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Buying a doll despite the 'warnings'.

Sep 24, 2010

    1. I've looked for 'despite' 'warnings' and the title all together so I think I'm okay for this. If not mods please delete.^^;

      I know that collectively with DOA, BJD collecstacy , and other BJD forums that reviews for companies and warnings for their products are numerous. So my questions are:

      Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?

      What was the experience like if so?

      And lastly why would you buy?

      The question got me going due to wanting a Glorydoll Louis and realizing that I would be wiling to wait despite the fact that they say the wait time is looong. That's just me really wanting the doll. ^^
       
    2. I was aware of a lot of bad company feedback from Dolkot before I ordered from them, and sure enough the packing/shipping was atrocious and I was astonished my doll wasn't in pieces. Also, I found it extremely difficult to find user pictures of this particular sculpt before I bought it, and didn't realize that maybe this doll was unpopular. The quality of the doll itself was great, but sure enough I had to rehome her for a greatly reduced price...I was being impatient and ignoring the clear signs that this doll wasn't for me!
       
    3. Interesting topic! ^^

      Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?
      It really depends on the problem(s). If it is a long wait, then sure I would. But if is something like being unreliable about sending people their orders, then definitely not. For quality issues, it would depend on the specifics.

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?
      Sort of -- I bought a Soom monthly doll back when the waits were really long. It was a common warning to the "newly Soomed" that waits were 4+ months, but I really wanted the doll so I bought her anyway.

      What the experience like if so?
      Actually, not as bad as I'd thought. The wait was "only" 3 months, as it seemed that Soom was working to reduce their ridiculously long wait times. And I love my doll to bits. <3

      And lastly why would you buy?
      If their price was REALLY good (for something I'd want, of course), or if it was a headmold that I adored and couldn't find a substitute for. For example, I doubt many people would put up with Custom House's 6 month waits if they were asking $600 for their 60cm dolls, but many people are willing to put up with it for a 50% discount, or if they love a particular CH sculpt and want it badly.
       
    4. I was considering buying some dolls from Custom House because they're having a nice sale this month but the people in the CH waiting room convinced me against it because of the horribly long wait times etc etc and I'm so glad they did convince me because it's been over a week (technically) waiting for my boy and I can tell I wouldn't have been able to wait several months xD
       
    5. It would depend on what the warnings were for. Really long wait times are one thing if you get an intact and wonderful doll in the end, and the company will work with you if there's damage or anything. Soom and Dollshe survived their periods of outrageous wait times because fans of those sculpts find them worth the wait. I've waited a realllly long time for a pair of Mystic urethane eyes, and ordered again because the quality was excellent.

      If I feel I can trust the company or seller, an unusually long wait (let's face it, there aren't many short waits in this hobby :sweat) is not fun, but okay. A company known for horrible shipping, damage, poor quality, or really bad customer service is unlikely to get my business.
       
    6. Same as GacktxLove, I was considering buying a Yeonu from Custom House, and then they had their sales this month which was quite tempting. I read the waiting room about the horribly long wait time~ and still I was thinking I wouldn't mind waiting... Customer service is important to me, so I also drop them an email with a question about buying and totally got no response. That was a big minus.... but still, I still had the thought about getting Yeonu.... UNTIL I saw and read box openings of recently arrived custom house's dolls. Long wait time is one thing, totally unresponsive customer services another, but shoddy work really take the cake. Mis-sent dolls, incomplete orders, damaged dolls, the rate is pretty high enough to scare me off. They promise a 2 month wait for this time promotion, so I'm adopting a wait and see approach before I decide again whether to buy or not, hopefully~
       
    7. I wouldn't. I mean, when I read such feedbacks CH is getting now and others have had in the past, I wouldn't order even if I'm madly in love with a sculpt.

      My autism doesn't allow for much stress so I'm not getting on that ride in the first place. I need to be sure my purchase will arrive safe and sound.

      I might try to buy second hand though.
       
    8. I brought my BBB Feng from ResinSoul rather than Bobobie itself as I had read on their forums loads of complaints about long waiting time, things saying they were shipped and then not being and the guy running the site being incredibly unresponsiveto emails and even the occasional wrong order. This scared me a lot.

      I was still had trouble ordering from Resin Soul as it was all in Chinese (which I don't read) but their customer support guy, Sun, had brilliant English and answered all of my questions. I think it was the right decision as I got my doll within 6 weeks of ordering.
       
    9. Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?

      It really depends what the "problems" are. If fellow hobbyists aren't receiving dolls that they ordered, no.

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?

      Yes. I purchased one of my boys from Dolkot, even though feedback at the time was hit or miss. I did not have any problems with my transaction and I couldn't be happier with my doll.

      What the experience like if so?

      Honestly, a lot better than I imagined. Customer service was prompt with replies, my boy shipped in less than two weeks and he arrived in one piece. Do wish he was secured better in his shipping box, however.

      And lastly why would you buy?

      I could not find the sculpt I wanted second-hand.
       
    10. Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?
      Yes. My sister and me ordered together from Customhouse. And twice I’ve bought dolls from Dollcatch. Though my first Dollcatch order was before there were any reviews on them.

      What the experience like if so?
      I haven’t had a problem. Yes Customhouse’s wait was long (over 7 months) but it really didn’t bother me. And with Dollcatch I loved my first doll so much that me and my sister ordered 4 more.

      And lastly why would you buy?
      that’s an easy one to answer. Money. They were cheap for bjds.
       
    11. Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?
      It depends. Is the material hazardous to my health? No way.

      Has the company been experiancing issues with their shipping (like something along the lines of theft on their end durring the shipping process?) Probably not.

      Is the wait time more epic than The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Not-gonna-happen.

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?
      No.

      I do look at wait times, as well as the price. I strongly believe that there is a doll for everybody, and I would think twice if a doll I wanted had a wait time of 1 month or more. Dollmore, where I got my doll, has a waiting time of around 15 days - however, they didn't say this was before they ship the doll out. But it's still seems like a weekend compared to the stories I've heard of people waiting months and months and months. I could never do that in a million years. But...after getting my doll from Dollmore and now knowing how long the waiting will probably be, I'm willing to do it again.

      But if there was an issue where I could be hurt, or there was a chance the doll may never get to me, then there's no way I'm buying.
       
    12. If the doll will have to wait long, but everything else is fine, I'll buy.

      I ordered the Customhouse, waiting for 1.5 months. But the problem is that people receive incomplete orders. I'm worried about my order (((

      But I'm willing to wait long Limhwa, if only everything was done qualitatively ..
       
    13. I'd be willing to wait a long time for the doll if I really wanted it, but if the warnings included potentially not getting what you paid for? Or indicated a high risk of damage, with no response or effort to replace or repair on the part of the company?
      Then no.
       
    14. I am going to be ordering a doll from CustomHouse even though they are having all the delay issues. My friend who is running the GO I know will make sure we get our stuff on time. I really can't wait for my little girl. I just hope she comes home safe and sound.
       
    15. TMar, you should try second hand. I got Madison that way and she still had all her bubblewrap! She hadn't ever been played with, the box had just been opened once and that was about it. Make SURE that they tell you EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that is wrong though, so you don't have any suprises. Like I did. But I still love Lorelai lots and bunches yes I do.
       
    16. Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?

      It really depends on what those problems are. If they are related to quality or very poor interactions with customers I would be very very wary of buying from them. If the company is on the up and up but just slow getting orders out, then that's something I can deal with.

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?

      No, though I buy a lot second hand anymore, so often I don't go direct. I've never bought dolls that have had a lot of quality issues come up.

      What the experience like if so?

      NA

      And lastly why would you buy?

      If it's a matter of knowing I will get the doll I ordered, and it will come to me in good shape then I can deal with a wait. Wait times can be annoying, but they don't negate getting a wonderful doll that I'll love for years to come. Serious flaws are a reason to keep away as is shoddy customer service -- things go wrong for even the best companies as they are all staffed by humans. I need to know that if something goes wrong that the company will fix it. I don't want to be left in a bind and out a large chunk of money.
       
    17. Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?

      Having read about the heartache caused by various companies that have let their customers done, I would rather not risk the stress, and would spend my hard earned money elsewhere.

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?

      No. But in hindsight, it appears that the doll I did get from one of these now "problem" companies was one of the last sent out before they had a complete meltdown last year and basically stopped shipping dolls that customers had already paid for.

      What the experience like if so?

      In my case, it was somewhat disconcerting because my doll actually was not shipped on the date promised, and it wasn't until I expressed concern that he had been lost and sought a package trace, did I receive a legitimate tracking number.

      And lastly why would you buy?

      I wouldn't buy direct from a company with a known customer service problem. But if there wasn't a quality issue with the actual dolls themselves, I might seek them out on the secondary market, from a reputable seller of course.

      But basically, I feel that there are now such a variety of ABJD's out now that there will almost always be another to catch my fancy, so there's no real reason to potentially cloud my enjoyment by entering into a potentially difficult transaction.
       
    18. It depends on what the problems were. If it was a super long wait time but I liked the doll then sure I'd endure the wait time or buy the doll second hand. If it's something like doll's arriving broken or the resin being toxic or something then no.
       
    19. At some point, I contemplated buying a Custom House doll, but one look at the company reviews, and no...just no. I don't think that there is any doll that I like enough to buy at such a risk. It's one thing if there is a long wait (like Unoas, or how Soom used to be), but if it means waiting several months, maybe getting the doll, and a good chance of it being in poor condition...needless to say I really don't understand how a place like Custom House is still in business.
       
    20. Would you buy from a company after being warned of potential problems?

      I did, I think I'll be a little careful from now on. If the quality is good and the customer service is there, I can consider a wait to be reasonable. So long as the company keeps in contact with you and is working with you, I can manage wait times.

      Have you ever bought a doll from a company despite being warned?

      Yes, I'm one of the ones who bought from Custom House.

      What the experience like if so?

      I did a lot of research before ordering. I looked into other people's box openings and stories about the quality. I figured so long as there were no breaks everything else was manageable. Seams could be sanded, thin resin could be reinforced, dirt could be cleaned etc. etc. I even checked out a friend's pair of CH dolls just to be certain I'd like the feel of the resin and to see what they looked like in person. When I ordered the wait time was 3-4 months, so I figured I'd have my dolls by around June. I felt reasonably safe because, at the time, they were answering their queries, so I went ahead and bought.

      Some have already seen my box opening thread, so I'll just sum up the end result. I got the wrong doll. I contacted them several times - six to be exact. They responded to me twice. Once to ask for pictures of the wrong doll, and once recently after I'd given up on them to tell me they were going to send the doll I'd ordered. And to keep the one I'd received.

      And lastly why would you buy?
      Currently I'm of the opinion that if you like the doll enough and are willing to take the risk, then go for it. But understand you may not see that money again, or anything for your spent cash. I personally am going to be more careful with my purchases again and won't be returning to CH unless a miracle change happens with how they run their business. I'd be enticed to buy from a company with a questionable rep only if the quality and the level of their customer service is good.