The Facebook debacle & other issues

5 hours ago, Vickie386 said:

I'm not a huge DC fan, and of course this is just my opinion, but blaming him/his company's advertising for one's decision to buy a Smart Doll over another company's doll is a bit unreasonable. That's what advertising is all about. It's done on almost all platforms to the point of making you want to throw your TV, mobile phone or laptop out the window.

I don't think I've ever let advertising be the reason I've decided to buy something. Except for a Sonic Blast 

I mean...everyone on this forum is a vinyl doll fan, so naturally has seen Smart Dolls and may have been tempted to buy one at some point, or ALREADY own them, but then their perception was completely wrecked by the dumpster fire words of a certain CEO. Or were turned off by the ridiculously obnoxious sales pages of the items, or the unnecessarily selective purchasing requirements, etc etc. It all just comes together in one giant landfill that definitely brings someone from an originally neutral standpoint to a negative one. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by Ageha

1 hour ago, Ageha said:

I mean...everyone on this forum is a vinyl doll fan, so naturally has seen Smart Dolls and may have been tempted to buy one at some point, or ALREADY own them, but then their perception was completely wrecked by the dumpster fire words of a certain CEO. Or were turned off by the ridiculously obnoxious sales pages of the items, or the unnecessarily selective purchasing requirements, etc etc. It all just comes together in one giant landfill that definitely brings someone from an originally neutral standpoint to a negative one. 

I totally get it. I was reacting specifically to @ZandurFox saying, "I still regret not buying a Dollfie Dream doll from Volks when I first saw one in person at Anime Expo 2017 before the pandemic and I blame DC's intense social media promotion and heavy online advertisement regarding his dolls. Which led to me to buying a Smart Doll Mirai online in late 2019 from his store. Also, the Smart Doll store booth at Anime Expo was over the top and shadowed Volk's DDs! It explains why the man truly dislikes Volks and wants them gone or forgotten and insists his SMDs are better than DDs!" 

I kind of get that too, but if you think about it rationally, that's what paying big bucks for major advertising is supposed to do - persuade you to buy a product. And often to buy one product over another.  Not that I think it's ethical, for lack of a better word.
 

That's what I meant by I don't think I've ever let advertising be the reason I've decided to buy something. Except for that Sonic Blast!

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by Vickie386
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Of course, which is why I am always careful when buying now. I’m not saying Smart Doll advertisement is really bad and it’s understandable of why it is very huge and to create competition. I had made a mistake back then and could had done more research on Volks DDs first. 

Advertisement is advertisement, everyone knows what they do. Every business needs advertisement to earn traffic and money to keep their business running. Also, healthy competition is also good too.

My mom used to a supervisor in the Advertisement department in a newspaper company she worked at. It’s the reason why ads are seen everywhere from out on the road with those large billboards, ad flyers, giant ADs on the hotels in Las Vegas, ad brochures in tourist agencies, and on the Internet.

16 hours ago, ZandurFox said:

Of course, which is why I am always careful when buying now. I’m not saying Smart Doll advertisement is really bad and it’s understandable of why it is very huge and to create competition. I had made a mistake back then and could had done more research on Volks DDs first. 

Advertisement is advertisement, everyone knows what they do. Every business needs advertisement to earn traffic and money to keep their business running. Also, healthy competition is also good too.

My mom used to a supervisor in the Advertisement department in a newspaper company she worked at. It’s the reason why ads are seen everywhere from out on the road with those large billboards, ad flyers, giant ADs on the hotels in Las Vegas, ad brochures in tourist agencies, and on the Internet.

You're absolutely right.

And I hope I didn't offend.  Didn't intend to!

I sold all my smart dolls because I thought I didn’t like them and I didn’t really want anything to do with Shoe Child, but I realized I like SmDs, so I bought a few SmDs secondhand. I don’t really think about Danny anymore, I just ignore him and enjoy my SmDs, taking pictures of them and what not. It’s been a good experience so far😁

4 minutes ago, bubblysoda said:

I sold all my smart dolls because I thought I didn’t like them and I didn’t really want anything to do with Shoe Child, but I realized I like SmDs, so I bought a few SmDs secondhand. I don’t really think about Danny anymore, I just ignore him and enjoy my SmDs, taking pictures of them and what not. It’s been a good experience so far😁

Myself, and a LOT of others here, have said, It's not the doll's fault.....

There are plenty of cute Kiddos from that manufacturer, you don't  

necessarily have to agree with questionable online, rabid fanbased sycophantic morons, just to like a certain sculpt. 

They are cute, just enjoy the hobby... 

11 minutes ago, bubblysoda said:

I sold all my smart dolls because I thought I didn’t like them and I didn’t really want anything to do with Shoe Child, but I realized I like SmDs, so I bought a few SmDs secondhand. I don’t really think about Danny anymore, I just ignore him and enjoy my SmDs, taking pictures of them and what not. It’s been a good experience so far😁

same here.    anyone can enjoy SMD's without worryin about Mr Shoe & his grinchy ways

Just now, DollyDearest said:

same here.    anyone can enjoy SMD's without worryin about Mr Shoe & his grinchy ways

Yeah, it’s a really nice experience, I’m happy haha.

I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that DC has this delusion that he can actually keep “banned” customers from buying his dolls. I mean, there are plenty of ways to go about it for a really determined person. Facebook groups, eBay, resellers like Fabric Friends… It’s not that difficult. 😅

And honestly, I’m the type that if I ever got banned for some stupid reason, I would buy his dolls out of pure spite and plaster them all over social media (and be sure to tag him). “Hah hah I’m banned but look at my brand new *insert SmD name here*! And I’d probably dress them all up in Volks DD outfits, just for the extra kick to the head. 😁

But I honestly do like the SmartDolls. They are really cute. I’m actually preferring them and DDs over resins nowadays because they’re so light and possible. Just pissing DC off for owning them against his will is the prize in the Crackerjack box. 

8 hours ago, Stormlight said:

And honestly, I’m the type that if I ever got banned for some stupid reason, I would buy his dolls out of pure spite and plaster them all over social media (and be sure to tag him). “Hah hah I’m banned but look at my brand new *insert SmD name here*! And I’d probably dress them all up in Volks DD outfits, just for the extra kick to the head. 😁

LOVE it!

17 hours ago, Stormlight said:

I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the idea that DC has this delusion that he can actually keep “banned” customers from buying his dolls. I mean, there are plenty of ways to go about it for a really determined person. Facebook groups, eBay, resellers like Fabric Friends… It’s not that difficult. 😅

And honestly, I’m the type that if I ever got banned for some stupid reason, I would buy his dolls out of pure spite and plaster them all over social media (and be sure to tag him). “Hah hah I’m banned but look at my brand new *insert SmD name here*! And I’d probably dress them all up in Volks DD outfits, just for the extra kick to the head. 😁

But I honestly do like the SmartDolls. They are really cute. I’m actually preferring them and DDs over resins nowadays because they’re so light and possible. Just pissing DC off for owning them against his will is the prize in the Crackerjack box. 

most crackerjack prizes nowa days are temp tattoo's        I dressed one my smd boi's in a DD hoodie. lolz

This thread is a lot to unpack.  I didn't know about all these goings ons when I bought a smartdoll some time ago.  But it does explain the odd feelings I got from the smartdoll site at the time as an outsider, almost like they didn't really want to sell them?  

I dono, I work in sales and we talk things up all the time so it seemed suspish.  It makes sense now after reading some of this.

15 hours ago, SylveonPaws said:

This thread is a lot to unpack.  I didn't know about all these goings ons when I bought a smartdoll some time ago.  But it does explain the odd feelings I got from the smartdoll site at the time as an outsider, almost like they didn't really want to sell them?  

I dono, I work in sales and we talk things up all the time so it seemed suspish.  It makes sense now after reading some of this.

Well, Danny thinks he's "funny" and "clever" by putting all of that bs on the website. So that way, if he sends you a defective product and you contact them about it, he'll feel justified in ridiculing you and posting as much. Honestly he's a rather disappointing human being. 

1 hour ago, Ageha said:

Well, Danny thinks he's "funny" and "clever" by putting all of that bs on the website.

On 5/3/2022 at 4:48 PM, Yumeiro said:

Sam's gonna move up the corporate ladder I tell ya."        also  passive agressive eocomomics

Edited May 15, 2022 by DollyDearest

If I was a business owner, I'll try my best to satisfy the customer and of course make it perfect for them if they request it.

3 hours ago, ZandurFox said:

If I was a business owner, I'll try my best to satisfy the customer and of course make it perfect for them if they request it.

Well, that line of thinking is also dangerous, because there is no such thing as perfect. And customers who demand it will never, EVER be satisfied. They’re the types of people that Danny is ranting against, actually. 
 

I’ve worked my share of retail and customer service and, from that standpoint, I can TOTALLY see where he’s coming from. I’ve often wished heartily for the permission to stuff a pricing gun up certain customers’ backsides, or at least command them to yank the telephone poles they’ve already got up there OUT of it. They’re the reason why I loathe retail. And most people. 
 

Danny’s problem stems from the fact that he is lumping in those customers who just want decent quality control together with all those idiots who demand something that can’t ever exist. He seems to have no ability to differentiate between the two and that is where his methods become incredibly problematic on the whole. 

4 hours ago, Stormlight said:

Danny’s problem stems from the fact that he is lumping in those customers who just want decent quality control together with all those idiots who demand something that can’t ever exist. He seems to have no ability to differentiate between the two and that is where his methods become incredibly problematic on the whole. 

That is definitely the origin of the problem.  Then you have the stalking social media and shadow banning people from the store, and it's all just a bit too much for a startup company that copied Volks' Dollfie Dreams.  The main thing that he has going for him is (ironically) accessible dolls for a newbie.  If you're brand new and just want to order a new doll right now today and get it in a few days, then all Volks can offer is the same 5 standard models.  Choo gives a broader selection of immediately available options.

50 minutes ago, That_Dollfie_Dude said:

The main thing that he has going for him is (ironically) accessible dolls for a newbie.  If you're brand new and just want to order a new doll right now today and get it in a few days, then all Volks can offer is the same 5 standard models.  Choo gives a broader selection of immediately available options.

I have to agree here. As a newbie, the only reason I went with Smart Doll was because there were more options available, and one of those looked a lot like me so I went with her. 

3 hours ago, Suiseiseki said:

and one of those looked a lot like me so I went with her

That's a big motivator for a lot of SmD fans. Nothing wrong with getting a doll that represents you. Who gives a @#$% if the maker is an @$$.

Well personally, I like the semi-real SmDs a lot and wanted to get one for my first vinyl (which I still don't have), but what turned me off more than Danny's weird attitudes is the hostility toward providing people replacement parts. I've heard stuff about fragile doll arms and such, and if something breaks you're gonna be raked across coals to be able to get new parts, and he apparently even has a limit of parts he offers if something breaks? Those things mattered more to my final decision that whatever personal issues the guy has. The stress worrying 'if something breaks, I'll be blamed and it'll be hell to get it fixed' isn't worth it, to me.

If his negative attitude to customers was not so directly tied to what his shop offers and the style of his customer service, I doubt people would care so much about it.

So, I just got notice in a Facebook doll group that Mattel is releasing a Barbie who is wearing hearing aides. And to be honest, my very first thought was “I wonder how well DC is taking the news.” 😂

On 5/12/2022 at 11:41 AM, Stormlight said:

So, I just got notice in a Facebook doll group that Mattel is releasing a Barbie who is wearing hearing aides. And to be honest, my very first thought was “I wonder how well DC is taking the news.” 😂

the hole in floor, must be wide enough for a swimming pool.      from all pacin ya know lolz

Edited May 15, 2022 by DollyDearest

On 4/11/2022 at 7:56 PM, fishbuttz said:

This just occurred to me, but is it actually a big pain in the butt to have an email "notify me of restock" list or is Danny just lazy/bad at web design/playing into the FOMO and obsession over releases? I ask because basically every website I've ever used has an email notify option, but Danny insists that it's too much upkeep to have one, so he just updates twitter instead and if you miss out, you miss out. You'd think if it were that much work to program and maintain, fewer small businesses would have it, but it seems to be a staple even with absolutely tiny operations!

This used to be the standard until a few years ago. Basically, people were getting notified too late and getting upset. And people were being notified at differing frequencies (I don't think this was intentional at all), i.e. some people would get the e-mails the second something went back in stock, others would get notified of the restock minutes or hours later. There were a lot of people complaining about it back in the day, and since Danny's stuff would typically sell out within a few hours, it was useless to have late e-mails.

On 5/12/2022 at 11:41 AM, Stormlight said:

So, I just got notice in a Facebook doll group that Mattel is releasing a Barbie who is wearing hearing aides. And to be honest, my very first thought was “I wonder how well DC is taking the news.” 😂

ooooof, don't nobody tell him American Girl has been doin all sorts of disabilities aids for their dolls for quite a few years!
what with "children" his sales target demographic and all  /s