Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Member-222782]

Again, I would try to wipe off those "scratches" with a microfiber cloth before declaring war on a label. Just see if they wipe off. They either will or won't. Some of those "scratches" look too linear and even too "thick" to be actual scratches. The packaging itself gives off outgassing and can contain oily substances that may contribute to these marks forming on the discs since they sit flush against the packaging. I have tons of old discs that I've had to clean after being in storage for a long time. Most of the surface marks and hairlines buff right off with a microfiber cloth.

[bergman864]

It's terrible when you get a disc with scratches. I'm lucky in that I keep escaping the scratch issue. I just bought Night of the Demons. No scratches. Watched it last night, no playback issues.

I feel for those suffering through the scratches. I hope I remain free of the issue.

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by Watershipdownisgood

Another of many reasons why I don’t buy from Shout Factory’s website it’s better to buy it from Diabolik DVD, Grindhouse Video or Orbit. I avoid buying my Blu Rays from a company’s store website because well as I can see from many of the posts here people get scratched discs or worse. Not only that but the customer service sounds awful and I don’t want to deal with that. So I avoid buying on a company’s website as it sounds to me like a bad idea.

Unfortunately, TripleHBK is right in saying that every shop you buy SF product from is getting said product from SF. This is why I said I will never buy another SF product that is not opened and / or used from anyone, so I can see the condition of the discs before I buy them.

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

The companies you mentioned get their product directly from Shout Factory. Your choosing to by from them has no impact on whether or not you get a scratched disk. I'd also wager that the aforementioned companies are no better with their return policies than Shout Factory is either and so you likely have no benefit on that front either.

All of the companies he mentioned will replace product that was damaged in transit. I've been buying from them for many years and, fortunately, have only had to reach out to each of them one time. They emailed me a return shipping label and sent out a replacement shortly after the damaged item arrived at their shop.

However, this is obviously a very different scenario from the SF issue, and I would never expect one of these shops to simply unseal one of the items in their warehouse to send it to me (or anyone else) as a replacement. This is why I've purposely never purchased SF's product from any of the little guys, and only get them on sale either from Amazon or from SF themselves.

Originally Posted by RCRochester

Unfortunately, if you are not willing to keep the damaged product (and I certainly wouldn't) you might have to eat the return shipping costs just to be done with it. Perhaps follow-up by commenting on their social media posts. Maybe even file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

This sort of "customer service" is absolutely unacceptable. They know the scratches are a problem and are banking on people not noticing, or not wanting to spend the money to return the scratched discs.

I thought about this but I do not have any other social media accounts, and I don't believe it would do any good if this type of stuff would be posted from a brand new account. I had a friend check to see if they were able to DM SF on Twitter, and Twitter told them they had to be verified in order to do that. So as far as social media goes, I don't see how / where I can post this to bring some attention to it other than right here.

How would one go about contacting the BBB? Will they even look at something like this?

Originally Posted by critterdvd

I’m a manager of customer service for a publishing company and I would frankly be embarrassed to send those emails! It’s obviously they are damaged products. I could just imagine telling customers “well only the corners of the book are bent” and books cost a lot more to produce the physical copies than a blu/4k disc…

I would actually reprimand a csr for doing that but I’m sure that’s in there required scriots from management.

I genuinely do not understand it, either. Who knows, perhaps they just don't give a shit about this particular case because I only order from them once a year and they're more inclined to provide proper CS to regular buyers. It is what it is, though.

Originally Posted by bergman864

It's terrible when you get a disc with scratches. I'm lucky in that I keep escaping the scratch issue. I just bought Night of the Demons. No scratches. Watched it last night, no playback issues.

I feel for those suffering through the scratches. I hope I remain free of the issue.

One scratched disc sucks, for sure. But 4/5? It'd be downright comical if it didn't cost me any money.

I, too, hope you remain free of this issue. For a while there I considered myself pretty lucky because I hadn't received any scratched discs from SF either, until I began buying their UHDs.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Again, I would try to wipe off those "scratches" with a microfiber cloth before declaring war on a label. Just see if they wipe off. They either will or won't. Some of those "scratches" look too linear and even too "thick" to be actual scratches. The packaging itself gives off outgassing and can contain oily substances that may contribute to these marks forming on the discs since they sit flush against the packaging. I have tons of old discs that I've had to clean after being in storage for a long time. Most of the surface marks and hairlines buff right off with a microfiber cloth.

It's not smudges, something caused by "outgassing" or anything that can be wiped off. As someone who has received damaged discs that look exactly like the ones in the photos, they are scratches. Plain and simple.

Originally Posted by A Tortured Duckling

I thought about this but I do not have any other social media accounts, and I don't believe it would do any good if this type of stuff would be posted from a brand new account. I had a friend check to see if they were able to DM SF on Twitter, and Twitter told them they had to be verified in order to do that. So as far as social media goes, I don't see how / where I can post this to bring some attention to it other than right here.

How would one go about contacting the BBB? Will they even look at something like this?

If you don't have any social media accounts, fair enough. They probably don't allow comments from people who are verified for the simple reason they likely have received tons of comments and complaints from customers already.

You can just go to the Better Business Bureau website and file a complaint. For your edification, here is the link to Shout Factory's profile:

https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/los-angele...y-1216-1003891

You know it really pisses me off the attitude these labels have to their paying customers, Shout Factory, Arrow, Kino Lorber. I get that they probably do have to deal with a lot of nitpicky people who sometimes complain about the tiniest thing like a dinged slipcover, but their approach is always completely unprofessional which is shocking when they work in an industry that doesn't exactly have a robust future - you'd think they would be bending over backwards to keep every customer they still do have content.

[rdodolak]

I wonder if this had anything to do with Cliff and Jeff departing SF.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

I wonder if this had anything to do with Cliff and Jeff departing SF.

Why would it? Cliff was a producer and in acquisitions at Shout, this has zero to do with him. It'd be like blaming Fran's departure for Arrow's woeful customer service.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Why would it? Cliff was a producer and in acquisitions, this has zero to do with him. It'd be like blaming Fran's departure for Arrow's woeful customer service.

I'm just wondering if they got tired of the issues (e.g. scratches) at SF and how they're handled especially if it affects the overall product and they didn't have a say. Afterall, Cliff and Jeff are the names people remember (face of SF). Maybe they got tired of it.

Did they ever state the reasons for deciding to leave other than for new opportunities.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

I'm just wondering if they got tired of the issues (e.g. scratches) at SF and how they're handled especially if it affects the overall product and they didn't have a say. Afterall, Cliff and Jeff are the names people remember (face of SF). Maybe they got tired of it.

Did they ever state the reasons for deciding to leave other than for new opportunities.

No, that has nothing to do with it. Cliff saw the opening at Arrow, and saw greater potential for more of the types of films he wants to license and produce, which he can now release in two territories as well. Plus, I'm sure the likely higher salary doesn't hurt either. I don't see anyone leaving a steady job in this industry because discs are being scratched, something that's impacting many studios and labels, not just SF.

[bergman864]

Originally Posted by A Tortured Duckling

[Show spoiler]Unfortunately, TripleHBK is right in saying that every shop you buy SF product from is getting said product from SF. This is why I said I will never buy another SF product that is not opened and / or used from anyone, so I can see the condition of the discs before I buy them.

All of the companies he mentioned will replace product that was damaged in transit. I've been buying from them for many years and, fortunately, have only had to reach out to each of them one time. They emailed me a return shipping label and sent out a replacement shortly after the damaged item arrived at their shop.

However, this is obviously a very different scenario from the SF issue, and I would never expect one of these shops to simply unseal one of the items in their warehouse to send it to me (or anyone else) as a replacement. This is why I've purposely never purchased SF's product from any of the little guys, and only get them on sale either from Amazon or from SF themselves.

I thought about this but I do not have any other social media accounts, and I don't believe it would do any good if this type of stuff would be posted from a brand new account. I had a friend check to see if they were able to DM SF on Twitter, and Twitter told them they had to be verified in order to do that. So as far as social media goes, I don't see how / where I can post this to bring some attention to it other than right here.

How would one go about contacting the BBB? Will they even look at something like this?

I genuinely do not understand it, either. Who knows, perhaps they just don't give a shit about this particular case because I only order from them once a year and they're more inclined to provide proper CS to regular buyers. It is what it is, though.

One scratched disc sucks, for sure. But 4/5? It'd be downright comical if it didn't cost me any money.

I, too, hope you remain free of this issue. For a while there I considered myself pretty lucky because I hadn't received any scratched discs from SF either, until I began buying their UHDs.

Yeah. I'm thinking it's not an issue of if, it's when. I don't know how anyone could just ignore it at this point.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

I'm just wondering if they got tired of the issues (e.g. scratches) at SF and how they're handled especially if it affects the overall product and they didn't have a say. Afterall, Cliff and Jeff are the names people remember (face of SF). Maybe they got tired of it.

Did they ever state the reasons for deciding to leave other than for new opportunities.

I've wondered this as well.

Jeff and Cliff may not have any direct impact on the physical production of the discs but they did have inside knowledge regarding the direction that there employer was planning for the future. The disc issue may very well be part of a larger move/new focus.

It's hard to know where physical media production lies in terms of importance at this time with them, but the shift to Shout Studios, a new focus on content creation, the expansion of the Shout streaming channels, and the departure of 2 well known faces of genre films and physical media could potentially all be signs of a move away from what we've all associated Shout Factory with. Add to that the now... what, 2-3 years of ongoing disc scratching issues? and lack of response or any clear efforts to address the problems at the factory certainly give the appearance that physical media isn't as important to Shout Factory as it once was.

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

I've wondered this as well.

Jeff and Cliff may not have any direct impact on the physical production of the discs but they did have inside knowledge regarding the direction that there employer was planning for the future. The disc issue may very well be part of a larger move/new focus.

It's hard to know where physical media production lies in terms of importance at this time with them, but the shift to Shout Studios, a new focus on content creation, the expansion of the Shout streaming channels, and the departure of 2 well known faces of genre films and physical media could potentially all be signs of a move away from what we've all associated Shout Factory with. Add to that the now... what, 2-3 years of ongoing disc scratching issues? and lack of response or any clear efforts to address the problems at the factory certainly give the appearance that customer service isn't as important to Shout Factory as it once was.

Fixed

[Watershipdownisgood]

Yeah I’ve just been lucky I guess as I haven’t had any unfortunate issues with any Shout Factory products but other people aren’t so lucky which sucks.

[DawnShadow]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

No, that has nothing to do with it. Cliff saw the opening at Arrow, and saw greater potential for more of the types of films he wants to license and produce, which he can now release in two territories as well. Plus, I'm sure the likely higher salary doesn't hurt either. I don't see anyone leaving a steady job in this industry because discs are being scratched, something that's impacting many studios and labels, not just SF.

Really? Have you ever been one of the known names/faces of a company that was going in a direction you didn't agree with? Money is all you would care about in that situation? Not getting the hell out to somewhere where your opinions/knowledge/skills are appreciated more and taken on board?

I don't think it's a stretch at all to think this may have been a contributing factor to departures.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DawnShadow

Really? Have you ever been one of the known names/faces of a company that was going in a direction you didn't agree with? Money is all you would care about in that situation? Not getting the hell out to somewhere where your opinions/knowledge/skills are appreciated more and taken on board?

I don't think it's a stretch at all to think this may have been a contributing factor to departures.

I suggest you re-read my post again. I did not say money was the prime motivation whatsoever.. Cliff has literally no say whatsoever on the scratched discs issue. He can't plead for them to fix something that is beyond Shout's own control. SF has stated on this site that they've tried tirelessly to get the problem resolved, and they believed it was at one point, but obviously that isn't the case.

People love to link the scratched discs to SF and say they don't care anymore, when Kino, Criterion, and others are having scratched discs too. I guess no one cares then? OR maybe it's something that is beyond their control?

[DawnShadow]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I suggest you re-read my post again. I did not say money was the prime motivation whatsoever. . Also I was replying to someone trying to connect scratched discs to his deeparture, which is not remotely the same as what you're saying here.

I think you may have misread their post. They were implying the culture around not caring about the quality of the product going out and poor customer service that reflects on them as known names/faces of the company might contribute to staff members leaving. It's not simply "I don't like scratched discs, I want a new job".

Does staying in a "steady job in this industry" that you're not happy with not imply that money is the main motivator? It sure isn't the joy of working there.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DawnShadow

I think you may have misread their post. They were implying the culture around not caring about the quality of the product going out and poor customer service that reflects on them as known names/faces of the company might contribute to staff members leaving. It's not simply "I don't like scratched discs, I want a new job".

Does staying in a "steady job in this industry" that you're not happy with not imply that money is the main motivator? It sure isn't the joy of working there.

No. Steady job means job security, it in no way is it about more or less money, but having an actual job. This industry is not growing in wild numbers, there aren't an endless opening of jobs available for someone like Cliff, so would you in his situation, without a perfect alternative job to go to, leave because the company is dealing with scratched discs? Keeping in mind that has zero to do with his position, zero to do with something he can fix, and something that isn't ceven unique to his company? I don't know how to explain to you how little sense that makes.

Also, I added to my post above about the ridiculous argument about SF not caring.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

People love to link the scratched discs to SF and say they don't care anymore, when Kino, Criterion, and others are having scratched discs too. I guess no one cares then? OR maybe it's something that is beyond their control?

SF isn't the only company dealing with the scratch issue but as far as I'm aware they're the only label telling customers to just kind of deal with it.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

SF isn't the only company dealing with the scratch issue but as far as I'm aware they're the only label telling customers to just kind of deal with it.

They're not. Criterion have also said similar things to their customers who have reached out about scratched discs.

Also, Customer service is wildly inconsistent. Even in this thread you'll see people getting different responses. Go to Arrow's thread and see how much of a headache it is dealing wih them. I've also seen people trying to get replacement discs from Kino to no avail. Customer service as a whole is lacking, and often depends on who's responding to you on any given day.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

They're not. Criterion have also said similar things to their customers who have reached out about scratched discs.

Also, Customer service is wildly inconsistent. Even in this thread you'll see people getting different responses. Go to Arrow's thread and see how much of a headache it is dealing wih them. I've also seen people trying to get replacement discs from Kino to no avail. Customer service as a whole is lacking, and often depends on who's responding to you on any given day.

So what's the solution? I don't mean any disrespect but your posts seem like whataboutism and apologetic for SF when this is when of the more egregious examples of poor customer service I've seen in a while.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

So what's the solution? I don't mean any disrespect but your posts seem like whataboutism and apologetic for SF when this is when of the more egregious examples of poor customer service I've seen in a while.

I'm not being apologetic to SF, but just pointing out how illogical it is to link Cliff's departure to this issue. It's just the kind of weird theories some members on here love to discuss, and feed off one another until it goes from speculation, to rumor, and then fact in their minds.

There is unfortunately no easy solution for the scratched disc issue. All of these companies are relying on one manufacturing plant in Mexico with piss-poor quality control. The only possible alternative that has been discussed would be to move disc manufacturing operations to Europe, but given how thin the margins are as it is, it's likely beyond most boutique label's s ability to do that. And if they were to do that, it would lead to major disruptions. They'd be have to change up their lead times, and shipping schedules in order to get the product from overseas in a timely fashion. Larger investments would need to be made, nad I have to imagine they'd have to delay releases at least for at least a month or two early on, which would obviously cost them a great deal of revenue coming in.

It's also not realistic in the sense that Kino, SF and others deal in a much higher volume of both titles, and quantity of those titles, which may also cause issues for the plants in Europe too. Vinegar syndrome gets their discs from Germany I believe, but they're not putting out as many releases as Kino, nor the volume of titles that Kino and SF are making for the US market.

As there is no end in sight for this scratched disc issue, it becomes less practical for SF and others to just replace each and every scratched disc that someone brings to their attention. So you will see companies having such policies where they will issue replacements based on playback issues, and not just a scratched disc. As I said, it can also depend on who responds to you. Perhaps someone will just issue a replacement, but more likely than not you'll see them wanting some indication of a playback issue before a replacement is given.