The Facebook debacle & other issues

On 8/8/2021 at 10:57 AM, QueenAnna said:

I think it’s weird how he banned me for criticizing SmD clothes and the company faceups yet he follows this person on Instagram who does custom faceups for SmDs. I’m glad he doesn’t know what I look like because I wouldn’t be able to visit the store.

I'm dumb. Pretend I'm 4.

How did he figure out who you were? Was it because you posted here right after buying a doll? 

46 minutes ago, MaleficentMrsofEvil said:

I'm dumb. Pretend I'm 4.

How did he figure out who you were? Was it because you posted here right after buying a doll? 

I don’t know, lol, even though I posted I bought Kizuna on here, I could have bought her secondhand. I didn’t even say where I got her lol 

Edited August 10, 2021 by Guest

59 minutes ago, QueenAnna said:

I don’t know, lol, even though I posted I bought Kizuna on here, I could have bought her secondhand. I didn’t even say where I got her lol 

Did your order get canceled before or after you posted? Never mind, I went back and looked at your earlier post and saw it was canceled after. This is just my own opinion, but I really feel like this can’t have been caused by an aggressive fraud filter. 

21 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Did your order get canceled before or after you posted? Never mind, I went back and looked at your earlier post and saw it was canceled after. This is just my own opinion, but I really feel like this can’t have been caused by an aggressive fraud filter. 

Sorry, I was trying to sign in and saw you updated your reply. I wish I could have seen a reply on here before I commented my opinion about the dolls, someone said Danny isn’t good with criticism. I didn’t even know that, but even if I hadn’t commented what I did, he probably would have banned me for something else 

15 minutes ago, QueenAnna said:

Sorry, I was trying to sign in and saw you updated your reply.

No worries, I was mostly asking because I wanted to be sure the timing supported the idea that your post is what caused the cancelation. After posting the question I realized you had already answered it a few days ago so I just went and looked. 

I do not know if potential customers are being banned from making purchases through the Smart Doll Store because they are posting on relatively low-profile forums like this where it is difficult or impossible to identify people, or if it is only more easily identifiable customers who post complaints on FaceBook or Instagram, or if the issues arise due to circumstances beyond posting on forums. I suspect that in most cases – not all, as some anecdotes related in this discussion illustrate, but in most – the reasons behind order cancellations or buyers being blocked have more to do with other issues which "flag" orders as being potentially problematic.

It is mentioned on the Smart Doll Store site, if you happen to notice it in the fine print buried within the many paragraphs of text, that buyers who ask too many questions or otherwise suggest that they may be "problematic customers" will have their orders cancelled and possibly be banned from purchasing through the Smart Doll store.

In the middle of the huge block of text about shipping times, for example, it is stated that buyers who inquire about the status of their orders within two weeks of purchase will have their orders cancelled without notice.

I don't know everything specifically that may be indicated across the many pages of items for sale, blog posts, and random nattering on the Smart Doll site – and that doesn't even include what might have been mentioned in Instagram posts – that could result in orders being cancelled or denied, but there is definitely stuff mentioned in various places that will result in order cancellation.

Best advice is, when you order from the Smart Doll store, keep the process as streamlined as possible. Do not ask questions about your order status or anything else. Do NOT ask to have the dolls customized at the store. Do not ask questions via email prior to a purchase, during the purchase, or before the purchases have been shipped. Oh, and make sure you have plenty of funds on your payment source (credit card) to cover the purchase, shipping, and taxes. Do not ask to split the purchase between cards, or to have items held until you can pay, or do anything funky when it comes to the check-out process. Keep the entire transaction as simple as possible.

If you ask questions after a purchase has been received, make sure they are legitimate questions about the order or the items in the order that cannot be answered elsewhere, either through a close look at the Smart Doll Store site or by posting questions to other Smart Doll owners online. Be sure to check the tutorials on the Smart Doll Store site (they have tutorials for adjusting eyes, for putting on wigs, and various aspects of Smart Doll ownership) before sending an email asking basic user questions.

I've participated in this discussion here at DollDreaming, but I have not (yet) had any issues in placing orders through the Smart Doll Store. However, I have never emailed questions about items either before or after purchasing, or asked for any "special handling" of my orders, or requested returns or refunds, or otherwise done anything to bring my purchases to the attention of either the "algorithm" or the personnel who process the orders.

TL;DNR version: stay off the radar.

@davidd Starting to feel like a guide like this is needed for people new to purchasing Smart Dolls. I was lucky and had heard the horror stories early, and also I read a ton of the site. Not everyone is going to do that, because 99% of retail interactions don't require it.

I still wish Danny would hire someone to direct people to a FAQ or just answer questions if he finds them so troublesome. I'd do it! Literally would not mind that job.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Katsudon

@davidd Or you could just NOT order from a company that requires so much anti-consumer bullshit just to place an order. I don't know how Danny is still in business with all the crap he demands, seriously.

This thread started after a group of people who made negative comments about Danny and his products on social media were banned, and alongside those bans everyone known to associate with them was banned too. Go back to the start of the thread and see what tactics were used to accomplish this. I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “wish.”

There are numerous examples of people being contacted through their social media and confronted about critical comments they made. Sometimes it’s Facebook, which is easy to connect people back to, but sometimes it’s Instagram or Twitter, where people can use handles and he actually takes the time to do the research needed to trace them back to their store info.

The reason people keep saying social media comments will get you banned is because it happens over and over again. Are there umpteen million things that can get you banned at the web store? Sure, but the presence of those things doesn’t negate the long history of social media bans. 

Not everything people can be banned for is unreasonable, but not everything people are banned for is reasonable either. I can totally get someone being banned for being a jerk, but not for asking to have a defective product replaced. Granted, Danny’s store, Danny’s rules. I accept that reality, but he can’t compel me to think it right if he bans someone who just wants quality control.

A famous actor can be both the perpetrator of spousal abuse and the victim of spousal abuse and it’s not contradictory as long as you understand every incident of domestic violence is evaluated on a case by case basis. The truth is a lot of folks struggle with contradictory ideas like that, and just think it has to be either one or the other, or even worse think that one wrong negates another, because reasons. Danny does a lot of visibly good things, and he does some shitty things and both those contradictions can exist within same person at the same time.

People are allowed to hold the shitty things against him, and in the good old US of A 1A guarantees them the right to talk about the shitty things someone did to them. We just require that ya’ll do it politely when you talk about it here. 

2 hours ago, davidd said:

Best advice is, when you order from the Smart Doll store, keep the process as streamlined as possible. Do not ask questions about your order status or anything else. Do NOT ask to have the dolls customized at the store. Do not ask questions via email prior to a purchase, during the purchase, or before the purchases have been shipped. Oh, and make sure you have plenty of funds on your payment source (credit card) to cover the purchase, shipping, and taxes. Do not ask to split the purchase between cards, or to have items held until you can pay, or do anything funky when it comes to the check-out process. Keep the entire transaction as simple as possible.

So something as simple as placing an order for a doll now has to operate like this:

That's absolutely ridiculous and Danny Choo needs to take a god damn hard look at his behaviour to finally realise he's been the entitled one all along, everyone else just wants to buy some bloody dolls.

Edited August 11, 2021 by AliensOfGold

58 minutes ago, Selenae said:

@davidd Or you could just NOT order from a company that requires so much anti-consumer bullshit just to place an order. 

This is true. The simple approach would be not to place an order.

That said, I have seen a number of comments in this discussion from potential Smart Doll buyers who seem worried by the talk about being banned from the store or having orders cancelled. I was simply offering some suggestions, based on my own experience, on how to have a smooth transaction on the Smart Doll Store website for those who may be considering a purchase. I was not intending in any way to condone (nor condemn, for that matter) the current business practices of Smart Doll. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by davidd

36 minutes ago, AliensOfGold said:

So something as simple as placing an order for a doll now has to operate like this:

Ok, new drinking game: Every time Culture Japan store policies invite comparison to the Soup Nazi you have to drink. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
 

…

Credit for this image goes to @Cauldroness and her photo story.

(If you don’t like me using it here just PM me and I’ll remove it immediately.)

 

@BeyondTime At the rate this tends to happen, I daresay a good chunk of us would be hammered beyond comprehension at this point. I know I would! 🤣

@davidd Honestly, I used to want a multiverse Chitose. But, any goodwill I had towards Danny and his company has long since disappeared. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Selenae

2 hours ago, Katsudon said:

@davidd Starting to feel like a guide like this is needed for people new to purchasing Smart Dolls. I was lucky and had heard the horror stories early, and also I read a ton of the site. Not everyone is going to do that, because 99% of retail interactions don't require it.

I still wish Danny would hire someone to direct people to a FAQ or just answer questions if he finds them so troublesome. I'd do it! Literally would not mind that job.

He's specifically said that he doesn't want a PR person. He wants to monitor all transactions himself so he can filter out the "bad" people, even if it stresses him out and loses him money and makes him unbearable to deal with. Because "integrity" or something.

Can't have someone else answer questions! They might not ban people for petty reasons and actually allow "entitled (aka us)" to slip through and buy a doll! And be patient and understanding and helpful! Think of what it would do to his reputation! Can't have people thinking he's turned reasonable!

Sorry, it's late and I'm snippy and not giving a sheep right now. You can't have my sheep. I'm sleepy and I need them for counting.

Imagine emailing VOLKS asking them to customize your doll or hold things until you have the money or whatever lol.

I think a lot of JP companies get by with a simple "all sales final, manufacture defects happen, shipping takes x days" but DC rambles. It comes off like he's trying to cover every millimeter of CJ rear but simple is better. Imo though you're a clown (no offense to clowns) if you're spending $500 on anything without looking into it so that you have realistic expectations.

The Ballad SMD.   also supery girl is still listed on Fabric & Friends as we speak.    😸🌈⚡🧸

10 minutes ago, rainglow said:

Imo though you're a clown (no offense to clowns) if you're spending $500 on anything without looking into it so that you have realistic expectations.

The problem with this is that there are repeated examples in this thread of Danny creating bannable offences on the fly (and lying about what went down). Every single thing mentioned in the ‘before you buy’ essay wasn’t there until someone did one of them and then learned the hard way that they’re now banned.

The best example is the ‘wig debacle’ (I believe the user was @bbotss ?). There were actual quality control issues with that wig that rendered it unusable as intended (ie the elf ears weren’t able to be used as the wig didn’t sit properly due to the defects) but Danny’s version of events was ‘entitled customer complained about a wig not being 100% perfect, is a dumb dumb because they tried to do things you’re not meant to do with the wigs anyway (including photos of a completely different wig as examples of this...) now no wigs for anyone’. Before bbots complained there was nothing anywhere that said ‘do not complain about a wig in any way shape or form’. Most other issues have been in a similar vein. 

If people just weren’t reading his rules, breaking them and getting banned, I would have less sympathy, but so many instances are people who have read up on everything, walked on egg shells and still landed on a grenade somehow, resulting in a ban and another big ranty Instagram post from Mr Choo.

 

At this point, the required reading for smartdoll is really getting out of hand. (ESPECIALLY if you are ESL!!) There’s doing research on a product and then there’s a whole required intensive course....

23 minutes ago, rainglow said:

I think a lot of JP companies get by with a simple "all sales final, manufacture defects happen, shipping takes x days" but DC rambles.

As it happens Volks does have a page listing out various terms for their service. 
https://dollfie.ec.volks.co.jp/ext/policy.html

And they usually have terms for events as well as product notes people are expected to understand when they purchased. Usually a simple bulleted list that says things about staining or taking care when handling delicate fabrics.

https://dollfie.ec.volks.co.jp/category/D_210801_HTDK18_SD/4518992435893.html#lmt_sch

However, my guess is all of these things were prepared by professionals and possibly with the assistance of lawyers with specialization in business or contract law. None of them is labeled “Why you shouldn’t buy our stuff.”

34 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

None of them is labeled “Why you shouldn’t buy our stuff.”

Honestly, I got a less-than-great first impression of Smart Dolls before I even found this thread, because of that very phrase (verbatim or otherwise) in various areas of the site. Asking - no, pleading - that I do not buy their products when there are so much better products out there. Um, how is a customer supposed to feel or react to that? I was just like... okay. I won't, then. 

1 hour ago, wishbearstar said:

The Ballad SMD.   also supery girl is still listed on Fabric & Friends as we speak.    😸🌈⚡🧸

This is the site right?

https://fabricfriendsdolls.com/

Because at I thought it was a scam site when I first came across it with that styling straight out of the late 90's.

@AliensOfGold Nope, not a scam site. FFD is well-known in the Pure Neemo community. Also, Iris is wonderful to deal with.

8 minutes ago, AliensOfGold said:

Because at I thought it was a scam site when I first came across it with that styling straight out of the late 90's.

Those were the days. 😂

In all seriousness FFD is a reputable shop whose owner seems to be well liked by people on the forum.

51 minutes ago, Selenae said:

@AliensOfGold Nope, not a scam site. FFD is well-known in the Pure Neemo community. Also, Iris is wonderful to deal with.

yesh she is. 😄   wouldn't have meh Lulu without her.  🤗

 

12 hours ago, davidd said:

I do not know if potential customers are being banned from making purchases through the Smart Doll Store because they are posting on relatively low-profile forums like this where it is difficult or impossible to identify people, or if it is only more easily identifiable customers who post complaints on FaceBook or Instagram, or if the issues arise due to circumstances beyond posting on forums. I suspect that in most cases – not all, as some anecdotes related in this discussion illustrate, but in most – the reasons behind order cancellations or buyers being blocked have more to do with other issues which "flag" orders as being potentially problematic.

It is mentioned on the Smart Doll Store site, if you happen to notice it in the fine print buried within the many paragraphs of text, that buyers who ask too many questions or otherwise suggest that they may be "problematic customers" will have their orders cancelled and possibly be banned from purchasing through the Smart Doll store.

You wrote a part of what I wanted to say better than I ever could. I feel like being banned for posting in this forum/thread is being taken for a fact by many posting in this thread. While we only have anecdotal and circumstantial evidence for this at best. (note: I am talking about recent events, not the bans that were discussed a good ninety pages ago). 

 

I am going to take a break of this thread. I originally came here because the many social media rants coupled with erratic releases raised some questions for me. Because all of the comments on Instagram were still positive to the point of worshipping I looked for others who had similar doubts about Only the Brave or the disappearance of option parts. However, recently I feel like this thread has moved too far in the opposite direction. Almost everything is seen as negative, and some speculations seem to be taken for facts (for example: Danny disliking hybrids, milk being discontinued to prevent hybrids with Volks, getting banned solely for being in this thread).

Critique is a good thing, even more so if it is on something that you love and want to see improve. But it needs to stay constructive. At the moment that is not how I perceive this thread. 

The problem is that without communication from Danny, some people truly don't know why they are banned. Seeing people beg for forgiveness on social media is just depressing.

I still think the change needs to come from Danny. He could have a healthier relationship with the community, and most of the issues in this thread would be done with. Earlier on people here tried to communicate their concerns via e-mail. I think Danny ignored it?

I don't think there's very much that can be done from our end. I have some ideas for some solutions for problems I see, however going into detail would out me in a second.

I'm genuinely at a loss. I still hope for positive change. But maybe I should give up. I don't think anything would work as a wake-up call outside of the worst: Smart Doll going out of business. But I don't want that to happen. I want the dolls to thrive. And I'm tired of seeing people get so put off by Danny that they dump their entire collections. I'm tired of seeing people worry that other doll collectors will hate them for owning a Smart Doll. I'm tired...