but disks get caught in that back left corner on the way in, and when ejected are almost impossible to pull out. I can't see anything bent, but can't compare to anything either.
Yes, happened to me many times. That small lever/hook has probably been bent at some point when the drive was not serviced and lubricated properly.
So someone tried to pull a disk hard and that lever is no longer working fine anymore.
Often, the lever is bent down and not sideways.