(A side by side shot of the same 38" Hanks in the first picture.)
My sister (Nikita) and I exchanged several e-mails with Tina of dollyhair.com. She made promises and still has not delivered. How someone runs a business this way is beyond me.
If Tina would have followed through with her end of things and kept her promises, this blog entry would not have been posted.
I made EVERY effort not to resort to this.
However, the specifics of mine and my sister Nikita's experience are as follows...
A month prior to our ordeal I ordered hair and it was more than enough to re-root a 1/6 size doll head.
But the next order wasn't even close, and I waited nearly 3 weeks to receive it.
Here is a comparison shot of the hair that was received a month prior (on left) and then the one received a month later (on the right). Both are 38" hanks.
And yes, the one on the right came looking frizzy/tangled in places.
And here are the same 38" Hanks weighed side by side.
Next up I have a comparison shot of the RD hanks.
They are smaller than the 38" hanks and generally good for ordering if you just need a little bit of a color or if you ran out of hair and just need a little more to finish.
The Left RD Hank was ordered before the RD Hank on the Right.
This is the weight difference between the same RD hanks.
Tina was informed of all of this information.
Nikita and I even offered to send her these pictures.
She didn't show an interest in seeing them.
Instead she said it had something to do with an assistant quitting and that she would correct the problem by sending replacement hair and a few free 38" hanks.
That was in November of 2012.
We received nothing.
A good company should have INTEGRITY.
That would include not lying to multiple customers over similar issues.
Customers that happen to know one another.
I don't want anyone else to fall into the trap of ordering from this site and ending up in a similar situation.
If
any of you have alternate doll hair providers to recommend, please
leave them in the comment section of this entry, so that others can find
a more reliable hair supplier.
Dollyhair.com has been my provider for 2 years.
I referred countless people interested in re-rooting to this site, and now I am taking that recommendation back.
I stuck it out even when the shipping time took 2 weeks to a MONTH to arrive.
I even stuck it out when fees were added for processing without warning.
But having a customer pay the same price for less hair is unacceptable.
The site was once excellent.
I'm very upset that this is no longer a place I trust.
I, like many others, are NOT happy that dollyhair.com has gone down hill.
We all kept hoping Tina of dollyhair.com would begin to value her customers again.
I
can assure you that being lied to, seeing other doll friends and
artists being lied to, and never having a resolution DOES NOT make a
person OR a customer feel valued.
So, I have since taken my business to http://www.restoredoll.com/.
She gets back to you promptly, and is helpful in resolving issues (though I haven't had any as of yet.)
Yes, the prices are a little higher, but the shipping time is quick and you actually receive the RIGHT amount of hair.
-Cat and Nikita of A Doll Affinity
I have only ordered flocking from Restoredoll.com and had no problem. It was very quick shipping. I hate that you had a horrible experience with Dollyhair. Thanks for letting us know.
ReplyDeleteI have heard nothing but good things of restoredoll.com, which is why I now order all my hair from them. I hate that things went south with dollyhair too, but I'm grateful that there is still a reliable supplier (restoredoll) I can order hair from.
DeleteWith all the issues I had from Dolly Hair, it was more upsetting to me because I took it personally. It really dissapoints me that she would blatenly do this, and still have such nerve...*rolls around in a fit of anger*. As long as I get treated correctly at Restoredoll and get the right product I ordered, consider myself a new minion of Restoredoll ;). *steps off soapbox*
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you had such an upsetting experience with dollyhair. It is so upsetting to be lied to by a company/site/business you have come to trust enough to pour money into. Like I said, it doesn't make a person or a customer feel valued AT ALL. So far, Restoredoll has been great to me and I hope you keep having the same good experiences with them as well. Thank you for the comment Verona.
DeleteYou just need to wait and ask Tina if she is going to send the delivery you asked for.
DeleteDollyhair has lost my business as due solely to the fact that Tina treats her customers like they are less then dirt when they ask questions like "Can I have a time frame for when this hair will be shipped?" after waiting two or three weeks for it.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't take the time to be nice to someone who has given you their money - you can't have my business. Common decency to customers is the number one rule of running a business.
I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Restoredoll and always find myself with way more hair then I need whenever I order from them. Restoredoll is never EVER rude, always quick to ship, and their product is quality.
Thank you for your comment Tabitha. It is great to see you around the blog again. I have heard very similar things from other doll friends and it is incredibly frustrating that we've all been dealing with this. I, too, am very happy with restoredoll.com. Is it me, or does their Saran feel softer and less greasy?
DeleteNever even heard of Dollyhair til you blogged about it. I purchased my rerroting hair from restoredoll and they were super fast with shipping. Sorry to hear about your Tiff with tina, but you will enjoy restoredoll.com much better!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jay! (^_^) I have every intention of enjoying my transactions with restoredoll in the future. Super glad to know you haven't had to deal with dollyhair.
DeleteYou are just about the kindest doll person ever, so for you to post about this has a lot more weight than with a generally cranky person like me. I haven't had problems with dollyhair in the past, other than taking 100 years to get back to you. I'm not in love with restoredoll. She could use a site upgrade. But I'll definitely go to her now. This is a problem in doll world. Folks have a reputation and they rest on it. We all use it because all our colleagues use it. Then quality drops and the prices rise. I will stand up with you Cat! Let us away to restoredoll! And someone should share this with dollyhair. Step up your game, Tiffany.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dani. Like I always say, this should be fun and not a giant hassle. I agree that restoredoll.com needs a new layout. If I had the skills I would offer to do it for free. She actually offers quite a few colors dollyhair does not. A tip for searching the site is to always use the "advance" search option. I learned that the hard way. lol And she does do color blends: http://stores.restoredoll.com/-strse-180/157-blended/Detail.bok If you ever need help finding something you can ask me. (^_^) I have seen Tina respond in other negative posts about her business and she generally seems defensive. I'm not here name calling. We simply miss all that her business once was for all of us. That's the biggest issue. Thank you for standing up with me! *hugs*
DeleteI did also run in some problems when I ordered doll hair from Tina's site last time. But to me Tina was professional and I didn't felt like being treated like dirt. I think I remember her mentioning personal problems, but I don't know for sure. Next time though, I'll try to order from restoredoll, though I find their site really chaotic and disorderly. But I'll give it a try. Hopefully Tina gets her business back into its former glory, because I always liked what the it had to offer.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Cyndrome. Her e-mails to me were professional too, when she finally e-mailed me back. But she also never followed through with her promised resolution, despite the professional e-mail. Since I have bought from her for nearly 2 years that felt deceptive and made me feel like I was not a valued customer. I once LOVED her site and services, and it really was not always like this. Yes, restoredoll.com has a rather chaotic site layout. But if you always search using the "advance" option it is a lot easier. And the numbers associated with each hair color are unique identifying numbers. You can even search a color's number instead of the name. And you can blend colors for Barbie or similar size heads here: http://stores.restoredoll.com/-strse-180/157-blended/Detail.bok There is a 2nd place to blend hair for larger doll heads here: http://stores.restoredoll.com/-strse-181/blended-large-157L/Detail.bok
DeleteAgain, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment.
What you do in the dark, comes into the light.
ReplyDeleteI have been burned by dollyhair.com this past Christmas. I order supplies from Tina on November 15, 2013 and STILL HAVE NOT received my products! There are so many complaints online about dollyhair.com from people not received all of their items to people not receiving anything AT ALL. BTW, I was a new customer and will be the last.
Don't you know Tina deleted all of the complaints off of her Facebook page?! How fishy is that!
Also, she emailed me once and said she had a new assistant. But she has not got back to me since then. I even sent her an e-mail threatening to contact a lawyer.
I don't think she ever sent out anything for me.
What she is doing is a scam. And if Tina is sending out fake tracking numbers (which someone else posted on ripoffreport.com), then that is a federal offense and she could go to jail.
No one deserves to be cheated out of their hard earned money. And I am still fighting this case. Maybe all of us in the OOAK doll/My Little Custom Pony community can band together and maybe have a class action lawsuit. Nothing beats a failure but a try. If you think this is a good idea, feel free to email me: nelso351@gmail.com
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. The more people who keep coming forward the more I see where a class action lawsuit might not be out of the question. Personally, I wouldn't know where to begin with one. Have you run into more people in the doll/pony customs community with similar complaints? Think they would be willing to come forward? I thought of reporting the site to the Better Business Bureau here in the US. Like you said, "nothing beats a failure, but a try."
DeleteTina from Dollyhair.com here. Seriously, Kenya? I distinctly remember corresponding with you.
DeleteFake tracking numbers??? I mean really, come on. NEVER have I done such a thing. You were so nice in your emails to me, and now you're trying to bring a class-action suit against me?
I thought that I'd rectified everything with you. As of January 7, I thought that everything was in the midst of being fixed. That's when I last corresponded with you. But you posted here on this site on January 5, so obviously, you were much more disgruntled than you let on in your emails to me. And the email correspondence below is proof that your statement, "Also, she emailed me once and said she had a new assistant. But she has not got back to me since then." is totally false. I replied to you, and I was in contact with you.
Here are our emails, the most recent one being at the top:
So Kenya, you're that unhappy with Dollyhair? You really think that I handled things that badly? Your tracking number was automatically emailed to you on December 3, and you evidently did not see the email. Then, you decided to complain on facebook, on this site, and wherever else, but I still treated you well and re-shipped your package, which was evidently lost by the post office or stolen. Many sellers would just say, "sorry, the post office shows that the package was delivered to your address, so I don't owe you anything." But I didn't treat you like that. I REALLY don't know what more I could have done. Seriously. Your tracking number is 9101969000940670674709. Look it up at USPS.com.
DeleteTina, this is Cat, the owner of this blog. I have not, and will not approve your comments that include e-mails between you and "KenyaDoll". If you want to hash things out with her, do it in an e-mail.
DeleteBTW, My Little Customs (www.mylittlecustoms.com/) is a doll hair site from the UK that I ordered from before. They were very prompt. The only problem is that the shipping rates shoots the prices up which is why I chose dollyhair.com the second time. Well, I guess I will be ordering from My Little Customs, again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this link!
DeleteI have used Restoredoll in the past and they are my main go-to when it comes to buying rooting hair.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dani that their website could use some serious help, but that aside they have always been tops in customer service, and prompt shipping (even when I was living in the UK they shipped quickly & with concern about customs & import fees). On the one occasion there was an issue with the order I was answered quickly, and things were made right the same day. So I can't complain.
I did try DH for exactly 1 order.
I was so disappointed that even now, years later it sticks in my mind as a generally disappointing experience (from waiting & waiting & poor communication) to getting what seemed to be a very small amount of hair. Yea. They went off my preferred list of shopping spots right after that.
Sorry to hear about another unfortunate experience with dollyhair. But I am happy to hear a positive story about restoredoll being so prompt to fix any issues with your order. I've heard several others say they are really excellent with their customer service. Great to see a comment from you regardless. I'm a big fan of your blog! (^_^) Hope you are settling in more and more here in the state.
DeleteHello from Spain: Thanks for reporting. I'm glad that you post this information .. Keep in touch
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Marta. I really don't want anyone else to have to go through this. My experience was unpleasant, but it sounds like a lot more individuals have had it worse.
DeleteThank you for posting this Cat. I am disappointed with DH too. I had some of the same issues listed here as well. I was stuck waiting for a shipment of hair for a commission and was very lucky that my customer was a close friend. Otherwise I might have lost my reputation and return business with this person. While Tina was always polite to me I still felt like I was not very important. RD's prices are higher but honestly I think the quality is better, the last skein I got from dollyhair was tangled like yours with snags in the hair like it had been very tightly stretched. So, I am for RD all the way!
ReplyDeleteWhen what happened to me happened, I really wanted it to be an isolated honest mistake. But, the more comments I read here and on Flickr, it is MUCH bigger than an isolated incident. I was in the middle of a commission when I had the same issue. It was a terrible hassle because of DH's bad customer service. I ended up ordering the costumer's hair a 2nd time (on me) to fix the problem in a timely manner. Tina was polite, but she never corrected anything. So, no, I didn't feel like a valued customer. And I am also glad to see that I'm not the only one who thinks the hair at RD is so much better! Thank you so much for your comment Elizabeth. As doll artists we need to stand our ground and stand together. (^_^)
DeleteDolly hair was the first hair site I ordered from quite some years ago. While clicking around on her site, I found a spot that says her competitor lies about the types of hair she sells, and it goes on to say the poor quality of the hair from her competitor. I did not like the fact that instead of her stating the quality of her own product, she chooses to bash the competitor. I ordered anyway without any issues, I latter ordered the re-root tool and needles, this time there was no issues with the order itself, but Tina's attitude was a bit off, I just wrote it off as a bad day. I then found restoredoll, and once I figured out the layout of the site, I loved it. I have had to call their customer service number before and no matter who picks up, they are always wonderful. they are prompt with orders and always try to fill special requests. Any order I have made with dolly hair after this has been terrible. Tina herself is nice for the most parts, but the orders are slow, and if you start to ask to many questions, she gets snippy. For doll hair I only use Restoredoll now. I usually purchase the 10 hanks for $24.50 (which do not have to be all the same color), which i feel is a steal of a deal. Each hank is enough do to a full barbie head re-root up to waist length. The only thing I use Dolly hair for anymore is to purchase replacement needles for my re-root tool, but if I could find another supplier for those, I would never use her site again.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly the area you are referring to on the dollyhair website. I wasn't too keen on her putting her competitor down the road either. I looked into Restoredoll.com at that time, and decided the website was too hard to navigate, and the prices were higher... which led to me using Dollyhair.com instead. However, I have since learned how to use Restoredoll.com and it is awesome! Oh, and to my knowledge, dollyhair.com even got rid of her customer service number. That, in my opinion, was a terrible business move. I hope that one day you will be able to find another place to get the needles you need. Thank you so much for your insightful comment! On that note, I'm off to restoredoll.com to try out the 10 hank deal. (^_^)
DeleteIn regards to replacement needles you can make your own. I buy embroidery needles in various sizes then I use side cutters to cut the tip of the eye open on an angle then use fine sadnpaper to rub off the burs on the metal. I do a few at a time then i have spares. :)
DeleteThis is excellent information for those individuals that have mentioned needing replacement needles for the re-root tool. (^_^) Thank you for posting this!
DeleteWow! I have never used her and only use restoredoll.com. I love her products and service! She is prompt and very helpful. I even ordered the wrong color once and she replaced my order without incident or problem ! I recommend her everywhere to everyone! So sorry you had to go thru that mess! Thanks for getting the word out there about lousy service though!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and sharing your positive experience with restoredoll.com. (^_^) I hate that dollyhair isn't what it use to be, but nothing lasts forever. I'm just grateful I have somewhere else to buy quality hair. *hugs*
DeleteI thought the problem was just with me, perhaps because I'm a buyer from a distant country. But I see that there really is a problem with dollyhair.
ReplyDeleteMy experience is:
The first two purchases: Excellent! all ok!
The third purchase: Tina forgot to send some items, was delayed a bit, but sent with no cost, items missing. Still good. Anyone can make a mistake.
Purchase Fourth: It took about two weeks and my articles were not yet sent. Communication difficult. Finally answered my e-mails! excusing a mistake of his assistant. After three weeks, my items were sent.
Lately I have had desires to buy, but I'm not confident, she may forget to send my articles or make mistakes and do not answer my e-mails.
A couple of months ago I sent an email to her(knowing she had given birth to a baby recently and so, she could be busy), I asked, are you willing to continue selling?'re Taking orders? I would buy again. But I have not received a response.
I have desire to buy doll supllies, a friend recommended me restoredoll.com and here I also recommend.
Thank you very much and sorry, my English is not very good, still.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I understood your English perfectly. I appreciate you taking the time to outline the exact way your transactions took place. I live in the US, and dollyhair.com takes AT LEAST 2 weeks (usually 3) to arrive. So, I cannot imagine how incredibly long overseas shipping must take. I lost confidence in buying there over time too. You most certainly are not alone. I hope you have an excellent experience using restoredoll.com. (^_^)
DeleteI’m sorry you had a bad experience with Tina, but kudos to you for your bravery in speaking up so others might be warned. I have wondered over the years how such an angry, vindictive woman could succeed in business. I purchased a misrepresented item from her on eBay many years ago and at first she agreed to correct the problem but ended up keeping my returned item along with my return postage I had included. When I begged her to return my item and just forget about fixing it I was met with a spew of anger and blame. I was quite taken aback by her nastiness and have avoided her like the plague since. One does not “tiff” with Tina, one gets stiffed followed by a dose of venom. This woman is missing an integrity chip. Thank you again for your post and suggestion for a nicer place to buy doll hair.
ReplyDeleteI’m adding this quote because it’s germane to not tolerating the Tinas in this world:
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. Winston Churchill
I had no idea she ever sold on eBay. However, I have heard other individuals speak of her tendency toward nastiness when transactions don't go her way. I always wanted to believe those were small isolated incidents, but there are so many people stepping forward now. Honestly, it is sad that she has painted herself into such a corner with SO MANY people. Thank you for sharing your story with me, and with everyone who may stumble across this entry. And I adore the quote you chose. It is very fitting indeed.
DeleteTina from Dollyhair here. This is ridiculous. I never sold anything on ebay that was "misrepresented," and no such correspondence ever occurred. I cannot believe that someone could actually go to such lengths to fabricate something about me. I don't know who you are, Roville, or what your agenda is, but please do not make up outright lies about me. I have never had a problem with anything that I've sold on ebay being "misrepresented," but if such a situation had occurred, I WOULD have treated you with kindness and integrity. You say that I spewed anger and blame? It makes no sense. I just don't understand where this is coming from. This story is completely contrived.
DeleteTina, have you ever actually stopped to examine yourself, as opposed to pointing the finger at everyone else? With you, it seems, it is everyone's fault but yours. Personally, I don't know what happened between you and Roville. But I do know that Roville is a very well respected member of the doll community. And no, that wouldn't give her any sort of "immunity" with me, but based on what I know of your business dealings, I would believe her.
DeleteHello there, I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles :( I'm the owner of Retro Dolls US- and sell doll hair- I have synthetic, polypropylene, monofiber, kanekalon, saran and some nylon (we're working on getting more nylon and do have some of the same colors as DH). We are also getting in mohair as well. There's a site in the UK and one in Europe (Sweden) for Retro Dolls, too. If you would like a sample, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at retrodollsus@yahoo.com My site is www.retrodollsus.com and my facebook page is www.facebook.com/RetroDollsUs
ReplyDeleteI hope you all have better experiences in the future and look forward to meeting you and seeing your work!
Best wishes,
Shannon
Shannon, thank you so much for offering another option for all of us. I look forward to trying out your hair ordering services in the future. Expect an e-mail from me soon. (^_^)
DeleteYou're quite welcome! :) I look forward to hearing from you! :)
DeleteHaha, of course! Heeeeeeere's Shannon!
DeleteTina, I don't think you are in any position to be laughing. Shannon has been nothing but an humble and respectful person each time I've spoken with her. Take your rude and emotionally immature behavior somewhere else. You had more than enough opportunity to fix any and all misgivings about your company with all of the individuals who keep commenting here and sending me messages about your lack of customer service. And it never ceases to amaze me that you can comment on all forums and blogs that mention you, but cannot return multiple e-mails for those who wish to buy hair from your website.
DeleteI really wanted you to be an excellent hair provider, and for a time you were. But for whatever reason, your services are no longer cost effective or guaranteed. That is bad business.
Wow...I am appalled at that response. You would think she would be trying to fix her reputation...she sounds like she lost her mind. That is so sad. One of my customers was just asking me who do I personally recommend. Ive been talking to Shannon on facebook and she was always very polite and helping. I am another person burned but Tina and have seen at least 30 others personally myself among the rerooters I know. I was on MLP in the forum. I usually just link this blog now. I also took back my recommendations about her site and was once of her customers as well.
DeleteI was appalled at the response from Tina on this post. Sounds like she lost her mind. I was once a customer for long time and was burned. I was part of the people on MLP discussing it. I never had a resolution and went through same thing. Broken promise for delivery after months of being ignored. You get a quick response if you ask if site is open for business. I have talked to Shannon on facebook and she is always very prompt and polite. Very helping. I did also have the frizzy problem and thought I was just going crazy and overreacting about the hair not finishing my projects like they used to. I thought maybe I was wasting or something or using too much in some spots. Pretty much blamed myself till over 30 people surfaced and the rerooters I know started asking me if I had problems. I wish there were a lot more US based hair places. Some of my friends lost $375 orders and $278 orders. Im a lucky smaller order praise the stars! I also took back my recommendation as you have and now just link this blog and a few other complaint sites and MLP post. Thanks for helping keep the info in one spot for us all and allowing people to get some closure even if things werent resolved.
DeleteThank you for sharing your experience. I've had a couple people say they got their order without a problem, but they were overseas. Which I found interesting...
DeleteSo sorry you and your clients have had to go through this. Of all my blog posts, to this day, this one gets hits daily. Which lets me know, she is still telling the same lies and not providing what she promises.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if my first comment went through, but I'm Shannon, owner of Retro Dolls US. We sell a variety of hair for your custom projects. We're currently working on getting more nylon colors in that DH carries. If you would like a sample, or have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to help out in any way that I can. :) My email is retrodollsus@yahoo.com website- www.retrodollsus.com facebook- www.facebook.com/RetroDollsUs
I wish you all the best of luck with your orders in the future, I'm sorry to hear of the trouble you've had. I look forward to meeting you guys and seeing what you create!!
Best wishes,
Shannon :)
The first one did go through. (^_^) Thank you so much for stopping in and alerting us to more hair buying options. This is VERY exciting news!!
Deletethis subject never surprises me. we've had this issue with DH for months now in the MLP (My Little Pony) community.
ReplyDeletehttp://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php?topic=316839.0
http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,317815.0.html
http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,319042.0.html
although her latest trick is to bribe those who've had problems with more hair, i don't see her brightened and attentive attitude staying for long. her service has always been iffy and now just because she has 2 serious US based companies for competition she is desperate to retain her income. restoredoll was my first hair supplier and i've never had an issue with them. retrodollsus is doing well by me now as well. i cannot, for the life of me, fathom why people would still patronize dollyhair.
Thank you so much for posting your experience here along with more links shining further light on just how big this problem is. She promised to fix my problem with more hair back in November. That hair STILL isn't here, and I don't think it ever will be. That is bad business to lie to repeat customers. But I have definitely moved on to better hair suppliers. Again, thank you so much for the comment RevRuby!
DeleteHey there, sorry you have been having problems!
ReplyDeleteI have used http://retrodollsus.weebly.com/ (RetroDollsUS) a few times and she is the most wonderful lady, I would recommend her, even her preorders come in super fast :)
She also has a group on facebook with lots of positive reviews https://www.facebook.com/RetroDollsUs
The saran add tinsel is super super silky, its my favorite style there :)
Thank you for your comments DarkXLigress! I am certainly looking forward to ordering from Shannon's site. (^_^) I checked out her facebook page and she seems very personable, and honest. Definitely someone I would enjoy ordering from. I will be sure to keep your tips on ordering from retrodollsus.weebly.com/ in mind! I'll also have to look into the Saran you're talking about. Again, thank you so much for stopping in and sharing something positive!!
DeleteI enjoy Retrodolls service! The owner is such a sweetheart and is prompt and so helpful! The hair was quite lovely and she sent samples of a few different types to help me get a feel for upcoming projects. Highly recommend!
ReplyDelete~colorscapesart (My Little Pony Arena)
I like the sound of that! (^_^) Thank you so much Kim. It really would be great to have a sample before ordering. I have had one too many incidents where I ordered hair that just wasn't quite right. Thank you again for the helpful comment!
DeleteSorry to hear you've had such a bad time!
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend RetroDollsUS ( http://www.retrodollsus.com )
The owner is an awesome lady named Shannon, and she has been nothing but friendly and fast, even my preorders took less time then expected! My favorite hair has to be her saran, its amazing silky, make sure you order extra of whatever color you get though, its way too pretty! If you are looking for more reviews she has more comments on her facebook site as well http://www.facebook.com/RetroDollsUs
I hope you find someone you enjoy ordering from, and keep making your lovely customs!
Hello! I am so sorry to hear about all of the problems those of you in the doll community are having with Dollyhair. I have been on the receiving end of Tina's total lack of customer service in the past as well. I have tried to find other ways around buying from her, whether it be buying large lots from retiring customizers or buying hair from other sites. I finally tried Retro Dolls US and have been beyond pleased with both the high quality hair and the AMAZING customer service.
ReplyDeleteShannon, at Retro Dolls US, is a fellow MLP customizer and is an active member of our community. I think that puts her in the unique position of understanding what our wants/needs/deadlines are. I am sure that many of those issues are the same that affect the doll customizing community.
She is very easy to get in touch with (in multiple ways) and always responds to my questions within a matter of hours with either good info or a polite solution to any problem/issue. Her hair quality is great and she is getting new hair colors in all the time as she builds her inventory. Shannon also runs some really great sales and deals. She also sent me small samples of different hair types with my first order...this is something I had asked of Tina years ago and never got a response about. Retro Dolls US has very fast turnaround times on orders as well.
As I said, I have been really happy with the orders I have placed with Retro Dolls US and would highly recommend them. It is so important to be able to depend on a vendor and know that you will receive an excellent product at a great price, while being made to feel like an important and appreciated customer.
I really hope that no matter who you order from, you are able to get what you need. Good luck! :)
-cookhuman (My Little Pony Arena)
Thank you so much for posting this! Shannon is AWESOME! (^_^)
DeleteAnother recommendation for RetroDollsUS. :D Shannon is super friendly, and always quick to answer any questions you have. The hair is lovely, (I love the monofiber. So soft!) and the shipping time is fast, even for her pre-orders! I can't recommend them enough!
ReplyDelete~Okiegurl1981 (Okiegurl's custom ponies: http://www.facebook.com/Okiegurl1981.Custom.Ponies )
I have never had faster customer service in my life and I'm very excited to receive my first hair order from her! (^_^)
DeleteI highly recommend RetroDollsUS
ReplyDeleteShannon gives great customer service and if you need a replacement for hair she will send it out pretty quickly. I personally had this experience with needing a replacement hank for a hank that I had gotten through a promotion from RDUS, though she had to get the replacement straight from the UK she still was able to send it to me in a timely manner. RDUS' hair selection is growing more and more as time goes on, and she now is carrying Nylon.. though limited colors at the moment. I wish you luck with getting a new supplier :)
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comment!! (^_^) I am having an excellent experience with RetroDollsUS!
DeleteHello there! Recently found this. I WAS a customer of dollyhair for years for customs or just referring people to her. I bought a doll magnifying piece for my last order. $12 I believe in total. Nothing big thankfully. Now before this I never had a problem and was always really pleased. She even sent me a free magazine one time and also free hair samples.
ReplyDeleteThis however was it after hearing a lot of my customers complain to me and tell me their stories along with my own. I am done. I started telling people a few months ago dont go there or to Katsilk because I heard that is owned by her sister and had several horror stories told to me also. Going to try this retro doll and restoredoll. I need to be able to purchase hair again since I am running out now.
As for what happened: I had to write from 3 DIFFERENT emails and each time except last one it was the same that I would tell I didnt receive my item and she would ask me for paypal copy and apologize. (3rd time I wrote btw she never responded lol) Then she would just disappear once I showed her the paypal transaction. Wouldnt respond. By the way, this was months after I did not receive it even after waiting I decided to write because I knew she had a baby, which is fine. Like many others, I thought she needed time, but to be blantantly ignored was enough. It was past the paypal transaction dispute also.
I never get that doll magnifier from her nor a refund lol. It was only $12. I heard some heard ripped off of $200 orders. Im sad about not getting that item but they are available other places and also sad I lost a place to get hair...but there are others. Thanks for the blog.
Brenda
Brenda, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I once had good service and communication from Tina, despite others saying they were having less than stellar experiences. Finally, I got my own bad experience. Thank you again for being so open and honest. It gives others a chance to make a more informed decision before buying from DH.
DeleteThank you Cat (Hard to see name and date and time blue link on seamfoam green background). I saw she replied to my post and dismissed it and pretty much said I am either confused or a liar. She never gives credit to any complaint it seems and either posts up it is a fake comment by "reputation removal companies" or "competitors" or "JUST LIES!" Theres so many now all over the internet in different forms, how can she dispute? No change will happen until she takes responsibility for her actions. Customers of mine have told me complaints long after the assistant was gone and work was "delegated all to her" instead. My problem was never resolved nor do I any longer care to have it resolved by her any longer. I moved my business to Restoredoll/retrodolls . I have to agree with all the people I have spoken with, Shannon is very nice and respectful. Kathy is nice too but havent spoken much to her.
DeleteForgot to say on second time emailing her that I said I was buying and was website still up and running to which I got a very speedy reply until I told her about my item being missing. Lol.
ReplyDeleteGuys, I am very sorry that you're all feeling this way. As far as Pullipdallover's comment above, all I can say is that this is totally unusual for me, and I'm sure that many people would agree with that statement. Maybe the fact that Pullipdallover wrote to me from three different email addresses was confusing to me? And the fact that she says that I asked for a Paypal receipt makes NO SENSE. I would never ask for a Paypal receipt because I don't deal with Paypal directly - a 3rd party processes Paypal payments on my behalf. Therefore, I have no way of looking up a Paypal receipt. And I would not "disappear" if someone showed me a Paypal receipt - there's no reason for me to do that. I would send the item that was owed to the customer, or I would refund their money. To do anything other than one of those things would be dishonest, and I don't operate like that. I just don't.
ReplyDeleteHere's what happened with the quantities: my previous assistant had been sending customers more hair than she was supposed to for all of those years, and then, after she quit, my new assistant was sending customers the accurate amounts. Well, of course customers started complaining because they were no longer receiving the quantities that they had become accustomed to receiving. After I figured out what had been happening, I reformatted everything so that the hanks would be the same size that they had been when my assistant was sending too much hair to people.
Additionally, I discovered that my new assistant had been making far too many mistakes, so I decided to pull back the reins, and process all of the orders myself. That's what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks. I know that there will now be FAR fewer errors with orders.
I apologize to everyone who has been disappointed. All I can ask is that you guys give me another chance now that none of the work is being delegated to anyone else. I care very much about Dollyhair, and I want you guys to have nothing but positive things to say about it. I could go through this blog and comment on everything that's been said, but I think it's just better that I tell all of you that I have stepped everything up, and I hope that you guys will feel happy and confident about shopping on Dollyhair. That's really all I can say - everything has been stepped up, and I apologize for anything and everything that people are upset about. Things are being run differently now.
Before going into my story, I want to mention something. Tina's website has stated for years that her 38" hanks were supposed to weight .7oz, as compared to RestoreDoll's .6oz hanks. The oldest snapshot I can find of that page is from 2009:
Deletehttp://web.archive.org/web/20090909230602/http://www.dollyhair.com/competitor.htm
But I remember it stating this for as long as that page has been there. (Note the price for RD's hanks is listed as $5.75. It's since been increased to $5.95, which is reflected on Tina's current site.)
If people were receiving 1 full ounce of hair, they really were receiving more hair than they were supposed to.
This doesn't excuse Tina's bad business practices, nor does it negate the bad experiences people have had with her. In fact, Cat receiving a .6oz hank is unacceptable. If a businessperson claims that their product weighs a certain amount, the product received by the customer had better weight AT LEAST that much, if not more. That's a fundamental tenet of business.
Of course, the weight of the Saran fiber can vary from one color to another, or even from one spool of the same color to another. I believe Tina's hanks are measured by length, not weight. There's a chance (slim as it may be) that Cat's skein contained the correct LENGTH of hair, but due to weight variation, it weighed less than the advertised .7oz. In any event, the discrepancy is unacceptable.
Now that that's out of the way...
Tina is infamous within the doll community for a reason. We know what she's like. We've seen her do these things over and over again. We know how to use Google. We can find the proof.
I've ordered hair from her many times over the years. I started ordering way back when she first started selling it. Some transactions have been fine, others not so fine. From the things I've seen her do and say (like attempting to post personal email messages between herself and a customer on your blog here, which is unfathomable and which she's done before on other public forums--good on Cat for blocking those posts), I honestly believe we're dealing with a person suffering from severe personality disorders who honestly doesn't realize how she comes across to other people. She sees customer complaints--or even less-than-positive comments--as personal attacks and reacts accordingly, going on the defensive and responding in ways that can accurately be called "childish". (A symptom of personality disorder.) I also think she believes she's running her business appropriately, and really thinks it's okay for people to wait weeks (often months) to receive their order. (Conversely, she may not even be aware that it's happening, or may not believe the customers when they complain. It may just not be registering.)
I've had many orders that were "delayed" beyond what any reasonable person would consider an acceptable timeframe. "My order hasn't arrived." "Sorry, I'll send your order right away!" Two months later: "My order still hasn't arrived." "Sorry, I'll send your hair right away!"
My orders have generally been fine once I actually got them. I've never gotten tangled hair like some posters unfortunately have, and my orders (some of which have been rather complicated) have usually been exactly what I asked for. (I've had concerns I may have been sent the wrong colors on a few occasions when ordering non-fantasy blonds and brunettes.)
I admit, though, that it never occurred to me to check if I was getting a consistent amount each time. I do feel very uneasy about the fact that I may not have been.
Tina's never been openly rude to me. She's generally been friendly and helpful in emails, despite also being very self-centered. (Another symptom of personality disorder.) However, I tend to be more patient than most people, and I suspect if I hadn't been, my experiences may have been different.
(part 2) I've ordered from RestoreDoll before as well. As others have said, Kathy is extremely friendly and helpful. Why have I favored Tina? Because RestoreDoll's website is virtually impossible to navigate. Tina's is easy. Tina's a painter and knows colors. Her color descriptions are excellent, and the color swatch layout makes it easy to compare colors. The photos are very consistent, all the same scale and lit the same way. The color descriptions on RD's website are impossible to understand unless you're already familiar with the colors ("this color was used on American Girl Barbie" isn't helpful--lots of colors were), and there's no way to see a side-by-side comparison. Even if you could, the pictures are inconsistent.
DeleteI also have a problem with Kathy's claims that certain Saran fibers that she carries are the "same" exact hair that was used to root vintage Barbie dolls. In most instances, this is completely wrong.
Lastly, remember that only one company makes Saran hair fiber. All resellers get it from the same manufacturer. It's exactly the same. There is no such thing as "geniune Katsilk® saran". That would be like someone emptying a box of Kleenex into a new box and selling it as "Geniune Katsilk® Kleenex". It's a misuse of the Saran trademark.
Again, this is not meant as an insult to Kathy--her customers love her for a reason.
Back to the subject at hand:
"Guys, I am very sorry that you're all feeling this way. As far as pullipdallover's comment above, all I can say is that this is totally unusual for me...Maybe the fact that Pullipdallover wrote to me from three different email addresses was confusing to me?"
This is Tina's usual modus operandi--starting an apology that degrades into blaming someone else for the problem. (Yes, that's another symptom of personality disorder.)
"And the fact that she says that I asked for a Paypal receipt makes NO SENSE. I would never ask for a Paypal receipt because I don't deal with Paypal directly--a 3rd party processes Paypal payments on my behalf."
This is not true. Tina asked me for a paypal transaction number once when my order never arrived so she could check the contents of my order.
"Here's what happened with the quantities: my previous assistant had been sending customers more hair than she was supposed to for all of those years, and then, after she quit, my new assistant was sending customers the accurate amounts. Well, of course customers started complaining because they were no longer receiving the quantities that they had become accustomed to receiving. After I figured out what had been happening, I reformatted everything so that the hanks would be the same size that they had been when my assistant was sending too much hair to people."
I have to say, I believe this is at least partly true. Although I've never seen Tina claim to have had the same, single ssistant working for her for all these years (it seems to go against statements she's made in the past), this story makes logical sense considering what I mentioned above. By "reformatted", I think she's referring to figuring out what length of hair was necessary to achieve the volumes people were receiving before (because, again, I believe her hair is measured by length rather than weight).
I AM amazed that Tina never noticed that her inventory was disappearing much faster than it should have. That's a bad way to run a business.
Nevertheless, based on Tina's track record, I wouldn't fault someone for initially suspecting that she'd simply decided to "pull a fast one" by sending less hair than she used to, thinking people wouldn't notice the difference. The fact that her customers would tend to assume this about her this says a lot.
(last part) "I apologize to everyone who has been disappointed. All I can ask is that you guys give me another chance now that none of the work is being delegated to anyone else."
DeleteOnce again, an instance of an apology turning into "the blame game".
"I care very much about Dollyhair, and I want you guys to have nothing but positive things to say about it."
If this were actually true, Tina's customers WOULD have nothing but positive things to say about it. As we've all seen, many of them have eanything but. People who are successful in business are successful because they make things right for their customers. It's not always for altruistic reasons (in fact, it hardly ever is), but the fact remains that if a customer is unhappy with a transaction, the businessperson did something wrong--even if it was entirely the customer's fault. (Sad but true.)
I apologize for the long comment. I just wanted to present some different sides to this issue.
Did u just dismiss what I said and pretty much call me a liar? Please take responsibility for your actions. There is so much everywhere. How can u deny it? "Im sure many people would agree this unusual for you." Have you read this post? The whole thing is about you doing the same thing that happened to me. All I have to do is pull up the email as proof and show people. I dont know how you think you could deny asking for paypal receipt TWICE, not even once, but twice. Your apology was an excuse for your behavior and to dismiss your responsibility for your actions. Instead of accepting responsibility, you placed blame on me and said you would never do that. Pretty much I dont know what I am talking about? By the way.....my complaint was after "the assistant" was supposedly gone...think on that one. Please stop using a scapegoat and just take responsibility. I just spoke with a customer over last few weeks who had a problem still. We are talking now long after you claim your assistant is gone.
DeleteYou just dismissed what I said and put the blame on me instead? Take responsibility for your actions. No excuse. No scapegoats. And FYI, problems my customers have been having were AFTER your assistant was supposedly gone and "now the work was delegated to just you". All I have to do is pull up the emails as proof. I dont understand how you could even try deny it and dismiss what I am saying? "most people would agree this is unusual for me" Are you not aware of all the complaints of your business with over 50 people in all forums? Before things could ever get better, responsibility for your actions needs to happen and stop placing the blame on everyone but yourself. Stop attacking your competitors. Be happy your customers are getting their needs met even if it somewhere else. That is what a true business owner does who loves their customers. If you can't serve and help them, you find someone who does and be happy someone is helping them get their needs met.
DeleteI don't have a personality disorder, and if anyone is going to accusse me of such a thing, especially on a public forum, then they should have a psychology degree, or they should just NOT make the accusation. I think this is really crossing the line.
ReplyDeletePullipdallover - I am not dismissing your comments. I responded to them. Once again, I state that I do not deal directly with Paypal, and I do not have the ability to go to any website (my shopping cart, or my merchant account, or Paypal) and look up a Paypal receipt number. That's why it would not have been helpful to me in any way if you had shown me a copy of your Paypal receipt. Furthermore, many customers will attest to the fact that I rarely ask a customer for proof of transactions, but rather, I take their word for things so that I can save them the hassle of providing proof, and I simply send them whatever they are asking for. I want to keep them happy. I honestly don't recall the specifics of the correspondence that you and I had together, so it's difficult for me to comment on it from that point of view. All I can do is state the facts - I do not deal with Paypal on a direct basis, so a paypal receipt number is useless to me.
If a customer has ever waited weeks or months to receive an order, that was a complete accident and is totally incongruent with how I normally do business. Generally, all orders are shipped within three days after they're placed. Some orders even ship the same day. Rarely, an order is shipped 5 or 6 days after it's placed, and that's only in a situation where the customer may have ordered an item that is out of stock, but that I know is on its way and will be arriving very soon. Under no circumstances is it ever acceptable for an order to be received weeks or months after an order is placed, and the only situations I can think of where such a thing could have happened is 1) a U.S. order that was overlooked, and we forgot to ship it (yes, that has happened on VERY rare occasion. We make mistakes). 2) an international order that was shipped without a tracking number, and was lost in the mail.
ReplyDeleteFor the last two months, the great majority of international orders, unless they're very small, have been shipped with tracking, and the customer is automatically emailed with a tracking number once their shipping label is generated. The same thing goes for U.S. orders. So if a customer orders more than $5.00 worth of merchandise and does not receive an email with a tracking number within a week after placing their order, then they should contact me immediately. I do not check email every day, but I check it 3-4 days a week, and I check it in its entirety. If a customer wants to get ahold of me more quickly, then they can call me or text me at the Dollyhair phone number, 616-61-DOLLY. I answer the phone, and I've spoken directly with a lot of customers. I also reply to text messages fairly quickly. For obvious reasons, a customer outside of the U.S. may not be able to call or text a U.S. phone number, but they can still email me.
I also want to state a bit of personal information. People can accuse me of putting the blame on someone else, or whatever else they want to accuse me of, because that's probably how people are going to see things, but I decided that it's time to tell the truth about what happened to me, and I am no longer going to protect my husband's reputation. I was scared of what he would do to me, and I was embarrased about the fact that I am a victim of domestic violence. But if I tell people what happened, I think that they might just try to empathize with me, just might try to understand what I was going through. I had my husband arrested back in November 2012 for domestic violence against me. My husband was also vioplent toward my son, who was only a 7-month-old baby at the time. My husband went to prison, and I have since filed for divorce against him, which is still pending. When I talk to people who have never been in a domestic violence situation, they just can't empathize with me. And I can't expect them to be able to, because it's really an unfathomable situation. But just try to envision a situation where you're a new mother, your husband beats the c*** out of you, then you have to decide to break off a relationship with a man whom you love so much, but before you can even digest that idea and come to terms with it, he comes back at you for more emotional abuse and more physical abuse, every day, for a whole month, all the while you're paranoid, thinking that if you call the police, or if you even call a friend or family member for help, he'll find out because he has the house bugged. OK, go in your car and use your cell phone - no, he might have the car bugged. Go outside and just talk on your cell - no, he's "made friends" with all of the neighbors, and they'll eavsdrop and tell him (yes, this actually happened). OK, go in your car, drive somewhere else, get out of the car, and then talk on the phone - no, because you can't leave the house vulnerable, as he's now been stealing items and pawning them. Imagine that kind of paranoia. Imagine being so scared about what someone whould do to you if he knew that you made those phone calls. NOW, imagine trying to run a business while you're going through something like that. I finally got him arrested, and I moved on with my life. My baby boy is healthy, happy, and amazing, and I've found love again too, and I'll be getting married soon. And my soon-to-be ex husband may even look on the internet and see what I've just written. He's stalking me even from a different state. I had to get a restraining order against him. He's a sociopath, and he may even run a smear campaign against me on the internet. So JUST IMAGINE dealing with a person like this in your life, and also trying to run a business when you feel like you're going to lose your mind to paranoia. Just imagine, also, that your husband has mismanaged money so badly and run up the credit card debt so high that you can't even see yourself getting out of the financial mess any time soon, but you need the money from your business so badly that you can't afford to close it down, even temporarily, and then, to put the icing on the cake, a would-be competitor comes along and tries to kick you when you're down. Fun times.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm strong and resilient, and I've made it through this. I'm happy and lucky and I got my sweet, beautiful son out of that insidious relationship. And Dollyhair is being run beautifully now. BEAUTIFULLY.
ReplyDeleteSo, once again, all I can do is ask customers to give me another chance. I'm no longer living in hell, and I am able to devote myself to Dollyhair.
Tina
That was sad Tina that your husband almost destroyed your life and everyone should respect you plus this is Gerard.
DeleteHello! In early May, I placed an order for Dollyhair.com. I live in Russia, but the order came very quickly. High quality hair, I'm satisfied :)
ReplyDeleteHello, I am an Australian and I purchased some items including two hanks of hair from dollyhair.com sometime last year. I found the advice and service to be exemplary. My order was dispatched promptly and arrived safely. All items were accounted for and as described.
ReplyDeleteYou guys should respect Tina because,one day you will be threaten by someone.😠
ReplyDelete