1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
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Bambicrony

Sep 18, 2006

    1. Okay, I'm REALLY fed up with this company. I am never going to order from them again.
      In July, I ordered two bodies, an unpainted Roko head, and a Charity head with a faceup by ViYa-which cost me $100 for the faceup itself. Charity is their event head, and cost me nothing-but was still more than a regular head because of the faceup. It was a tiny group order, just two people, including myself.
      My money went through 7-21-06.
      Less than a week later (two or three days, really), I e-mailed them saying that I wanted a certain look to the Charity head. The reply was positive-that they would tell the faceup artist, and that she'd actually already started. Good! I asked if they could do a rush (it states on their website that they can), as I had an event that I wanted to take my doll to-and I wanted to give the other doll (the unpainted Roko) to her owner. They said that it was no problem, and that they would ship the dolls out on August 19-22. It would have been perfect timing. The site states that the orders should be shipped a month from payment, and I was originally told that mine would be shipped August 25.
      However, that date came and went. I gave them a week and a half, and then sent an e-mail and left a message on their board, asking if the doll had been shipped yet. A week to a week and a half later I finally got a reply, saying, no, actually.
      At first they said it was because they were switching to sililcone molds, but not to worry. I e-mailed them again saying that I didn't think that was alright, as 1) they should have done that before their sales event, and 2) they told me specifically that I would have my dolls sooner. Then they said, no, actually the mold broke. They did not specify which mold, nor did I CARE which. They offered a basic faceup (the less expensive one, $35) for the Roko head, and two wigs. I said fine, AS LONG AS I FINALLY GOT IT. So they said alright, give us fifteen days-until the 13th. No, wait, give them until the 9th, and then they would send her. Okay.
      Well, nothing on the 9th. So I checked on the 13th-and it said "Before shipping." Okay, great. But it said that for a few more days. I sent them another message, which they answered two days later, saying that this time they'll send my order on the 19th!
      If they weren't now in with Luts, I would assume that they were a scammer (a MONTH after the date they were supposed to ship?!), and would scream for my money back. I'm sorry for the long rant, but I'm getting INCREDIBLY sick of this, and I don't even think I'm going to be able to enjoy my doll at all because of all this. If I hadn't done an order with someone else (I handled the payments and all), I would have cancelled long ago. I am never, never, NEVER buying anything from them again.
       
      #1 Suuchan, Sep 18, 2006
    2. After being in this hobby for awhile i realized how you have to be very patient and have lots of understanding in waiting for your dolls. I know its been a couple of months and they did admit to having problems. It was also during the time of monsoon season and they can't cast resin when it rains. You also have to take in the fact that it was an event time and alot companies get overloaded with orders especially if a speciality faceup was being done and it ends up taking a little longer to complete. Most of these companies are usually run only by a couple of people as well so im sure they are doing their hardest to get your order completed. While they shoud have kept you updated about the delays, there is also a language barrier sometimes that gets in the way.

      I once had to wait 4 months for a doll from another company, and it was initially only supposed to be a one onth wait. It was also during an event and the monsoon season. While i wanted my doll badly i didn't want to get a half done doll with holes in the resin just so i could get it sooner.

      I'm sure you'll get your doll soon and the wait will be worth it :D
       
      #2 MysteryAya, Sep 19, 2006
    3. To clarify, about the 'custom faceup'-the only thing I did was ask for them to make her look a little bit shy and sweet. That's IT. There was no language barrier, their e-mails and forum posts have always been in perfect English. However, one post I made asking about where my order was got seventy-one hits. The average is under ten.
      They hadn't answered ANY forum posts or e-mails. They simply hadn't checked or updated their website, or replied to anything.
      Personally, I think that if they're going to completely redo their molds, they should wait until after an event, and the monsoon season. Originally shipping would have been fifteen days, but because of the monsoon season they said that it would take twenty. Fine. I was alright with that. It's the delays and excuses, when they PROMISE ME ONE DAY, and DON'T SHIP IT THEN. And then don't answer my questions of "Why?" for a week.
      Please, if that's normal, explain it to me. If you've waited four months and they just kept saying, "Well, we'll ship _____. No, that date was last week. We'll ship _____! Or ______!" I'd like to know, because I'll never buy another doll from a company again.
       
      #3 Suuchan, Sep 19, 2006
    4. It's possible they got bombarded with people who ordered before you who also asked for 'rush' orders, and they misestimated how long it would take them to fill them all?

      I agree that it sucks to have to wait longer than they said, that is not in dispute. Unfortunately, this kind of stuff happens when you want products that aren't mass produced.

      If both the mold breaking and their switching over to sillicone molds are true, what I suspect happened is that their old molds were not able to stand up to casting as many orders as they got (perhaps they got more orders than they had expected), forcing them to switch to sillicone before they were reading. I've dealt with sillicone molds myself, and if you've only worked with hard molds (IE, plaster) there is a bit of a learning curve. IE, sillicone molds have a much greater tendency to leak than hard molds, because the halves are free to flex away from one another.
       
      #4 DeadLegato, Sep 19, 2006
    5. 1) It was during an event period. They should have been prepared for more orders.

      2) 'Rush was three days or so before they would have shipped it anyways.

      3) That doesn't explain how it's been one MONTH since they said they would ship it, nor does that excuse their repeatedly saying "We'll ship it on this day!" and then not notifying me in any way that, no, that wasn't going to happen. Even since that first delay, I've been told three different dates-and was only actually told the next once I had to specifically ask them.

      Also, it says on their website that my order was FINALLY shipped-but no tracking information.
      Nothing anyone can say in their defense will make me want to even remotely deal with this company ever again.
       
      #5 Suuchan, Sep 19, 2006
    6. I suggest that in the future if you can't handle the wait and delays of the small korean/japanese doll companies, you should order them from the US companies that already have them in stock. the korean companies don't mass produce there items and are ran by small amount employees. maybe one or two people even and they may have not been ready to handle such an abundant amount of orders.
       
      #6 MysteryAya, Sep 19, 2006
      • x 2
    7. I can explain that, it's because it wasn't locked. I stalk the board daily and look at all the unlocked posts because I'm so obsessed with BC. Sometimes after a day or 2 a post that wasn't locked becomes locked, I assume it's BC themselves who are locking the posts.
       
      #7 biscuitbear, Sep 19, 2006
    8. I hope eveything goes well for you, but I bought mine from Luts and they did the face up but the quality of the doll is no good- basically crap.
      I think they have other issues than shipping. :ablah:

      I really think people should be aware of the quality too.
       
      #8 cachick, Sep 20, 2006
    9. Yeah, I heard about yours being bad quality...

      That's another thing that goes against everyone saying "But they were SOOO small and just got overwhelmed!"
      They joined with Luts. They shouldn't have done that if they're "so small" that a small event (30 heads) would overwhelm them.
       
      #9 Suuchan, Sep 20, 2006
    10. Hmm... I feel for you, but don't despair! I ordered my unpainted unassembled Liebchen in April (or May I forget exactly) for July delivery, and I STILL have not received her (it's nearly the end of September?).

      However, I also know that Diep has been plagued with problems, first of contracted workers flaking out and even keeping fabric (which doesn't even concern my particular order), and now I hear her hubby's had a serious health problem.

      A broken mold would really mess up a company's ability to meet deadlines, especially during an event!

      I suggest you try relax a bit about it, though it's very frustrating!!

      Good luck! ^_^
      Raven
       
      #10 ravendolls, Sep 20, 2006
    11. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but saying here what they "should have" and "could have" done isn't really going to help much. It's good to know that Bambicrony goes a bit haywire in a crisis, but the fact is that things went wrong, and people are offering valid reasons for why that happened, none of which can be reversed.

      Yes, they should have been better prepared for an event. Yes, they shouldn't hae joined with LUTS before knowing full well what they were getting into. And yes, my printer SHOULD be working. But the fact is that Bambicrony wasn't prepared, they jumped forward into business without checking the waters first, and my printer is broken without good reason so now I need another one. (The printer thing is just an example of the same sort of "but it should be working?!?" non-effective reasoning outside the doll-verse. XD; )

      I'd say considering the information you've gathered, it's a good warning to those ordering from smaller, newer companies to expect quite a few bumps on the road. I understand your bitterness, but at this point I think it would be best to deal with what remains of the situation as best as you can, and be happy knowing that whenever someone searches for "Bambicrony," this thread will come up.

      So thanks for being our guinea pig? XD; But at this point all the would've, could've, and should'ves in the world can't fix the situation. Just keep your fingers crossed and don't let these snags keep you from enjoying your dolls once you get them.
       
      #11 Callie-chan, Sep 20, 2006
    12. Just FYI, I ordered from Bambi Crony during an event (one+one head event, before the Charity head event) and got prompt service and excellent quality. I think you'll be really happy with your doll when she does arrive.

      A ripped/broken mold is *serious* business, FWIW -- making new molds isn't easy, and it can throw a business schedule off completely (I ran into this issue with my Mau heads, although blessedly the second master mold didn't fall apart until the minute we pulled the last head from it.)

      I'm sorry that you've had bad customer service -- collecting these dolls *does* involve some patience and an ability to wait until the doll is ready, because these are small, artisanal companies, not mass-producers.

      It's unfortunate that they gave you a shipping date and then had to push it back without notice, though -- it seems like better communication would have made this transaction go more smoothly for you, and hopefully they'll be made aware of this and will update customers more frequently in the future.

      Best of luck with your dolls once they arrive! I'm really fond of my Jennet (Cookie) :D

      -- Andi <3
       
      #12 Ashbet, Sep 20, 2006
    13. Yes, it's true they can be very slow.
      I wait a little bit to get my doll but the worse was to have the wigs I ordered then... The wigs were supposed to be send at the beginning of august and I just got them now. The communication was very slow too. However, they sent me an extra wig.

      I understand how you must feel. I hope you will receive your order soon. It's so hard to wait
       
      #13 tibiloo, Sep 20, 2006
    14. I'm sorry you're frustrated, but I really think you're overreacting here. It takes a while. If the company is busy, it will take a while. Hell, here, let me give you my experience with my first BJD I ordered, an El from Luts. Luts doesn't make them. They just stock them. Presumably, mine was in stock when I ordered him. But Luts was so swamped with orders at the time that it took seven weeks to get him, during which I was told at least twice that it should only be one to two more weeks.

      If it's a small company that got swamped and the mold broke and they literally could not MAKE your doll... Yeah.

      Hell, even *Volks*. I waited nearly three months for my Yukinojo while other people who didn't get it from the USA lottery but from the international website afterevent got theirs long before I did.

      At the beginning of August I ordered a Volks FCS at the LA store that I am not going to get until at least November, and quite possibly longer. It's a popular mold and everyone and their mother ordered suntan dolls and elves that day, and I was one of the later people to do it. The mold will see lots of use, and other dolls will be ahead of mine for getting cast and being painted and strung and packed. I will not at all be surprised if I get him in December.

      Order a Unoa, and you're looking at six months.

      Even some types of eyes you can order take three to four months. The urethane eyes fall into the same kinds of problems as BJDs. Takes a while to make them, they're resin so the weather affects them...

      The wait time on websites is generally an estimation. My El didn't take 15-20 days, and Luts didn't have to make him, just paint him. And you can't just churn out a good faceup, either, it takes at least several hours, and that's if you're in a hurry. Multiply that by dozes of dolls...

      Really, if you can't handle two months of waiting when something apparently goes disastrously wrong, you're kind of in the wrong hobby... And yep, companies can be wrong about the waiting time, look at my experience with Luts. Just have patience. I do, and I have yet to be turned off a doll by the wait time. Even though waiting for Remus was a trial, especially with others getting theirs, once he was finally on the way I was more excited than I'd been when I found out I'd gotten him.

      So! Patience is the key word of the day/month/year/hobby. XD
       
      #14 Ian-KunX, Sep 21, 2006
      • x 1
    15. I think quite a few people are missing why I'm so annoyed at this company.
      1) They repeatedly told me it would be shipped at certain dates, and they never told me, wait, no, it would be another time-until I had to badger them.
      2) They lied. A few times. Or at least were very, VERY wrong. They said that my faceup had already been started. No, wait, they're redoing the molds by their own choice. No, wait, it broke. See a pattern yet?
      3) The faceup I paid for is the far more expensive one-and thus you would expect not everyone would pay $100 for one, and thus it would be at a decent rate.

      So before you jump down my throat any more about "Well, you'll just have to WAIT, dammit, because I did too!!" then think about WHY I'm upset. If they would have mentioned any of these problems before I had to repeatedly ask (like sending out an e-mail or putting on their website that the molds were broken, for example), I would have had no problem with it. From the "Waiting For" thread, this site is just plain slow-and many people have had problems with resin quality.
      So if you're going to say "But you should stop being impatient and wait!!!!!!" then back off, and READ WHY I'M UPSET.
       
      #15 Suuchan, Sep 21, 2006
    16. Suuchan, I understand your frustration perfectly. I too, do not think that being a small company is any good excuse for delayed orders. Especially, in the BJD world, when the money in question is so big.

      And it's very good to know! I myself am an impatient person, and I'd be going crazy if my order was one month delayed, yet it was a group order (even if it's only two people). If one day I finaly decide to order a Bambicrony, I'm taking my business to Luts, without a doubt. (That doesn't mean Luts is perfect, but they usually keep up with given shipping date).
       
      #16 Bunny Boo, Sep 21, 2006
    17. I understand why you're angry. I think if BC had a broken mold they should have posted it to their site and let customers know that there will be a delay until it can get fixed. That way, customers know what's going on and instead of harrassing them with emails, they can just check the site for updates. I mean, why have a website if you're not going to use it, especially if you run a business via the internet?!

      Anyhow, I hope it all works out. GL with it.
       
      #17 Descending Twilight, Sep 21, 2006
    18. Okay, just to make sure everyone knows-
      I'm not blaming ViYa for the slowness. It's entirely Bambicrony's fault, as is it that they never notified the customers about all of these huge problems. Just wanted you all to know that ViYa's faceups aren't affecting the time of it, but apperantly Bambicrony might be using ViYa as an excuse for why it's so slow.
       
      #18 Suuchan, Sep 24, 2006
    19. Okay, an update. Three days ago (two days for Bambicrony's working hours) I posted on the forums of their site, in an open thread. I asked for a tracking number, as it's been ten days now. So far, no reply-but my thread has been locked, apperantly. This is REALLY old.
       
      #19 Suuchan, Sep 29, 2006
    20. My order arrived the 29th of September... And before they actually updated to tell me the tracking number. They never actually told me it, even when I asked, just said they were "getting concerned" about it not being there. At least my order finally arrived, and I'll never buy directly from them again.
       
      #20 Suuchan, Oct 2, 2006