More Hugh Dancy Related Fraud
or: Where Are These Damn Will Dolls? A Guide to Protecting Yourself from Fandom Scams
Disclaimer: I have received my refund in this situation. I am writing and posting this because some people I care for dearly have not received theirs, despite multiple requests and deadlines. They donβt want to post for fear of retaliation and having their refund withheld even further. Maybe a public post will be what it takes to finally get these fannibals their refunds, and save them all the hassle of going to court.
I also think the fandom has the right to know so that people can avoid getting into any situations like this in the future.
The Facts As We Know Them:
In November 2017, Melanie (twitter user @melythemac) made it known to a few fannibals that she had contracted a sculptor to create heads for Will Graham dolls. She promised to personally provide bodies, clothing, and accessories, and to assemble the dolls before sending them to the members of the group order. In January 2018, we each paid her around $200 for all of these things, and she claimed to have sent the money ahead to the sculptor for TEN (10) HEADS TOTAL and ordered all accessories and bodies needed for the dolls.
As a group, we agreed that weβd wait for ALL of the heads to arrive to Melanie, and then she could ship the dolls to each group order member at the same time in order to keep things fair.
She said 10 people were in the original group order. Later, we found at least 11 people had given her money in exchange for dolls.
By June 2018, despite, the original agreement of everyone getting their dolls at the same time, three members of the order had received their dolls. Mads Mikkelsen was also given a doll at Birmingham Comic Con.
At this point, I was frustrated and asked where my doll was. I was given the response that the sculptor only send a few of the heads and more were on their way. They should arrive in a week.
In July 2018, I asked again. The same response was given.
In August 2018, I asked for a refund. The same excuse was given, that the dolls would arrive in a week, but if I didnβt want to wait I could have my money back.
In September 2018, the money still had not arrived and I was given excuses about personal life issues, and was told Iβd get the money soon. At the end of September, I send an email demanding my refund or legal action would be taken.
Finally, just before my deadline, I received the money.
By October 2018, Hugh Dancy was also given a doll. One more order member also received a doll.
So one year later, in November 2018:
1. 5 fannibals, including Melanie, had dolls
2. 2 cast members had received dolls
3. 1 fannibal (myself) had received a refund
4. 5 fannibals who had paid in full did not have dolls
I was contacted by those who didnβt have their dolls, and asked if I ever received mine. I shared my story. After comparing emails and DMs we found that we were all getting the same excuse: it was the sculptorβs fault, he hadnβt finished the heads, he hadnβt sent the heads, the heads will arrive in a week. So I contacted the sculptor (sculpt4ever.com) via facebook chat.
He said Melanie had only ever ordered 7 heads, not 10. He had mailed them and they had arrived between June and September. He provided tracking numbers which proved the deliveries had been received, and he also provided info showing she never ordered more doll heads. Anyone who was getting the βjust one more weekβ excuse was being strung along. He was shown where she had blamed him on twitter for the delays, and he replied with proof showing she never ordered more than 7 heads. Melanie promptly deleted her tweet blaming him and didnβt respond.
In December 2018, those who did not have their dolls sent an email demanding refunds by January 11th or a lawsuit would be filed. Two people have received their refunds in full. Three people are still waiting and documentation for a lawsuit is currently being put together.
The Worst Part of Everything?
Since she only ordered 7 heads, Melanie willingly gave away two dolls fannibals had paid for to Mads and Hugh, with seemingly no intention to replace those dolls any time soon.
And to add insult to injury, during this past year Melanie took trips to Denmark, London, and various locations in the USA. That money could have been used to order more heads and give people the goods they ordered, but it seemingly wasnβt, no matter how many times people asked for her to just give them their doll or give their money back. Right now multiple people still do not have their money back and she is still planning vacations.
And this all doesnβt include the amount of cajoling it took for the people who received their dolls to get theirs. To our knowledge, a majority of the people who received dolls had to send multiple emails and make firm demands to even get theirs (and some apparently were handed over with incorrect accessories)
How to Keep Yourself From Ever Being in this Situation:
- No matter how big name the fan is, do not order any high priced goods from them unless they have a proven track record of completing orders on time
- When paying for goods, use your credit card. Do not do bank transfer, do not use your paypal balance. That way if you find yourself without the promised items you can call your credit card company and file a charge back. The card company will happily refund your money and go after the seller themselves.
- If you ordered something and have not gotten a refund, small claims court is your friend! Filing costs money, but in many cases the defendant will have to refund your money AND the court costs. So long as you have documentation with clear deadlines for payment/refunds itβs a slam dunk case. If the defendant doesnβt show up to court, depending on the area, you might just win by default. Often, just the threat of small claims will get the seller to give back your money.
- And finally- DONβT BE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP! Weβre a nice fandom that rarely has trouble, but if youβre being wronged financially then you need to say something so that others donβt fall into the same trap.
I Want A Will Doll!
He is super kind, and once your sculpt is painted shipping is SUPER fast: I got my head in just one week. Bodies and clothing can be found on ebay or amazon. Donβt be afraid to ask a will doll owner where they got theirs :)
PS: I am more than happy to provide screencap proof of all of this. I just didnβt add it in order not to make a long post even longer and more cluttered. I hope this allows people who are owed money to get their refunds, and helps everyone in the fandom keep their money a little safer.
