Desperately seeking Spacemuffin, now AKA Demitasse- FINAL OUTCOME - NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

Spacemuffin -

You said you received my payment for the MSD F-08 head on Tuesday, March 28. It's now April 7 and I haven't heard anything from you in three days.

PLEASE PM me with the status of this transaction. I'm very worried and I really need to know what's going on.

Thank you!

 

I'd definitley appreciate it. She hasn't responded to a single contact attempt since Monday.

Thank you very much. I just want to bring my guy home as soon as possible and I need her to communicate with me what her plans are.

 

I received an email from Marci tonight, exclaiming "arrrrgh" that she hadn't gotten any of my pms and "you didn't get it yet?" then saying she'd make some calls and figure out what was going on, implying in the sketchiest terms that it had been shipped .... maybe ... possibly. I'm dubious. She's offered nothing that makes me feel comforted. I don't understand this kind of behavior at all.

Thanks everyone for your support. Hopefully Marci will pull herself together and this will all turn out fine.

 

Hoping this is good news -- received the following email from Spacemuffin this afternoon:

"I was finally able to get in contact with my middleman. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, shipping got delayed. It has been fixed, and the head should be arriving in a few days. "

I've once again asked for a delivery confirmation number and the shipping location. I hope very much to receive that information and that the head arrives as promised. I'll definitely post here the instant the head arrives.



For a notable side story, look here: http://community.livejournal.com/garagesalejapan/2351891.html

 

OK, I'm very sorry this has become such a divisive, emotional thread. I had no intention of starting a flame war, nor will I participate in one. I don't know Marci personally. I couldn't possibly because once the transaction was in progress and Marci had received my money (a USPS money order, so basically if she doesn't send the head, I have no way of recouping my money) the communication from Marci became virtually non-existent.

I was not informed that there was a middleman involved until yesterday, which is weeks after the sale was negotiated and in progress. It was then that Marci told me a third party would be shipping my head and that there had been miscommunication between her and this still unnamed third party, who, finally, I'm aware is shipping from Louisiana. I've asked repeatedly for her to be more candid with me and the amount of information I've received has been minimal.

At no point have I accused Marci of scamming. I added the link to my post because, by the only accounts I've heard, there are several bad transactions in progress now and this is a feedback forum. I am not engaging in or encouraging a witch hunt.

If Marci has more information to share, I'm sure all of us would be interested in hearing her reasons for being so slow in shipping or in honoring her commitments. At this point I am trying very hard to still have faith this sale is going to be completed. I bear no one any ill will. I just want what I've been asking for all along - honest, open communication and safe delivery of an item I paid for.

 

Thanks for the suggestions on the money order. I'll definitely follow up on that, but since Spacemuffin has had the money order in her possession for two weeks now, and since when we made the transaction she said she needed the money, I'm pretty sure it's been cashed. Still, it's a good thought.

The latest update on the actual shipping is an email received yesterday afternoon:

"I just got home and called. I do not have a tracking number yet, as she was apparently unable to make it by the post office today, but it will go out tomorrow with delivery confirmation. I'll be calling again then to confirm the number (I've asked that it be mailed to me as well) and will send it to you immediately."

I'm really not sure if this means it will be shipped from Louisiana to her in South Carolina and then to me in Michigan or if it will be shipped directly to me. I wrote back for clarification and yet another request for delivery confirmation and insurance, and I DID include $9 for shipping in the original transaction, which should cover those, but also offered to pay more if necessary. I have not heard back from her as of yet, though this was only last evening and that's not an unreasonable timeframe.

Still, I really wish Spacemuffin was being more specific with her communication. And I really fail to understand why more than two weeks have passed since she received her money and she is still in a state of confusion with her middleman about shipping.

 

Late last night I received an email from Spacemuffin with a tracking number. Apparently the head I bought from her has finally been shipped, to me, with the insurance and tracking I requested, from Shreveport, LA.

I'm guardedly optimistic. I'll definitely post again when my package arrives.

Thank you to everyone who's supported me through all this. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.

 

Today’s update. I wish I had happier news to report. The F-08 head arrived today, with the wig pictured in the original sales post and a pair of eyes. The eyes were not set in the head, but wrapped separately. They do not at all resemble the eyes pictured in the sales post in my view and they are definitely not Zoukeimuras. Spacemuffin explicitly stated in the sales post that the head included the Zouks pictured. In no pm or email did Spacemuffin use the word Zouks – only the eyes pictured, but I did. She never once corrected me. At this point she is saying she believed they were and is offering a partial refund.

However, on close inspection and cleaning of the head I found serious damage to the chin, lips, jaws and cheeks from sanding. Spacemuffin claims the head was not modified by her, which is at least partially untrue because she says she received it with a face up and sold it to me without one. I stupidly did not ask for current pictures during negotiations because she was such a well-recommended seller.

The original sales post is deleted. I have no proof of what it included. I did save pictures from that post. I’ll include a few pictures here.



This is the boy I fell in love with, one of the pics from the sales post.



Here’s another.



First arrival pics



Just the eyes. Do they look the same as in the original pictures? Not to me.



Here’s how it looks in the head.







I do not know how anyone could fail to notice this much damage while removing a face-up.

There are many more pictures here:

http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/universaldonor/michael/?sc=3

I love this boy already. I do not want to return him. I just want what’s fair and I doubt that will ever happen. I highly doubt any buyer on this forum would pay $300 + $9 for shipping on a head in this condition if it had been completely disclosed. I certainly would not have.

 

It's been sanded almost flat. You can't see it well on the photos but there is a definite flattening and a defined ring of missing resin.

 

Thanks for your comments. I'm willing to allow that the eyes MIGHT be the ones in the original post. Lighting can make a lot of difference. However, they are definitely not Zouks, as Spacemuffin claimed they were. I'll also accept that she might not have known that, and that they came to her with claims that they were from her seller. I am trying to be fair. That said, they were advertised as Zouks and I paid a price for that head that would have been a bit steep for a head with HG glass eyes.

The sanding, though difficult to see in photos, is apparent and was never disclosed. I know it can be fixed. Two board members here have offered to do the job for me. At this point I'm not sure what I'll do about that.

What I AM certain of is that I'm already crazy in love with Michael, war-wounds and all. He's the final doll in my family and I'm very happy to have him at home, no matter how stressful it's been getting him here.

 

I wouldn't presume to suggest it isn't. The pictures from the sale were an F-08. This is definitely an F-08.

I'm still trying to put my best hopes on him. He just isn't the boy described in the sales post.

 

Today's news -- I responded to Spacemuffin's offer of a partial refund to cover the difference in value between the Zouks she promised and the glass eyes I actually received, with a counter request, because she basically is only acknowledging the misrepresented eyes and not the undisclosed damage to the face from the poorly done sanding. I'd like more of a refund than she offered.

It's' not too surprising that she is once again failing to answer my attempts at contact. It's been over 24 hours. This is the pattern she set when I was trying to get delivery of the head.

I really doubt I'll ever see a penny back from her, but I'll keep this thread posted on the developments.

 

Thanks Gina.

He really is a beautiful boy and while there were a few deep gouges and scratches, most noticably a serious flattening on the lip, I don't think the structure of the face had been changed much yet. Repair is already underway. I'll be posting pics of him in a couple of days.

 

I have no interest in returning the head for a refund. I love him madly already, battle scars and all. I do feel I'm entitled to a partial refund. At this point Spacemuffin is not responding to my last email which was nearly two days ago, but this is a holiday weekend and she may be busy. I'm going to wait until Monday before I contact her again, because I'm trying to be fair, but I'm not yet ready to give up on getting some kind of compensation for the lack of disclosure on the sanding problems and the misrepresented eyes.

 

Today's update - Here is the email I received from Spacemuffin this evening :

From: Berry <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Information
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:11:20 -0700 (PDT)

Hi again,

The reason I never noticed the sanding damage was because it was not there. I have questioned others who saw him during the time he had no faceup and all have confirmed that the marks shown on your photographs were not present when I had him. I do not mod my dolls. Their seams, even, remain original.

It is worth noting that the $300 included shipping, as noted in an original PM you sent to me during initial negotiations. (If you like, I can c/p it into another mail.)

If you are completely unhappy with the head, please feel free to return it and, once I have determined it is in the same condition in which it left, I will refund the full $300. Otherwise, the offer of a $50 refund for the eyes stands.


Here is my response:

I went back to my records and yes, $300 included shipping. That was my oversight. I paid $9 shipping on the body, not the head. I apologize for that.

HOWEVER, the head ARRIVED to me in damaged, sanded, scarred, scratched condition. Some of those marks are not repairable. I hope you are not implying I did the damage myself. In the first place, it's been difficult enough getting you to ship the head. It makes no sense whatever I'd damage something I paid a great deal of money to get hoping to get a refund from someone who's been cheating people all around me. I'm just not that stupid.

A $50 refund for the eyes is very low, but I can accept that part, because I'm attempting to be fair with you and give you the benefit of the doubt that you were unaware they were not Zouks when you advertised the doll for sale and when you accepted my offer. But the head DID arrive damaged and you know this so stop lying, please.

I do not wish to return the head. There is no way I'd trust you to send a full refund at this point given the amount of deception, evasion and delay you've engaged in already. I just want some kind of compensation for the hours of work spent restoring him, and the permanent damage that remains.

You've got a very limited time to make this right before I stop trying to deal civilly with you and start leaving very negative feedback on the forums. I want a positive answer before noon tomorrow and a postal money order containing an appropriate refund in my hands no later than Thursday.



I've been patient and fair with Spacemuffin from the beginning. I can not believe she's implying what she seems to be about the damage to the head.

 

The middleman involved in this transaction is of unimpeachable reputation. I refuse to accuse her or allow anyone else to. That said, I was unaware there WAS a middleman until the head was two weeks late arriving. At that point Spacemuffin finally mentioned that there had been a misunderstanding between she and her "middleman".

PLEASE, I'd very much appreciate if no one pointed fingers at her. She is utterly blameless.

 

This is my final update on this thread. There will be a separate feedback thread later today.

I emailed Spacemuffin this afternoon the following:

Noon has passed. I haven't heard from you. I'm very disappointed this got so ugly. This is not the way to greet the last doll in my family.

We both know what's going on here so I'm not going to belabor it. I'm sending you back the eyes you included with him. They are not what you promised and I don't want them.

I'm leaving a negative feedback. I'll amend it willingly if you make this situation right.

Marsh

Today I am mailing back the glass eyes I received with the head. They aren't what were promised and I have no use for them. I will not profit from them by selling them either. They just have bad feelings attached to them and I want them gone.

After seven hours of work, this is the restored Michael.





A few battle scars remain but I intentionally did NOT photograph those because I want to move past all this. He's a beautiful boy and I love him.

 

I definitely would never trust Spacemuffin to refund my money enough to send the head back. Even damaged as it was I wasn't going to let go of it. I love restoring abused dolls. Michael's every inch the doll he should be now, in spite of his difficult road here. In the end, that's all that matters to me, which is good because I think that's all the satisfaction I'll ever get out of this transaction.

 

I really am. I love him madly and so do the rest of my resin kidz!

 

Thanks! I had a lot of help from MsHatBox. She's a genius!

 

Interesting you ask. These are the latest emails exchanged.

From me to Spacemuffin this evening:


Still waiting on this so called 'prompt' refund, which, by the way, was never contingent on my return of the eyes. THAT was a courtesy on my part. Unless of course you intend to refund the $80 retail value of the Zouks. What's the deal, Marci?

Or are we back to you ignoring emails now?



Spacemuffin's last to me, a week ago:



--- [email protected] wrote:

From: Berry <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Information
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:28:15 -0700 (PDT)

I need a confirmation "yes" or "no" as to whether you want the refund on the eyes. If yes, I'll send it out promptly, once the eyes arrive.

Thanks.



Spacemuffin has failed to refund anything to date. The eyes she sent with the head were sent back to her on April 18 with delivery confirmation. She never asked for them back. I sent them as a courtesy because I can't use them and honestly, they have horrible baggage attached to them at this point. They were NEVER part of the refund agreement.

She hasn't contacted me in a week. As far as I'm concerned, she's a scammer. At this point I can't do anything but give her a very negative feedback. She has made no effort to correct her dishonesty. She is not a good trader and absolutely should not be trusted.

IF Spacemuffin follows through on her promise of a refund, I will ammend my feedback.

 

Considering the fact that Spacemuffin was deceptive and evasive throughout the entire transaction and continues to be so, and that the middleman, once Spacemuffin finally told her to send the head, did it very quickly and scrupulously packageed, I seriously doubt this person had anything to so with the damage.

And I'm also taking into account the numerous other reports the last few weeks of other bad transactions with Spacemuffin, which have not been allowed discussed on this forum because they were not doll related. It's regretable, though sadly not unheard of, that a once very reliable seller has lost sight of what doing the right thing involves.

I absolutely will not and do not condone accusation of the middle person involved in this transaction. I firmly believe she is blameless.

 

Spacemuffin took off the face up, by her own admission. The middleman had the entire doll, reportedly, to make clothes for it. Regardless of who took off the face up, the head did not arrive in the condition she described. Bottom line is, SPACEMUFFIN sold me the head and SHE is responsible for the sale's completion as she negotiated it with me. Not the middleman. On top of that, it wasn't until after the head was more than a week overdue arriving that Spacemuffin admitted there was a middleman involved.

In my opinion, Spacemuffin, and not any middleman, has to accept responsibility for a trade she made and accepted money for.

 

Thanks! A lot of hard work and TLC went into restoring him.

As far as the eyes go, Spacemuffin has admitted they were misrepresented and offered a refund of $50, which is the difference in retail value, roughly, between Zouks and the HG or Luts glass eyes (no one is sure which) that I received. This promise was made over a week ago, but she has not sent the refund to date, nor has she responded to any emails in over a week. It's been a pretty strong pattern with her to ignore emails and PMs.

The last contact I had from her, she said she'd send a prompt email on receipt of the returned eyes, which until then, she'd never asked for but suddenly expected after I told her I was returning them because I didn't want them. NOW she's made it a contingency for giving me any refund at all, which is odd because she hasn't offered to refund the full value of the Zouks, only the difference in value between the two sets of eyes. In any case, they were sent to her on April 18, which is eight days ago. This was wholly MY choice to send them back and not because she requested them. I still have not heard from her.

I've run out of hope that I will ever see a refund. Since I paid for this purchase with a USPS postal money order it's been suggested to me that I CAN file a claim with them that the goods were misrepresented and that she has commited mail fraud, which is a felony. The USPS does pursue these matters, though it takes time. Another member on this board did so and got a refund, even though the money order had been cashed. I'm trying very hard to work this out with Spacemuffin, rather than subject her to criminal charges, but so far she's not been too receptive. Maybe it's time for me to stop being such a nice guy.