problem with B&G (Boy & Girl)... [RESOLVED]

Firstly, THIS!

Secondly, wow, didn't this whole thread just kill any desire I had to get another B&G body. It's one thing to have a package get lost in the mail and then have to work out how to deal with the situation, but it's quite another to let it drag on for six months until finally, the company name becomes such mud on the largest english speaking BJD forum on the web that there's no option but to do what should have been done at the start merely to desperately attempt to salvage the...surely by this point...LARGE...amount of custom lost by the frankly appalling customer service thus far.

I sincerely hope this mess gets cleaned up doll-mage, good luck to you!

 

No, they are waiting two more weeks before they START to make the new dolls and send them out. As if the lost package will suddenly reappear magically in 2 weeks after being listed as "lost" for MONTHS.

Frankly, this whole ordeal disgusts me. It really does feel like B&G are only saying that they will do something now because they are losing too many potential customers. After months and months of waiting and waiting, B&G is finally throwing Doll-Mage a bone.

Let's see if they actually follow through and if they actually mark full value on the bloody box this time. If it get's "lost" again, it would be bloody ridiculous. This case is absolutely not closed until she gets the dolls, but even if she does, it doesn't make this history magically go away.

I said it earlier in the thread, but they lost me as a customer and I will say now I am discouraging ALL of my friends from buying any B&G dolls. I don't want any of my friends to go through this tripe.

 

This is great news that Doll-mage is FINALLY going to get her dolls.

(But, Im not throwing a party until I know she has actually received the dolls!)

 

Well, I'm glad to see that it looks like there might finally be some resolution for Doll-mage, but I will be waiting for her to post here that she has received the dolls and they are in good condition before I'll consider the matter to be concluded. I would still probably think twice about ordering from a company who seems so unconcerned about customer service, but I wouldn't rule it out entirely if they had a doll I wanted. I would make sure the package was insured for the full value though.

And, not to make light of the situation, but

this made my day. I am flabbergasted to learn of the state of the Canadian postal system, it seems no better, or worse, than the postal system in a South American country I have lived in.

 

Yeah... that.

Frankly, the whole "dear DollMage will be happy" when she's been ignored and shafted for ages sits really badly with me. So does all the "pity poor little me" from a commercial company. Especially as there still seems to be a refusal to admit that, as soon as the parcel was declared lost, DollMage should have been offered a refund or replacement without delay while B&G chased compensation from EMS or Canada Post themselves. A straightforward apology and refund would have felt less icky, and probably look a lot less like damage control for the bad feeling generated by their customer service.

I've always supported the Chinese companies hard, and the dolls are lovely, but I've gone off B&G for good. I don't want to be the next customer treated like rubbish when something goes wrong.

However, I'm really, really glad DollMage is getting her dolls at last. Not before time...

Point.

 

But you still had to sell them cuz B&G did NOTHING to help compensate the loss of the 6 dolls in the first place. That what really cuts me up about the entire thing... You lost out on so much because of this ordeal. And I don't mean just dolls. The time, the worrying, everything!

Meh, maybe I'm really cynical too, but this happened before the exchange rate crapped out, so the price of the b&g dolls actually rose in Canadian dollars, right? And to replace them would've put Dollmage WAY out if she had wanted to currently.

Frankly, I'm disappointed in B&G in the way they treated one of their customers like this. Six months of worry. Six months without dolls. Six months without much communication. Six months of hard work of trying to contact the post office and B&G. Six months that DID NOT have to happen, but did, cuz B&G refused to issue a refund or new dolls.

I'm asking myself, is it worth supporting a company that puts a customer through that?

Meh, still two weeks of waiting for Doll-Mage to actually *get* any real compansation...

 

'Both Chinese EMS office and Canadian post office ignored us, we are the sencond victim. '

Layla,

As I know there is a rule of China post that if the sender initiates a package trace, but doesn't get any reply from China post in one month, the package will be treated as lost and they will refund you. If you don't buy the insurance, they will refund just a little (then, the doll company have to pay the rest), BUT they will not ignore you.
You need to ask them continually.
I know we send package by EMS agent, so you can tell the agent the rule and ask them to negotiate with post office. If the agent doesn't help you, just call them everyday until the problem solved. One of my package was lost, and I did the above I said then, I got the refund after three month from I sent it.

If you know which post office treated the package, you can call the post office and ask them for help. Sometimes they work more efficient than the agent. If they ignore you, just call them everyday.

Anyway, 6 months are too long!

 

I'm wondering if this has further implications. Doll-Mage lost out on a fairly big shipment of dolls. What if it had been DDE or JunkySpot instead? They probably send in large orders, and (I'm guessing) B&G marks down those packages as well.

I was thinking about playing devil's advocate for B&G for a moment. What if it really took them 6 months to try to negotiate with the Canadian post? But what it all boils down to is: Doll-Mage made a purchase and didn't get her items. B&G should have immediately apologized, and either refunded her the money or sent out new items. Then B&G can try to track down where the original shipment went. Six months without any contact is inexcusable. If it were me (and B&G was based in the USA) I would be persuing legal action.

That is the reason I won't be purchasing any B&G dolls in the future. It's the lack of communication and willingness to work with the customer that makes me mad, not the fact that a shipment was lost.

Doll-Mage: I'm glad it seems like this whole thing is coming to a close. Add me to the list of people who will start celebrating once you have the dolls in hand. Please keep us updated.

 

I've been wondering about this recently myself...

 

Exactly!

B&G's response definitely sounds more like damage control than a genuine response to the initial problem...

 

You apparently thought it was funny to insure $1800 worth of merchandise for $50. And then make the person to whom the $1800 belonged wait 6 months because you didn't want to deal with your own mistake.

Why should we have any sympathy for you at this point? You brought this all on yourself, from start to finish.

 

I agree one hundred percent that B&G should have contacted or refunded Doll-Mage much sooner.

However, I had such a pleasant experience with Layla and B&G I can hardly understand why this happened. I have to say that I'm disappointed, however, I think that B&G has learned their lesson, and if something like this ever happens again (God forbid), they will deal with it much more professionally. B&G is a relatively new company, I think, and this is probably the first time they've had to deal with an issue like this.

 

I'm so glad there's actually some progress being made to this nightmarish ordeal. Even so...B&G's still not getting one red cent from me in the future.

 

Hello - I've been following this thread quietly for a while, but I just have to say... congratulations, Dollmage! That is such good news! For you to have to spend a few hours on the phone, it really must be complicated. o.O I guess I know what business I'm not going into..

I really, truly hope you get your dolls soon. I panic when my shipment is a few days late - I cannot imagine the torture and turmoil you must've gone though. Especially with the loss of all the money.

But, things are looking better now! So, I'm hoping for the best!

 

I've also been following this thread and am very glad that one way or another this looks like ending up positively for Dollmage. That's very interesting that you've finally got some useful information out of Customs!

 

again, the cynic in me finds this all a little too perfect that B&G come up with a resolution and thn Canada post tell you some interesting info....

 

Congrats! This is great, at least something is being discovered! Can't wait until you get your dolls, post lots of pics!!

 

>_>;;; So this.

And the other part of me is wondering why Doll-Mage has to do all the leg work.

 

UGH. I don't feel for B&G at all. I still won't buy from them. Especially now that they walk into this thread and bleed "victim" all over the place.

They ignored her for WAY too long and basically told her, it wasn't their problem. Now that people aren't going to buy from them, they decide to solve the issue. It's absolutely irresponsible.

I do hope you get your babies, though!

 

Oh the lulz. Thank you Oggi for authoring the most ridiculous thing I have read on this board to date.

Now that that's out of the way, I don't understand why some of you guys are screaming for blood because B&G marked this package down. Yes, they screwed up by hiding when the crap hit the fan but really, if you're going to summon this magical international police on B&G you might as well report Luts, Fairlyland and whoever else is marking down their dolls too because I have yet to order from a company that didn't undervalue the package on the customs form. In fact, it was my understanding that all doll companies did this unless you told them otherwise, and it's no secret that most of them do. So if you're going to blame B&G for marking down the package you might as well blame doll-mage for failing to tell them not to, and this goes with the assumption that this wasn't her first time ordering dolls and she was aware that companies did this. And I'm not in any way blaming doll-mage, I'm just saying that theres two sides of the coin, and the fact that the package was marked down shouldn't even be an issue.

 

Well heck, I wasn't aware they did that. Then again, a lot of my dolls have been 2nd hand from private sellers.

 

You're right; it shouldn't have been an issue. But since B&G wasn't willing to accept that they gambled on insurance and lost, just like every other doll company does when it lowers values in this manner, it became one. Had they sucked up the insurance loss caused by the markdown and replaced the lost dolls from the outset, well then, shoot, this whole thread wouldn't need to be here.

 

Second what Lizzard said. If a doll is valued at $100, company X marks the package at $1, and it successfully arrives then it's a win-win. Both the company and the buyer save on fees. Since this happens 99% of the time, it usually isn't an issue. Keep in mind this doesn't it's OK to do this, or even necessarily legal. 99% of the time you don't need car insurance either. It's the 1% that sucks.

There's 2 parts to this: the buyer purchasing an item, with the agreement that the seller gives the buyer the item. The second half of that never happened, so the agreement is null. Which means she gets her money back. Like Lizzard said, if B&G had simply responded with "Sorry! We'll be transferring your money right back" this whole incident would be a small bump in the transaction. Heck, it would have even gotten B&G some bonus points for being responsible and accommodating.

And who's to day she didn't request the box to be marked at its original price? I've heard of people requesting that and the company ignored the request.

And you're damned right I would be calling for "blood". Have you seen the reports about the global economy? That amount of money is nothing to sneeze at.

 

not all companies mark the box down. a few even refuse to do so. cause they don't want to risk.

if she didn't ask for the mark down. then it's their (b&g) responsibility. and that is not a common knowledge thing because every company has a different policy on that. not every place the box is going gets charged custom fees.

 

Don't think of me as insensitive to Doll-Mage's plight I'm glad its getting resolved and she will get her babies soon but I believe B&G is being unfairly crucified here.

I'm not too proficient in law but I was surprised that many people find B&G responsible for replacing/refunding. It was my understanding that once a package goes through the postal system and there's actual proof that the seller has sent the package, its not their responsibility any more. All the seller can do is try to get the buyers money back through insurance. Hence why I see in a lot of marketplace threads "Seller not responsible for uninsured packages" meaning if the the package is lost/stolen/broken all the seller is responsible for getting the refund from the post office, not their own pockets. No one complains about it, heck even I say it in my doll selling threads, so it seems like a double standard to me. Yes, B&G could have up-fronted the money and waited for the postal refund themselves but $2000 is a lot of money to give out (especially when the packages were being "held"). I know I wouldn't be able to upfront that kind of money if it were me.

As far as not marking the package on its correct value, its clearly stated on the website and the buyer has the option of having it insured full price. I agree with an earlier post that B&G should have refunded the money they insured the packages for. Although its seems unfair not to refund the total amount but I think that is the risk the buyer takes in order not to get custom charges. The whole "marking the package down" thing works best in the buyers favor (provided nothing like this goes wrong) than in the sellers so I don't see why people are giving B&G such a hard time about it. Also there are plenty international face-up artists on this forum who ask customers to either pay up the custom fee's or mark their package down. Again another double standard.

I'm glad this issue is getting resolved but the fact that so many people will "never buy from B&G again" after this boggles me.

 

For me, it's got very little to do with the marking down issue and more to do with the appalling customer service of ignoring the customer and then basically playing the martyr. Communication goes a long way, and whilst it would still suck if doll-mage had to wait for the postal service to cough up the insurance money, it would have been FAR less of a royal pain for both sides involved if B&G had actually SPOKEN to her about the problem instead of burying their heads in the sand and passing the buck.

I, like a lot of other people, will wait for months and months as long as the company concerned TALKS to us. There is nothing worse than having shelled out a huge amount of money and then having zero communication or worse, accusatory, sporadic mails to show for it.

B&G behaved atrociously here, regardless of the marking down of the parcel, and I suspect they know it, which is perhaps why NOW, when this has become public knowledge, they're being forced to finally speak to their customer about the missing box.

 

TOTALLY. Nobody is crucifying B&G, they did a fantastic job of doing it to themselves with their crappy customer service and continually ignorant responses to all of Dollmage's e-mails.

 

I agree. This lost package situation happens, like Ostrich said, maybe 1% of the time.

Let people (or companies), learn from their mistakes.

 

How is Doll-Mage at fault after begging B&G for 6 months to resolve this issue and being ignored, when she emailed and PM'd countless times, when she got Chinese language speakers to call B&G, when she called and visited the postal office repeatedly? She did everything she could on her end, and B&G ignores the problem until she brings it to the attention of the doll buying public. Only THEN do they take action for fear that they'll lose sales from the negative publicity and on top of that they have the almighty gall to say that Doll-Mage is the bad guy who didn't do enough.

Well I'm sorry, but that's bullshit.

Doll-Mage is out $1800, she paid for full insurance with her shipping, she didn't ask B&G to mark the package down. It is B&G's responsibility to either give her back her money or send her the dolls she purchased and they haven't done it after 6 months of waiting and begging. So yeah, I'm going to be leery of buying from a company that does this to someone else! I don't want to lose MY precious cash if something goes wrong and the company decides its my problem.

 

WOW, this isn't the first time I have heard bad things about B&G, but it's certainly the worse. I guess they don't understand that something like this will KILL a company--news travels faster than the speed of type now.

I agree with Beshana, it's BS, and I believe it will cost them more down the line than "just" replacing the dolls-
you can add me to the list of "won't buy from B&G", and I will certainly be warning my friends, too.

 

It's not the mishap itself that's making me not want to buy from them again--it's their attitude throughout this ordeal. I understand bad things happen, but you do not ignore a customer when something like that happens.

 

I agree with you, Hikarukun--maybe I just didn't state it correctly. Customers make or, in this case, BREAK a company.

 

QFT (quoted for truth)...

That! I hated how dollmage was horrendously treated and would not wish for ANYONE to go through such... drama. I kinda weep how things ended up but B&G definitely dug their own pit...

 

No one saying Doll-Mage is at fault. If anyone is the bad guy here its obviously the Canadian posts. From what I gathered from reading Doll-Mage's and Layla-mi's post is that they were both getting diddled around by each ends of the post company. They seem to both be told different things by the postal company Layla being told that it was an address problem, Doll-mage being told her package was lost/misplaced.

More importantly--

What is a concern though is if this would happen again to Doll-Mage's package of the new dolls B&G is suppose to be shipping out? Even if the package is marked full price for insurance, it would still need to past through Canadian customs. A big package like that filled with dolls is bound to get stopped for inspection. Who is to say that a similar situation where the package gets "held" for some reason wont happen again? Hopefully it wont, but is there some kind of way Doll-Mage can make sure that her package will make it safely through? God forbid, if something does happen to them due to Canadian Post a second time would B&G still be responsible for replacing?

 

IF B&G does mark it at the correct price, gets insurance and such, they would reclaim the loss of moolah and refund THAT to dollmage, barring if they actually did mark it the actual price -____-;

 

If B&G continues marking down the value of packages, they're doing that at their own risk.

One question though: does B&G really have a disclaimer on their site(s) about marking down the packages? I couldn't find it. If they don't, then whatever becomes of the package in transit is definitely their responsibility--they can't assume the customer knows what they always do, unless they can provide proof that the customer was well aware of their marking down practices.

If B&G does mark the package(s) at full value--they still have to do their part if it gets lost. Most of the time, the postal service would only negotiate with the seller for those situations, and wasn't that one of the reasons Doll-Mage couldn't get heard a long time ago? Because B&G wasn't doing their part?

 

Good question. I couldn't find it either.

RebelViva - I suppose the alternative is ordering through a middle man (DDE or JunkySpot). However, that doesn't resolve the original issue. It just shifts the problem from the buyer to the middle man.

 

Ah, But the middle man would hopefully be able to handle such problems. I e-mailed DDE myself about this and this is what I got.

I would at least trust a middle man to be a bigger help. That and I feel that they would have a better idea of legal actions if needed while still keeping their customer happy.

 

True, but B&G should have kept her posted throughout the process. Unless I'm mistaken, there was a long period in which Doll-Mage wasn't hearing much of anything from B&G. They should have kept her updated on their dealings with the Canadian post, which they weren't doing. This is what resulted in not weeks but months of anxiety on Doll-Mage's part. The only thing worse than lost expensive items is lost expensive items you don't know if you'll ever see or receive repayment for.

 

No one is arguing that Canadian Post didn't screw up by losing the dolls. However, they have policies in place to reimburse people for missing packages - IF its insured for the proper value, which B&G didn't do.

B&G marked down the package and insured it for only $50. They tried to cut costs by not paying for full insurance. My guess (and it is only a guess but an educated one) is that the reason this has gone on for so long is because B&G freaked when they realized that they'd have to reimburse Doll-Mage out of their own pocket. Insurance is there specifically for these situations, and when you gamble on the hope that the package will arrive unharmed without it there is the chance you'll lose. B&G lost, and its their responsibility to pay up because its not Doll-Mage's fault they underdeclared it, and its not Canadian Post's fault they underdeclared it. Had they insured it for the proper amount, they could have file a claim to get all the money back from the Canadian Post and sent her new dolls straightaway. Instead they've ignored the situation for 6 months hoping that the package would turn up or that Doll-Mage would get discouraged and give up. Only when she tells everyone do they decide to take action and THAT is the disgusting behavior we're condemning. This could all have been resolved months ago if B&G had done the right thing in the first place.

 

I'm bewildered by the small minority here saying "B&G didn't do anything wrong by writing and signing lies in order to avoid paying money they ethically should have paid, and DollMage should have assumed they'd be dishonest". WHY? There was no benefit to her from their lies, it was purely to save B&G $$$$.

I really don't, when I deal with a legitimate company, ASSUME they are going to break the law and act unethically. It seems a really bizarre assumption to me. I don't assume individuals cheat and lie unless I have reason to assume it. I tend to assume most people will, left to themselves, do the decent thing. And I'd think a company has even more reason to behave in a legitimate way, because they have more to lose.

Going around assuming people and companies to be dishonest seems to me to be a really unfortunate approach to life.

There's no reason to believe a second box will go missing. Mostly mail to Canada gets through. However, in any postal system, things sometimes get lost in the post. It happens. Voila, insurance! Used properly, it covers both the post office and the users. Abused by people lying on their forms - well, you get this kind of mess, and frankly, a good amount of the messes on the problem transactions section of the forum.

The bottom line is, B&G took an unethical risk, gambled, lost, then tried to avoid taking the proper steps as long as possible - then, when it was clear they were losing business, whined and played the role of victim in the most disgustingly unprofessional way. They're definitely in my "you'd be insane to trust them" category. Any B&G dolls that end up in my possession will have come from the secondhand marketplace.

 

Except, the part where people seem to forget that many, many doll companies do this. This is just the first time a huge package has gotten stolen/lost. I know Soom has marked down packages, Junkyspot has, DollFactory, and other non-BJD dolls I have ordered have been marked down. It wasn't just my B&G doll. So everyone needs to stop jumping on B&G unless they're going to jump on every other company that does this, wether or not their packages have gone missing.

I'm not saying this to defend B&G so much as I am saying it to make sure people realize what they are saying. I don't think I've ever received a doll package from a company that hasn't been marked down. If this is a big concern to you, I suggest you start asking that this not happen when you order your dolls, just in case.

 

What concerns me is that IF the package DID get lost, is how the company reacts to it. Ignoring the buyer for SIX months, not issuing a refund or new dolls concerns me. Having the buyer do the MAJORITY of the legwork concerns me. Accusing the buyer concerns me.

So yeah, if ANY company is unwilling to take the losses of such a gamble, it concerns me.

 

Perhaps this will be a warning to other companies, then: if you're going to under-value a package, don't then leave the customer hanging, or drag your heels about offering a refund.

 

That does not make it ok!

I can read back what I'm posting, thanks.

I fully intend to make sure I request it.

Although... maybe I should start asking Amazon and high street shops to make sure none of my transactions with them are fraudulent, too?

Why should we be in a situation where the default is to assume everyone will lie and defraud? It's a ludicrous situation.

 

I didn't forget. I honestly didn't know. I've only bought a couple of times directly from the company instead of one step on, but I've bought many, many times from non abjd doll companies, and guess what? THEY DIDN'T LIE ON THE CUSTOMS FORMS. Nor was this a problem when buying from book companies overseas, or importing other toys. Basically, I expected them to tell the truth, but I didn't bother to tell them so any more than, when someone offers me a birthday present, I bother to add "make sure you pay for it, not shoplift it." I can't imagine going around assuming that everyone I deal with steals, and every company I deal with breaks the law, and that it's somehow my fault if I didn't intuit their dishonesty first. Call me Pollyanna, but I just don't think that badly of the world.

If it really is true that the default in abjd doll selling is to write down lies, sign them, and defraud both customers and customs, then that's an embarassment to the hobby.

I certainly will tell companies in future, to protect myself, but I'm at a loss as to why DollMage not telling B&G "Hey, by the way, try to act like you're a legitimate business and don't tell lies or break the law" absolves B&G of responsibility for their unethical choices.

I don't "need" to do anything. In neither case does it actually have ANY bearing what other companies do - the issue is what B&G did here. Which was wrong, and unprofessional, and sucks mightily. I think other companies, and people, who do this suck mightily too, if it helps at all. But I hope that, if that get caught out with the consequences of their mighty sucking, their reponse to it will suck less.

There are TWO issues here. One is the marking down in the first place; the second is trying to jump responsibility for the consequences by ignoring DollMage/pity whining on the forum.

Maybe it should be added to abjd faqs and as stickies on DoA, if it's such a given? "Assume, unless you ask otherwise, that abjd companies automatically tell lies to skimp on insurance"? I certainly don't remember that information being part of my newbie pack.

 

when you say that B&G does not want to reimburse Doll-Mage out of "their" pocket..... are you forgetting that Doll-Mage "put" that money in their pocket in hopes of receiving goods that in fact she has never received. why is it that she alone must bear the burden of this great loss. i think both B&G and the parcel service should step up to the plate and sort this out. we, as consumers, have a reasonable expectation that the goods we buy will actually be delivered and are supposed to be protected from theft and loss.
this is a ridiculously sad situation where an innocent consumer is being scr.....d!

 

But this isn't the first time a doll company has lost a package. As you say, a good number of them do mark down dolls. And when something happens and they lose the dice roll most of them man up, eat the loss and send a new one. They understand that when they undervalue a doll they bear the responsibility for covering the cost if the package goes missing. Whenever a owner tells a story about how their doll got lost in the mail but thank God the company sent a replacement, the issue of what the package was marked for doesn't even come up. (But I bet it was underdeclared and the company ate the cost.) The only reason its being discussed now is because B&G is dodging their responsibility. They declared a huge $1800 package for fifty freaking bucks which is a tremendous loss and a tremendously stupid thing to do, and they don't want to pay for their mistake.

And for the record, once I became aware of the practice of marking down packages, I've always asked the company to declare full value. I'm not going to get into the whole paying customs debate but I prefer that the postal services know that my fully insured package is worth a lot of money so they don't, y'know, lose it like they lost Doll-Mage's. EDIT: And I'm not saying that its Doll-Mage's fault for not asking them to mark it at full value. If the company marks a package down and the customer did not request they do so, its on the company's head.

vvvvv What Lizzard said vvvvv

 

With all due respect, what you seem to have forgotten is that in other cases with lost parcels, the companies that chose to gamble their insurance by marking it down sucked it up and went on to fulfill their obligations to their customers.

The issue is not how many companies mark packages down. The issue is not the reason they choose to mark them down. The issue is how they behave when their gambles to break the law fail.

B&G tried to stick it to the customer, despite her utter lack of involvement in their postal gambit. On what planet is that an acceptable business practice?

 

I guess the argument there, like I said before, is its listed on the website that they mark down their packages. For those who can't find it its not on the official B&G website (at least I didn't find it there) but on layla's websites which is where Doll-Mage ordered. Although, I think because of the way layla has her sites now, the ordering message board and then the separate message board for doll descriptions/Q&A, it can get confusing. I don't necessarily blame anyone who didn't catch it. Around the time I purchased B&G dolls layla only had her old website, so I forgot about the new one. :/

However it is there, so that's why I said technically B&G/layla wouldn't be responsible. But as far as appeasing the customer and having confusing websites go, they are responsible for compensating Doll-Mage and do lose in this situation. It is not clear on the ordering website that markdowns will happen.

What I'm trying to get at here is I don't mind the practice of marking down packages, its common, lots of companies/face-up artist do it. But as long as the customer is fully aware of the mark down (or that information is in an easily seen place), regardless of whether or not they asked for it, its not the company's fault. So with that in mind I don't think people should be calling B&G a bad/irresponsible company based on the mark down fact alone. Also for all we know the shipping price they quoted could be the reduced insurance price, so saying B&G is pocketing the extra is unfair.

As far as Doll-mage feeling ignored and B&G not just biting the bullet after 6 months, I can't say I don't have a problem with that but the issue I'm concerned with is the whole insurance/mark down deal.

This is something I do too as well, just to cover all my bases.

 

I think the majority of us are actually saying that it's how they've dealt with the situation, not the marking down itself, that is particularly damning.

 

For me the issue isn't that they marked down the package, which I find their fault entirely. (Confusing websites are just as bad as illegal micro print) My issue is that it took them 6 months to actually start working with her to help her. If I ordered a computer from a computer company and the truck got picked up in a tornado, do you honestly think it would take 6 months for me to get my money back? Or any word at all? When my Ipod was broken, Apple sent me a new one in like two weeks and paid the shipping to have the broken one sent to them for inspection. Plus they re-engraved it. Again, all within two weeks. Yes, the Canadian post is the one at fault. B&G is the first victim, but they should have been the only victim here. They made Doll-mage the second victim, by their inaction. Layla even accused Doll-mage of not going to the Canadian post:

Sorry, but no, just no. I'm not going to let B&G off the hook. They should have approached this situation better. They may be a small company, but all the more reason to have good customer service. Buying dolls before they are made is already a risky business for the buyer, they don't need to worry about what happens after either.

 

I'll be watching to see what happens next here. Only one question comes to mind......

6 dolls? Different sculpts, I would hope. 3 sets of twins? Quads? Now that would be fun!

Some people get 2 or rarely 3 at a time, but 6? Just wondered. Gifts maybe? None of my business, of course. Just ignore me if you like.

 

I think it was a group order. So Doll-Mage isn't the only person sitting around waiting for dolls.

 

Some family friends joined the order with Doll-Mage. Its currently all out of her pocket though, she had to sell some of her dolls to reimburse the other purchasers when the transaction went south...

 

Whether the package was marked correctly is not the issue to me. The fact that a sortof resolution took six months and lots of people threatening not to buy dolls from B&G is what bothers me. If DollMage had not started this thread and just tried to deal with the problem in silence do you think the outcome would have been the same? I hope her dolls arrive soon, but honestly I am not holding my breath. I don't think B&G will start rushing to a solution now. I doubt I will ever order from B&G. It irks me beyond words to see them playing victim after all of this time.

 

Because of an issue I've had with the post office (postman faked my signature on a couple of dolls), I started asking doll companies (I tried Soom and Luts) to mark full value on the dolls but they still don't do it.

Obviously I will be up sh*t creek if anything goes missing and the postman has faked my signature, so I don't really know what to do. I have never expected doll companies to mark down dolls, in spite of having to pay up to 25% in customs and fees, and it irks me that it has become the norm. It's probably due to badgering from customers as I've seen that many people expect it.

I did make a complaint to the post office, but they were all 'yeah, OK, sorry, yadda yadda' but ultimately they have no control over the actions of their employees. This is why I would prefer full value to be declared.

 

I never said that made it okay. I'm just saying that's NOT the reason we should be mad with B&G. Like others have said, it's the poor response time (and a huge lack of response for months) that should be the problem.

It's not right to mark down packages, but so many companies do it that we can't start blaming one because something bad happened due to this practice. People are right in saying Layla should have taken action faster.

As for ordering from B&G, I think I'll stick to their eBay dealer, Junkyspot or Denverdoll. I don't think I want to trust Layla as much after this, and I suspect a problem with an order through one of their other merchants would be resolved a lot faster.

I do agree that this is a disappointing situation.

 

But the marking down thing never was the main reason most of us (I want to say all) were mad at B&G. Like I mentioned before, it's their attitude we found problematic. Also, it doesn't matter if so many companies do it, it doesn't excuse B&G from the responsibility of their little gamble.