Page 7 | Aibu to be upset at barbie?

thatcrookedsmile · 2023-04-14T14:19:16+00:00

My daughter has just come in crying from yet another broken barbie. This is because companies purposely make their products inferior to their older designs in order to ensure their product breaks or doesn't last. It's called planned obsolescence and its a bloody joke! when I was a child (90s-2000s) we used to be able to pop a barbie head back on. Now we can't because they've purposely changed the design to stop that, so you have to buy a replacement. Well they've lost themselves a customer, after After years of buying barbie for my children and for other children as they are a good, sturdy toy, I'll have to stop. Despite her dirty face this barbie is only a couple of weeks old and the 5th since the last birthday (1.5 years ago) to snap, only to be binned. I'm really annoyed, I've sent my first angry email.

Okunevo · 14/04/2023 18:39

fairywhale · 14/04/2023 18:32

Not really, she's providing general feedback for their marketing, why should she be doing their work and helping them trace batches, etc.
Emails to customer service generally stay with customer service teams and do not reach decision-makers or have any impact.
If she wanted a refund, she should have contacted CS, but not to give general consumer feedback. The email looks good.

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The OP said a barbie would be a main present for their DD, that they went all out to buy this, so I'd be surprised if they didn't want a refund.

Needmorelego · 14/04/2023 18:45

@fairywhale if there was an actual quality control issue then how on earth can the toy company know whether to issue a recall if no details are provided.
Just by saying "It was bought from Argos in Swindon on March 19th" is a way for them to start chasing up which batch it came from so they can check if there is an actual fault or manufacturing issue.
By just saying "your product is crap" doesn't achieve anything.

SchoolTripDrama · 14/04/2023 18:46

thatcrookedsmile · 14/04/2023 15:20

Angry email:

I have bought my daughter 5 baribie dolls over the last year or so and every single one has had its head come off. You used to be able to pop the head back on but now you can't. I will no longer be a customer, despite loving the barbie brand and buying barbie dolls for friends and family gifts. I'm afraid the life of a barbie doll went from years and years to less than a few months.
Please consider putting the heads and neck the way they used to be. Me and my sister used to play 'barbie ghost' by popping the heads off our baribies and putting them back on when we were finished, now even normal play is too much for barbie and its very sad.
The concent of planned obsolescence is becoming well known to you customer base, I would consider sorting out your products. We aren't that stupid.

Thank you

My daughter has hundreds of Barbies. If you pm me your address I'll send you some x

berksandbeyond · 14/04/2023 18:47

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 14/04/2023 15:51

You should have put a Trigger Warning for that photo. I found it quite disturbing. 😱

I hope you’re joking. How do you leave your house if this is triggering to you?

DappledThings · 14/04/2023 18:47

If she wanted a refund, she should have contacted CS, but not to give general consumer feedback. The email looks good.
It really doesn't look good. The name of the product isn't even correctly capitalised once. That's never going to be taken seriously at all.

Original poster

thatcrookedsmile · 14/04/2023 18:51

Doris86 · 14/04/2023 18:36

My daughter has loads of Barbies and not one head has ever broken off. What on earth is your daughter doing to them?

As I already said uptrend, she morphs into a 6ft 4 man and eats the heads for breakfast!

Side note, my sons are very boisterous and have captain america/ thor etc and they were very cheap in comparison (4 pack for 20-25) and wrestlers. They are better quality (not great) and although we have lost fingers and hands we've never lost a head.
Barbies all broke, the child who plays with them is a Saint in comparison.
Iron spent a few hours being sneakily thrown out the window with a parachute (plastic bag) before I realised the window was unlocked and it was literally raining iron men

OP posts:

cocolocoe · 14/04/2023 18:52

@fairywhale the email looks good?

Are you for real? It is very poorly written and sounds like a 12 year old has conjured it up.

pinkySilver · 14/04/2023 18:53

Don't be obtuse - it's not that she's not "allowed to express herself". She can express herself however she likes with whatever she likes - as my kids did/do.

But it's a question of giving her toys that she can enjoy without breaking. If she does it with a soft toy it may not break. Clearly the way she expresses herself is not suited for Barbies - yet. When she plays as my seven year old niece does with them - they won't break - and she can love every minute of her play and be creative and have fun - but not break her Barbies.

Don't assume that kids who don't destroy their toys are not creative/expressive. Their parents just make sure they have appropriate toys.

Original poster

thatcrookedsmile · 14/04/2023 18:55

Needmorelego · 14/04/2023 18:45

@fairywhale if there was an actual quality control issue then how on earth can the toy company know whether to issue a recall if no details are provided.
Just by saying "It was bought from Argos in Swindon on March 19th" is a way for them to start chasing up which batch it came from so they can check if there is an actual fault or manufacturing issue.
By just saying "your product is crap" doesn't achieve anything.

There's a section of the complaints form that asks for details and dates and addresses which i left out.

If I went year 5 letter writing class on them, I'd forget it before it's sent.
Literate people aren't the only people who can complain. I'm actually quite good at writing and can email for work or school or important things very well, but barbie doesn't deserve more than a 2 minute rant.

I'm not applying for a job!

OP posts:

Original poster

thatcrookedsmile · 14/04/2023 18:58

Can I also say that she has a small wooden dolls house and her peg and string dolls have been looked after very well. But they are peg and string and she's growing up so we treated her to big girl dolls.
she also has some (second hand ) new generation dolls but they aren't as good for her because they are too big. she likes to kill them remember 😉

OP posts:

Original poster

thatcrookedsmile · 14/04/2023 18:59

Just so you all know, the properly capitalised complaints won't be taken seriously by barbie either.
They won't stop making inferior products for the sake of a well written email. Of course of you want to email them to complain too, please go ahead.

OP posts:

ApplesandOrangesandPears · 14/04/2023 19:01

My 7 year old and 3 year old have hundreds of Barbies, I've just gone and tested a few of their necks and I have no idea how your child has managed to snap off 5 of their necks, they are still very sturdy dolls. Admittedly my 3 year is quite a gentle child and doesn't really break anything but my 7 year old is a complete live wire who doesn't have a calm setting and all her Barbies have managed to withstand her game. The cheaper B&M versions on the other hand have suffered at her hands 😬

eyerollwiththepunches · 14/04/2023 19:01

Yeah, my DSis had a couple of no neck Barbies. She'd give them silly voices to match 😄

We had a few of these. I can't say what we called them, as my post would be deleted, but we had a lot of fun out of it (disclaimer: it was the 70s/80s, so pre-political-correctness). We built a special "home" for these particular ones out of cardboard boxes. The early 70s Sindys also had heads that wouldn't go back on unless they were neck-less.

I can't believe the number of people on here suggesting that the OP's daughter needs to "play more nicely/gently with her toys". I know we're a bit off course as the OP's daughter's Barbie just broke - but toys are to be played with and bashed around. If they fall apart, you incorporate it into the game.

My sisters and I are all adult feminists even though we played with Barbies (to respond to a PP who suggested that her DDs are feminists because they weren't allowed Barbies).

Suzi888 · 14/04/2023 19:01

You’d have to be very tough to manage that. Poor Barbie.

cocolocoe · 14/04/2023 19:03

thatcrookedsmile · 14/04/2023 18:59

Just so you all know, the properly capitalised complaints won't be taken seriously by barbie either.
They won't stop making inferior products for the sake of a well written email. Of course of you want to email them to complain too, please go ahead.

If you're going to complain and go to the point of putting a post on MN about it then at least go to the point of writing a decent, literate E- Mail.

Your E-Mail will not be taken seriously and it's made you look a bit of a silly billy.

Needmorelego · 14/04/2023 19:07

@thatcrookedsmile I am beginning to think you are just taking the piss and possibly Trolls dolls would be a better choice for you.
Mattel is one of the biggest companies in the world and they won't take that email seriously. They do however take toy safely seriously and will investigate genuine and properly written complaints.
Either you want Mattel to improve/change their products or you don't. By not contacting them with an official complaint then nothing will change.
By the way - you won't get anywhere contacting "barbie". It's Mattel you need to contact. "barbie" doesn't make Barbie dolls, Mattel does.

cocolocoe · 14/04/2023 19:28

Needmorelego · 14/04/2023 19:07

@thatcrookedsmile I am beginning to think you are just taking the piss and possibly Trolls dolls would be a better choice for you.
Mattel is one of the biggest companies in the world and they won't take that email seriously. They do however take toy safely seriously and will investigate genuine and properly written complaints.
Either you want Mattel to improve/change their products or you don't. By not contacting them with an official complaint then nothing will change.
By the way - you won't get anywhere contacting "barbie". It's Mattel you need to contact. "barbie" doesn't make Barbie dolls, Mattel does.

By the silence, I'd say you are probably right! 😂

JaneJeffer · 14/04/2023 20:15

mumofgirls87 · 14/04/2023 15:28

And for the other posters thinking there's an issue with a child snapping the heads off...I had a collection of my little pony's when I was little. All looked after and then when I was older I donated them to a local pre school. A few weeks later I went there and half of them had their hair ripped off and heads ripped off. Some kids just play rough, doesn't mean they're going to grow up and be serial killers ffs.

How can you be so sure?

Florenz · 14/04/2023 20:20

Why can't they make a girl doll that is tough and durable like Action Man? Maybe they already have, I don't know.

Needmorelego · 14/04/2023 20:33

@Florenz well personally I have never had any problems with Barbie not being tough and durable. She can kick Ken or Action Man's butt anytime.

iloveautumn3 · 14/04/2023 20:35

I bought a Barbie this week. The same day the leg broke at the hip. My daughter was changing the clothes. I took it back and got another one.

AllOfThemWitches · 14/04/2023 21:11

Does anyone have an unwanted jewel hair mermaid Barbie from the 90s, they're so expensive on ebay, she was my favourite and her head never came off.

GeraltsBathtub · 14/04/2023 22:14

Babdoc · 14/04/2023 18:22

That pic of the decapitated Barbie gladdened my heart - best thing that could happen to it! I wouldn’t have one in the house when my DDs were kids. Fortunately they never asked for one, and are now grown up feminists.

🙄
I’m a grown up feminist and I was a huge Barbie lover as a child and don’t have a problem buying them now either 🤷‍♀️

L3ThirtySeven · 14/04/2023 22:37

GeraltsBathtub · 14/04/2023 22:14

🙄
I’m a grown up feminist and I was a huge Barbie lover as a child and don’t have a problem buying them now either 🤷‍♀️

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Me too. But then my Barbies didn’t play spa day or housewife with Ken.
Some of my more imaginative games were a bit odd, like the time Barbarella Barbie fought off the invasion of alien Haribo gummy bears, saving the planet. I had made her a fighter jet with loo roll insides and tin foil.

Phoebo · 14/04/2023 22:38

Interesting about the head, and I agree because my babies heads could pop off. Unfortunately all companies do this now with everything 😕