Uggh, Mattel! (EAH Cerise)

[SymphonicEnkelli]

Mattel is so hot and cold when it comes to hair. I have several MH dolls, and some of their hair is just gorgeous! Others...sparse. And in one case, downright greasy. I got a Rochelle swim class doll for customizing, and her hair was so nasty to touch. My most upsetting case, however, was my Abbey. Part of the front of her hair is nearly rock solid, and they cut her bangs to far back, so locks of her hair keep falling out.

Like others have said, if you contact Mattel they can give you a refund or replace your doll. But really, they need to fix this hair problem.

[MeltedCaramel]

I agree with SymphonicEnkelli. I was going to comment earlier but I was grumpy and starting to sound a bit delirious. *Snorts* Even though Mattel will "fix your problem" in some way, there should be no need to jump through hurdles like this! And I'm sure this is far from the first time someone has complained about this little problem of theirs. If you're going to market a doll as a higher end item (which, let's face it, they are, they know MH is a hot adult collector's item and that a significant portion of their fanbase is adult collectors) make it LOOK like one at least.

Ughhh. I feel so bad for everyone who got lemons. I hope you all can either get a refund or a replacement doll! It is your right after all.

[Marionette]

You have to keep in mind that these are mass-produced dolls made in environments under pressure to produce a lot of toys very quickly. Also, even if collectors like them, they're still playline dolls. Other than the ones that are specifically released as collector dolls (like the Comic Con dolls), they're not being given any special attention or even marketed at a higher price than other articulated fashion dolls most of the time.

Even taking all that into account, in my experience, Mattel does a decent job. That doesn't mean this is excusable, but I don't quite feel that their quality control is that bad. I own a lot of MHs, and I work in a toy store, so I look at a lot of them, too. I don't get to inspect the ones at work out of the box, but a lot of issues you can tell just by looking at the toy. Compare them to Hasbro's My Little Ponies and Equestria Girls and you'll see what I mean -- sometimes it feels like almost every pony has smudged paint, and EG's hair is so thin it's ridiculous. I don't come across many paint issues on MHes (but I have seen a few).

Greasy or rock hard hair is simply because they abuse glue to make sure the style holds. Kinda gross to touch, but it's easily fixable with a wash if you are and not really a matter of quality. Dolls don't use styling gel, so they have to put something in there. They could probably do with less, of course.

I guess the point of this is definitely contact Mattel. You should get a good quality doll at that price point, and they'll probably be willing to help you out with a refund or replacement, which is honestly all a company can do in this situation. It would be nice not to have the problem in the first place, but as noted, when dolls are mass-produced in high pressure, not-too-pleasant factory environments, there will be mistakes that get through. It's that way with all mass-produced products. If it's not just a couple of flukes but a really substantial number of this type of doll, that's when there's a serious quality control problem. I really hope that's not the case because I want that doll pretty badly! xD

[OkamiKodomo]

I think also keep in mind that not all the dolls are produced at one factory, and the factories themselves are scattered all over the world. In some places, the quality control might be better than others. I think I recall people saying something about dolls that came from a certain place had problems with the glue used to hold the hair leaching through the scalp and making the "greasy" feeling hair that took a lot of effort to wash out. Some of the Monsters have so much glue in their heads, it takes hours to remove it all. Others only have barely enough. I also agree that for the price these dolls cost, there shouldn't be such frequent problems, but on the same token, there is still a human element involved in some part of the production lines, and if there happens to be several humans in Quality Control, at factories in possibly Third World countries, that hate life and hate their jobs and such, they're not going to care if some spoiled little girl that can actually afford to have toys while they can barely afford to feed their families gets a doll with bald spots. Still, Mattel's customer service is stellar from my understanding.

[MeltedCaramel]

Marionette I understand what you're saying, and I don't recall saying Mattel's quality control was horrible. I have an MH doll, playline, no issues (besides the rock hard hair which came out with a good shampooing, no harm done), but I'm saying that this sounds like an ongoing problem that they have. That's all. And I am saying that it would be nice not to have to have the issues to begin with. It's not the factories themselves but the Quality Control department, which is supposed to be on top of all of this to begin with, which is dropping the ball. Also...comparing one doll to another (even ones made under the same company umbrella) is like comparing apples and oranges in my opinion. Both are fruits, but the similarities end there. It sounds like Mattel has a consistent problem with the hair rooting, especially in dolls with hair "ornaments" (hats/bows/etc) that cover parts of the hair. It sounds like Mattel just needs to do a reevaluation of QC, that perhaps they've gotten a little complacent is all. I don't think anyone is boycotting these dolls here anytime soon.

OkamiKodomo

I also agree that for the price these dolls cost, there shouldn't be such frequent problems, but on the same token, there is still a human element involved in some part of the production lines, and if there happens to be several humans in Quality Control, at factories in possibly Third World countries, that hate life and hate their jobs and such, they're not going to care if some spoiled little girl that can actually afford to have toys while they can barely afford to feed their families gets a doll with bald spots.

<----I....really don't know what to say to this. There's no way to reply to this without sounding like an ass on some level. But I'm going to try my best to answer it with keeping my asshattery to a minimum (I hope). The working conditions for workers falls squarely on Mattel's shoulders, not ours. (It definitely needs to be brought to light if this is the case though.) I...just don't want anyone to feel bad for pointing out a company (and while yes, the dolls are made partly by hand, each doll is ultimately COMPANY property and they're responsible for putting a doll on shelves, defective or not) has some QC issues. I hope I'm making a lick of sense here? I mean, just because it's a doll I don't feel there should be excuses made on the human side of the equation because the dolls represent the face of the COMPANY, not the worker in China who rooted Draculaura #100003948's hair and missed a spot.

Ughh, I'd better shut up. I think I'm digging myself a hole here without meaning to. *Throws her shovel off to the side*

[OkamiKodomo]

Nah MC no worries. I work in retail and sales, and have for some time, so I'm pretty jaded about the workforce and humanity as a whole. I just meant, the average entry-level worker, regardless of the field, doesn't make a living wage. But I'm also empathetic to the whole 'screw this shit, I'm not getting paid enough to care" mentality. And when you're making something that is essentially a luxury item to someone else, it's very easy to become bitter and take out your dissatisfaction on your work. I struggled with that mentality when I worked for Universal Studios. Here I was, barely making enough money to get by, living in a ghetto, taking a city bus to work... and I had to cater to rich douchenozzles every day that looked down on me because I was just a retail worker. So comes the curse of outsourcing labor. The saying comes to mind, you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, as for "bringing it to light", the only thing we can do on this end, is keep bringing defective dolls to the attention of the companies making them, in this case, Mattel, until they actually do crack down on their QC people. (The actual manufacturing of most mass-produced toys is done with a lot of robots, so really, it's the QC that's the human element I'm referring to) Replacing a doll here and there is cheaper, for the moment, than investigating where each and every defective item came from, then investigating who the culprit might be, and then firing him. And if the factory is in a country that actually has a half-way decent labor law, then there could potentially be an investigation to prove the guilty parties. Speaking from the perspective of an employer, it's cheaper to just replace the items, than go through all of that, and then on top of it, train someone else to do the job. When they start having entire shipments of dolls coming back as defective, then they would investigate, I would imagine. But for a company the size of Mattel, even a hundred dolls is but a drop in the bucket. Average markup on most retail merchandise is as much as 700%, so really, they're only paying a few bucks to replace a doll. I think that was the point I was failing to make lol. I suck at this too, so don't feel bad. ~gives you back yer shovel, and then starts diggin' with ya~

[MeltedCaramel]

OkamiKodomo Haha, working in retail, that explains everything. I have an uncle, used to work for One Of The Large Hardware Companies That Shall Not Be Named, and the horror stories. I shudder! I also understand the mentality of 'taking it out on your work'--I know this isn't exactly the same but back when I used to do art commissions I would essentially start the drawing and just get progressively more passive-aggressive as I finished the piece because I was one of those artists who was just good enough to ask for a paltry sum for work and not good enough to ask for the big bucks, even though I was working just as hard.

rich douchenozzles

<---This might be my new favourite phrase, ever. <3

Oh, I know Mattel has no plans on doing a QC overhaul anytime soon. They're selling the toys as fast as they can make them, so dealing with a few hundred pissed off customers a month isn't even a penny in the bucket. That's corporate fat cats at their finest for you.

Average markup on most retail merchandise is as much as 700%, so really, they're only paying a few bucks to replace a doll.

<----Retail markup makes me shudder. It freaks me out, lately I've been buying Jewelry On The Cheap (as I like to call it) from China sellers on Ebay, and you buy the average bracelet or necklace for .99 with free shipping. This stuff is the kind of jewelry you'd find in your average mall outlet retailing for $25.99 for a single braelet.

I suck at this too, so don't feel bad. ~gives you back yer shovel, and then starts diggin' with ya~

*Takes shovels away and hands you a cold drink* Bah, neither of us could get our brains and fingers to coordinate, no crime was committed.

[Marionette]

Oh no, Caramel, I understand your points too! I just think to an extent some of this is unavoidable and that Mattel at least tends to do better than some of the other toy companies in my experience. Now, this may not be saying much... some of them do pretty bad. xD

Whose responsibility working conditions are is kind of a complex and multifaceted issue that probably isn't the best discussion to get into here 'cause it's a whole topic unto itself! In short, you could argue that by purchasing products produced in unethical conditions you're accepting and encouraging them (and Mattel has repeatedly come under fire for awful working conditions in its factories). At the same time, though, it is extremely hard to avoid in the modern day, and most toys... you're just not going to get them any other way, unfortunately. There's also the argument over whether it's better to abstain from buying the products or to buy them because it supports factory workers' economy in at least some capacity, etc. Like I said, complex.

I definitely agree with Okami's point that for companies that mass produce products like this, sadly, everything is just a drop in the bucket. They can easily eat a few messed up dolls. That level of markup is possible because the people making these dolls are not getting paid anywhere near what they would in the US. The lack of longterm relationships with companies is also a big problem because the company like Mattel is usually in and out so fast that there's simply no time or opportunity to effect change in the factory. If I understand it correctly, this type of manufacturing works on commission; Mattel likely doesn't own the factories, they just pay them to do one job and then move onto another, probabably whoever will do it the cheapest. That is very common. Hopefully they will continue to come under fire for these things in ways that impact them more than having to replace those few dolls (via bad press, chiefly).

[MeltedCaramel]

Marionette I agree with your entire post here. And yeah, it is a hard subject to get into, labor laws and what we as consumers can and cannot do to fix things---there's no real solution. It's one of those dog-biting-its-own-tail issues that no one can offer up a solution that benefits everyone--or anyone at all. I hope all companies that produce products under unethical conditions come under fire, like you said, in a manner that makes them take responsibility for their actions.