(no subject)

[the_rck]

I'm not sure what to do-- Scott put season 1 of Agents of SHIELD on his Amazon wishlist, and I bought it for him for about $45-$50. Since then, Netflix has gotten all of season 1 and set it up streaming. Scott's been watching it for the last week and is about halfway through the season. Giving him the boxed set seems redundant now, but I've already bought it, and I spent a good bit of money on it. If I'd known, I'd have gotten him another Lego game for the WiiU instead (the price was about the same). He and Cordelia have a lot of fun with those. At any rate, part of me wants to buy something else, something that will feel like an actual gift as opposed to giving him something he already has. I just hate to spend more money when we're trying to be careful about that. Then again, it is Christmas, and I do love him even while I'm annoyed with him.

Comments

[silverr]

Hm ... If he really likes the show and would probably watch it again, and the DVD has good commentaries or special features (DVDTalk is a good place to check this) then I'd keep it.

If not, and if you can exchange it, then perhaps it's worth keeping the $$ for something else.

[hyperfocused]

Seconding the above, as well as noting that availability of shows can change on Netflix and the like.

[the_rck]

I think I'm, at least in part, annoyed because he dived right into the rewatch without considering that the series was on his wishlist and that I might have bought it. I know he can't know (though the fact that it's no longer listed on his wishlist would be a huge clue), but I feel like he's being inconsiderate, sort of like he put the series on his wishlist then went out and bought it for himself anyway. It's not particularly rational, but there it is.

[escritoireazul]

I think this is pretty rational, actually. One of the rules we set as a family is that once December rolls around, and in the weeks leading up to a birthday or graduation or something big, if it's on your wishlist, you agree to stay away from it, either buying it or watching it.

[the_rck]

I don't think he even thought about it, and I couldn't say anything without it being obvious that I'd bought it. I suppose this is the downside of buying well in advance. I was just ordering something else and thought I might as well get it done.

Maybe I can hold onto the boxed set for his birthday in February when he's further away from this rewatch and just buy something else for Christmas? But will he want it at all as long as it's still on Netflix?

[retsuko]

Seconding both of the above.

I also know the annoying heartbreak of buying something and then finding out something better could have happened for the money. >_

[the_rck]

I think I'm reacting, emotionally, as if he'd gone and bought it himself in spite of knowing that he'd put it on his Christmas wishlist. I just thought that this was something no one else was likely to buy for him. If he wasn't watching it on Netflix, then, regardless of whether it was available there, I wouldn't feel this way.

[the_rck]

I just looked at DVDTalk. There are three episodes with commentary and a handful of other extras. I don't know if those are worthwhile because I don't care much about the show and so don't know what's attractive in extras for it. I do think Scott will rewatch it eventually. He's just unlikely to do it from the DVDs as long as Netflix has the series streaming. He has DVD sets for things he loves more than Agents of SHIELD that he hasn't opened yet because he can get them streaming.

Exchanging it will be a PITA. I bought it from Amazon and no longer have the receipt. Dealing with them and mailing it back... I really don't want to. It takes me over an hour for a round trip to the post office, and a considerable chunk of that is spent waiting at bus stops or walking to bus stops. We don't have snow yet, but it's pretty cold.

But maybe I should?

[silverr]

If you log into your Amazon account you can look up the order and (I think) print a return label from there ( even if you've misplaced the receipt).

FWIW I've heard that Season 2 of AoS is much better than S1, so perhaps that bumos the rewatchability.

I also checked: no date on when S2 will get its DVD release (as it's still airing) but FWIW S1 seems to have been released on both Netflix and on DVD about the same time that S2 started airing.

[rilina]

Yes, I was just about to add this for the Amazon return. You don't need the original receipt. They will generate a slip to put inside the package and a shipping label for the outside.

[silverr]

iirc, the only restriction is that it needs to be unopened, and needs to be returned within - 60 days? I think.

[rilina]

It's usually 30 days, but they're offering an extra long return period for the holidays. I think the last thing I ordered had a deadline of Jan 31.

[zhelana]

Can't you just return it and get the money back?

[the_rck]

Getting to the post office is a major expedition. It's a ten minute walk to the bus, up to a fifteen minute wait for the bus, and a twenty minute bus ride to get there. Getting home is nearly as bad. It's unseasonably warm for December right now, but that doesn't mean it's actually warm warm.

Normally, when I have something to mail, I ask Scott to take it. I don't feel that I can do that in this case.

[zhelana]

Amazon returns will send someone from ups to your house, I believe.

[kyrielle]

I second what others said - Amazon has a very generous return policy. If you log in and go to your orders, you can check out if it's returnable (it should be) and how easy (hopefully fairly).

Or you could ask him if he still wants it on his wish list, since Netflix has it, and go off his answer. (Though if he goes to his wish list to delete it, he'll see that it's vanished, so that may not be ideal.)

And I think this may just be a case of "dumb bad luck" - if Netflix had added it and he was ignoring it now, but then after Christmas watched it streaming and ignored the DVDs, would that really be better? At least in this case, you have a heads-up that Netflix adding it may have changed the desirability of it on his wish list.

Of course, the advantage to the DVD set is, he'll still have it after it drops off Netflix again. But he could always re-wish-list it when (if?) that happens.

[the_rck]

I'm considering my options. I really don't want to trek to the post office, not in this weather (though it is unseasonably warm for December, it's still cold to be waiting at the bus stop).

If the DVD set had more extras, I'd feel better about it, but only three episodes have commentary, and I'm pretty sure he's already seen the making of featurette.

[kyrielle]

Reading through their FAQ, it looks like they handle returns UPS and have UPS pick it up? That's also an option for some post office returns depending on the label, but I don't see anything on their site saying they use the post office.

However...if the return is not due to their error, they'll deduct the cost of return shipping from the refund. That might not be worth it.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

Frustrating! This happens sometimes at my house, too, and I never know what to do.

Can you return it to Amazon and get a refund? Or can you tip off Scott that there's a reason why he shouldn't be watching it on Amazon?

Hm.

[the_rck]

Scott finished his rewatch last night, so it's too late for hints.

I could probably return it to Amazon, but that's a major undertaking as getting to the post office involves a twenty minute bus trip each way. Normally, when I need things mailed, I ask Scott to do it on his way home from work.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

Frustrating!!!

Possibly useful: I think you can go to the post office's website and select "Mail a package" and request them to pick it up at your house.