I will not at this time reveal her name as I still want to give her a chance to pay me back but she is already one day overdue and I haven't had any contact from her in almost a month... she is a member of Doll Fan and a member here (but she hasn't posted much, she is more active in Doll Fan).

Some time in June a lady came to me from Europe telling me how she would like to make a living off dolls and that she was offering silicone pouring services and if I would give her a job...
I do not like silicone much so at that time I had nothing to give her but she sent me a sample and I loved the silicone so I said ok and decided to do Baby Mine and Close to my heart in silicone.
Things were going OK for a while, she mixed the color I wanted in silicone etc, I sent her the pieces and then she asked to be paid for the 3 first dolls because she really ran into trouble and needed the money. So I sent the money to her (750 euros)

She had a problem with her hand which she knew about before she asked me for work but assured me it would be ok... there was one delay after another with lots of excuses and assurances until around the 7th September all communication was cut off. The last I heard from was for that FOR SURE I would have my dolls by the 15th...

On the 16th I got a package from her... I thought it was my dolls... but when I opened it I found the half finished molds, the pieces and a letter saying her hand was very bad, she couldn't do it anymore and that she would return my money at the end of the month.
Needless to say I had a stroke!
Not only was I out a substantial amount of money, there was no way I could have my dolls for the upcoming show.. not to mention I had already been delayed by this lady who originally had promised the entire edition by the end of August (although there was a two week postal delay from the US to her that wasn't her fault).

On that very same day I had found someone else to take over and the molds and pieces went out to her. I will probably get my dolls for the show too... Susi is going to be pouring for me from now on.

Look, I am not angry or unreasonable about her hand situation. What I *am* angry about is a) the fact she hasn't refunded me and b) the way she handled it was very unprofessional.
There were a number of ways she could have gotten out of it without causing me all these problems:
a) she could have said "Tina I can't do it, I know in the past you had silicones made with someone else, can I send the molds to someone else to save you time?"
b) "Tina I can't do it, I will try to do at least the one doll I know you desperately need for the show but after that I'm done"

And most importantly she could have packed the damn molds in way they wouldn't be deformed by the time they got to me!! She just threw everything in a box, literally and sent them off with no care of how they would arrive.
So basically she came to me, begged me for work, then asked to be pre-paid (not part of the original deal) and then stories of how bad her hand was, how in need she was etc with excuses kept coming in until I got my molds back out of the blue one day.
And since then not a word from her...

I really feel bad because I do not think she is a bad person... but I can't keep taking the burn for "the not bad persons" that cause me a great deal of trouble.
I do this for a living, it is not a joke to me. I take my work very seriously.
I have problems in my life too.. .I am frequently late with shipping, I am frequently stretched too thin... but you know what? I HAVE NEVER HUNG A CUSTOMER!!!
If I am late, I ship Express at my expense and I include extras... If I have a deadline, I will stay up until the morning and then go around my day half asleep.

I TOO have two small boys, and one of them is special needs. My schedule is very heavy to the point I don't even get to have a shower without a clock ticking.
I have a husband who is brings no money, does not support us and is never there and on top he has a terrible temper. Don't you think I have problems?
Don't think I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome IN BOTH hands? But I have never taken anybody's money for nothing!!!
I need surgery too in both hands and have been for years. But I have no time to do it...
So I am not blaming her for what happened with her hand and trust me I gave her almost a month leeway to return my money... but she is not responding to e-mails and her unprofessional behavior HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER HAND.
Right now she has stolen my money and until she returns it, I am scammed by her.

Please do not say to me I should give her more slack... I have... If I had that money now, I wouldn't be in this situation. I can't sell any dolls because they are all for the show, I owe money left and right... you want to hear a list of MY problems that money would solve if I had it?
My son's teeth cost me 320 Euros I must pay tomorrow to the dentist for instance...
And by the end of the week I must pay the car's tires...

(please note I am not targeting you but that lady.. I hope she reads this)
Please pray that she returns my money... I have read of one other artist that was doing a silicone with her a known one, but then the lady said she decided to work only with me... so that fell through? Hope the other artist did not lose any money.

I shouldn't have paid her in advance :( But I felt sorry for her with her two little boys and her hand...
Thanks for listening and if you ordered a silicone PLEASE DO NOT WORRY, I have it under control but I beg for your patience ... I will make it up to you :)
Hugs
TIna


So right now she hasn't refunded

oh tina i really feel for you hun , its so not fair that this woman has caused you this much trouble , i understand all too well how much rides on these dolls being ready so our own reputations are not affected .
im sure your customers will bear with you hun , your reputation is rock solid and this wholemess is so not your fault .
hope things get there for you in the end , and to the woman involved. give the damn money back , we all have problems , do not make yours someone elses

I'm in no hurry Tina, I would rather wait for a doll that I know is poured professionaly, that is more important to me, and I can imagine all the other ladies on your list will feel the same,

Thanks ladies :)
Her *work* was very good... the way she handled things was not professional. I would never chose someone whose work I haven't seen in person.

Look, bad things happen to all of us... it's the way we handle them that make the difference ...

If you are the lady who has caused Tina so much upset then please return her money immediately. I thought doll collectors were the nicest most honest of people so if you have an ounce of conscience then please do it now. We all have problems in our lives but manage to keep our respect.
Luv Janet

Tina, I'm so sorry to hear this has happened to you. And I truly hope that this woman does the right thing & pays you what is owed.
(((Hugs))), Lana

Oh NO! Tina - I hope you get your money back! this is terrible!!!
X Angela

I am so sorry to hear this, my dear friend, and hope by all my heart that the lady will pay you back the money that she owes you - and that she will do it NOW!!!!

Oh Tina so sorry to hear this and I hope you get your money back

I hope you get it all sorted out Tina.

Oh no that is awful Tina , I do hope she has the decency to refund you immediately , as you say we all have problems but it is the way they are dealt with that makes a very big difference , she shouldn't have taken work on she couldn't complete and then treated you with such disregard , I have everything crossed that it is sorted out very soon !

xx

I hope you will get the refund, Tina! If not, don't hesitate to warn all the other artists!

I know Susi does a wonderful job! I still hope she can use the half finished molds. This lady sounds very unprofessional. This is not the way a business should run..no way! Like you said, she could have find a way to help you and also in time before the upcoming show.

I'm sure your customers on your list will be very understanding! I'm glad you came forward to let the people know what is going on. How fast get an artist blamed in the public when a mistake happened and how fast a reputation is gone.

You have to do what you have to do to protect your reputation!

Hugs
Monika

I am so sorry, Tina.

I hope this woman gets your money to you very soon. If not, well, I hope you decide to file criminal charges against her. This type of behavior is not acceptable.

Ihope you find a resolution to this problem. Its not fair when people act unprofessionally like this.
Hugs
Carol

Oh Tina this sounds so awful. I wish for your sake as well that you didn't have to work so hard. It sounds like you desperately need a rest.
Sending love and hugs
Becky xxxx