I'm rather upset with Dream of Doll... (doll problems)

I don't have any others to compare my Ichii to, but I think Volks resin is just heavier and so it's probably a little more break proof. Dream of Doll resin is actually fairly dense compared to some others, like, say CustomHouse.
They might be able to sell you a second pair of feet, or maybe even send you one, but I don't know.

 

Not the 1st time I've heard about DOD resin being weak. Their dolls are gorgeous, but I'm leery now, due to the many stories of the same problem.

 

Really? I've done all sort of crazy things.
Dropping them, knocking them off (all in a photoshoot T^T I feel so bad, even now)
When My Ui dropped face down on concrete;; I expected his nose to chip...
But it was fine. Which was really weird.
They've never had problems, in fact, they are sturdier than my friend's delfs.
Maybe yours is just a mistake? I'm really surprised about this.

 

Well I don't know about that. My roommate has a F-06 and I have a DoD U and my boy is certainly quite a bit heavier than her girl is. We were quite surprised ourselves!

I think most of the stories about weaker resin has come from the newer batches. I've had my boy a year and a bit now and there is no cracking or peeling or anything else of the sort. He's as solid as could be. I would say that any cracking in the "older models" is an isolated incident. Not to say that it's not happening, Emberly. If I were you, I would probably invest in a new body, or a MiniFee body to replace it with. Since it is now far too late to get DoD to do anything about it. Though if you just wanted to replace the hands/feet, some companies ARE really nice and will just send you some (often if you pay for shipping).

 

Wow, that's really scary and unfortunate! I've had my T.Too and T.Bee-a for about a year now and I've been pretty rough on them sometimes, but haven't had any problems. I've restrung them and... dropped them and knocked them into things (ah, that makes me sound awful).

 

I am sorry to hear about your si. ;__; However, I've had Pipo(bee-a) for a little bit over a year and I've droped her head twice in a day. T__T I heard a crak but when I looked at her head everything was ok. It was weird but i was glad it didn't break. DoT's are really heavy IMO. O__O I was shock when I got Yuuku(Camine). Anywho, I haven't had any issuse with DoD yet and I am hopeing I wont run into any issuse with any company at all. Good Luck to you. ^___^

 

I've had my Zen for a little over a year now and I've dropped him on his face quite a lot of times, and the only damage was his nose getting a little squished. His left hand did lose the last two fingers when it was dropped though but overall he's still in really good shape. His faceup didn't rub off at all except for a little bit of scuffing on an eyebrow and it was insane to take off.

I don't have another MSD-sized doll to compare it too, but DoD resin seems slightly heavier than others, almost as dense as LatiDoll resin. It's also slightly more pliable and softer, and feels less like plastic than Volks'.

 

Sorry to hear about your DOD tragedy...I had three of them and had such a hard time playing with them that I had to get rid of them for fear of breaking them.....the resin feels very light and fragile in my opinion. I never had an issure with Luts or Volks....

 

I've had my Twing Key for over a year now and her faceup is still perfect and I can't coun how mant times she fallen off things onto the floor and shes never chipped or anything, shes taken a good beating from my friends cat as well and shes still perfect. I've never had a problem with her. ONly thing I had to change one her was her eyelashes the ones she came with fell out.

 

O_O That sounds awful... I mean, I haven't had any problem with my U except for his lip paint suddenly disappearing and I've had him for more than a year and a half already but I also had some problems with my MNF (I emailed twice and Luts still hasn't answered... TT-TT I guess Eiri's hand would have to remain chipped until I get him new ones...) so I can kind-of understand.

Hopefully this all will be sorted out soon. Good luck!

 

i think i know what you mean. Ive had kaipo for two years now and hes the toughest little fella ever. My friend however has had a Hoo for awhile now (even less time!) and his finger broke. I wonder if maybe there are certain batches that are weak or maybe the resin has become weaker more recently?

 

i've got a hoo from around easterish and he hasnt broken anything, nor really chipped but i always play carefully. though his fingertips look a bit chipped. like he's been tapping on his fingertips the whole time

 

I've had my Wi for well over a year now, and I've only had one problem with him. It was my own fault though ^^;; Early on, I was restringing him, but I didn't have a good grip on the elastic. It managed to slip through and shot his foot across my dorm room. It hit the floor and the resin hook of his foot broke right off (although I can't blame it; it was definitely travelling at an extremely high speed). I tried repairing it myself, but to no avail. Finally, I e-mailed DoD about it. They were *very* nice about it, and sent me two new feet for free. So, I suggest just trying to get in contact with them and explaining the problems you're having with their doll. It might take them some time to get back, but I'm pretty sure they will.

But beyond that incident, I have no complaints about my Wi. His faceup is still in tact, and his resin isn't causing me any problems. But good luck with your doll, and I hope you get things sorted out!

 

gosh, i'm sorry to hear this all has happened. I think the resin has gotten a bit weaker (making me leery of the new Homme Ivan and Krill) you aren't the only one with these problems, I think someone had a DOT Duncan and the resin was very thin. I'm sorry I can not help much (or at all) DOD is better at responding to E-mails than luts is so my guess would be to e-mail them....

 

So far I haven't had too many problems with my T. Zen though I've only had him for about a month. However, I have noticed a few chips on his resin, none of which are noticable unless you closely inspect each joint. I really hope everything works out for you.

 

I seem to have gotten really lucky with my 3 DoCs, becuse I have not had any problems with them... I abused my poor Si quite a lot to change out her hands, but she took it all without any problems. No chipping on any of them.

Possibly DoD is less picky (or can't afford to be more picky) about which batches of resin they use? I know that basically for every doll made, 2 are broken... maybe they use the slightly imperfect ones as well as the perfect ones.

 

About the face-up, well i know somebody who is not happy with her DOD face-up. A friend of mine and I saw the pictures and quite disturbed that the face-up came from DOD. Well, we thought it maybe the work of a rookie since DOD have their hands full so they hire more face-up artists :P dunno, just my 2 cents.

 

One more good quality doll owner here! I can honestly say I've handled my dearest boy Too roughly, dropped him even, played with him, sanded & modified him multiple times, and he's alright. Different resin batches might cause trouble, yeah, but I find it kind of unfair to accuse DoD to be a cheap company.

 

Hm I haven't had any problems with my DoTs yet but I don't think DoD is the only company with resin issues now and then (My friend's Dollshe doll was chipping around the wrists and they never seem to string them right and I've heard problems about thin resin for some Volks SD10s and some CP heads etc). I've dropped my dolls a couple of times and nothing has chipped or broken so far, but that may be due to the size (thicker resin etc). I think I may have seen one or two other people with DoD resin issues (one was a DoT and the other a DoC) but I believe DoD had fixed those by sending replacement parts.

I also do know of one girl who had issues with the faceup after one week, but DoD had it shipped back and redid it and even paid for all the shipping.

DoD generally tries their best to keep good relations with their customers. If there are resin issues I'd suggest contacting them directly though they're on holiday right now and won't be back til the 8th. I do know some people who have broken parts before or where something has chipped or cracked and typically they just send it back and get a replacement. I don't know though about after a year of owning the doll - typically any flaws will show themselves fairly soon after arrival unless the doll is left stuck in the box or something similar and not touched/played with much (for any company).

not sure if that helps...

 

got my U last Friday (although my doll was shipped to my friend and she had him for about two weeks before then). He seems fairly well made (in terms of resin) although I noticed his hands look a little flawed. He looks amazing but apparently he wasn't that fantastic when he arrived at my friend's house.

She noticed he seemed a little funny so she took him to her friend's mother (who used to make dolls for a living) and she was unhappy about his looks and fixed him up. She filed down between his fingers because apparently some of them were webbed. She also sanded his legs a bit. I was told his face-up wasn't very good. One of his eyebrows was uneven and his eyelashes were put in wrong. Also, apparently the dark line they had put between his lips was going over his upper lip so she fixed that as well. He looks really sweet now and I adore him.

My friend and I think that maybe DOD was rushing to fill so many orders at once and sacrificed some of the quality. Another theory is that smudging might have happened while he was being shipped here. I can't say much about dolls that were made well before this rainy season (which slowed down the doll making process). I guess only time will tell with my doll about the quality of the work. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles Emberly!

 

Honestly, from an owner with 3 of their dolls, this is what I think is the situation with DOD:

Some of their batches of resin are good, and strong, and there are no problems with shinyness or bubbles and whatnot. Luckily, all three of my dolls seem to come from these batches.

Other of their batches of resin are brittle, or have problems with shinyness or bubbling. They shouldn't send these out, but they still do. Maybe it's hard to tell the good from bad. Or, maybe they're just trying to aviod the huge delays that they're so famous for. Or, they're just being lazy. Either way, it's definetly NOT the owners being "picky" or whatever, because there's just too many reported cases.

I've never had a problem with DOD myself, in fact I've been treated quite nicely by them, and my dolls are super-durable. But others have had very different experiences. So... my verdict is this:

It would be wrong to say all DOD resin is weak. It is much more accurate to say that DOD's resin is of inconsistant quality.

Hopefully they'll fix the problem >______>; It really is becoming an issue, but I'm sure if enough people stop buying their dolls because of possible resin issues, they'll realize they have to fix it or go out of business.

In any case, I'm so sorry you've had a bad experience with your doll I hope they fix it for you, and please don't listen to the people who put you down because you don't care for a company that a lot of people like. Everyone is allowed to like and dislike companies, and I'm sure that if I had the same experience with DOD I would start to complain too.



(Also, it should be noted that Volks owners have also had problems with cracking.)

 

This really concerns me, especially since a friend recently got a LE Kirill and I noticed his hands were not cleaned up - they looked webbed. I am now afraid for her if she decides to go in and clean them up.

Also, last night I decided to get a Hoo for a character, but now it seems the Hoo is one of the dolls having the most trouble with resin.

 

Scary! I'm waiting on my first BJD and now I'm worried!

I really hope they send you feet for replacements! I think it's just awful to see people spend sooo much money on a doll and it not last! I can understand if it's being played with to roughly or just being played with alot.

I do think if it is a resin problem then DoD should replace all the dolls or at least offer replacements parts or a nice credit towards another order.

I'm a WAHM(work at home mom) and I deal with Resin snaps all the time and they have a lifetime guarantee if one should break, it will be replaced for free. Now I know there is a big difference in comparing dolls to snaps, but if it is resin, it should be very strong and durable, not like porcelain that would chip very easily if played with over time

 

Hi,


I bought my DOC Hoo a little over a year back from Dolly on DOA. He arrived at my house perfect and I have had no porblems with him chipping or cracking, but I did a dumb owner mistake and partially melted an eyelid with acetone, but I fixed it and love him even more now. I've dropped him a couple times and accidentally hit him with my BF's metal trunk (( we were moving it and he accidently pushed me into my dresser and it hit my Hoo's forehead )) pretty hard and it didn't even leave a mark and it's black coated metal. He's been extremely sturdy and such, and he came pre sanded because DOD used to send them out sanded. I had a luts Ttory for a while and he didn't pose as nicely or look as good in photographs in my opinion. I sueded my boy about 7 months back and he posed even better.


I'm sorry that you're having problems but all companies at one time have resin issues, be it because of the weather or just improper handling of the resin...


Hope everything gets better


Jen

 

Oh, Emberly > DOD hasn't coated their face-ups for a long, long time, if they ever did. (I've had my Ichii for almost two years now, and his face-up did not come to me coated.) While it seriously sucks that his face-up wore off, it does happen. The brittle resin is problem, but the smudging face-up happens. I'm not sure how many companies coat their face-ups, but DOD hasn't, at least that I know of. The eyelashes are another thing; Ichii's came off, too, but they're fairly easy to replace. That could happen with any company.

Actually, brittle resin can happen with any company, as has been discussed.

It seriously sucks that your Si is broken, but it's just his toe, right? It can probably be easily fixed with some superglue. (Or, it could be ignored; Ichii had nine fingers for almost a year and a half.) Relax. It's going to be okay. Accidents happen, and they are handmade.

 

One of my Lahoos pinkies came off about 2 months after I got him. I havent had any spare cash to buy them yet but I emailed DOD about ordering another set of default hands when I had the money and they said that was fine butthey did warn me the resin may be a slightly different colour to my dolls because obviously its from a different batch.
I am still debating whether to actually buy the hands or just sand it down and make it part of his story.

But yeah, Swift has had a few falls from high places since then and had no problems...though the magnets in his head have come unstuck so sometimes when i open his head up the magnet stays stuck to the other one rather than staying in the little slot for it...i need glue! its not anything traumatic - just annoying!
But man, you have had a lot of issues with your doll. SOunds like you were really unlucky.

 

yeah, my wi's lip paint just came off too, i had to get him a new faceup. i think my twingkey and wi are pretty good. i had hunter fall face down on the conrete without a scratch. when i was twisting wire into his hands to stay put the other week, it suddenly snapped on me, and left a nasty dent on his wrist, and it didn't even go that fast, which kinda concerned me, but i think all resin is easy to dent in a way. hopefully you get your boy fixed up!

 

That's so wierd! My DODs have stronger resin than my volks! XD I had to cut really hard to separate the DODs fingers, but my Volks cut like butter. I wonder what's going on...?

When did you buy him? I wonder if this problem can be pin pointed to a certain time. I'm interested to find out more about this.

 

If you can't get a replacement foot, what you could do is take a tiny drill, like a modelling drillbit, or a ear piercing drill, and drill into both the broken toe, and the base, in exactly the same location. Then cut the head off a pin, and use like a superglue or other stron glue, and the pin will give it more support and he should be able to balance barefoot again. (I had to do that with one of my resin model kits) I really hope you can get things straitened out though!

 

I'm also starting to wonder if the problems in resin quality have something to do with the time of year and/or weather problems where they're being produced. I've heard that resin won't set properly in certain circumstances.

Still, I would think that these companies would care enough about customer satisfaction enough to replace obviously defective resin :/ A few 'bad' dolls can ruin a company's reputation. It's certainly making me leary about buying a doll from them.

I'm so sorry to hear about this.

 

i had a DOD Hoo boy who was over 2 years old (i'm his 2nd mommy) but he was good & sturdy. he did fell on his face several times & i expected to see his nose/face to crack/chip or face-up off but he was in super great condition. i was very much surprised it happened to your Si boy.
maybe it's the batch kind of thing... older batch had better resin qualities?

 

Wow.... i'm sad to hear this since I've been wanting a homme ducan as soon as i save enough money 0.0

i'm guessing that it's a weaker resin due to 1) weather 2) so many orders, they had to hurry the process of making one.

hopefully later batches aren't as bad... and i hope DOD does something to help you repair them

 

My Tender Zen's lashes came off barely a month after I got him ^^; and I do realize my boy is prone to scratches and he even have a deep cut on one of his arm...

One year into having him and I could barely see his blush but so far I thank god that his fingers are not giving me really any problem. I don't drop my boy at all actually ^^;

*Pats*

[Edit: Oh and... another problem is that, leeke wig stains my boy's forehead =.=]

 

If you are not comfortable with what is happening with your boy and things don't get fixed, it is your right to tell everyone how you feel about Dream of Doll, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

All companies have bad things happen with their dolls and that will win or lose them customers it's the way things go *nods*

I've had my DoD Si for a year and a half (give or take a few days) and I haven't had near as many issues with him as you seem to be having with yours. My dolls (in general) get played with a lot (especially him as he's my first), they're always going places, being set up outside for photoshoots, and just being handled in general ^^;

I did have issues with his face-up (the whole "lips turning black and wiping away thing") about six months or so after I got him and if he ever had any blushing I don't recall ^^; because it's not there now and hasn't been for a very long time (I can't really tell from his first photos because they're quite blurry--ah first time doll pictures ^^; ).

The only time I've had issues with Dream of Doll is when I got replacement hands for him and one of the pinkies broke off for no apparent reason, but I found it, glued it back on and it was fine--but some people are a little more touchy about it ^^;

On the comparitive weight of the dolls Doll wise, my Si is lighter than my Volks MSD Ken and about the same as my CP Kid Delf Ani.

One thing I have noticed, however, is a lot of these issues have popped up since they began speeding up their delivery time. I got Ryuen (my Si) back when there was an eight-nine week wait between ordering the doll and when he actually arrived at your doorstep. So maybe in order to acede to customer demands that they get their dolls sooner, other things were inadvertantly sacrificed. I can't say for sure though.

 

I've had my Si for a little more than a year. His make-up was wiped about a month after I got him (the lips were sticky before that) and his finger broke off when he hit his hand on a table leg falling off the arm of the couch. I also managed to snap the s-hook in his foot but it was fixed easily. Other than that I haven't had any problems and I'm sorry ypu've had so many

 

I've has my Si for a year, November 3rd. As far as I've seen DoD gave me a completely flawless doll. His face-up is intact (though modified for personal prefferance) and he's fallen...gosh, I don't know how many times... but he's still completely in one piece! Recent threads have worried me though... I wish DoD had better quality control... I hate to see the company where I found my first doll-love get such a bad rep... but what can you do?

Good luck getting replacement parts ^_^!

 

I'm so sorry you've had such problems with your DOD! My first doll (Logan) is from DOD and he's been absolutely BRUTILIZED and he's still fine! I'm talking Left in a car that got to be 110+ degrees for hours, Legs slammed in a car door! (also an accident!) Dropped off a kitchen table onto ceramic tile, used as a spring board by my 83 pd german Shepherd, and he's completely unscathed!

I know that Korea has a 'rainy season' per say when it is quite wet, is it possible that these 'bad batches' of resin are not sealing correctly because of moist air? O_o There must be a reason some of these resin batches come out less durable then others.

 

legs slammed in a car door O.O that would give me like 18 heart attacks in a row!
I feel silly for not knowing, when is Korea's rainy season? my boy seems perfectly sturdy (had him about 6 months)the only abuse he suffered was falling over backwards on the carpet, so he lives a pretty safe life. but I'm wondering if he was made in an agreeable season or not out of curiocity.

 

My Si boy fall a lot of time (and 2 times on my head), and he never broke anything, but my head don't forgive it XD

 

Might be the bath?
I have 3 DOD dolls. They fell loads of times and almost never got hurt...
Just Chocolate, once... but the place she fell in is really... how do I say? it cuts things easy O.o'
when you fall on it your knees get red and bleed...
oh well... I can't remind of the word.

I'm sad that it happened to you ^^
I hope you can replace it ^^

 

sorry to hear about your doll~

have been dealing with DOD molds and resin for the pass one year and so far i have encountered 2 case of serious chipping and breaking of DOD resin. did some research and looking at the characteristics of resin, resin is basically made with two factors , volume and pressure. only with the correct pressure and constant volume, the resin would be able to have a strong hold. looking at the earlier batches of resin by DOD, their lighter and more stiff unlike French resin or the mentioned 'volks' resin which have a higher volume that makes them more 'creamy' and easy to cut. being lighter and more stiff makes the doll more easier to sand or surface but NOT strong towards pressure or sudden climate change. i wouldn't know if you have ever brought your dolls on trips on a plane? cause the most worst condition is for example:
i am from Singapore, sunny, humid at times, takes my doll to Japan, which is like snowing and dry air on a plane ride. the following will occur:
hot (Singapore) -> pressure on plane -> cold (Japan) -> pressure on plane ->hot (Singapore)
the above factor will cause the condition of the resin to deteriorate and might cause it to become brittle and not durable to sanding or cutting.
your dolls condition might be have already been threatened before it even it got to you, or perhaps due to traveling on planes and maybe of the country's climate change during the seasons.
in summary, weather and pressure plays important roles when it comes to the condition and discoloration of resin.

cheers

 

As mori.m said, there are lots of reasons why the resin may be particularly weak, and they are not necessarily an indication of DoD's quality standards.

As with anything that requires a chemical reaction to form, resin is extremely tempermental, and any air or moisture contamination prior to mixing the components could greatly comprimise its structural integrity. Its components also have a very short shelf life, and are quite sensitive to cold temperatures. After pouring, the difference in integrity may not be readily apparent.

Of course, there are means to strengthen resin after casting it that I think any company charging a substantial amount of money for their dolls should take. Resin is an expensive casting material, but it's still only about 10-20% of the cost of your average BJD. I doubt any of these companies take those measures, but that's besides the point.

Perhaps my sculpture babble is inconsequential, but long story short: the resin quality may not be DoD's fault at all--but I agree that their customer service skills suck...

 

Have you heard from DOD yet? I'm sure we'd all be interested to know what they had to say about this!

Just to add my 2p, my U's finger randomly snapped off after less than a year. I was less than impressed, but I wasn't all that surprised either. Your problem sounds far worse, though, and the amount of complaints against them in comparison to other companies is starting to get a little worrying.

You're the customer, you gave *them* money, not the other way around, you have every right to be disappointed. Keep on at them until you get this resolved =)

 

I got my DOC U back in June this year and so far he's a pretty tough lil guy, no cracks or breaks and still has his makeup. I have heard about makeup coming off. I've heard people say it could be due to conditions with the weather and whatnot, possibly the oils in your hands? but that seems to be a small problem compaired to the weak resin. I'm wondering if maybe you can get someone on DOA to maybe help you fix your baby? It would be worth a shot to look and see if there're someone handy around here that would fix him up for a small price if you can't get DOD to help out. I don't think you should give up on him yet or sell him unless you totally make up your mind. Anyways, good luck and i hope it works out for you!

 

Another thing: With these kinds of situations, it can be hard to tell whether the doll really is defective, or if it's just a noob freaking out about their parting lines or I-didn't-know-you-couldn't-put-them-in-the-microwave type of stuff. But I'm starting to think it's better to give the owner the benefit of the doubt. From what I've seen, doll companies can be vastly irresponsible. It's absurdly common for them to send out wrong items, leave items out, send defective items, etc. and take their sweet time in rectifying the situation, if they even do! I wouldn't put much past them. That kind of stuff would never fly in America, regardless of the circumstances. :\

 

The only DOD I've ever played with (I don't know which one it was) was incredibly light, shiny, and had air bubbles. He felt like plastic, and it was REALLY apparent next to the other brands of dolls present. I think it was the bad batch people keep talking about. I see no reason to defend DOD or any other company just because YOUR doll is great; it's like buying a certain model of car, then defending the company to the death when ten or fifteen of the cars sold end up exploding.

But I can vouch that other companies have some issues, too. I have an El that's literally tan and a strange, heavy texture, and he's an NS from January 2005.

 

Hmm.. My own two DOCs are two years old now, and I've had no problems at all.. I've handled them pretty roughly, too. As well, the four others I'm familliar with have all held up well. It sucks that some people have gotten so unlucky with them..

 

Well I ordered my T. Too & T. Bee A in October and it is surprising how much the quality between the two differ. My Bee is beautiful and has been strung perfectly. My Too on the other hand has been strung rather loosely and his ankle joints hasn't been molded properly. They don't fit to foot right, there's a parting line where there shouldn't be one and the resin on the inside is literally flaking off. How can two dolls produced at the same time differ so greatly in quality?

What's worse is that I ordered a wig from DOD at the same time I ordered my dolls and I still have not received it. The package list says the item was included, but it was not. I've emailed DOD several times about the wig and they have not even responded. I'm rather disgusted with them. As nice as their designs are, I am not recommending them to anyone.

 

I ordered my TK (yen) from DOD almost a year ago, and have had no problems. I even brought TK to the park once for a photoshoot, and he fell 5 feet into jagged rocks X_X (i swear! i felt soo bad, and was soo sure he'd break to pieces) but nothing happened. A chip on his ear was all he got, surprisingly. Heck, i think i've had more problems with the S-hook chipping away each time i try to change his eyes...

i'm not sure if your problem is an isolated case or not, but either way it's unfortunate. Hopefully you can find a solution?

 

About the faceups rubbing off (less than 6 months time): Unless in the company information/policy section, FAQ or doll description it says "faceups do not come sealed", all faceups that come with DOD dolls should be sealed. There is no good reason a company like DOD has for failing to protect this customer's $30-60 investment. If there is reason to believe, within the first month or so, that there is no sealant applied to the face, the company should offer to replace the makeup (and seal, of course) for no charge. This is the company's error, so the company should pay for it.

If it is true that DOD's faceups frequently rub off so soon after the customer receives them-- from usual handling and without the use of chemicals-- DOD is at fault 100%. Failing to apply a clear coat is nothing but a time and cost-cutting technique that degrades the quality of the finished product. In ethical, honest businesses that claim to sell "high-quality" items (supposedly "worth every penny"), these things should not occur but on very few, individual occasions.

I do not have enough knowledge of DOD resin to make a decision as to whether or not it is relatively weaker than other companies' resin.

It is the customer's responsibility to immediately document and report claims/problems with a company's product. This includes doll owners and doll companies. If a finger breaks off, it is much cause for alarm. So long as the doll was not inapproriately handled, an incident such as this should be reported as soon as possible. The company may or may not replace the part, depending on the individual's particular situation. If for some reason the owner of the doll is at fault, new hand and foot parts can be replaced. But I would be very weary of a company that does not find fault with themselves on this matter.

Over time, most high quality items (with strings!) that may or may not have regular usage need maintenance. For this reason, I would not necessarily find reason to complain of loose stringing. Unless the string itself is damaged or the joints to not fit smoothly together, there doesn't seem to be cause for alarm. Dolls from all companies arrive at their destinations with varying degrees of tension. Unless I ordered a doll to be strung and it comes in pieces instead, I would not likely have to send it back to get restrung. Something like that, when included in the order and paid for, should most definately be expected.

The chipping of the resin at the ankles and other joints is certainly cause for alarm(especially when the tension is loose)! I can only attribute this to flaws in the resin, so long as the doll is being handled normally, outside of extreme climates.

"...And his ankles are chipping. They never really.. sat together right, but I ignore that..."

This statement is very disappointing, because this gives the company reason to doubt your claims. If the joints never sat right, ignoring it is not the answer. I do not wish to be critical or mean in saying this--just honest. If there is a possible defect or deformity in the doll and it is not even questioned (that is, you did not even ask the company if this was their error-- let alone report it as one), then you are virtually saying to the company "I accept your product as I received it". This does not mean that you are any less in-the-right to report the ankle chipping. That is probably a problem with the resin, as stated before. But it can weaken your claim/s and your chances of getting helpful and effective customer service (that is, if you receive service at all!)

I am not sure what to think about the toe modification incident, simply because there aren't enough straight facts. While it is true that doll-owners make successful toe modifications all the time, they do have an amount of risk associated with them that the doll company may or may not choose to claim responsibility for. Although the resin was cut with an "exacto knife", and the resin was "carefully peeled away", I am not 100% that the technique or tools used were appropriate. Exacto knives dull, so blades are replaceable. Although it was sufficient enough for one successful modification, it may have been a dull blade. Altough I am not fully familiar with the properties of resin, I will say this about the cutting procedure: If a sharp blade is used to cut into resin that is not especially hard or brittle, there should be very low risk. The risk is greater if the knife is more deeply "buried" in the resin for any length or time (that is, sandwiched between the resin as it cuts). If a sharp blade is used on very hard or brittle resin (the kind of which was unknown at the time), there is a much higher risk of breakage due to any "slicing or piercing" techniques used. A hard, brittle resin will more likely chip or "shard". If a blade is buried in such resin for any depth for any length or time, the resin surrounding the blade exerts a pressure on the metal (which has a much higher strength and durability). The pressure is greater because there is no "give" in this harder resin. Pressure is then transferred from the blade to the next weakest point-- back to the resin. And that is how the poor toe bit the dust!

I would not say that the resin is weaker or stronger. Rather, because it has such a different chemical make-up (making it hard and brittle), I would call it a different resin. And it is a poor resin, in my opinion, for doll-making. That being said, it was poor in thi case, but not in others. So I would have to conclude that DOD's resin (as said in a previous post), is of "inconsistant quality".

It is up to us, as the consumer, to report any defect as soon as possible. There is never a good reason for a company selling such expensive items to put out dolls of poor quality-- dolls that would likely fail a quality-assurance check at other competative companies (had it been their own product). Because we do not want situations like these to happen to us or any other customer of DOD, we must report all instances of questionable or poor quality accurately and truthfully, and in a timely manner. Otherwise, we do not give the company a chance to recognize and correct the problem on normal terms and conditions. Likewise, failing to report problems indirectly allows a company to continue producing problem-items, whether intentional or not.

For the record, I believe DOD is at fault in this particular instance for putting out a faulty product. Your doll should be evaluated and replaced if they (the company) find any truth in your claims (truth which I have every reason to believe until proven otherwise).

Until these problems are resolved, every doll customer purchasing from any company can do their part to make sure this situation does not happen to them. Do I sound like a public service announcement yet? Because it is easy to become overwhelemed with the excitement and unrelenting joy of receiving your doll, many detectable mistakes are looked over early on. Here are some of your responsibilities as a proud new doll owner:

Upon opening the package the doll or doll-related item is received in, the owner must check for quantity/number of items first (because it is the easiest and most obvious step). Missing items should be reported after an extensive check of the box and all of its contents. Include whether or not each paper and electronic document lists the item as being present. If you find and provide proof of the company's inconsistancies for them, you may speed up the process of getting the situation rectified. We all make mistakes, but the bigger mistakes are the ones we make due to our own laziness or lack of concern.

(continued in next post)

 

(continued from previous post)

Next, every item should be checked for quality one-at-a-time. The more expensive and complex the item, the longer we will have to inspect it. But this process will be well worth it if we can find detectable problems early on. The most important items will likely be the doll head and body. Look for known or common problems as they appear on any of DoA's related threads--like this one, for example! Look for bubbles, cracks and chipping. You may have to loosen or unstring the doll if you want to be sure the joints are in good condition, inside and out. It is up to you to decide whether or not this step is worth it. Of less concern are seams, because DOD and other companies may not fully sand their dolls before sending them out. This should be stated on their web site. If you are sure you purchased a doll that is advertised to be a fully-sanded finished product, you have received an unfinished product. Send it back until they finish it unless you a)want to spend money for a service you never received and b) are too impatient to wait the who-knows-how-long-that-would-take! The choice is yours alone, but I believe you deserve to receive what purchased and agreed to purchase-- no more, no less.

If you feel uneasy or unsure whether or not damage is due to poor quality or shipment troubles, take the time to photographically document the damage. If you see anything that looks odd, report it. There is nothing wrong with being sure you are getting what you agreed to and paid for. You can also take the extra step to explain your situation on DoA, including the photos. There could very easily be a member of the forum that has had a similar situation. Whatever opinions you receive on the matter, do not let them persuade you to give up if you believe you were wronged. There is nothing more worthy to search for than the truth, whether or not the truth matches 100% with your claims. If you believe a company wrongs you or fails to do their part to correct a wrong that they, themselves made, you have every right to keep trying. Ball-jointed dolls are big investments, and no one knows that like the owners themselves! Sometimes companies are hesitant to spend money to fix their own mistakes, but do not let that become your problem-- make it theirs.

In closing, I respect and admire the companies and individuals who make and promote the fine, ball-jointed dolls we love. I do not wish for any company to have a bad reputation that is undeserving of one. But at the same time, I will not allow any company to lower their quality unannounced while maintaining a price unfit for the altered product. Even good companies like DOD are not immune from making mistakes and poor judgment calls, so lets keep them honest and reward them with business!

 

My DOD Shall snapped her thigh part off at a meet up, Randomly. (The place where her knees bend.)

And luckily, it was an easy repair for a customizer, For me. I was shocked and saddened by it. I do think DOD Resin is a lot more breakable than most resin, More fragile than most too. I love DOD's Sculpts too. Apparently its pretty common to have your DOD's knee area snap. I've seen it in the Help section a few times. :/ Its sad.

 

I agree wif u..

 

woah...perhaps the resin they used was experimental at that time?

 

this is quite concerning actually, i plan on ordering Homme Kirill soon.
i've had no problems with my U, but it looks like a lot of ppl have had some with theirs

 

Thats really terriable. I can see why you are so upset, I would be too.

I own a Tender too and touch wood they are ok and my two SD's are fine too.

Its heart breaking when somthing happens to your doll