Is BJDivas trying to play me?

While it's true all things become broken and damaged... they shouldn't come that way new!

I'm not sure if I should recommend fighting divas because you do deserve quite a bit of money back for this transaction but they have named and shamed customers before. I personally would be throwing a fit in your position until they make something happen. This is unacceptable condition for a brand new $1.5k doll that they even messed up ordering and charged you extra for nothing over?? Seriously, what a mess...

 

If the full body paint was part of the full set, why in the heck did they charge you extra for it? And then they say they are only charging you half of the cost?
Yeah, something is fishy, it seems as if they got a doll with damage to the body paint, then tried to make it out to you as if you were getting something extra at a discount, so you oughtn't be mad that it's damaged.
And they told you not to buy insurance?
This is not normal.

(Edit out my misunderstanding)

 

First of all, I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

I'm sure others will come in and offer a lot of advice, but I want to chime in and say one thing - BJDivas, or ANY company, has NO RIGHT to name and shame. It *does not matter* if there is a "real person" behind the keyboard too. It's their job to separate work and emotion and life and not make your issues public, not yours. The fact that we even have to worry about that is horrible and unprofessional in the highest degree. You have every right to be upset about this, you have every right to fight it, and you do not deserve to be outed even on her personal page.

I just feel the need to say this and hate that I have to. Your doll wasn't cheap, you waited forever, and it arrived this way with a fee you maybe shouldn't have paid? Email them and ask for clarification and proof of the need for the charge. The insurance thing was weird and probably shouldn't have happened. I've seen others say not great things about the quality of these dolls, but if that's the case then maybe Divas needs to not host them anymore, but you still deserve compensation and clarity.

Honestly, I would be beyond upset too, and I think you have a solid reason to fight it and as nyaain said, you deserve a good chunk of money back. Even if it was D.Lace's fault, Divas was still acting as the middleman to be held responsible. At the very least you deserve the body painting fee back? I hope this gets resolved without issues.

 

How she is packaged is really weird to me - it's like they put thin foam sheets between every single joint. I've never seen a doll packed like that before. Her headplate magnets are definitely covered in glue. Her body paint also is just...weirdly applied? Like they spray painted every piece before putting her back together. Maybe that is normal for body blushing, I don't know as I usually don't get it. She definitely has a lot of scuffs that wouldn't have happened just from shipping - like all those dark scuffs.

I would fight it and get as much money back as you can from Paypal or them. If I was you and got such a doll, I'd ask for all my money back and return the doll. I know she was very limited, you really wanted her, but the disappointment and anger would overwhelm my desire to keep a doll like this. And I would never use that store again. (I am also home sick with a cold so my judgement may not be the best.)

 

Those pictures are frightening, I am shocked at how damaged that doll is. For what you paid, even more so. I have also had a bad experience with BJDivas and won't be shopping with them again, but in your case you paid so much money, I feel like pushing back and getting a replacement doll is what you deserve. If they dont cooperate with you, you can also see if your credit card company (if you paid with one) can dispute on your behalf.

 

This is a method of body blushing but pretty rarely used because of the (obvious) terrible chipping issues. You'd do this on maybe a doll body color matched to a head or just to intentionally make the entire doll a different color. For a company to do this is a bit strange because they have control over the base resin color.

 

@nyaaain Aaah okay thank you for explaining! I know people would use the sprayer method for resin matching - especially heads to bodies.

Right? Like I understand it gets the freckled look all over and the doll seems to be inspired by renaissance art but like you said, they could have gotten a similar effect with how they made or mixed the resin. Spraying the entire body, piece by piece, of course leads to chipping and scuffing of the body blushing.

Also, I ordered a blank doll once and the company painted it by mistake. When they sent me the photos, I told them I hadn't wanted it painted and they told me oh sorry well free upgrade! They didn't make me pay for it. But that was Angell Studio pre-pandemic.

The one time I received a doll that came damaged/not as advertised, the seller (New Clover Singing) really went out of their way to fix it for me and I was able to fall back in love with the doll. I was so mad when I got him, I was ready to send him back and get a full refund but because they worked hard to fix it for me (with a company that was basically closing shop) I was able to appreciate the doll again.

 

I can't get over the damage to the doll's bottom. It's very clearly not joint related. I am so sorry this happened to you, and I would escalate if possible. This is a brand new doll there shouldn't be any damage to it yet. The packaging also looks so odd.

You're absolutely valid to be livid, I'd be livid.

 

Did you get it shipped straight from the artist or did BJDivas receive it first and just didn't check the doll before forwarding? Whomever's f...aceup the packaging or quality checking was, you definitely deserve a hefty refund in this case. A few scratches might happen in shipping, fine, but not... this amount? Not for a 1.5k LE doll that took 2 years to come through.

I feel like BJDivas really needs to take some time off from accepting new orders and sort their problem transactions through at a sensible timeline. Even if it's the artist who didn't take good care with shipping, they agreed to being the middleman which also includes sorting out the issues for people who order through them.

I'm so sorry this happened and I hope there is a reasonable solution coming your way!

 

There is a lot going on here, I'm so sorry! What a terribly unlucky transaction....... I feel like the main issue is D.Lace's horrible handling of this paint job. It was bound to chip, even in the mail, and they clearly knew it otherwise they wouldn't have put those foam sheets between all the joints. But then they didn't even use thick enough foam, so they just shredded up and all the joints chipped anyway. I also think the paint job wasn't executed very well, so there are some areas that look like damage but actually it's just how it's painted (mainly the white wing parts). But on top of all that, BJDivas charged you for the painting when it's extremely clear on their own sale page that the painting is included in the full set???

OK. I'm wondering if there are other owners of this doll that can be found. I suspect that most, if not all, of them arrived with damage in the joints (which is pretty normal for this type of painting, honestly). In which case, you're probably only entitled to replacement parts that had damage specifically caused by shipping (like that totally ruined hip piece and the broken wing). But, if there are owners who received this doll in perfect condition... then you've got a solid case for a full replacement. Or return/full refund. Have you seen arrival photos from anyone else?

 

While sure, the joints are going to eventually chip with such a paint job...you never handled the doll! It is one thing for wear and tear to destroy a body blushing...but this doll is not one that should have been handled to any degree. Sure, a few minor rubs can be expected via shipping, the package is being jostled but the fact that the doll is SO expensive means that the shipping container should have been even more protected! Those thin sheets between the joints? I've had better packaging on cheaper dolls that didn't even have body blushing!

It was the responsibility of BJDivas to provide you with the doll you ordered and paid for. If there was an incident where they ordered the wrong doll/paint job unfortunately that is THEIR issue. You should not be expected to pay more (I could see refunding you if you paid for a body blush but the company didn't do so) for something because they made a mistake. Even worse, it seems that what they charged you for was not extra.

The odd thing about BJDivas saying not to get the insurance: they're responsible for the package if something is damaged. The insurance doesn't protect you, it protects them. Sellers should almost always request/quote a price that includes insurance. Especially on a doll so expensive. I have heard nothing but negative things about this dealer, which is one of the reasons I won't even go for their in stock items.

 

Did you take pictures of her in the box and what the box looked like when you received it? This is terrible, this for the kind of money you paid is unexceptable. Did you have the option to refuse the package when seeing the damage? This is so sad, so sorry this has happened.

 

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I can only really echo what everyone else has said. Though, I would also recommend getting screenshots of Raphael's sales page on BJDivas, especially where it says the painting is included in the fullset. You might not need the screenshots, but you might in case they try to claim that the fullset didn't come with the painting.

 

Oh that's horrifying. I don't have any advice, but I'm so sorry you're going through this.

 

From the close ups, that is just a terrible paint job. Just the worst I've seen. And I'd certainly yell at BJDivas for charging extra for something included.

 

Looks, to me, like both BJDivas AND the artist are rrying to fob you off with substandard work and service.

I'd throw everyting you can at them including trying to claim refunds through whatever payment method you used and splashing details, with pictures, all over the doll forums and other media so they can't get awy with gaslighting you to avoid dealing with it properly.

Teddy

 

Is there any updates on this? This is just sickening. It made my heart hurt just reading it. I’m so sorry. Raphael is truly beautiful, and I really hope the best possible outcome happens with her.

 

I just came across this post and I’m so sorry this happened! I really hope there is an update and you got at least something back! Absolutely unacceptable for such an expensive doll!