Narin Creative/Dollfair Waitlist and Resolution

Oops. Sorry, not supposed to be posting here.

 

I don't really care who's fault it is. I'm not angry about what has happened in the past, just what is not happening to fix it now

I don't know why Catrina has disappeared I trusted her and was patient for a long time, and feel like she's abandoned me. I just can't afford to pay out $150 and get nothing for it. At least if a lawyer was involved I would feel like some progress was being made towards a resolution, while as now nothing seems to be happening. As it is this could have been finished weeks ago.

 

I do not know why no dolls were produced, and I'm not going to supposition on it. But casting Bimong as 'unproven' also ignores all the past goodwill and successful orders. Bimong and Catrina are both people who clearly have a passion for this hobby, but they are only human and everyone makes mistakes. People are not science experiments and they do not act perfectly in times of stress.

With the complicated nature of the way orders were placed and produced, people are frustrated with both parties. As Sillypeach said, most people here aren't interested in blame, they just want a satisfactory resolution to their orders. Let the measure of Catrina and Bimong be found in how they resolve this situation.

I for one an happy with my refund and hope that the trust I've put in ordering direct from Bimong won't be misplaced.

 

DevKimiko, I think you make very good points in your post, I especially like what you said about people in times of stress, that is very provocative and relevant. However, people do show their true characters in times of stress, and the old saw about the leopard and his spots is more true than not. Whenever you see a neighbor interviewed on TV about the serial killer next door and they say "But he seemed like such a nice boy" you know they were just oblivious.
I understand people's frustration, as I am suffering the same aliment. The only thing I don't seem to be getting across, so let me try harder, is that Bimong is unproven. He himself has generated no goodwill and as far as I know, one successful order. He has always sold through an agent as long as I have been buying. Catrina has has many many good transactions. Why would she suddenly flip a switch and try to swindle people? Clearly, and not through conjecture, I can see that Bimong's actions have left her holding the bag. He needs to step up and satisfy people's orders. By his own admission he has been paid. If it's not the full amount, which I highly doubt, he wasn't under gag order.
I surely don't want to argue with you, this situation is very upsetting. My sense of justice is really perturbed by this. And I don't see Catrina as a perfect actor either, but like you said, she's not a science experiment.
The point is, you were refunded from Catrina, and ordered from Bimong. So now he's been paid twice to make your doll, let's hope he does it.
You had a doll stolen this year, just as I had. I don't think that you would have been happy if someone bought it knowing it was stolen with the attitude of "Oh well I paid for it now it's mine"
I am pretty horrified that everyone else is just out for themselves and couldn't give a rat's behind about the actual humans affected in this situation, I think most people are like that, but it doesn't make it right.

I think Bimong is an amazing artist. I think his contributions to this art form are incomparable. IMO he changed the whole look of this hobby with Narae. I remember the first one I saw it was like a slap in the face it was so beautiful. Or a breath of fresh air more likely, totally different from the anime styles that dominated at that time. I will also never forget when I opened my Narae's box. Even my husband gasped out loud. It was the anime of a human in the form of a doll, she looked like she was breathing she was so alive. I want to champion him, I want to support him, I want all of his work, I love it. However I also want him to do the right thing, and take the high road.
You are absolutely right, there is no way I can know all of what went on or goes on, I am just basing things off past performance and what I do know.
This has become like a messy divorce. I want custody of my doll lol.

 

What I_DekuPhantomme said. I think nastiness was probably not intended on either side of the aisle, though. Everyone is simply frustrated. I think some extreme opinions have been voiced here, but I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing. We all need a place to vent a little about this, and we're all going to have our own beliefs about what's been going on. I think none of us have the information available to make an informed decision or create a valid opinion. I also, though, think it's a bit extreme to imply that it's morally reprehensible to have asked for a refund. None of us has the right to judge the other on any point, really.

 

I bet al the ''they are just humans'' points wouldn't be so strong if the people claiming that would be on the side of those that had neither a doll, neither a refund. I spent 170$ in the doll and shipment, and 9 months later, I yet don't know if I will ever recieve something... not to mention a point that everyone here is skipping: Neferti is NO LONGER LIMITED; many of us made an effort on the sales day because it was a moment of ''now or never''; to learn , now, that this was a decision taken by Bimong himself on his lonesome, out of his anger towards Catrina, to remove the ''Limited edition'' from that head. Is this any fair? To me, this point of changing a comercial arrangement totally on personal decisions in a moment of hot head is really hard to excuse. I am sorry to say this, but I feel totally scammed, and Catrina's sudden disapeparance does not make it easier.

 

I received my refund today from Catrina! She wrote and has been very ill. She will be sending more refunds out today. So I am hoping everyone else will soon have their problems resolved. Thank you Catrina.

 

Nope, still no replies back after I requested the proof of my receipts for my "supposedly" forwarded order from Dollfair to Bimong. I have a feeling it's going to be another long lapse of no communication.

 

A few posts have been removed.

This is a really crappy situation - please support each other and be kind, even if you don't agree with others' assessments of the situation.

 

Hey Armeleia,

Just putting a fact I know about this particular aspect of the situation. I had been working with Catrina on my own dolls for about 2 years now and have made numerous trips as you know to her studio (not working with Catrina anymore). The photos of the Neo Narae and Narin Dreamer were sent to Catrina around the last quarter of 2009. I was there overseeing production on my dolls when she showed me the photos, so she's had them since before the whole Narin Creative lawsuit issue.

I also ordered a Neo Narae at the beginning of the year and have not received her yet. Requested a refund and am still awaiting resolution of my situation.

Paul

 

Oh lord, thank you, even though some were mine.

 

Please do not post confidential emails here without the sender's permission. Lillycat is a Den of Angels member, and if she wanted her information public, she would post it herself. We ask that the companies involved deal directly with one another to resolve their issues, which is the professional way to handle this. This thread is for DoA members to get factual updates and to keep track of what's going on. Thank you.

 

Just sent another email. I used both the dollfair@mac address and the datatexmedia address. Hopefully I can get us some more news.

 

Please keep this thread open in 2011 as some of us are still waiting for a doll from Dollfair. My order date is 2/25/2010. I am hoping that people will post when there is an resolution to their order. Thank you.

 

I think, we all need ask for a refund now. It`s too long for us to waiting/

I trust to all stories, but now I want refund for my 185$. If it`s posiible, before a New Yaer.

Catrina, I hope, you`ll feel better and tell us that happend with our Neferti`s heads and refunds. Yeah, before a New Year O_O

 

I would gladly ask to be refunded if the money were to come from Bimong. However in good conscience I cannot take a refund from Catrina as she has already paid the monies to Bimong, I feel that is unethical.
It would be like taking blood money.
If this is to be my loss, it will be from Bimong that I am being taken from, not Dollfair, who did nothing wrong in this case.
I am still hoping that Bimong will do the right thing and send me the product I ordered.

 

delete please

 

Reading what is happening with Lilycat and being frustrated with the whole situation I have to chime in and say that what is happening with Lilycat is similar to my own situation. I think my situation is relevant to this particular thread also because I ordered a Narae in February and have yet to receive the doll.

Catrina has been producing my doll line for me since 2008 and thing were going relatively well until the end of 2009. The delays, promises of shipping dates that pass by without a word---that became the usual case with her doll manufacturing. I know delays in production are a common thing, but you don't have to lead a person on with "it'll ship in a couple of days, it'll ship in a week, it'll ship in a couple of weeks" or just be out of contact for weeks, especially when the person's business is relying on your manufacturing of their product. And on top of that I paid her a percentage of my profit to do my customer service---which turned out to be a horrendous decision. So to make things short I ended my business relationship with Catrina a few months ago.

Another thing is that she still has much of my property in her possession ie, doll boxes and hundreds of dollstands/bases. I've contacted her every couple of weeks since October and have just had excuses or silence---I think 3 months is a good amount of time to be able to send someone what is theirs, especially when all you have to do is take it to UPS. And if she is extremely sick, I'm sure she has other people that can help out with e-mails or shipping.

And lastly, the cherry on top of all this. The last customer service issue she was supposed to work on for me was in the case of a Russian customer who sent their doll back to Catrina's studio to have the doll's faceup fixed by me. Catrina sent me the head, I fixed it and sent it back to her to attach to the body and sent back to the customer---USPS shows she received the head on Oct. 6th signed by C. Sanders. Well the customer wrote me back a few days ago saying she never got a shipping confirmation from Catrina OR the doll----umm its been 3 months. I tried calling Catrina, calling the dollfair number, and e-mailing to no avail. So I am out hundreds of dollars worth of dollboxes and stands and have a customer out of a doll because I relied on someone I thought I could trust.

I have to say I have been happier working on my own these past few months.

Paul

 

...Still patiently waiting. Will there be an end to this?

 

No contact here, no offer to refund, nothing. Just 170$ vanished in the Aether.