Toshiba: When commenter Buran nominated Toshiba she said it was for, "inhibiting the end of the hi-def DVD war. They can't see when they lost and keep fighting, and are therefore inhibiting customer choice (there are movies I want that are on a dead format only)."

Microsoft: flooded the market with $400+ defective XBOX consoles, then made it very hard for customers to get the warranty repairs they deserved. Their latest operating system, Vista, comes in two flavors: one that only works if you have a super fancy computer, and one that has none of the cool advertised features.

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america/

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING:

US Airways vs Washington Mutual, American Airlines vs Blockbuster, Time Warner Cable vs Radioshack, Wellpoint vs Charter Cable, Dell vs Home Depot,
Sears vs Citibank, Wal-Mart vs TJMaxx, Mattel vs ATT, Capital One vs Video Professor, eBay/Paypal vs COX, Apple vs SallieMae, Diebold Vs Pfizer, MTV vs TransUnion, CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon,
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers, Starbucks vs United Airlines,
Exxon vs Crocs, Google Vs Sony, Ticketmaster vs Wachovia, Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association, Comcast vs Menu Foods

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who purchased an HD DVD player from us before February 23, 2008,* you might like to hear about a special offer available from Amazon.com.

New technologies don't always work out as planned. We at Amazon.com value our customer relationships more than anything and would like to support customers who purchased these players by offering a credit good for $50 off any products sold by Amazon.com.** Just use promotional code PROMO CODE HERE when checking out. The code is valid through April 9, 2009, so you have plenty of time to use your credit. Purchases from third-party merchants on our site are not eligible.

In addition, we'd like to share some of our top offers on Blu-ray discs, HDTVs and other high-def technology and remind you that the Amazon.com Marketplace is available to sell items you might not want anymore as you upgrade to new ones. Also be sure to check out our monthly Amazon.com Early Adopters Delivers email to find out about the latest technology.

* On February 23, 2008, the last manufacturer of HD DVD players announced it was ceasing production of those players.

** Offer cannot be used to pay for special-order titles, e-books or downloadable e-content, wireless service plans, gift certificates, gift-wrap, taxes, or shipping and handling charges. $50.00 promotional credit is per HD DVD player purchased prior to February 23, 2008—up to 10 units for a maximum credit of $500.00.

Amazon Handing Out $50 to HD DVD Victims [Gizmodo]

I stopped in the other night because my old HD DVD player died so I went in hoping to get a deal. On the shelf I found 2 open box Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD players. Looking around I found the department head Derrik and we went back over to the DVD player aisle.

He tells me that since they're open box he'll sell one for $99 which, IMO, isn't bad it was $30 off their normal price and $20 off Amazon's price...

So I bit. He headed off to find the remote and power cable, but he came back empty empty handed and expected me not to be interested. I told him I'd still buy one if he could go any lower since I had plenty of power cables and I've had a Logitech Harmony remote. So he took it down to $50.

Still missing an HDMI cable he was quick to recommend me one, but I told him no thanks and I'd just grab one off monoprice.com, which he said he was well aware of since he read about them on Consumerist.

I know Best Buy gets a pretty bad rap around here, but I've always had good experiences with my local store. So I just wanted to pass this along.

Thanks!

Daniel

1) The ends are covered in gold. Gold makes everything better. You should see what it does for bricks.
2) The price. The higher an item's price, the higher its quality.

Irregardless of your blunder, congrats on your successful purchase and the excellent customer service provided by the Best Buy associate who, by giving you the discount, might just as well have cut out his heart and given it to you on a golden platter. Don't be alarmed by the macabre imagery, BBY employees undergo special training that allows them to regrow their hearts overnight. That's how they're able to care so much.

The retailer said it will identify customers through its Reward Zone program, performance service plans and through online purchases and will mail out the gift cards to those individuals by May 1.

Customers that feel they won't be identified through these measures can call the company and provide a Best Buy receipt or credit card information for proof of purchase.

Circuit City is currently offering a 90-day return window to anyone who bought a HD DVD player before the abrupt death of the format last month.

Those stuck with HD-DVD players getting gift cards [CNN] (Thanks, Andrew!)
(Photo:William Hook)

The nation's No. 2 electronics retailer has instructed its stores to "take care of our customers" and accept returns of HD DVD players within 90 days of purchase, spokesman Jim Babb said.
...
Circuit City, which has a usual 30-day return policy, is allowing customers who purchased HD DVD players to return them for store credit. The policy doesn't apply to HD DVD movie discs.

The Richmond company noted that while some people may want to return the players, others are buying them on clearance because they still play high-quality HD DVDs and improve the playback of standard DVDs.

Circuit City Extends HD DVD Return Time [Yahoo!] (Thanks, YummySceneX-Kid!)

The first generation Blu-ray players currently on shelves, profile 1.0, don't offer many nice perks like picture-in-picture, local storage, or internet connectivity. Those features will arrive with second generation players, called BD Live or profile 2.0, which should hit stores by the end of the year. Once prices fall, those are the players to buy.

As for HD-DVD...

Japanese public broadcaster NHK had earlier reported that Toshiba would suffer losses in the tens of billions of yen (hundreds of millions of dollars) as it scrapped production of HD DVD players and recorders and took other steps to exit the business.

Toshiba to give up on HD DVD, end format war: source [Reuters]

"We've listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases," Gary Severson, head of home entertainment for Wal-Mart's U.S. stores, said in a statement.

Thanks for buying all those HD DVD players on Black Friday, though.

Wal-Mart Picks Blu-Ray Over HD DVD [AP]

The company says that the industry has "picked a winner" in the format face-off and will phase out HDDVD by the end of the year.

From Netflix:

"The prolonged period of competition between two formats has prevented clear communication to the consumer regarding the richness of the high-def experience versus standard definition," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. "We're now at the point where the industry can pursue the migration to a single format, bring clarity to the consumer and accelerate the adoption of high-def. Going forward, we expect that all of the studios will publish in the Blu-ray format and that the price points of high-def DVD players will come down significantly. These factors could well lead to another decade of disc-based movie watching as the consumer's preferred means."

"From the Netflix perspective, focusing on one format will enable us to create the best experience for subscribers who want high- definition to be an important part of how they enjoy our service."

Friend of the blog, film critic Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Star, got the following email from Netflix:

Dear Phil,

You're receiving this email because you have asked to receive high-definition movies in the HD DVD format. As you may have heard, most of the major movie studios have recently decided to release their high-definition movies exclusively in the Blu-ray format. In order to provide the best selection of high-definition titles for our members, we have decided to go exclusively with Blu-ray as well.

While we will continue to make our current selection of HD DVD titles available to you for the next several months, we will not be adding additional HD DVD titles or reordering replacements.

Toward the end of February, HD DVDs in your Saved Queue will automatically be changed to standard definition DVDs. Then toward the end of this year, all HD DVDs in your Queue will be changed to standard definition DVDs. Don't worry, we will contact you before this happens.

You can click here to change your format preferences.

We're sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

Netflix, Citing a Clear Signal From the Industry, Will Carry High-Def DVDs Only in Blu-ray Format (Press Release) [Netflix]
The death blow for HD DVD? [PhilmGuy]
(Photo:Marike79)

PREVIOUSLY: Why Don't You Weigh In On The Format War?

You had an article shortly after the WB exclusivity announcement on the 4th of this month, right? Well, I think this could make for a great follow-up that gives your readers the opportunity to voice their opinion, and hopefully sway the minds of the studio executives who've acted prematurely and stuffed words in the mouths of consumers everywhere.

You can find the petition here. Keep in mind it has risen from 6,000 signatures to a promising 24,000 in only four days!

Save HD-DVD! (Warner Brothers, The Consumer Has Not "Clearly" Chosen Blu-Ray) [PetitionOnline]
(Photo:William Hook)

From their press release:

"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."

"A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry," said Tsujihara. "Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future."

Format wars suck. That's all we really have to say about it.

Warner Bros. Entertainment to Release its High-Definition DVD Titles Exclusively in the Blu-Ray Disc Format Beginning Later This Year [Time Warner]
(Photo:someToast)

Lawrence Mann and Robert Stewart Et. Al vs Toshiba (PDF) Class action complaint filed against Toshiba for selling a 1080p output TVs that was incapable of receiving 1080p signal from any source.
Cooper v Samsung (PDF) for the same reason as above. The lawyers at SZAFERMAN, LAKIND, BLUMSTEIN, BLADER & LEHMANN represent both plaintiffs. Pretty clearcut. You can't advertise a product as having an ability that it doesn't.

Patterson v. Denny's Corporation (PDF) A class action against Denny's for non-compliance with the FACTA legislation requiring no credit card information be fully printed on a receipt— in this case, the expiration date. Companies have had since 2003 to come into compliance with this provision. With identity theft on the rise, it's important for companies to be held accountable for not following legally mandated credit card security procedures.

(Photo: Getty)

"I was told it would be an easy process," says William Bond, of Tampa, Florida. But, he says, the process has been anything but simple. Bond purchased a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion desktop in November at Circuit City and is still waiting for his Vista upgrade disc from ModusLink, the company handling the program for HP.

Bond says he has been asked repeatedly for his proof of purchase. "I must [have] e-mailed, faxed, and mailed that proof of purchase five times by now," he says, but ModusLink still hasn't acknowledged receipt. "I'm exasperated," Bond says.

The problem is being blamed on ModusLink, the company processing the upgrades for HP, Acer, Fujitsu, Gateway, and Toshiba. ModusLink in turn blames the laptop manufacturers, who were 4-8 weeks late sending the discs. Admittedly, its hard to mail discs that you don't have. Still...it's May.

Says ModusLink's Pothier: "Is it possible customers have had to resend things and are still not happy? Yes, and I apologize for that." She says ModusLink is doing the best it can to resolve issues with the "few remaining" people who haven't received their Vista upgrade yet.

Outrage Continues Over Vista Upgrade Program [PCWorld]
(Photo: DanieVDM)

Incidentally, Woot just sent her a pre-paid shipping label and said they will issue a refund. Sweet.

At the outset, Meghann didn't feel like shipping because the cost of shipping and the possibility of receiving yet another busted DVD player just didn't seem worth it.

Meghann's may have been part of a bad batch. Some other Woot!ers DVD players didn't turn on, or they reported problems with HDMI, S-VIDEO or sound. Still others said theirs worked fine.

Hey, you takes your refurbs and you takes your chances. Mankind shall live to Woot again. — BEN POPKEN

Fiery, rubix-cube-on-the-head that she is, Meghann refused. She didn't see the value in paying shipping to and from California for a new refurbed DVD player that she thought probably wouldn't work either. She said, "Why sink money into a dvd player that's so bad it's on Woot!?"

Unable to disarm her impenetrable logic, we said, okay, let's ask the fray.

Should Meghann ship the player back to Toshiba? Or should she make a video (set to music) of her smashing it?

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Whichever wins, she will do! — BEN POPKEN

5 days later a totally broken DVD player with a 30 day manufacturer's warranty showed up at our door. The player will not even turn on.

More inside.

According to Woot's return policy:

So that leaves us with a 30-day manufacturer's warranty (from date of purchase, which was several days ago.) The warranty does not cover any shipping costs. So, while Woot seemed like a nice idea, the reality is pretty crappy. For what we will end up paying to ship this item to California and back, we could have just bought a player from someone who would take care of us if the product was defective. Woot! is a very popular site, and we often feature deals from them on Consumerist, but we have to say that we wish we'd never wooted.

We're not the only ones experiencing difficulty, we've also received complaints from two readers about a Woot!ed Belkin XM Radio and a Cobra Electronics handheld GPS 1000 not working. Woot states its policy very clearly, and that there is risk involved in purchasing from them. Is the risk worth the reward? We're not so sure.

Since we don't foresee needing a blood pressure monitor or a "game bridge" any time soon, we probably shall not woot again, and this makes us sad. —MEGHANN MARCO

Some Product Information:

Toshiba SD-4990 DVD Player
Pricegrabber Price Range: 71.00-116.99
Woot! Price 39.99+5.00 shipping

So, what do you guys think? Should we pay to have it sent to Toshiba and repaired "again"? Or cut our losses and get out now?

Technology companies have divided into two warring camps, each backing one of the formats. Attempts to come up with a single format collapsed last year, so the two sides decided to duke it out in the marketplace. As they do, consumers are mostly staying on the sidelines, causing sales to fall far short of initial projections.

A winner could still emerge, but experts say it's just as likely that consumers, fearful of buying an expensive player that will turn out to be worthless, will just say no to high-definition discs. In the best case, analysts predict, the format war will go on for another year or so before a clear winner emerges, delaying an industry switchover to the improved discs."

Any thoughts on which format will win? Or have they all shot themselves in the foot? —MEGHANN MARCO

New-age DVD players' battle paused [Denver Post]

As you can see, Apple is in the middle, with Sony as the most reliable and Gateway the least. Surprisingly, on average, 17% of Apple laptops require serious repair.

Suck on that, fanboys!

340,000 American laptop owners? This is Sony bowing to you slightly from its seat.

340,000 American laptop owners? This is Sony bowing to you slightly, from a sitting position.

The batteries are manufactured by (you guessed it) Sony.

No incidents of Toshiba notebooks having that certain "laptops foster" quality about them have been reported yet. But the recall addresses the same recharging problems that caused the ruckus among owners of the proven incendiary brands.

Get a new replacement battery, free. Or prepare to toast your marshmallows, Toshiba style.

Toshiba Recalls Sony Laptop Batteries [Chicago Tribune]