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@Selenae thank you for the response! Honestly it's all around really just upsetting because I don't like complaining/causing conflict, and I'm slightly worried about being blacklisted since I've been a Volks customer for over a decade. Do you know of others who have successfully contracted Volks about a defective product?

 I know someone else on another forum just received a brand new Towa this week that arrived with a cracked piece also, so I am slightly concerned honestly...I know some things can happen in production of course, but it's still a bit odd.

@Ageha Yeah, there have been others on and off this forum that successfully got replacements from Volks for DDs, no issue. Myself included, but for an SD and not a DD.

As far as I know Volks doesn’t blacklist -anyone- unless they’re doing stuff that’s against the TOS like refusing to pay for lottery entries or preorders repeatedly.

The ‘leg problem’ I see reported a lot (not just in this thread), if it’s what I think it is, *isn’t* a defect or even an issue when things are properly in place. The two legs need to connect together in order to stay on, which means that if they aren’t connected properly, it will feel like something is off. It took me a while to figure out the trick to this but it was pretty simple once I figured out how things were meant to look (this link did help a lot though)

https://m.facebook.com/notes/dollfie-dream/dd-f³-hip-joint-handling-tips/1271843123025761/

the crack is a separate issue and I would contact them about it.

With the Nier dolls, there was a head crack issue with a few of them and volksUSA requested to inspect them in person as per policy. From reports I saw, -every single person- who sent in the head received a new one, so I don’t really understand why someone would not take that chance. (Well, unfortunately I do understand, and it’s likely to do with ‘certain other companies’ being too happy with the banhammer over extremely minor things but I don’t want to talk about that here...)

Edited January 31, 2021 by Monty

@Monty Monty to the rescue. Thank you, I was going to edit in the 2B thread but you beat me to it, lol.

9 hours ago, Monty said:

With the Nier dolls, there was a head crack issue with a few of them and volksUSA requested to inspect them in person as per policy. From reports I saw, -every single person- who sent in the head received a new one, so I don’t really understand why someone would not take that chance.

I can add that it's not just the Nier dolls and VolksUSA!

When I got my Karin, she arrived with cracks that resulted in a somewhat wobbly head. VolksInt told me to ship her head to them and they did replace her for me.

They are very friendly and listen to the customers complaints and worries. I'd definitely not worry about a ban hammer, especially if there's an issue with a product.

On 1/30/2021 at 8:12 PM, Selenae said:

@Ageha Yeah, there have been others on and off this forum that successfully got replacements from Volks for DDs, no issue. Myself included, but for an SD and not a DD.

Thanks! I didn't know how common that was for Volks - good to know! 

On 1/30/2021 at 8:13 PM, Monty said:

As far as I know Volks doesn’t blacklist -anyone- unless they’re doing stuff that’s against the TOS like refusing to pay for lottery entries or preorders repeatedly.

The ‘leg problem’ I see reported a lot (not just in this thread), if it’s what I think it is, *isn’t* a defect or even an issue when things are properly in place. The two legs need to connect together in order to stay on, which means that if they aren’t connected properly, it will feel like something is off. It took me a while to figure out the trick to this but it was pretty simple once I figured out how things were meant to look (this link did help a lot though)

https://m.facebook.com/notes/dollfie-dream/dd-f³-hip-joint-handling-tips/1271843123025761/

the crack is a separate issue and I would contact them about it.

With the Nier dolls, there was a head crack issue with a few of them and volksUSA requested to inspect them in person as per policy. From reports I saw, -every single person- who sent in the head received a new one, so I don’t really understand why someone would not take that chance. (Well, unfortunately I do understand, and it’s likely to do with ‘certain other companies’ being too happy with the banhammer over extremely minor things but I don’t want to talk about that here...)

Thank you for the link! I think my apprehension came from a post on another forum regarding someone who received a Volks one-off with some small damages (it was mailed out by Volks after the event), and Volks basically told them that things like that could happen and perhaps that person shouldn't be their customer anymore. I've never forgotten that ^^;

 

 

4 hours ago, Ageha said:

I think my apprehension came from a post on another forum regarding someone who received a Volks one-off with some small damages (it was mailed out by Volks after the event), and Volks basically told them that things like that could happen and perhaps that person shouldn't be their customer anymore. I've never forgotten that ^^;

 

 

I don’t mean to sound rude here and don’t want to call whoever that was a liar... but this doesn’t sound in character for Volks and I think there are almost certainly things in that story that have been conveniently left out in the retelling.

I am aware the one-offs have different ‘rules’, and it makes sense that they’re less likely to be replaceable if anything was damaged (if there even WAS damage) but I think this is a huge exaggeration of whatever was said. Besides, even if they had word for word recommending not buying, they *still did not ban to blacklist the person.* Every instance I’ve found reported of bans were allegedly due to repeatedly unpaid lottery wins or preorders, obvious attempted cheating at lotteries (ie making multiple accounts), or doing things like card chargebacks which a lot of sites don’t allow. 

I didn’t used to be this sceptical (or bitter lol), but unfortunately I’ve seen too many people saying blatantly untrue things with the aim of misleading people (particularly if they have their own ‘business’ to promote... some proxies and a certain friend shop come to mind...) and it’s sadly made me pretty distrustful of hearsay without actual proof in this hobby.

At the end of the day if you have damage and ask about it, the worst thing that’s going to happen is they say no, but the evidence from people who have done so overwhelmingly suggests that actual damages are replaced.

On 1/31/2021 at 9:03 AM, Rizukaa said:

 

When I got my Karin, she arrived with cracks that resulted in a somewhat wobbly head. VolksInt told me to ship her head to them and they did replace her for me.

Sorry for the noob question, but the wobbly head isn't normal? My Sakura Amamiya came out of the box with a very wobbly head, I've never taken her head off and there are no cracks to see on the outside, is there something inside I should be looking for that's cracked? 

@Celis814 No, a wobbly head is not normal, but it's fixable. My MDD Liliru also has a super wobbly head without cracks, it just means the head hole is a touch too big. I managed to abate some of the wobbliness by wrapping a layer of Volks skin tape around the hole where the curved peg goes through. I didn't want to go the epoxy route since that's much more involved, but the tape seems to be holding up decently enough.

Edited February 3, 2021 by Selenae

On 2/2/2021 at 10:31 PM, Monty said:

 

I didn’t used to be this sceptical (or bitter lol), but unfortunately I’ve seen too many people saying blatantly untrue things with the aim of misleading people (particularly if they have their own ‘business’ to promote... some proxies and a certain friend shop come to mind...) and it’s sadly made me pretty distrustful of hearsay without actual proof in this hobby.

I can agree with you that some proxies like unofficial Volks Dollfie sellers can mislead people with the wrong information. But All friend shops listed on the Volks website are official and they can not say or do anything without Volks permission. This would be a breach of contract.

1 hour ago, DML said:

I can agree with you that some proxies like unofficial Volks Dollfie sellers can mislead people with the wrong information. But All friend shops listed on the Volks website are official and they can not say or do anything without Volks permission. This would be a breach of contract.

In that case I’d advise that -a certain friend shop- be a little more careful as they’ve definitely done things I would assume are breaches of contract multiple times, including misleading information. I still wouldn’t trust a lot of things they say, due to both that and the mind-bogglingly unprofessional way they conduct themselves online. They may be official, but that doesn’t mean Volks has total control over how friend shop representatives act, although I’ve certainly considered contacting Volks directly about it. But maybe they’ve changed their ways if they’ve been warned already.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Monty

1 hour ago, Monty said:

In that case I’d advise that -a certain friend shop- be a little more careful as they’ve definitely done things I would assume are breaches of contract multiple times, including misleading information. I still wouldn’t trust a lot of things they say, due to both that and the mind-bogglingly unprofessional way they conduct themselves online. They may be official, but that doesn’t mean Volks has total control over how friend shop representatives act, although I’ve certainly considered contacting Volks directly about it. But maybe they’ve changed their ways if they’ve been warned already.

I am not saying this has not happened. But maybe you have had some bad experience with this company and are taking personal. What did they mislead you or others on? Reason I am asking this is because I have not witnessed any friend shop do this. Can you link me any proof of this?

Edited February 4, 2021 by DML

13 minutes ago, DML said:

I am not saying this has not happened. But maybe you have had some bad experience with this company and are taking personal. What did they mislead you or others on? Reason I am asking this is because I have not witnessed any friend shop do this. Can you link me any proof of this?

I would think making accounts pretending to be regular hobbyists for the purpose of advertising a friend shop and being extremely aggressive in sales tactics (such as outright insulting anyone who suggested alternative sites to the friend shop) and actually DMing people under the guise of ‘helping you finding an item’ is not behaviour they would be looked favourably on. They also repeatedly told members of this forum that their friend shop could deliver to any country in the world despite this being both false and a clear breach of the TOS (that they can only service their relevant area.) 

I even had a certain member repeatedly try to make me buy Arle through them, despite me saying I lived in Australia and they literally DMd me to further push this sale under the guise of being a private seller despite the fact that it was blatantly obvious to me they either were behind or represented the friend shop in question, due to the fact that the official Instagram axcount for this friend store seemed to feature a lot of the exact same photos they’d posted on this forum...! I’m pretty sure Volks spoke to them about this because I noticed their Instagram now mentions only shipping to certain areas instead of the ‘world wide’ they were claiming before. 

There have also been incidents where certain people have said ‘I heard from -this friend shop-  that *blatant misinformation about a certain release being japan only*’, that post was instantly corrected and now deleted.

Now that we’re done playing dumb I’m not going to discuss this further. I’m not naming or shaming the friend store if they’ve already cleaned up their act and been potentially warned by Volks about their conduct. They provide a valuable service to people in their area that I wouldn’t want to see go away. But my post was about whether or not they’ve been a source of misinformation, not their legitimacy as a business.

Again this really seems like that you have a problem with them. There is not any proof by someone in a forum recommending a company that are really pretending to be them, Or someone recommending you a doll. There are many people that own the same dolls or maybe bought by that company.

There are many people on here and, also in many other websites recommending doll companies. This does not mean they are the companies themselves. There is also nothing wrong in recommending a company.

Maybe the person that was asking you to buy Arle through them, had a good experience with them to recommend them to you. I don't see anything wrong with that?

You are right with one thing no friend shop can sell out of their regions. Also you can not blame any company just because someone gave out the wrong information. you have no proof of this unless you hear it from the actual company.

Most of what you have said is irrelevant. That is not proof

Look I have nothing against you. But it really seems you have beef with this company and, you are pointing fingers, being paranoid at anyone that recommends you something.

This was not supposed to turn into a rant.

Subject closed.

 

@DML err... you know your name changes on all your old posts when you change the username right....? This is probably what is being referred to ^^;;;; It's really easy to see someone's post history on a forum >>;;

Yes I am aware of that. But that is not proof of what was asked.                                                                                                                   

If I want to recommend and company I can and so can anyone else. 

This does not mean Me or anyone that recommends someone or something is the company they recommend. I just wanted the proof from Monty thats all.

 

I have nothing to hide you all can go see my profile.

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by DML

Anyone can recommend any company they want but if they actually *are the company* they shouldn’t be pretending to -not- be for reasons beyond me, but still attempt to offer the services of that company, such as 1. making a thread offering to procure -any doll items desired- (likely before they were told friend shops can’t shop internationally) or 2. DMing people such as myself saying ‘I can help you get that doll you want’. It’s misleading and suspicious to pretend to be a private seller when you are NOT, not to mention against TOS to sell outside a friendshops area. 

I’m not interesting in making ‘call out’ posts with the many screenshotted posts I have of evidence of this user advertising services they shouldn’t be able to provide/ posting the same photos as the friend shops Instagram that proves they’re either behind it or affiliated. It’s NOT my intention or interest to damage the credibility of this store or drag their name through the mud, so please don’t invite me to.

I’d just suggest they stop digging their heels in and making themselves look worse, because as pointed out...post history. (But I already took the relevant screencaps should things conveniently disappear...)

The only reason this was brought up was because I used it as a *well-known* example of misinformation in the hobby, so there really is no use feigning ignorance.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Monty

On 2/2/2021 at 2:31 PM, Monty said:

it’s sadly made me pretty distrustful of hearsay without actual proof in this hobby.

So much money moves around in this hobby, it’s a good idea to be a little skeptical of claims without any proof.

Honestly, the issue with the hearsay in this case is we don’t know what the buyer of that one-off said to Volks. If they were dealing with Volks Japan, and were rude during the conversation, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Japan staff politely told them to take their business elsewhere. For that matter, it’s not like Volks USA is going to accept rudeness either.

Or maybe the poster on the other forum who originally told this story just has Volks confused with a different dollmaker?*

*any resemblance to snarkiness in the previous sentence is quite deliberately intended.
 

On 2/2/2021 at 2:31 PM, Monty said:

At the end of the day if you have damage and ask about it, the worst thing that’s going to happen is they say no, but the evidence from people who have done so overwhelmingly suggests that actual damages are replaced.

I’m reminded of a case where someone assumed Volks wouldn't make good on a defect that was present in number of limited dolls, so they didn’t send the defective part in, but then everyone else who did send theirs in did end up getting a replacement.

The cost to Volks in that case probably wasn’t small, they likely pulled the part in question from finished dolls and the rest of the expensive full-set was left unsellable as a result. 
 

6 hours ago, Monty said:

Anyone can recommend any company they want but if they actually *are the company* they shouldn’t be pretending to -not- be for reasons beyond me, but still attempt to offer the services of that company, such as 1. making a thread offering to procure -any doll items desired- (likely before they were told friend shops can’t shop internationally) or 2. DMing people such as myself saying ‘I can help you get that doll you want’. It’s misleading and suspicious to pretend to be a private seller when you are NOT, not to mention against TOS to sell outside a friendshops area. 

Part of the issue here is that while this was pretty obvious to everyone when it was going on, there is no formal rule against it. For a number of folks it made them uncomfortable, but without a formal rule against it we can’t really step in to stop it.

The idea of friend shops putting listings on the forum or selling through the forum seems a bit iffy to me for the very reason that those friend shops have agreements with Volks, and our hobby site really shouldn’t be used as a vehicle to quietly circumvent those agreements. Nor is it a simple matter for us to remove a sales post that might violate an agreement that we aren’t privy to the terms of.

 

Lastly, and this isn’t directed at any one person, but I am reminding everyone commenting on this subject to keep it polite. I know that particular past incident can evoke strong feelings, but we all still have to stay within the forum guidelines. We’re better than the behavior that was displayed back then, and if we prove otherwise this topic will have to get locked. 

Just a little complaint on my end -- I got a package in the mail with some doll clothes and unfortunately I didn't see who delivered it, but whoever it was manhandled the package until it tore a bit in the corner and let rainwater get into it. Spent a good 20 minutes in my kitchen hand-washing doll clothes in my sink and brushing Bits of Stuff out of a (faux) fur doll jacket. Fun times! -_-;

The last DOZEN or so things I've ordered for my dolls have come either broken (eyes/props), significantly not as described (clothes/shoes/wigs), or have been sitting in customs since December. This is from both companies/dealers and p2p sales.  I'm losing my mind. Please can I have a drop of the good online shopping brain chemicals without the bait-and-switch of "wait this is bad actually".