Olive Films

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Svevan
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:49 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#76 Post by Svevan » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:26 pm

I thought those came out earlier this month. But whatev, I'm in. What do you suppose their punishment is for canceling early?

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mfunk9786
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Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#77 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:28 pm

I just don't think they let you, period.

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perkizitore
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Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#78 Post by perkizitore » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:25 am

If it's a scam they would have charged you the whole amount and if they shut down before the end of the subscription you can always tell your bank to block their charges.
I've emailed them and didn't get a reply yet, asking them why they didn't specify that the subsciption is date specific and not month specific (which means i've lost 2-3 weeks, let's hope July 2011 doesn't get too many releases...)

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Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#79 Post by Minkin » Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:23 am

mfunk9786 wrote: Though my only reservation at this point is the fact that I've placed one order with the site so far - it was a week ago, and my card was charged but there was no shipment notification or replies to my e-mails.
Strange, although I placed my order on the 5th (received an order confirmation) and it didn't ship until the 9th (I got a confirmation informing me my order has changed from pending to shipped). No tracking but the package arrived relatively soon.

Am I thus far the only person to get an order through then?

On the subscriptions- I'm interested but still cautious. I can't believe you get all the releases + 50% all Olive Opus titles + free shipping + a shirt. Even the international price is a huge bargain (free international shipping? Seems like that would deplete most of the subscription profit just there).

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tajmahal
Joined: Mon May 11, 2009 11:10 pm

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#80 Post by tajmahal » Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:43 am

Even the international price is a huge bargain (free international shipping? Seems like that would deplete most of the subscription profit just there).

Like most here, I emailed to confirm that the International subscription included postage. No reply. I also asked if I could order other titles to be sent with the subscription releases, and what postage charges would this incur. Their standard international postage is $8.50 + $1 each extra title (Not unreasonable).

I'll wait for feedback from international subscribers before jumping in. Not replying to a potential new subscription customer has me wary. They may be inundated with new business, but customer service comes into play with lost/ damaged shipments etc. Having said that, US customers would be mad not to subscribe before the 27th. If that first batch arrives, you have an absolute bargain. If not, stop payment.

Noiradelic
Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:45 am

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#81 Post by Noiradelic » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:01 am

A few of our members may not be getting information on orders cuz they ordered OOP Criterions and the orders are suspended in "pending" status till they get canceled. Of course this does not explain the lack of response to email inquiries.

Jonathan S
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 3:31 am
Location: Somerset, England

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#82 Post by Jonathan S » Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:17 am

tajmahal wrote:Even the international price is a huge bargain (free international shipping? Seems like that would deplete most of the subscription profit just there).
Like most here, I emailed to confirm that the International subscription included postage. No reply. I also asked if I could order other titles to be sent with the subscription releases, and what postage charges would this incur. Their standard international postage is $8.50 + $1 each extra title (Not unreasonable).
It might also be worth asking what value they'll declare on their international packages. As Olive explicitly state the (basic package) DVDs are "FREE" they should be zero-valued, but if each parcel is declared much above $25 UK customers at least might be in for a customs shock!

Archers of Loaf
Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:57 pm
Location: IL

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#83 Post by Archers of Loaf » Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:34 am

domino harvey wrote:
mfunk9786 wrote:How many films will that amount to altogether? It seems weird: you could sell one per month on eBay and make back that month's subscription fee... is there a catch?
Dunno, we only know the release schedule through September, but they licensed twenty-plus films. The only thing I can think of is that it's immediate and dependable money for the new label for the next year-- perhaps some sense of security is worth selling these to us at what amount to at or a little below distributor costs when averaged out over a year? I can confirm that they've only charged my card $8.95 too, so it's not even one of those shady "We charge you for the year in advance" things
What about the "Coming Soon" titles - including The Milk of Sorrow for March? So far, they're listing a total of twenty soon-to-be released films. And, judging by their immediate schedule of release, I assume that they'll be thickening out the months with only one or two titles announced.

The only immediate "catch" I see is that months like August, for instance, promise no releases and yet you'll still be charged your monthly subscription fee. But the aggressive release plan every other month more than makes up for it.

wattsup32
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:00 pm

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#84 Post by wattsup32 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:58 am

domino harvey wrote:
Svevan wrote:Do we not even know which films constitute the "first batch?"
Dark City, Appointment With Danger, Union Station, Hannie Caulder, Crack in the World
Here's DVDTalk's review of Dark City. Except that there are no extra features at all, it sounds like a well handled release. That makes me think the subscription might be worth it.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/43636/dark-city/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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mfunk9786
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Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#85 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 11:07 am

I spoke to someone at Olive Films by phone today (and I'm thankful that she put up with my billion questions).

Q: What's the deal with the out of print Criterion titles I was charged for that haven't shipped?
A: We're hoping to get more stock from the studio, but if we don't hear anything back within the next week we'll start offering people the option to cancel their orders, or they can e-mail or call to cancel them now if they're more comfortable with that.
(I'm doubting that they're going to get any more stock, judging from that, but who knows, maybe I cancelled too soon).

Q: Can a t-shirt size be specified for the monthly subscription?
A: Yes, please specify it as a comment on your order when it's placed.

Q: Is there some sort of catch to this subscription?
A: No, it's just a great deal, and our way of trying to build a loyal customer base for our label in a unique way. We hope you enjoy it.

It was a very pleasant experience dealing with them, and I feel a lot better about having signed up for the subscription. Hope this information helps.

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perkizitore
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#86 Post by perkizitore » Tue Jul 20, 2010 11:56 am

Did you ask them why they don't reply to e-mails?

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mfunk9786
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#87 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:02 pm

I didn't exactly want to, you know, be an asshole.

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perkizitore
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#88 Post by perkizitore » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:06 pm

Yes, you couldn't help your fellow members by asking:
Are any members of staff on leave...blah,blah...is that the reason e-mails don't get answered immediately?

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souvenir
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:20 pm

Re: Olive Films Opus

#89 Post by souvenir » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:34 pm

Things have changed. You can't blame everyone for asking for more details but it seems to have alerted Olive to just how ridiculously good of a deal $8.95 a month was for every DVD.

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Murdoch
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: Olive Films Opus

#90 Post by Murdoch » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:42 pm

souvenir wrote:Things have changed. You can't blame everyone for asking for more details but it seems to have alerted Olive to just how ridiculously good of a deal $8.95 a month was for every DVD.
They'll still honor the original plan for those who purchased before the change, right?

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stereo
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 12:06 pm

Re: Olive Films Opus

#91 Post by stereo » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:46 pm

souvenir wrote:Things have changed. You can't blame everyone for asking for more details but it seems to have alerted Olive to just how ridiculously good of a deal $8.95 a month was for every DVD.
Holy crap! I ordered my subscription late last night at the 8.95 per month rate. They better not up my rate after the fact; I don't think that they can, legally speaking.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#92 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:58 pm

Yikes. Just to let you folks know, I never once gushed to them about the price.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#93 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:06 pm

If someone else would like to call, it'd be a huge help - I'm very curious about whether the price will now be hiked up for us early adopters.

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domino harvey
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#94 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:23 pm

I just looked at my invoice and it very clearly says $8.95X12. They don't have a leg to stand on if they charge us something different

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stereo
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 12:06 pm

Re: Olive Films Opus

#95 Post by stereo » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:30 pm

Agreed; you can't just change the terms of a contract after the fact.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#96 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:39 pm

I understand what you guys are saying, but if we're charged $25 next month, it'll be a shame to have to cancel the service over the price change, I'm more concerned about that than the issue of possibly having to dispute the price.

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domino harvey
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#97 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:40 pm

It would certainly be the opposite of the goodwill they're claiming to have for loyal customers. My guess? Our subscriptions are canceled outright by the end of the week, maybe with a consolation coupon code or something. I'd love to be proved wrong, though

HarryLong
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 12:39 pm
Location: Lebanon, PA

Re: Olive Films Opus

#98 Post by HarryLong » Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:20 pm

souvenir wrote:Things have changed. You can't blame everyone for asking for more details but it seems to have alerted Olive to just how ridiculously good of a deal $8.95 a month was for every DVD.
Wow.
Just this morning I followed a link from here to the Olive subscription page & it still said $8.95.
Fool that I was, I didn't sign up right then & there...

Numero Trois
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: The Bona Fide Bargain Thread

#99 Post by Numero Trois » Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:03 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:Q: What's the deal with the out of print Criterion titles I was charged for that haven't shipped?
A: We're hoping to get more stock from the studio, but if we don't hear anything back within the next week we'll start offering people the option to cancel their orders, or they can e-mail or call to cancel them now if they're more comfortable with that.
(I'm doubting that they're going to get any more stock, judging from that, but who knows, maybe I cancelled too soon).
Did they charge people's credit cards for something they didn't even have in stock? I'm pretty sure that's illegal, not to mention shady. Honest retailers only charge for what they have in stock. If something is not available, they'll charge only when they receive the shipment- Best Buy, Amazon, Wal Mart and all the rest handle it that way.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Olive Films Opus

#100 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:39 pm

You are correct, they did charge people. But I have a feeling they just aren't equipped for a system other than a standard "enter your credit card, your credit card is charged" type of system. I wouldn't necessarily get too furious at them.

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