Tuesday, January 11, 2011

DOLLS Magazine Sends Out "Winner" Notifications for I Love How You Love Me Poppy Giftset

Earlier today, DOLLS Magazine sent out emails to the 60 lucky people who got the chance to purchase a Poppy giftset. Sighs of relief were heard but there is a great deal of vitriol on the DOLLS' site right now.

Carie Ferg, DOLLS Associate Publisher, wrote:
"We sincerely apologize your Poppy Parker ordering experience was so frustrating. Basically, our server became so overwhelmed with activity at noon, that we couldn’t activate our store as planned. After increasing bandwidth and trying to activate for several hours, we decided the best thing we could do given the circumstances was to take orders via the e-mail form. The quantity then did sell out in just over five minutes. We’ve learned for the future that we need MORE bandwidth. Sorry for any inconvenience this caused. "

Several collectors responded harshly:
 "Carry [sic], I think that's crap....you should have sent an email out through the w club about how you we're going to give the 60 out since your server couldn't handle it, so everyone had a fair shot.... Or picked from the names that weren't picked in the lottery.  Jones publishing has bad customer service and bad business practices!!!"

"To Txxxx and Cari [sic],
In a nut shell - BAD form.
You DO NOT change the rules of the game in the middle!
It's cheating. Plain and simple.
Thanks for absolutely nothing, but a frustrating waste of 2.5 hours. "


Collectors are attacking each other as well.  You can read it for yourself and be amazed at the intensity of the anger.

http://www.dollsmagazine.com/manufacturers/integrity-toys/491-p-is-for-pretty-pure-and-poppy-parker.html


I was not at all surprised at the disaster yesterday. This has happened before and will happen again. DOLLS Magazine was not prepared in advance for the onslaught. They should have been informed by those in the know at Integrity Toys what to expect. They were left hanging in the wind.
I saw their offer to take emails not as a switch midstream that was done without regard, but as an attempt in an emergency situation, to help potential buyers.

I also understand the depth of disappointment of those who did not get to buy the set. I suffered at the hands of FAO during the AFL Platinum 'sale.' That debacle was handled even worse than this. Some collectors were confirmed by FAO personal shoppers and then two weeks later told there was no doll for them. It was terrible!

It's becoming rather unsafe to post opinions on the doll boards these days. I have read that people are afraid to post opinions for fear of being attacked or ridiculed. I think they have a rational fear. 


 NOTE:
 Sic – generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, (sic) – when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates that the passage is just as it appears from its original source. The usual purpose is to inform readers that any errors or apparent errors in the copied material are not from transcription – i.e. that they are reproduced exactly from the original writer or printer.