Advice for Rajikaru situation

A mystery tracking number has appeared from SMJ with a 0 balance on the invoice it came with. As I haven't paid for anything else from them this could be it? A day after I opened a chargeback claim with my bank.

A mystery tracking number has appeared from SMJ with a 0 balance on the invoice it came with. As I haven't paid for anything else from them this could be it? A day after I opened a chargeback claim with my bank.

Hopefully the woke the heck up! FIngers crossed it is your item!

 

Whenever you get it, I advice trying some solutions to smooth the creases and the plump the flattened bit: I have read on the internet that some heat and tons of baby powder should do the trick.

 

Good luck with everything

I really hope it is your piece! I know this situation has been tough and you were amazingly patient with the situation. I'm glad the little spook about takin' money back was enough to make them finally get off their asses and send out your package.

 

And I am super sorry you had to go through this in the first place. I've been at the end of a grail item coming with damage/being a disappointment and it is the worst feeling. I seriously hope that whenever you pursue a new piece that it comes to you like it should.

Thank you Gunter and Bellatrix! I'll try the heat trick. Initially I had tried it a bit, but didn't want to end up damaging it more to make the repair invalid

 

Anyway I got my item back! What a trip! Time for some more sappy story about the end of this year and a half of hell.

 

Here's the picture album:

 

https://imgur.com/a/jHpuasr

 

I got the box in the mail and this box is so sturdy I could probably build a house out of it haha. They built this entire box contraption for me, they could have shipped me raw eggs without breaking it.

 

Inside that box was another box being propped in place perfectly by fashioned wedges (in pics). Maybe robotics engineering isn't the right path for me now that I know cardboard box engineering is clearly a thing Anyway, inside she was packed with a specially cut out bottom piece and shaped layer.

 

Now here's where the story starts making my heart ache.

 

I got an email before the item was shipped to me saying apparently one of the Tokyo staff at SMJ felt so bad about my situation that he tried to do a lot of research to fix it himself. This is why the shipment from SMJ to me took so long.

 

Inside the box, in the Imgur album, was a letter. This letter just completely decimated me and had me sobbing.

 

Yes, people have been nice to me before. People have went out of their way for me before, but the fact that a total stranger who had zero obligation to help me felt so bad and went out of his way - possibly risking getting in trouble - to help my dumb silicone doll part just touched the core of my heart. Two total contrasts. One person didn't help me at all even though he promised. He made my life hell for a year. And a stranger came by and picked up some of those jaded pieces. I was feeling very disenchanted with this hobby for a lot of reasons, but that mystery person truly impacted me and I'll never forget

 

The extra pieces had been dissembled for me and cleaned and wrapped nicely. Something I'm sure the staff member did, not Raji. The little silicone pieces that are under the knee caps had been removed and not given back to me, but that's easy enough to make myself.

 

The item has NOT been repaired. But the staff member who helped me removed discoloration and powdered it up for me with this specialty stuff. Now she is properly hanging from a little yarn rope on a coat hanger mid air, which I swear is the proper way to store it - not just because I want to freak out guests

 

I sent SMJ a long letter explaining my gratitude and how touched I was, along with asking to make sure this mystery person didn't get in trouble with the boss, gets praised and knows I forgive him and how thankful I was! And they made it happen! In their response they said, "But that repair guy….was just some conceited person. My staff in Tokyo that dealt with him had nothing good to say about him."

 

All in all, the experience with Rajikaru was very bad, but looking at the situation and all my emotions as a whole... I definitely don't regret it. I would have preferred it not to happen and hope it never does again, but

 

But yes, I got my squishy expensive butt back. Let this be a warning to dealing directly with Rajikaru. Through this whole ordeal I've talked to many people who have also had... far less than pleasant experiences with him.

 

So! It's not repaired, but I still have it. Which is what I wanted anyway. Time to move forward and experiment on fixing it or get really good at photoshopping out all the problems xD

Oh goodness! What a saga for this poor little butt! I remember when you posted about this originally, and I’m glad that it’s finally back in your hands. It’s too bad it seems the SMJ doesn’t like the employee who tried to fix it, but it’s really awesome that this person went out of their way to help you. I wonder if they were as frustrated with Rajikaru as you were for not doing the repairs as promised?

Oh goodness! What a saga for this poor little butt! I remember when you posted about this originally, and I’m glad that it’s finally back in your hands. It’s too bad it seems the SMJ doesn’t like the employee who tried to fix it, but it’s really awesome that this person went out of their way to help you. I wonder if they were as frustrated with Rajikaru as you were for not doing the repairs as promised?

 

Thank you!

 

Did I make it seem like SMJ didn't like the employee? No no! I didn't mean to make it sound like that at all I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure he didn't get in trouble is all.

 

SMJ consists of Nick, the English rep/owner in the US and then his hired staff and manager in the Tokyo office and center. I only talked to Nick and when the item wouldn't ship, he went to the office manager in Tokyo to get the item to ship. I just wanted to ask Nick to make sure that guy didn't get in trouble for trying to help me and he didn't. Everything worked out great. We had no idea he was trying to help before, we only knew that we couldn't figure out why it was taking so long to get back to me after it had arrived at their office lol When Nick found out what had been going on he was surprised and happy too

 

SMJ as a whole was awesome this entire time and went way way way farrrr out of their way for me.

 

They were extremely frustrated with Raji. Like I said, they said they had no nice things to say about him. Raji was being very horrible about it in every way possible and has his own prejudice to deal with. Truth is he should have never agreed to help me and I still don't know why he did, but he was not nice to SMJ.

I'm glad this has worked out, though it's unfortunate that such an expensive item still isn't repaired.

 

Places in Japan that know what overseas shipping is like seem to pack really well like that. It's been some years but I used to buy various things using the Rinkya service and their packaging was something else too. Amiami always packs really well as does CDJapan. OTOH I've gotten things from Japan sellers on ebay that must pack the same way they do for domestic shipping within Japan, where apparently you can ship something in a tissue paper box and have it arrive undamaged. Worst experience like that I remember was years ago I bought a group of Super Famicom games which come in really flimsy cardboard boxes. I picked out specific ones based on their pictures to get as perfect boxes as I could. I received the games all stacked together and wrapped in paper, no actual box at all. Every game box was damaged.

 

I laughed at your comment:

 

Now she is properly hanging from a little yarn rope on a coat hanger mid air, which I swear is the proper way to store it - not just because I want to freak out guests

I can see this. A little partially dismembered torso, with such...detail...hanging there for all to see.

 

Some might think it's some kind of voodoo ritual.

Thank you!

 

Did I make it seem like SMJ didn't like the employee? No no! I didn't mean to make it sound like that at all I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure he didn't get in trouble is all.

 

Derp! My fault; I misread that!

 

It's too bad about Raji's attitude. At least SMJ has proven there are some kind people left in this world! They seem like a really caring company and I might have to use them next time I'm in need of a shopping service.