Souldoll Waiting Room V10

@puppymush : I know... I was wondering if the faceup artist/manager was possibly the same person - but I really don't have any idea of how they're structured or how many people work for Souldoll. I just have this bad feeling that whoever's been sick has been the primary work force for their company.

I really hope they can work with you on getting a replacement for him... I'm guessing no response from them thus far?
I've decided (probably against better judgement) to forgo making the claim for my last 2 layaway payments. I may regret it, but as it stands I've already lost over half my money on this order -- and to reclaim what little is left - I just decided to wait and hope that when the manager of Souldoll gets better they'll work on getting the dolls out. I know it's probably a bad risk to take, but I'm just hoping against hope here.

YES! I remember you posted him in the DoA galleries once after you made his wig and I thought he was so handsome! Never seen an Emma boy before~

 

I'm also debating on making a claim. I haven't heard anything back to my email I sent on Wednesday.

I really need this body. Someone is selling the body I need in their old white skin and I need it in their new white skin. I'm debating on maybe purchasing the one on the marketplace and just dealing with the color mismatch or just holding out for Souldoll to get it together.

 

@GAUZE -mode of eve- : That's so frustrating! And yes, Souldoll's resin color is very hard to match to other companies If I may ask, would you get your full payment refunded if you did the claim?

I don't know what the right answer is... I've already lost 2/3rds of my payment due to Paypal's expired claim period so I'm just biting the bullet at this point. Souldoll's been around for so long, I know that this issue isn't stemming from total negligence, but it is pretty bad... I'm just hoping they'll get it together too.

 

@Dybbuk I do get the feeling they're probably a pretty small operation... it's entirely possible that the person who did faceups could be the manager. The fact that so many things have fallen by the wayside lately does seem to indicate that someone important hasn't been able to preform their duties as normal...

No response yet. In their last email they mentioned it might be a while before they hear back from Fedex... but to be honest, I doubt their investigation is going to turn up any results after almost two months. I'm thinking of giving them a week or two before I ask about getting a replacement. And theoretically, if by some crazy miracle they were able to locate the package even after replacing him, maybe they could still sell the original and recoup their loss?

I really feel your pain about doing the paypal claim. *hugs* I think I would have made the same choice you did. It would be absolutely awful to only get a little of your money back and no doll on top of that. Really really hoping Souldoll comes through for you and gets you your order very soon. That's really the only good solution at this point. I feel like Souldoll will either get back on their game or go under, and after so many years of being a successful and reputable doll company... I'm hoping for the best here.

Ahhh I'm so happy to meet someone who liked my boy! He's very special due to being a surprise gift from my sister, so I was so incredibly happy to give him a makeover and breathe some new life into him! I do think male Emmas are extremely rare, he's truly one of a kind~

 

@puppymush : Yes I think sadly if he hasn't been tracked down from our side of the world then I'm doubtful Souldoll paid extra to have him 'returned to sender' in the case of a loss. Really hoping the best for you too...

I got this reply from Souldoll on my Q&A post were I was asking them to please keep in touch with their customers during these delays... it seems sincere enough. Definitely sounds like they have had a string of bad luck. I don't have my faith restored - I think this string of bad luck has more than likely placed a lot of strain on the company - work wise, financially and emotionally I'd imagine -- so I'm just hoping things turn around for them in a good way and for those of us who have placed our orders. They project to have things back up and running by December... does that mean deliveries will resume in December? I don't know... but just wanted to post it for you all to see:

Received: 9-29-2024
Hello? This is SOULDOLL.

First of all, we are very sorry that she couldn't answer properly for a long time due to the sick leave of the person in charge.

And there are more delays in answering because we have a lot of thoughts in many ways. We are so sorry.

We know your heart for caring and loving our company and dolls.

As you said, we also have orders over a year old, including installment orders.

We didn't think things would be twisted and delayed for this long, but unexpected situations keep happening.

We are trying to solve all these problems as much as possible by December.

And, we would really appreciate it if you could give us some more time and help us to regain trust.

Thank you so much.

 

I paid in full directly so I’m assuming I’d get refunded in full.

I haven’t received an email but at this point I think I’m just going to wait it out and hope for the best. I may also just buy the other body just so I can at least have that and then get a different matching head for it (((if))) when I get the body I need.

 

@Dybbuk Thank you for sharing! I agree that it does sound sincere. I don't doubt that things have probably been going wrong that are outside their control (my sisters used to run a small business so I know how rough it can be), I just think there were ways to handle it that would have put people much more at ease, namely being honest from the start. At least now it seems like they're being more transparent. I really do hope for the best for them and us. I'd dearly like to put this chapter behind us

Edit: I also meant to mention I am in the process of drafting up an email to Souldoll to ask them about a replacement. After hearing no updates from them about fedex, I think I'm going to send it soon. I only hope they're willing to help me out... I confess I have some anxiety because I know replacing the doll probably isn't ideal for them and because they quit production of the Vito line. I don't want to hear back that they can't because of that

 

@GAUZE -mode of eve- : I'm totally with you... I thought about doing my partial claim and settling for a third of my payment returned, but I've decided to just wait it out and hope my dolls come home. Would love to see your lovely Souldoll when it's put together!

@puppymush : I'm crossing my fingers it will all work out!!!! Please update us on what they say... I imagine since my Vito girl was only sent to me ~2 months ago there are still outstanding Vito orders in their queue and they would still have the molds. Also since they said they were planning to update the body - my guess is they'd maybe keep the old body for some prototyping of the new. I have no way of knowing any of this... but I'm just speculating that discarding their Vito boy mold so hastily wouldn't make too much sense. So I have high hopes! I just hope they give you a clear affirmative that they'll remake him for you

 

@Dybbuk Will definitely keep you guys updated!! Your thoughts about the molds all make perfect sense, I certainly hope that's the case! Going to work on that email and probably have my sister read it to make sure it comes across how I want it to, and I'll probably get it sent sometime this week. Fingers crossed!

 

Hey there everyone, any updates on your end? I haven't heard anything yet myself, and I'm still working on composing my email to Souldoll. But to be honest... I'm second guessing it. While I feel like waiting around for weeks or months just to hear that Fedex can't find my doll isn't an option for me, I also feel awkward about asking for a replacement. I wonder, if Souldoll really wanted to make this right, if they would just offer to do that themselves. I'm sure they don't want to make a replacement, but I don't see another solution and I honestly wonder what solution they have in mind.

I'm realizing that this whole thing has put me in a very uncomfortable and frankly bad position, because I basically feel like it's my responsibility to make sure that this is made right, and I really don't think it should be. At this point what I really want is for it all to go away.

Anyway, I apologize for rambling, I guess I just needed to get that off my chest...

 

I absolutely understand that feeling, @puppymush - lots of good thoughts your way. I have a similar situation with an independent that is just soul crushing to try to keep on top of when ...they should just do right by their customers and it really does make me want to disappear from the situation.
I wish I knew good advice to give you - the best I could offer is this: if you are uncomfortable about asking for what is owed to you, I might counsel that you don't deserve to feel uncomfortable. You paid for something and due to a series of very avoidable choices (lack of communication), you have not received it. That's not your fault.
One thing I've learned is that when people are overwhelmed, or in overburdened systems... it is often easier on the company if you tell them what would make the situation right for you, rather than them offering something with the risk that you'll reject it. Since you already know what would be the 'fix' for you, I would encourage you to advocate for yourself. In an ideal world, we wouldn't have to do that. But then we'd all also have our SoulDoll orders.

It does look like they are catching up on communications in their Q&A area, at least. I will be following up with them this week because they gave me 'the end of this month' on the 25th (I'm not entirely sure they really meant September), so I want to be sure we stay on the same page.

 

@jennaelf Thank you so much for the kind words and also for the advice! You've made me think of some aspects to this I hadn't thought of before. It hadn't occurred to me that asking Souldoll for what would fix this for me could be easier on them then not saying anything. It does make me think that sending that email might be the best thing after all. I'm going to give it some serious thought.

I'm glad to hear they're catching up with their Q&A board. What we've been asking for all along is proper communication, so I do see this as progress. Do keep us updated on how your follow up goes! I really hope they'll work this out for you

Update: I went ahead and sent a new email. The original one I was composing felt way too wordy and cold and I just wanted to speak from the heart. Here is a screenshot of the new one in case anyone's interested in reading it. To be honest I'm quite nervous about how they'll respond but I do feel like I've done the right thing.

 

Hey everyone, finally got some good news to share. I heard back from Souldoll last night and it was a pretty long email. They explained how shocked they were at everything that happened with fedex and that they still haven't heard back about the investigation. But most importantly, they've agreed to remake my Liam for me! They said they would accept only 50% of the shipping cost (I had offered to pay for all of it) and that they're going to try to get him to me before the year is out. They were very kind and thankful for my good wishes.

I'm relieved, a bit excited, and nervous. Back when I originally ordered Liam, a part of me couldn't quite believe it was real and that I'd actually get him, I guess because I'd been dreaming about it for so long and because of Souldoll's backlog even then. It just all seemed too good to be true (I guess it kind of was). If I felt that way back then, you can probably imagine how I feel now. Going to try to just take it one day at a time and hope for the best! I think I'll feel the most relieved and happy once Liam is home and in my hands.

 

@puppymush : I am so happy to hear of their response and that they have agreed to remake him for you!!! I know that of course -- the wait and the issues with them are still ongoing, but I'm hopeful that they're going to make good on it and get him to you. I know that he means a lot to you. Thanks for sharing the good news!

I truly hope for everyone that Souldoll starts pushing forward and making progress. I know it's been a long and exasperating wait, but I'm really hoping they don't have any other roadblocks and that their manager is recovering well. It might take some time, but I am going to keep some faith a bit longer.

 

@Dybbuk I agree with you. I think it's totally justified for us to feel wary, and I also think Souldoll has demonstrated sincerity in trying to build back trust. I think their goal to get things taken care of by the end of the year is a good one, and if they can pull it off, it'll go a long way to restoring that trust. For now I'm going to stay hopeful about it and give them another chance.

 

I haven't heard back from my email but I'm so happy @puppymush that they are taking care of it! Keeps me hopeful.

 

@GAUZE -mode of eve- Thank you, and I hope they will respond to you soon!

 

As an update on my situation too - they responded to my Q&A Board post on 9/25 that things would be ready by the end of the month. I let it float until the other day and I hadn't seen an email or anything further, confirmed with them that I'd like mine shipped unstrung (to save money and space - that SoulDoll box is Very Large). Within 24 hours, I had an email with the shipping cost and confirmation my doll is ready to go. So I've paid that, and now to wait for the package to make its journey.

 

@jennaelf I'm so happy and relieved to hear things are coming along. Been checking DoA every few days hoping for good news. Wishing your dolly package a swift, safe journey home Do keep us posted on how things go!

 

@jennaelf : That's fantastic news!!! Hearing that a doll is headed home is definitely a good sign. Hopefully slowly but surely dolls will make their way home. Can't wait to see your arrival!

 

I never got a tracking update back (I was going to wait 1 week from payment of shipping since I know they use an agent and it can take time to get numbers back and forth) -- but instead of me emailing them this afternoon with a follow up... my package arrived today! Everything looks great, I'm super excited to have my first SoulDoll home. She's just waiting for me to string her now.
I hope this trend continues for everyone and SoulDoll recovers from this well, too. I want to look forward to more things from them. Thinking all the good energy for those still waiting.

 

@jennaelf : I'm so glad your doll arrived to you safe and sound and finally made it home. It's a bit unnerving they still didn't provide a tracking code to you -- given they just had a lost package with @puppymush because she couldn't track her parcel until it was too late. But so glad it worked out for you and your doll made it home. Who did you order?

Crossing fingers as well that they slowly get back to production.

 

@jennaelf Congratulations, I'm so happy and relieved to hear you got your package!! I choose to see it as a good sign that they got your girl to you quickly.

@Dybbuk You have a point, and it is worrisome. It scares me to think of what could have happened if the package had been lost, if it would've been a repeat of my situation...but thank goodness that didn't happen and everything turned out okay!!

I do wonder if, when the time comes for them to ship my guy to me, if I might need to put my foot down and reiterate how important it is that they get me that tracking info immediately. I would have hoped they had learned from my situation how important that is, but after hearing this I'm unsure.

 

Just jumping in quickly, if you're in the US, then you can set up alerts for incoming packages to your address for FedEx, UPS and USPS via their websites. It will at least give you a heads up via email when incoming packages are inbound to the address you put on file. This has helped me a lot when something happens and I don't have a tracking number in advance. Hope that helps someone!

 

@karlyl That is very helpful, thank you!! Sounds like something I need to look into, although, now that I think about it, since I requested Souldoll go with a better shipping service, I'm thinking they might discuss it with me before shipping the package? And I'll be paying half the shipping fee so they'll definitely have to contact me before sending it unlike the last time. Anyways I'm just thinking out loud at this point but as long as they tell me which shipping service they're using, signing up for alerts would definitely help toward solving the issue of not having tracking.

 

@puppymush I would just sign up for all the big ones if you can, it's free to do and saves the hassle of worrying. I love Souldoll but even when they weren't having their current issues, I've received my last two dolls from them without any additional shipping notice (I paid the shipping invoice and then surprise, a doll showed up right about the time I was going to ask about the status).

 

I never got a response to my email, or any other communication for that matter, but I just got a shipping notification email! I was not asked to pay for shipping that I'm aware of so I'm very surprised. It's obviously pre-shipment/shipping label created at the moment, but it says it's in Gardena CA, which is fairly close to where I live, so if that is true, the body will be here in no time and my girl will finally be complete! It's going through USPS, so I set up text message updates and I'm friends with my mail carrier, so I'll tell her to be on the lookout too. I'm so excited! I'm so glad I waited, and I can't wait till everyone else's orders arrive.

 

@karlyl : This information is SO HELPFUL! I had no idea you could do that. Thank you so much for sharing that. It makes me feel so much better to know there's at least something I can do on my end to track it.

@GAUZE -mode of eve- : Congratulations!!!! That's such great news. Can I ask what was your wait time total? Just curious to make mental notes of what "new" wait times could possibly be. Hope to see her arrive safely soon.

Well... I'm glad things are going out and moving again. I know it's probably a huge mountain of work they are tackling, but just knowing there are dolls making their way home puts me at ease and makes me excited for my Nolan again. It will be a year since my order date in December! But if things are getting delivered, I'm fine to keep waiting for him~

 

@Dybbuk I updated my entry on the waitlist page, but I ordered & paid in full directly from Souldoll on 04/03 and received the shipping email last night 10/27. Current status is still pre-shipment/shipping label created on 10/24 so it looks like they may have shipped it out before sending me an email? Will keep posted when it starts moving.

 

Finally got some movement notification this morning. It's now moving through the network and is expected to be delivered on Saturday, which sucks for me because I'm at work all day lol *cries* but family should be home to bring it in for me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it to possibly update and change to delivery tomorrow since it's so close but honestly, I just want it delivered safely at all lol

EDIT: I was right! Delivery date changed to today. I'm so excited.

 

Body is here and plopped a random wig on her but my Baby Pink-Unicorn ver. on Aehael centaur body is finally complete! Because of how long I had to wait for the body to arrive the head doesn’t match anymore but should be okay after I get her a faceup. She will loosely be inspired by Disney's Fantasia Centaurettes

I hope whoever else is waiting doesn't have much longer to go!

 

@GAUZE -mode of eve- : I say this with so much kindness, but I am SO JEALOUS Love your concept for her and the incredible hybrid you've created!!!

 

LOL thank you I’m so flattered. She is quickly moving to the front of the line on getting finished. She will be baby pink and mint green themed. I found a wig I like for her from Leekeworld but shipping for 1 wig is the same price as the wig I’m already making her flower crown and accessories

 

@GAUZE -mode of eve- : She sounds totally lovely from what you described! Can't wait to see her~ I totally slept on all of Souldoll's centaur releases... UGH!

Side note and update - Souldoll released 2 new Kid Girls on their site with an event to get a free dress. I'm relieved it's not some crazy ornate fantasy type doll, and should be something easy enough for them to produce and get back on their feet. I'm hoping/taking this as a sign that they're starting to get productive and work on things again. I know there's only a handful of us active in the waiting room... so I'm not sure how many dolls are going out that we don't know about.

Staying positive and hoping more dolls come home!

 

Went ahead and put Phileo as another girl to add to my collection!

 

Congrats @Suindo !!!! She is super lovely! What version did you get?

Anyone have any updates as of late?

 

I got the flower version--- HOWEVER I didnt order the makeup cause I wasn't sure if the makeup artist/manager recovered yet, so I'll do a faceup for her when she arrives

 

After a year my zenith daol shipped! Yay

 

@Suindo : Very smart! She is super lovely, can't wait to see her.

@StarFennec : Fantastic news! I dont think I've seen Daol owner photos yet - I hope he makes it home safely and you share his lovely photos!

 

It has been 16 months now since I ordered my Bella. I honesty doubt I'll ever see her at this point.

 

17 months for me. I know how you feel...

 

Oh wow, hope they ship soon? I ordered via dde on layaway… I’m surprised I only waited as long as I did?

 

@Zacarias I'm so sorry you've been waiting that long, that is a terribly long time... have you had contact with/heard from Souldoll recently, if you don't mind me asking? It seemed like they were starting to communicate more again but I'm curious if anyone's inquiries are still going unanswered.

 

@puppymush : Wondering the same... have you gotten any feedback regarding the remaking of your Liam?

Hannya and Zacarias - that's so dreadful you all are approaching the 1.5 year mark!!! Hope you get some good news soon.

 

@puppymush I ordered through DDE. I am going to email them today and see if I can get an update on how much longer it could take. If she hasn't started production yet I may see if I can get a refund.

 

Sorry to double post but I have news from Denver Doll Emporium. They said that order fulfillment is moving again and that they receive a few dolls a week from Souldoll.

They also told me that Souldoll has sent out my order to them. Now I just have to wait for Canada Post to no longer be on strike or hope Denver Doll Emporium will let me pay more for them to ship my doll via FedEx.

 

@Zacarias : That's amazing news!! Thank you for sharing, that puts my mind at ease and hopefully some of you who are past the year mark are nearly done with waiting. Hope your lovely doll makes it home soon!

 

It is so god to hear that it is moving again. I missed out on Linzy last year, but lucky enough got her from DDE just yesterday. Took only 3 days to Denmark. ( she was in stock)
I truly love her . - I hope that she is on her way now, if you are waiting for her as well
but had the one little problem. The left wing was a little big to the hole in the bag, so had to mod it a little to fit, the right fit perfectly
sorry for the darkness and bad lighting, it is day right now but the weather is not good in Denmark at the moment.

 

@Dothea : Wow!!! Your girl is the first Linzy I've seen, she's absolutely gorgeous Congrats on your new girl!

 

@Dybbuk thank you so much ^^. I´m completely smitten with her. and have been looking at her a lot today. - I am looking forward to see others linzy´s as well, hopefully soon ^^.

 

@Dybbuk So sorry for the late reply! My sister was in town for a visit and I forgot all about dolls for a bit haha. I haven't heard anything about my Liam yet and I'm considering asking for an update, not to put pressure but just to find out how it's going and if they maybe have an estimate for how long until he ships. I also want to remind them again to send me tracking info as soon as they ship... after hearing how one of yall got your order without even being notified I'm so scared of a repeat

@Zacarias That is really good news that things are moving again!! I hope everyone who's been waiting so long gets some good news soon!

 

@puppymush : I keep trying to temper my excitement when I see updates in this thread because I remind myself there are still people who have been waiting longer than I have with no product. Sorry to hear it's still stagnant on your end -- part of me was hoping maybe he'd turn up later if they returned to sender. Crossing my fingers for you that it's not too much longer!

Personally I am officially 1-week away from the 1-year mark for my Zenith Nolan and Kai head. I ordered them 12-19 of last year. I know they're probably not even close to done considering there are several others near or passed the 1.5 year mark. Was really hoping to have them by now but it is what it is. Gonna be thankful for the dolls I do have at home and try to get them completed and painted!

 

@Dybbuk Same here! It's good news every time someone gets their doll, but I'm sad there are still people waiting such a long time. I really hope the wait doesn't stretch on too much longer for you guys...

Actually, I just realized it'll be a year for me in two days. I did do a layaway, but since they were closing down orders for Vito, they started production on my boy right away. It's surreal to think I ordered him a year ago. Sometimes I forget that he was lost and that I could have had him six months ago if that hadn't happened Also makes me feel bad for the people who were probably already waiting a year when my boy shipped... I still wonder why he was ready sooner when I ordered later?

 

My Bella shipped today. I am so happy I honestly thought this day was never going to come. I hope others who are waiting get shipping notifications soon.

 

I ended up ordering the in stock Linzy head, so I'm back in the waiting room. They are supposed to ship her out in the next 5-7 days, so we'll see!

 

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I finally got a shipping notification for Millie. Ordered in July 2023, shipped in December 2024. What a wait.

Hopefully they're now back on track!

I've still got another order with them but I doubt it'll be shipped out soon. At least I'll soon get my Millie

 

@Hannya Congratulations on your Millie shipping, I'm so happy to hear it!! May she come home swiftly and safely for you!

To be honest I hopped on DoA just now to make a post asking for advice. I still can't decide whether to email Souldoll to ask about my order and risk seeming like a pest or just keep waiting. I'm open to advice. I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on them but I keep thinking back to the last time I went through this and wonder if I'd communicated with them more back then, if things might've been different (probably not but you know how regret goes).

I'm just feeling pretty anxious and not sure what's the best thing to do.

 

@puppymush - definitely ask them! They have always been very kind in correspondence (at least in my experience) and will 100% not think anything bad of you for checking in on your order, especially if it is delayed on their side. Since they are still overwhelmed with catching up, it might also be easier for them to share updates when customers ask about their specific orders rather than proactively keep everyone who is waiting in loop constantly.

 

@Zacarias & @Hannya : I'm so pleased to hear your dolls are finally are on their way home after your extremely long wait!!! I'm so happy for both of you and hope you'll share your dollies with us. It does sound like Souldoll is making good on their promise to get things going again in December!

@Aurify : Welcome back! Hehehe I saw the stock head sale on their IG... I was tempted by their Caleb Fantasy version head... but dear lord I do NOT need anymore floating heads in my collection. I don't even have a plan for the green Caleb I have. I can't wait to see what you do with the Linzy head. From the few owner pictures I've seen, she looks stunning!

@puppymush : I highly encourage you to follow up with them - I don't think you're being a pest, considering your first order has been lost. Also - as someone who works in a small office with a few people, you would think that communications and messages make it to everyone to be on the same page; but I know first hand how easily that does not happen. The person we've been corresponding with on their Q&A board may have been helping on/off in a pinch - we don't know if everything that's transpired with the main lead of Souldoll has been brought to their attention. I'd hate for your wait to be extended further because no one let the main person know that you never got your order! Definitely follow up and reference your previous messages.

 

My Linzy head has shipped!