The Facebook debacle & other issues

17 minutes ago, AliensOfGold said:

I didn’t think you were serious when I read that other post.

You shouldn’t feel bad because you’ve done nothing wrong. You may have criticised a product, but we all do that for everything. It sucks that you can’t get the doll you wanted direct from him, but I’m sure you’ll find another way😜

Wouldn’t it be illegal to claim fraud when I highly doubt anything of the sort took place? Who actually claimed it was fraud him or your bank?

It was him, he sent an email writing that my order was flagged as fraudulent and was like, we don’t know the reason why, but we can’t do anything about it and to do a bank transfer. I declined because I didn’t feel safe doing that because a bank transfer doesn’t have purchase protection, I think. I don’t think it was my bank because they didn’t send me an email about it.

 

edit: maybe it was my bank, but if it was then why didn’t they send me an email about it.

Edited July 31, 2021 by Guest

2 hours ago, QueenAnna said:

edit: maybe it was my bank, but if it was then why didn’t they send me an email about it.

He would have no way of connecting your activity here to your order unless your forum name is used some other place where it could be connected to personal information like your email address. I suppose he could have guessed that a Kizuna order placed at the same time as your post was from the same person, but that would imply he only sold one Kizuna on that day. If on the other hand he just guessed, or canceled all Kizuna orders to see if the poster would float to the top, by posting about it you’ve probably confirmed you were the one he wanted. 

If your credit card company flagged it as fraudulent they should have a record of that, so I’d contact them. Sometimes they do flag foreign transactions, and usually you just need to tell them you will using the card in Japan on a specific date.  

One thing that can get transactions flagged is using the card locally and then using it overseas around the same time. They call that Impossible Travel, and basically it means you can’t use your card in Paris France and then travel to Tokyo in time to use it there 20 minutes later. That kind of thing is key indicator of fraud. 

IIRC in the past Danny has connected people’s real names to their Facebook accounts, seen critical posts on Facebook, and then contacted them about their orders on Facebook to trick them into outing themselves. That connection is possible because Facebook wants your real name on your account. 

42 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

He would have no way of connecting your activity here to your order unless your forum name is used some other place where it could be connected to personal information like your email address. I suppose he could have guessed that a Kizuna order placed at the same time as your post was from the same person, but that would imply he only sold one Kizuna on that day.

If your credit card company flagged it as fraudulent they should have a record of that, so I’d contact them. Sometimes they do flag foreign transactions, and usually you just need to tell them you will using the card in Japan on a specific date.  

One thing that can get transactions flagged is using the card locally and then using it overseas around the same time. They call that Impossible Travel, and basically it means you can’t use your card in Paris France and then travel to Tokyo in time to use it there 20 minutes later. That kind of thing is key indicator of fraud. 

IIRC in the past Danny has connected people’s real names to their Facebook accounts, seen critical posts on Facebook, and then contacted them about their orders on Facebook to trick them into outing themselves. That connection is possible because Facebook wants your real name on your account. 

oh, okay, I’ll contact my credit card company. Thanks for the info.

42 minutes ago, QueenAnna said:

oh, okay, I’ll contact my credit card company. Thanks for the info.

NP, I did add one more thought about this to my first paragraph above, and apologies in advance, I’m really not trying to pour salt on an open wound.

If you are banned, you might check offerings from Volks and Obitsu. Volks has a lot of options for different faces and you can buy blank heads along with a headless body. Obitsu’s Iris Collects are pretty cute too. 

Edit: Sorry, my bad, Iris Collects are sold under the Azone brand. 

4 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

NP, I did add one more thought about this to my first paragraph above, and apologies in advance, I’m really not trying to pour salt on an open wound.

If you are banned, you might check offerings from Volks and Obitsu. Volks has a lot of options for different faces and you can buy blank heads along with a headless body. Obitsu’s Iris Collects are pretty cute too. 

It’s alright, I do like volks dolls and I was thinking about buying one, I’ll have to look up the Iris Collects dolls, I’m not really familiar with them.

5 minutes ago, QueenAnna said:

I’ll have to look up the Iris Collects dolls, I’m not really familiar with them.

I don’t have any myself, but they are super cute and the Obitsu body is supposed to have the best articulation out of all the various doll bodies. You can buy them through Fabric and Friends, and I believe they participate in pre-orders for the dolls. 

Edit: Here these are some custom Iris Collects being sold at a doll event. They’re easily some of the most beautiful dolls I’ve seen although the prices on those customs are .

 

I called my credit card company and they said it wasn’t my card, they approved the transaction, so it was on Danny’s end, he lied that my order was a fraud, I guess I’m banned from SmD 😕

2 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

If your credit card company flagged it as fraudulent they should have a record of that, so I’d contact them. Sometimes they do flag foreign transactions, and usually you just need to tell them you will using the card in Japan on a specific date. 

Not that it matters now... but I think one of the first orders I made to Culture Japan got my card frozen. The bank flagged it and wanted to know if it was an intended purchase on my end. After I confirmed it was, all other orders went trough like normal. But this was way back, before there were any word about being banned.

Still I find it so LOW how he goes around contacting people to get them to "out themselves"!
I remember those being asked for their order-numbers on instagram "because something wasn't right with their order/information". Like, HE should have that info.! You shouldn't have to provide anything like that! Sucks for those who do not know better...

@QueenAnna Did you/are you going to ask about if you are banned for not wanting to pay by bank-transfer?

Edited July 31, 2021 by Yumeiro

4 minutes ago, Yumeiro said:

Not that it matters now... but I think one of the first orders I made to Culture Japan got my card frozen. The bank flagged it and wanted to know if it was an intended purchase on my end. After I confirmed it was, all other orders went trough like normal. But this was way back, before there were any word about being banned.

Still I find it so LOW how he goes around contacting people to get them to "out themselves"!
I remember those being asked for their order-numbers on instagram "because something wasn't right with their order/information". Like, HE should have that info.! You shouldn't have to provide anything like that! Sucks for those who do not know better...

@QueenAnna Did you/are you going to ask about if you are banned for not wanting to pay by bank-transfer?

I guess, I could email him and ask, but I’d have to word my email carefully.

I hope you manage to get your kizuna 

10 minutes ago, Mars said:

I hope you manage to get your kizuna 

I hope so too, even though I criticized the dolls and clothes, I wasn’t being serious, I just felt safe voicing my opinion on here because I’m too scared to write stuff about Danny’s doll on Instagram or other social media.

15 minutes ago, QueenAnna said:

I hope so too, even though I criticized the dolls and clothes, I wasn’t being serious, I just felt safe voicing my opinion on here because I’m too scared to write stuff about Danny’s doll on Instagram or other social media.

I'm sorry that he did that to you I also hope you are able to get your Kizuna if you still want her or find a DD that you fall in love with!

that's crazy! smart doll's stock has been very limited lately so it's believable that you might've been the only one to buy a Kizuna that day. worst comes to worst, there are a couple kizunas on Ebay.

Edited July 31, 2021 by magique

4 minutes ago, magique said:

that's crazy! smart doll's stock has been very limited lately so it's believable that you might've been the only one to buy a Kizuna that day. worst comes to worst, there are a couple kizunas on Ebay.

I didn’t think of that, that I might’ve been the only one trying to buy her. I’ll check eBay, thanks for telling me.

4 minutes ago, Deyja said:

I'm sorry that he did that to you I also hope you are able to get your Kizuna if you still want her or find a DD that you fall in love with!

Someone was selling a Kizuna on Instagram so I might buy her.

2 hours ago, magique said:

that's crazy! smart doll's stock has been very limited lately so it's believable that you might've been the only one to buy a Kizuna that day.

Hasn’t Danny said they ship 1000 dolls a month? That would mean he’s selling an average of 33 or so dolls a day, and with the number of models it’s possible he’s selling only 1 - 2 of each per day. Maybe less if they are on the “back soonish” list like Kizuna. 🤔 

Honestly, it’s crazy to think he might be checking our forum to see if someone who said something critical has announced a store buy. If he is, then new buyers need a guide to successfully buying a SmartDoll that includes thing like:

Create an email account just for doing business with Culture Japan. Using that email, carefully construct a mild mannered cover identity months, or even better, years ahead of your purchase, so it can pass the SmartDollLand background check.

Never announce what you’ve purchased in any public forum, that goes triple if the forum allows criticism of SmartDollLand. Hide that purchase like a heroin addict hiding his stash from another addict.

Say nothing critical of Danny, SmartDoll, or SmartDoll apparel in any public place, or privately within earshot any of SmartDollLand’s fans / paid informants.

If you join forums or groups that allow criticism of SmartDollLand, use a username / handle that can never be used to trace back to your customer account.

Keep in mind that most circuitous tracing imaginable is possible, so that Yelp you posted about your dentist under the same username ties you to your town, and your town identifies you as one of three customers, all of whom get the ban-hammer, because as anyone who survived the 80s knows, nuking the entire site from orbit is the only way to be sure when you’re dealing with Xenomorphs or “The Entitled.”

As I’m listing all these things it makes me think you almost have to become like an old style deep cover KGB agent hiding in plain sight in the “Capitalist Imperialist West” in order to buy a SmartDoll. XD

Sorry, that list started out serious, but then my tendency towards being a cheeky $&@! took control. 
 

In case anyone doesn’t get the Allen’s / Space Marines reference. 

 

I agree it’s getting harder and harder to get a smart doll it’s easier to get banned from buying a smart doll than buying one danny needs to take some his own advice and stop giving so many sheeps seriously why is he stalking his customers 

4 minutes ago, Mars said:

danny needs to take some his own advice and stop giving so many sheeps seriously why is he stalking his customers 

It's a contradiction-factory over there!
So much ranting about how we shouldn't care what others think, yet Danny seemingly cares a lot about what others think, to the point of blocking and banning people for the slightest criticism.
"Money does not matter" *sells dolls for scalper prices*
The dolls will never be limited. Most dolls are now limited.
Dude...

Was the original vision for SmartDoll not good enough? 😩

 

This username, QueenAnna, is the only username I’ve used, I haven’t used it on other social media sites. I have a Facebook account with my real name that I used to try to buy the doll, but when I logged in and looked at Danny’s Facebook account, I wasn’t blocked. He probably hadn’t found my Facebook account yet. He probably lurks on here and saw my comment about buying Kizuna, but it’s just a guess.

12 minutes ago, QueenAnna said:

This username, QueenAnna, is the only username I’ve used, I haven’t used it on other social media sites. I have a Facebook account with my real name that I used to try to buy the doll, but when I logged in and looked at Danny’s Facebook account, I wasn’t blocked. He probably hadn’t found my Facebook account yet. He probably lurks on here and saw my comment about buying Kizuna, but it’s just a guess.

Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up over this. You didn’t do anything wrong, SmartDoll isn’t the only doll game in town, and there are other ways to get a Kizuna without going through someone who compulsively gate keeps. 

13 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up over this. You didn’t do anything wrong, SmartDoll isn’t the only doll game in town, and there are other ways to get a Kizuna without going through someone who compulsively gate keeps. 

Yeah, okay, I know I keep talking about it, but it’s kind of hard for me to let things go. I end up thinking about about stuff that happen to me a lot, but I’ll try to ignore it and move on.

It's entirely up to you but I would check with Culture Japan if there is anything else you can do. Say that you checked with your bank, that the transaction was approved and that if possible, you would like to try again. 

Whilst I'm very well aware that Danny does read this forum and had blocked people for being critical on here, I can't help but wonder what the odds are that he would monitor this forum *this* closely that he'd instantly be able to block an order that was being mentioned here. 

14 minutes ago, Eiko82 said:

It's entirely up to you but I would check with Culture Japan if there is anything else you can do. Say that you checked with your bank, that the transaction was approved and that if possible, you would like to try again. 

Whilst I'm very well aware that Danny does read this forum and had blocked people for being critical on here, I can't help but wonder what the odds are that he would monitor this forum *this* closely that he'd instantly be able to block an order that was being mentioned here. 

Okay, I’ll email CJ again. I know, I don’t really understand it.

@QueenAnna If you can get a sort of confirmation that you are not banned, you always have FFD (I don't know how it works, if you can request Kizuna through them, or if you have to wait for her to become available for ordering)

Edited August 1, 2021 by Yumeiro

On 7/31/2021 at 1:27 PM, QueenAnna said:

edit: it was canceled for being fraudulent, “Danny” said I could do a bank transfer but I don’t feel comfortable, he probably wants to ban me or something. I didn’t pass the test 😪

Edit: Sorry, I was a dumbass and didn't see there was more thread. Still leaving the post below for posterity. Plus yup, having to go full stealth mode in order to purchase Smart Dolls is goddamn awful. @BeyondTime has basically nailed my Smart Doll anxiety haha

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If you have, or can get a PayPal account, that's a safer way to pay than bank transfer usually. Plus less fees, because international money transfer is expensive. Else tbh I would go for it. It's a very old fashioned way of doing things, but some companies are like that.

If he's offered you a way to pay, I don't think you're banned! If you were, he wouldn't want your money at all.

(There are so many orders flagged as fraudulent, I wonder if there's something up with his credit card processing system o_o )

I hope you can get your Kizuna. She's a gorgeous doll!

Edited August 1, 2021 by Katsudon
Next time I'll read the whole thread!

2 hours ago, Katsudon said:

Edit: Sorry, I was a dumbass and didn't see there was more thread. Still leaving the post below for posterity. Plus yup, having to go full stealth mode in order to purchase Smart Dolls is goddamn awful. @BeyondTime has basically nailed my Smart Doll anxiety haha

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If you have, or can get a PayPal account, that's a safer way to pay than bank transfer usually. Plus less fees, because international money transfer is expensive. Else tbh I would go for it. It's a very old fashioned way of doing things, but some companies are like that.

If he's offered you a way to pay, I don't think you're banned! If you were, he wouldn't want your money at all.

(There are so many orders flagged as fraudulent, I wonder if there's something up with his credit card processing system o_o )

I hope you can get your Kizuna. She's a gorgeous doll!

I paid through PayPal the first time, but I need to think about paying through bank transfer because I’ve never paid through bank transfer before. He already sold kizuna to someone else because she’s in coming back soon-ish. I’d probably have to pick a different doll or wait for her.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Guest