The Facebook debacle & other issues

On 5/10/2021 at 4:11 PM, Katsudon said:

@WorldofBJD yeah, as much as I am a downer in this thread, I am pretty sure that Danny's QC isn't so bad they'd sell moldy dolls. (The only situation where I could forsee problems is if a doll was bought on a long layaway - and that would be Fabric Friends' fault, not CJ, as they're the only ones who offer long layaways and are responsible for storing the doll during that time.)

I'm guessing that the TBC crowd are too swayed by the image of the dolls being shoddily made, which is pretty convincing. o_o I posted before but I'll mention again, that I first joined this forum because I wanted to know whether Smart Dolls really were poorly made, because all the posts about bits breaking and stuff made me afraid to buy. But my doll is fine. So far no problems, and no regrets! (I have a lot of sympathy for the person who got the very wonky wig, and the person who complained about the shoes, just because that was a legitimately crappy situation handled badly by Danny. And the repercussions have been never-ending!)

But yeah XD I'm used to seeing people rescue vinyl type dolls in all sorts of states! A lot of the solutions for staining etc are the same as what I saw people in the Blythe community use way back when. 😄 So I believe you 100%!

(Sorry you end up getting messages about every little blemish on a doll. The information on the bacteria is super helpful though! So if you decide to keep the post up despite everything, I'm sure it'll be a lifesaver for anyone who gets the same problem in the future.)

Edit: oh, it occurs to me just to ask, does the bacteria likewise appear pinkish or reddish on darker vinyl? XD just because you've seen it on things like boat seats, which presumably aren't the same colour as light skinned Smart Dolls. Just in case! And thank you for the science! :3

Yeah I never managed to break my dolls either. And my doll has been theough a lot in the few years I had him. The only issue I had was a bad Dream Rescue reaction on his arm, but Danny sent me a replacement. 

Anyway, on vinyl dolls it is also a magenta pink-ish spot. The description I used in the post was pretty accurate. It's does vary a bit but mostly just bright pink-is. And usually a dotted pattern.

Anywhere between 127, 023 and 545 in the below picture. 

Edited August 3, 2022 by Sebby

@WorldofBJD Ah XD some of my favourite paint colours! I can see how it'd be a pretty bacteria when in a petri dish and not on a doll. Thank you for the extra info ❤️

Hey; I'm doing a school report on SMD (don't ask), does anybody have a photo of the unevenly weathered shoes from that whole mess?

10 hours ago, MagicantAce said:

Hey; I'm doing a school report on SMD (don't ask), does anybody have a photo of the unevenly weathered shoes from that whole mess?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvCFPFClPaA/

The original Facebook group they were posted in has been deleted, so I can't provide concrete proof of them looking worse when the owner posted her own pictures of them. If I recall, they did look pretty banged up, and the photos he posted look much better than the damage that was shown originally.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Deyja

23 hours ago, Deyja said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvCFPFClPaA/

The original Facebook group they were posted in has been deleted, so I can't provide concrete proof of them looking worse when the owner posted her own pictures of them. If I recall, they did look pretty banged up, and the photos he posted look much better than the damage that was shown originally.

@MagicantAce Just a note, the photos Danny posted probably aren't of the same shoes the customer complained about. For my defective wig, he posted photos on his IG of perfectly good wigs and insinuated that I was having issues with THOSE perfect wigs, instead of posting an actual photo of my wig that I returned. The wig I bought was the ash grey one, but the photos he posted were of the lavender ones.

Edit: Forgot to add, in his IG post about the wigs he also insinuated that I was doing funny stuff like tying braids/ponytails in mine. It went along the lines of "some folks try to tie braids or ponytails but our wigs are not meant for that!" And naturally everyone assumed I did it.

Edited May 16, 2021 by bbotss
Added more info

I remember the post about the shoes VERY well! One looked scuffed like worn shoes, and the other looked like a brand new shoe. People were telling her to just scuff the other shoe so it matches or that they would buy them from her if she didn't want them. She loved the doll and was told she had to send EVERYTHING back if she wasn't happy with the shoes. He claimed she complained about other stuff but there was never any proof of that, just his word against hers. She claimed she was very happy with the doll but felt the shoes were not a good match because one was so different than the other.

People made fun of her and rode on shoe comments for a long time after that. She was a first time customer, I doubt she remained a customer after being raked over the coals. Only people in the group knew who she was, but she was made a faceless example all over his social media. It was one of the first things that happened that made start to feel like he was crossing lines. I will leave it at that.

3 hours ago, CrazyDollPerson said:

I remember the post about the shoes VERY well! One looked scuffed like worn shoes, and the other looked like a brand new shoe. People were telling her to just scuff the other shoe so it matches or that they would buy them from her if she didn't want them. She loved the doll and was told she had to send EVERYTHING back if she wasn't happy with the shoes. He claimed she complained about other stuff but there was never any proof of that, just his word against hers. She claimed she was very happy with the doll but felt the shoes were not a good match because one was so different than the other.

People made fun of her and rode on shoe comments for a long time after that. She was a first time customer, I doubt she remained a customer after being raked over the coals. Only people in the group knew who she was, but she was made a faceless example all over his social media. It was one of the first things that happened that made start to feel like he was crossing lines. I will leave it at that.

I originally said this on my first post on this thread back on page 8 I think:

Quote

I was in contact with the woman who had the shoe fiasco with her anniversary Mirai. Because I wasn't directly involved, I won't condone or condemn just inform. She had told me, " I moved the refund process to paypal just in case not as a dispute or anything, just processing and documenting it all through paypal so if anything DOES happen, I know paypal will have my back."

After Danny went wacko on her about the shoes and needing the whole doll returned (rescued from an evil owner in Danny's eyes), I don't blame her one bit for taking precautions.

This is pretty sad. I used to think Danny was pretty cool (I used to read his blog a bit back in 2010), but he really comes off as a dick if I read all of this.

I have to say that this has put me off buying a smart doll almost completely. Such a shame to see something so cool being ruined by someone so petty. 😢

After reading some of this and skipping a lot as my attention span is not that long. I do have to agree that Danny might not be as good or nice of a guy as he tries to portray himself to be. But, if I was to not purchase products from every company that had issues or mean people running them or that I didn't agree with their politics, then I'd have no where to shop and nothing to buy. It is off putting, but I still plan to buy a SmD eventually.

7 hours ago, CaraOReilly said:

After reading some of this and skipping a lot as my attention span is not that long. I do have to agree that Danny might not be as good or nice of a guy as he tries to portray himself to be. But, if I was to not purchase products from every company that had issues or mean people running them or that I didn't agree with their politics, then I'd have no where to shop and nothing to buy. It is off putting, but I still plan to buy a SmD eventually.

I definitely agree with you, there are plenty of companies and people with shaky beliefs and moral compasses. I just think most people aren't at out there about it like he is. Other people may make a comment or two that is off putting, but he seems to make them constantly, not to mention dragging customers and encouraging others to do it as well, etc etc.

I think that is why I just can't support anything he is tied to. I understand that no one is perfect, but this guy spouts off constantly.

 

Edited to add: Please don't take this as me trying to talk you out of owning/loving/wanting smartdolls. I am just stating why I personally can't stomach supporting his business. I have plenty of friends who have his dolls and love them, and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by CrazyDollPerson

3 minutes ago, CrazyDollPerson said:

I think that is why I just can't support anything he is tied to. I understand that no one is perfect, but this guy spouts off constantly.

 

That, and there is no guarantee that if you purchase a doll from him that you'll be protected from his wrath for writing to support...for anything, even a broken wrist or spine. I've seen first time doll owners/buyers roasted for even emailing him and catching him on a bad day.

7 hours ago, CaraOReilly said:

After reading some of this and skipping a lot as my attention span is not that long. I do have to agree that Danny might not be as good or nice of a guy as he tries to portray himself to be. But, if I was to not purchase products from every company that had issues or mean people running them or that I didn't agree with their politics, then I'd have no where to shop and nothing to buy. It is off putting, but I still plan to buy a SmD eventually.

The irony is that you probably won't have to make the choice about buying from him. He'll be the one who decides if you get the honor of buying from him.

Don't answer his questionnaire about why you're buying from him or what doll you're buying clothes/accessories for? Order cancelled! Answer his questionnaire but you're not buying his stuff for a smartdoll? Order cancelled! Ask questions about the questionnaire? Order cancelled and banned!

Ask a question about shipping? Order cancelled! Ask Danny about possible defects you might have found in your purchase? Online shamed and banned! Even if you don't ask Danny and ask the doll community instead, you'll still get banned and shamed once he hears of it. I'm thinking of the bodysuit issue and the issue with the guy arms.

Not that I'm actively discouraging you from purchasing a smartdoll. Just giving fair warning of what you can expect should anything go wrong. It used to be that smartdolls came with reliable warranties, but now anything can be excused as wabi sabi and tough luck for you if your purchase falls in the wabi sabi category.

8 hours ago, CaraOReilly said:

After reading some of this and skipping a lot as my attention span is not that long. I do have to agree that Danny might not be as good or nice of a guy as he tries to portray himself to be. But, if I was to not purchase products from every company that had issues or mean people running them or that I didn't agree with their politics, then I'd have no where to shop and nothing to buy. It is off putting, but I still plan to buy a SmD eventually.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but I have to admit I haven't seen any of those people actively banning anyone from their shop because they've had a bad lunch. (I'm exaggerating, but you get my point) Or publicly shaming someone when they open a support ticket for one of their products.

Don't get me wrong though. I love some of the smart dolls he makes, but I'm really wary of owning one now because of how Danny treats his customers.
I just wish Volks offered something similar to the Tea and Cocoa coloured dolls.

That is true, If Volks had those types or colours then Smart Doll would be way less significant.

Honestly it will be quite a while until I spend that kind of money on a doll anyway, so unless one pops up in the used market in the next year or so, I probably won't be the owner of a SmD anytime soon.

Edited May 16, 2021 by CaraOReilly

On 8/24/2020 at 7:57 PM, Katsudon said:

I still wanna make "wasabi" t-shirts

I was a bit bored .... and condiments being a bit offtopic ... but ...

Any optical illusions are purely coincidental.

Dont judge ... quick gimp jobbie... so no illustrator bonus points.

 

yes... I was feeling also a little mean...

 

31 minutes ago, finnleo said:

I was a bit bored .... and condiments being a bit offtopic ... but ...

Any optical illusions are purely coincidental.

Dont judge ... quick gimp jobbie... so no illustrator bonus points.

 

yes... I was feeling also a little mean...

 

Is it really bad of me that I want to make this as a tshirt for my doll and slap it all over Instagram and tag him in it? 😝

2 hours ago, Stormlight said:

Is it really bad of me that I want to make this as a tshirt for my doll and slap it all over Instagram and tag him in it? 😝

I tagged him in a picture of my Sakura Miku wearing a CJ pink bikini after he started pounding "For Smart Dolls Only, they won't fit other dolls". No wonder I'm banned.

9 hours ago, finnleo said:

I was a bit bored .... and condiments being a bit offtopic ... but ...

Any optical illusions are purely coincidental.

Dont judge ... quick gimp jobbie... so no illustrator bonus points.

 

yes... I was feeling also a little mean...

 

I did have a little lol! XD Nice!

I really wish I had the guts to make a wasabi shirt, but I don't wanna get banned. XD If I get banned for other reasons though, you can bet I'll be churning out wasabi t-shirts like wow! Ironically they would be wabisabi too because I like stencils.

If I thought Danny had enough of a sense of humour for some kawaii wasabi shirts, it would be a... completely different universe. Eerie. 😨

For real, anyone wanting to make a wasabi shirt should. Join club wasabi, where we're a bit spicy in a way no one expects! XD No one can avoid wasabi - it always comes with sushi whether you want it or not. This metaphor is getting away from me.

After reading how he treats adult owners I have to wonder (I dunno if I'm the only one) how he would treat kids who own his dolls and why sell them to that audience when he obviously doesn't want certain things to be done with his dolls. (like customizing them or braiding ponytails into wigs)

And yeah I don't think I'm going to order a smart doll anytime soon. 

- It's possible he treats them differently. It depends how much of his market is made up of kids by now.

- If there's a complaint it's probably gonna be from the parents and not from the kid directly. 

- Kids probably aren't going to try to redo the faceup or buy Volks clothes for them or anything simply because they don't know or care about that part of the hobby. 

 

It's hard to know since we don't have anybody on the forums who's that young or who brought SmD for their child. 

49 minutes ago, monkeypizzasonic said:

- It's possible he treats them differently. It depends how much of his market is made up of kids by now.

- If there's a complaint it's probably gonna be from the parents and not from the kid directly. 

- Kids probably aren't going to try to redo the faceup or buy Volks clothes for them or anything simply because they don't know or care about that part of the hobby. 

 

It's hard to know since we don't have anybody on the forums who's that young or who brought SmD for their child. 

Some kids might actually cut their wigs or draw on their faces. I know I used to cut my dolls hair all the time as a kid. I'm just asking because I wanted to buy a Smartdoll for my niece but I'm just not that sure anymore. 

Maybe getting her a DD would be a better option if you're no longer set on a Smart Doll? They're pretty similarly priced, too.

I still don't understand why he's aiming his dolls at a younger audience when he doesn't like it when people draw outside the lines he's setting for his dolls. Kids play rough, even if they don't mean to sometimes. Kids like to customise their dolls in ways adults would think they're ruining them (as someone already said, cutting hair, draw on them, and so on). Parents aren't the easiest to handle when it comes to products for their kids, too. I really don't get it?

I've been away from the hobby for a couple of years now and I'm appalled how worse it's gotten with his branding. I used to at least like to check out the Smartdoll sculpts on his site, but now his tongue-in-check descriptions border on unnecessary gatekeeping meanness. Do you want someone buy something or not?

4 minutes ago, Hymn said:

Parents aren't the easiest to handle when it comes to products for their kids

This is especially puzzling to me. Have you ever had to deal with an angry parent before? They're often magnitudes more annoying to deal with than a collector who understands the nature of your product. I wonder how Danny deals with his customers in those cases.

2 hours ago, Hymn said:

I still don't understand why he's aiming his dolls at a younger audience when he doesn't like it when people draw outside the lines he's setting for his dolls. Kids play rough, even if they don't mean to sometimes. Kids like to customise their dolls in ways adults would think they're ruining them (as someone already said, cutting hair, draw on them, and so on). Parents aren't the easiest to handle when it comes to products for their kids, too. I really don't get it?

I've been away from the hobby for a couple of years now and I'm appalled how worse it's gotten with his branding. I used to at least like to check out the Smartdoll sculpts on his site, but now his tongue-in-check descriptions border on unnecessary gatekeeping meanness. Do you want someone buy something or not?

I mean, it depends how old the kids are and whether the parents have taught them to take care of their things...but yeah.

I just ignore his descriptions entirely at this point.

2 hours ago, ChrisFhey said:

This is especially puzzling to me. Have you ever had to deal with an angry parent before? They're often magnitudes more annoying to deal with than a collector who understands the nature of your product. I wonder how Danny deals with his customers in those cases.

Maybe those people he doesn't handle personally? Maybe those are part of the mysterious "entitled" he keeps complaining about? Maybe he reserves his rudeness for people in the hobby doing things he doesn't like? It is a mystery. (And it's hard to tell when we don't hear stories from parents. Maybe in a few years when those kids get older and start going on social media more we'll hear about it.) 

5 hours ago, nyampo said:

Some kids might actually cut their wigs or draw on their faces. I know I used to cut my dolls hair all the time as a kid. I'm just asking because I wanted to buy a Smartdoll for my niece but I'm just not that sure anymore. 

How old is she? A mini Dollfie Dream might be easier to handle, especially if it's her first doll.