I am wondering why there is such a large difference in terms of quality and service for different retailers around the world. I noticed that this difference is not random, but it depends on which region of the world
For example, asian retailers are the best. they are leaps and bounds above anywhere else in the world. From the steelbooks themselves, they are pretty much always in perfect condition. No slashed spines, and rarely have manufacturing defects. Even the shrink wrap on asian steelbooks are noticeably better than elsewhere. Asian retailers (kimchidvd, k2dvd, jsdvd, hmv hk, yesasia, hmv jp) all pay a lot of attention into packaging steelbooks. Most use a lot of bubble wrap and a good box. The worst asian retailer in terms of packaging is probably amazon.co.jp and even then it aint so bad (shrinkwrapped into a large box). Most importantly, these retailers have been doing this for as along as I can imagine. There was no need for years of complaint or divine intervention by Wreck (or was there?)
On the other end of the spectrum we have North American retailers, namely Futureshop, Bestbuy, Walmart, Target. In my opinion, everything sucks in North America, from the quality of the steelbooks to shipping and packaging. Honestly I cannot remember the last Futureshop steelbook that didnt have some sort of manufacturing defect. American steelbooks are also always plagued with defects, slashed spines, paint chips, etc. Packaging and shipping are also sub-par. Futureshop just throws steelbooks in a LARGE box without any protection, or ship them in envelopes. Bestbuy does the same I think.
In between Asia and North America we have European retailers. European retailers (play, amazon, zavvi, etc) in general used to be almost as bad as north american retailers, but at least they finally listened to their customers and began to improve their shipping. European steelbooks also aren't plagued with manufacturing defects as often as North American steelbooks.
I am not trying to bash any particular part of the world. This is just a trend I noticed and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Now the question is, why is the quality of steelbooks and quality of service dependent upon the continent? is there anything we can do to bring up the quality of the bottom feeders (mainly futureshop and best buy)?
For example, asian retailers are the best. they are leaps and bounds above anywhere else in the world. From the steelbooks themselves, they are pretty much always in perfect condition. No slashed spines, and rarely have manufacturing defects. Even the shrink wrap on asian steelbooks are noticeably better than elsewhere. Asian retailers (kimchidvd, k2dvd, jsdvd, hmv hk, yesasia, hmv jp) all pay a lot of attention into packaging steelbooks. Most use a lot of bubble wrap and a good box. The worst asian retailer in terms of packaging is probably amazon.co.jp and even then it aint so bad (shrinkwrapped into a large box). Most importantly, these retailers have been doing this for as along as I can imagine. There was no need for years of complaint or divine intervention by Wreck (or was there?)
On the other end of the spectrum we have North American retailers, namely Futureshop, Bestbuy, Walmart, Target. In my opinion, everything sucks in North America, from the quality of the steelbooks to shipping and packaging. Honestly I cannot remember the last Futureshop steelbook that didnt have some sort of manufacturing defect. American steelbooks are also always plagued with defects, slashed spines, paint chips, etc. Packaging and shipping are also sub-par. Futureshop just throws steelbooks in a LARGE box without any protection, or ship them in envelopes. Bestbuy does the same I think.
In between Asia and North America we have European retailers. European retailers (play, amazon, zavvi, etc) in general used to be almost as bad as north american retailers, but at least they finally listened to their customers and began to improve their shipping. European steelbooks also aren't plagued with manufacturing defects as often as North American steelbooks.
I am not trying to bash any particular part of the world. This is just a trend I noticed and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Now the question is, why is the quality of steelbooks and quality of service dependent upon the continent? is there anything we can do to bring up the quality of the bottom feeders (mainly futureshop and best buy)?
