Dollfair (Narin Dolls)

[Merry]

I'm requesting info on personal experiences ordering Narin Dolls via Dollfair International. Specifically, turn-around time from ordering to actually receiving the doll.

On their website they say it's 4-6 weeks depending on the location of the faceup artist. However, I've recently read about someone having to wait 'months' for their doll.

Since I don't know if there were peculiar circumstances involved with her wait I thought it best to ask as many people as possible to get a better idea of the actual wait time.

I intend to order an unpainted doll so if anyone has ordered the same that would be especially helpful. But even the turn-around time for painted dolls will help me get an idea of what to expect.

Thank you~!

[Catrina]

Hello,
I can provide a bit of info about ordering times.

The past summer was very humid and rainy in Korea, and this forced many delays for dollmakers, not just Narin. Some companies even closed down for a month or two. It is very difficult to cast dolls in high humidity because it can cause bubbles and other bad results. The painters also had a terrible time, because the paint won't stick in high humidity, and the MSC sprays on white. Sometimes faces must be repainted over and over.

They are back on schedule now, and the wait time is around 6 weeks. They have been very busy working on finishing the final test castings for a whole new set of leg joints for both the 43 and 60cm dolls too.

If you are interested in getting a blank doll, we have incoming blank dolls which we are offering as a benefit to the artist event we are hosting in Ohio. Since this is not a sales thread, I can't post a link to it. However, there are about 20 blank dolls coming in this month which we will be selling as a benefit. I guess you could PM me if you are interested in one. Ten of these will arrive in the next order, which should be in less than 2 weeks.

Hope that answers your question, and my response in no way is meant to discourage others from chiming in. I know the wait times are frustrating sometimes but since the dolls are studio-made, they take time.

Catrina

[Merry]

Thank you for your reply and your help! :) :blush

[soliloquies]

I waited three months for mine to arrive, but that was because of the high humidity causing delays. :)

[dicebox]

I ordered my Narae back in 2006, before the Dollfair physical shop location opened up, so I'm not sure if anything has changed since then!

I think it was about a 2 or 2.5 month wait. I ordered a blank doll, but at the time (perhaps it's still done this way) the dolls were ordered and shipped in batches, and if there's an order for something extravagant (such as a tattoed doll that takes a long time in painting) the following orders can get held up.

Overall compared to other companies it didn't seem like too long, plus the benefit of only having to pay shipping coming from the US was a huge plus! I really had a good experience with Dollfair, I would recommend it highly. :)

[Chops]

Last year I ordered my Narae via Catrina, and I can highly recommend working with Dollfair. Very informative and very professional. I believed I waited about 8 weeks for my doll to arrive, (with faceup). You are going to love Narae!

[Faireyangel]

I ordered a painted 60cm Narae in late July and received her in late September of this year. I think at that time the standard wait was about 2 months.

The quality is exceptional and the service at Dollfair is awesome. I highly recommend dealing with them. Catrina and her staff update the website as often as they get information; so you can follow along with what's happening to the batch your doll is in.

I agree with Chops-- you're going to love Narin Doll! :)

[Merry]

Thanks everyone! I did go ahead and ordered a blank tanning skin Narae and I'm really looking forward to seeing one of these dolls in real life!

My husband is in full eye-rolling mode since I'm already pondering aloud if perhaps I should get a Narin to accompany her. :XD

[MademoiselleLotus]

I've ordered through Dollfair two times, and I will never use them again. They conduct business in a very unprofessional way, have terrible customer service on every level. As a customer I'm not interested in hearing detailed personal stories about how hard they work, how difficult doing business internationally is and even telling bad things about people they represent. I want plain facts. It's my money. Other companies do well doing the same as Dollfair, so their challenges is not unique.

[obsessed_mimiko]

They conduct business in a very unprofessional way, have terrible customer service on every level. As a customer I'm not interested in hearing detailed personal stories about how hard they work, how difficult doing business internationally is and even telling bad things about people they represent. I want plain facts. It's my money. Other companies do well doing the same as Dollfair, so their challenges is not unique.

I agree 100% with you, MademoiselleLotus. I'm still stuck in the current mess of Dollfair & Bimong. More info here: http://www.bjdcollectasy.com/narin/narin-announcement.html

I've asked Catrina for my refund of $550 several times through e-mail and even called her company and left them a message. Honestly, what more I can do? I ordered my 43cm Golden Beige Butterfly face Narin doll on August 20th, 2010. Roughly a little over 2 months now and as the way things are my doll will never be made. It's been 2 weeks since I've requested my refund but I have not received any reply or money back. I've been closely following along with all the updates on DoA about the situation but I can't post on DoA because I'm not a member. I am still part of the group that has not been refunded yet.

I've contacted Paypal in hopes of getting my money back but they couldn't do anything because it's been over their 45 calendar days policy of opening a claim. I was advised to contact several agencies but I've only contacted my state's general attorney's office. I really don't want to make this worst then it already is for Catrina BUT $550 is a lot of money and I would like it back.

As a customer, I feel cheated and left in the dark about the whole situation. Catrina's post on BJDcollectasy was on Sept. 16th, 2010 but I was never notified through e-mail. The only way I found out was when I e-mailed her about the "delays" in production of the Narin dolls (this was the only info on her website). After that e-mail, I did received a brief reply from Catrina explaining what was going on. That was the only reply I ever received back from her. My other e-mails were never answered. Even though Catrina did not have a lot of info she SHOULD of kept contact with the customers consistent and honest.

I've heard that the fastest way to get my money back would be to contact my credit card company, which at the rate things are going will most likely be my next route. I've run out of patience and empathy towards Catrina. I don't care whether she has enough money in her accounts or not, she NEEDS to REFUND her customers quickly. This has been dragged out forever and I am getting tired of it.

This will be my first and last time ordering from Dollfair/Catrina. If you seriously want a doll that that company carries, you'll be better off buying it from somewhere else. I strongly caution new customers to that company to use them at their own risk.

[pake4pleasanton]

I paid $690 in Feb/Mar 2010 to Dollfair for a 43cm Narae. To date I haven't received a refund or a doll. Catrina of Dollfair does not reply to telephone calls or email. She no longer has a business address either. Do not purchase a doll from Catrina/Dollfair, you will be out of your money with nothing to show for it.

[pake4pleasanton]

Additional information, my credit card company has a refund policy of 90 days. Once that 90 day limit passes, your money is lost.

After 90 days, Catrina kept promising to ship a Narae to me (as late as Nov. 2010) and then I never heard from her again. She said she had extra Naraes in stock and that she was also offer her personal collection to buyers who didn't get a doll that was ordered. She also said that if you don't like what she has in stock she will refund your money. It is all lies. Order from a reputable company and avoid this whole mess.