A few weeks ago we reported about how FOX was planning to remove the special features from the rental versions of its DVDs. Understandably, this upset a lot of people, including DVD retailers themselves. For consumers, the idea that there would be two separate versions of a DVD out there, on top of the double dips, special super editions, and all those other revenue-generating screw-you-out-of-your money gimmicks, was just a bit much for people to handle, and on the retailer side, it promised to create a lot more work for everyone involved.

It now appears as though consumers are getting screwed in a completely unforeseen way: People are purchasing DVDs of Slumdog Millionaire off places like Amazon and finding that the special features advertised on the back of the box are nowhere to be found.

Cinematical reports receiving anecdotal evidence that a bunch of Slumdog DVDs have been completely borked, stories which are corroborated by a quick look at the reviews on Amazon’s Slumdog DVD page. Amazon has issued a notice to all purchasers of the disc and notified customers of an exchange program:

DVD Alert: We are aware that special features were missing from a number of Slumdog Millionaire DVDs. This issue does not occur on the Blu-ray version. Fox has set up a hotline telephone number (1-888-223-4FOX) for those consumers who may have purchased a DVD version that does not contain special features. Upon calling the hotline, these consumers will be able to have their disc replaced for one containing special features. Fox regrets any inconvenience this has caused.

There’s no direct evidence (yet) that Fox’s recent boneheaded move surrounding DVD special features had anything to do with this, but if I were a betting man, I’d bet all the money in my pockets that it played some part in this debacle.

Discuss: Have you had bad luck with a Slumdog DVD? If so, tell us your experience in the comments.

David Chen can be reached at davechensemail(AT)gmail(DOT)com.