and broken apart at the spine, both at $20 each. I've been through two copies of Alliance Canada's Hanna where both copies look like someone tried to slice the back up with a razor. I did not even request returns/replacements because that would require shipping the originals back at close to the cost of the item. So I end up just buying additional copies and wasting more money.

[stlcards]

Originally Posted by El Rey

I thought this was common knowledge by now.

Happy to report my ISP was mint. I have always had pretty good luck. I do inspect when given the chance and of course will steer clear from spine slashes but if they are barely noticeable I won't bother, doesn't bug me much. I do think opening 10 copies in store just to inspect is rather excessive. I won't be swayed by the "blame Best Buy for defective product crowd" we all know its just part of the game at this point. If you don't want to spend more money for a premium, limited product on the off chance that their might be a small blemish, you should probably step away from the steelbook collecting game.

I skipped this steelbook because I wasn't crazy about the artwork. I have been buying less and less steelbooks because I am getting more steelbooks with dents. I'm also seeing more and more steelbooks in my collection rusting.

[rexcrk]

Aren’t the spines exposed even when still sealed?

And the cardboard backing only covers the back and a little bit of the top?

[kryptonite1970]

Originally Posted by rexcrk

Aren’t the spines exposed even when still sealed?



And the cardboard backing only covers the back and a little bit of the top?

Covers the spine of the 4K edition.

[robbathehutt]

Originally Posted by stlcards

I skipped this steelbook because I wasn't crazy about the artwork. I have been buying less and less steelbooks because I am getting more steelbooks with dents. I'm also seeing more and more steelbooks in my collection rusting.

Sounds like you might have a humidity problem in your home.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

He is perfectly within his rights to get what he wants, but I don't think at the extreme inconvenience/expense of both the store and a bunch of other customers who came after him.

Depleting most (or a large proportion) of a store Limited Edition item out of the same batch with the same defect hoping to find a perfect one without the same defect? I'm guessing 90 of 100 buyers (or higher) wouldn't have cared at all even among the SB Collectors so not only prevented that store from selling any of those items, but prevented other customers from having that opportunity.

Doing the same thing over and over while expecting.........

While expecting what? A different outcome? He got a different outcome. He left the store with an undamaged copy, didn't he?

Now you've made up a stat about the number of people willing to pay a premium for a steelbook and are ok with a spine slash.

The "extreme inconvenience" was created by the person who wasn't careful with a box cutter - not the customer.

Again, so shocked to see someone posting in a steelbook forum that most steelbook "collectors" don't care about spine slashes. I sure would've lost that bet.

[brian9229]

Originally Posted by stlcards

I skipped this steelbook because I wasn't crazy about the artwork. I have been buying less and less steelbooks because I am getting more steelbooks with dents. I'm also seeing more and more steelbooks in my collection rusting.

This is odd. I've had hundreds of steels for years now, 7-8 or so, and I've never ever seen this issue. Indeed you may have a severe humidity issue.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by rickah88

You can bet they would be the first ones to cry to the high heavens if retailers stopped doing exclusives, or even worse: physical releases due to declining sales because a bunch folks felt the need to open dozens of copies in search of a perfect diamond that doesn’t exist.

Haha... what in the world is going on? "A perfect diamond that doesn't exist." "A perfect diamond" = "a steelbook without a spine slash"? I got one. So did the person who went through 10 copies. He found the perfect diamond! Amazing. His search was not in vain.

Now returning damaged items is going to be the death of physical media. Amazing.

Here is how this is supposed to work - Best Buy and WB see a huge amount of damaged returns for this collectible steelbook, WB looks into the problem, WB sends off a nasty directive to whoever they have packaging these steelbooks, then they either become more careful or improve their QC.

I'm thrilled someone returned 10 of them.

[50strat54]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

Haha... what in the world is going on? "A perfect diamond that doesn't exist." "A perfect diamond" = "a steelbook without a spine slash"? I got one. So did the person who went through 10 copies. He found the perfect diamond! Amazing. His search was not in vain.

Now returning damaged items is going to be the death of physical media. Amazing.

Here is how this is supposed to work - Best Buy and WB see a huge amount of damaged returns for this collectible steelbook, WB looks into the problem, WB sends off a nasty directive to whoever they have packaging these steelbooks, then they either become more careful or improve their QC.

I'm thrilled someone returned 10 of them.

either way Physical is dying and if having physical product is no longer a priority then there will be no more need to have an exclusive to create "excitement" around the product.

small boutique companies may begin to license out the title and make steelbooks but with a NO RETURNS policy.

I could b!tch all day about new cars not having CD players but guess what progress...it keeps moving on.

anyone still complaining that there's an info sticker on the VHS box or the box was a little torn, or how about them DVD slipcovers, anyone still care that they got one a little bit crushed?

Yes I do look at the steelbook in the stores and try to find the best one, and if one is mailed to me and it's slashed or dented I will do a store pickup and return.

but once I open it I just accept the minor spine slash i missed, paint peeling etc. I'm usually irritated for a bit but then forget about it. I've got so many bluray special editions that I just move on to the next big release.

I'll miss these steelbooks, digibooks and whatever but 10 years from now when we're debating whatever about streaming I will not care about that spine slash.

I remember buying Layla in 1971 and put scratch on it within a week. I was still in high school and so unbelievably upset. Guess what? I still have that album, I never play albums [CDs now] and within a few years I will be selling most of my vinyl.

So let's keep things in perspective although I do understand the OCD of people here, as I have it too but I'm a little bit glad my OCD has weakened over time.

Buy those special editions and packages while they last and have fun!

[scwilson_11]

Originally Posted by BrandonJF

The "extreme inconvenience" was created by the person who wasn't careful with a box cutter - not the customer.

I'm highly doubtful at this point that spine slashes are caused by box cutters, at least not by hand. Scanavo, retailers and the studios all know about spine slashes because of the ridiculous amount of returns caused by them over the years. If it was as simple as telling the employees to be more careful I'm sure we would have seen a decline by now.