--So--
A week or two ago, I\'d posted a thread concerning a poor paint job I\'d received from DMC. I got a lot of responses (thanks), and even an offer from Mike to repaint it for 30 bucks, which I was going to take up, UNTIL... David Miller got back to me. Anyway, here\'s a record of the e-mail exchange for your edification:
MY FIRST E-MAIL:
I don’t mean to complain, but I recently received a Roy hockey mask from you, and quite frankly, the paint job isn’t quite what I expected. I know that you’ve been extremely busy lately, having moved your entire facilities, but… not only could the mask have been done better, it looks as though two or three entire stages in the painting process were skipped.
When I requested the mask, I was told that the overall look of my mask will be the same as the overall look of the film-used mask. I was also told that your masks are very accurate to the film-used masks, and “David Miller worked on the 5th movie himself and created the masks himself.” I imagine that if David Miller had painted it, then the mask would have looked marvelous, however, whoever painted it seems to have been rushed and it shows; even the holes look as if they were drilled in a hurry.
You guys have been very polite and consistent in your correspondence, and I appreciate that. I just don’t understand what happened.
DMC FIRST RESPONSE:
Hello Seth. I am so sorry you were disappointed with the Part 5 Hockey Mask. I assure you that nothing was rushed. Our painters use what we call an "artists proof" as a guide in which to paint the masks. The artists proof was indeed painted by David Miller based on his mask from the movie.
Now having said that, the way that we paint the masks is based on the price for our stock or "non-custom" masks. In order to keep costs down and because of the sheer volume of orders, the painters are only allowed a limited amount of time to work on each mask. Any requests for additional work or detail qualifies as a "custom" job and subsequently will cost more. Our painters are working film industry painters, and are quite expensive. David still approves all of the masks that go out.
There are a lot of variables when it comes to matching a mask from a film:
There may be several masks made for a film that differ slightly from scene to scene. (we attempt to find a happy medium)
The lighting in a particular scene may have an effect on how the mask looks.
The mask may look "dirtier" or "cleaner" depending on a particular scene.
If you base the look on a photo from a magazine, the printing methods may make the mask look different
Computer monitor settings can make the mask look different
and many more variables
This is all simply for your information Seth.
If you send the mask back to us, we will give you an immediate PayPal refund minus the shipping and handling costs. You must also send us the Certificate of Authenticity for the mask.
Please send to our mail drop @:
[DMC ADDRESS]
Again, sorry you were disappointed. You have every right to complain if you are not happy.
If you would like to check out another site that makes Hockey Mask reproductions, there is one I saw recently located here :
[url=\"http://www.goalieterror.com/\"]http://www.goalieterror.com/[/url] I cannot vouch for the quality of the work or the people that are making the masks, and I don\'t know if they are proffesionals or what the pricing is like, but I think the photos look pretty good and thought you may like to check out another alternative.
Best regards,
Elizabeth @
David Miller Creations
PRETTY LAME, RIGHT?? SO---
MY SECOND E-MAIL:
David Miller Creations:
About a week ago, I wrote you concerning my dissatisfaction with a hockey mask replica I received, and your response was as follows:
[DMC\'s FIRST RESPONSE HERE]
1) I know that an artist\'s proof was used. This has very little to do with the quality of the paint job I received, though I do understand the methodology.
2) I have a record of every e-mail exchange between us. Before my purchase I asked, "Is this mask an exact replica of the one featured in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning?" to which you responded "... they are very accurate to the film used masks. David Miller worked on the 5th film movie and created the masks himself. Don\'t worry, you will love it!" Subsequently, I specifically requested: "I would like the mask to look exactly like the ad piece on your website. That would be perfect," to which you replied, "... we have an artist\'s proof that we copy when painting, however, since they are all hand painted (not by machine), there may be slight variations." Nowhere did it mention that a) The way you paint the masks is based on the price for stock or \'non-custom\' masks, B) In order to keep costs and order volume down, the painters are only allowed a limited amount of time to work on each mask, or c) Any requests for additional work or detail qualifies as a \'custom\' job and subsequently will cost more.
3) Nothing is mentioned of this on your website. It only says that each mask is meticulously painted by your top painter to match, as closely as possible, the originals used in the film.
4) I do thank you for the information on the variables of matching a screen-used mask with a replica mask; as it is, I was aware of this information, as I both paint masks (as a hobby), and create video and film for the tri-state area (as a profession). Again, this had virtually nothing to do with the quality of the paint job I received.
Everything you said to me indicated that my request was fine and required no additional money, nor did it fall under the title of a "custom" paint job. You never said that I would have to pay additional money if I wanted a mask that looked exactly like the one on your website. If you\'d have said something, I would have paid extra and waited the 4-6 weeks. I ordered from you specifically because of the amazing results that fellow mask makers have received (without paying one cent extra). I\'ve attached pictures of these masks and a picture of the mask you advertised, plus a picture of my mask, to show the difference.
I do not want a refund. All I want is a repaint, or a new mask that looks like it should, which is not asking much, especially considering the rather large inconsistencies I experienced between your advertising and your actual practices. I imagine that David Miller, being a professional, would understand this. Please let me know if this is acceptable.
ANOTHER WEEK, NO RESPONSE, SO I SEND THE SAME E-MAIL AGAIN, AND I GET THIS RESPONSE FOLLOWING DAY:
Hello Seth. David Miller here. First of all I would like to apologize for all of the trouble. 2nd, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have been out of town on a commercial. Elizabeth has forwarded your emailsto me because she felt they needed my personal attention. She was right. When I saw the photo you sent, I knew immediately what the problem was. Actually, you knew what the problem was. There were a few steps missing in the paint job. Somehow, one of the unfinished masks made it\'s way to the packing area. I don\'t know how, or why.
But!
Here\'s what I will do. I will give you 2 options.
1. Keep the # 5 mask we mistakingly sent you and I will rush you another # 5 mask (properly painted of course, I will personally see to that) at no charge of course!
2. Send the # 5 mask back and I will personally see to it that it is painted properly and rushed back to you with reimbursement for your shipping cost AND I will send you another hockey mask of your choice for free (any of the Hockey masks that we offer, you choose).
If you decide to send it back with option # 2, please send it via Priority Mail at the US Post Office ( again, I will reimburse you). That way it will only take 2-3 days to reach us and I will stand by with a whip to make sure it gets out in the next days mail.
If you wish to do that, please send it to our mail drop at this address:
[DMC ADDRESS]
Let us know if and when you send it so that we will know to expect it.
I will make this right for you Seth. I promise. Again, my sincerest apologies.
SO, DMC has great customer service, despite the poor paint jobs they sometimes try to pass off. I guess, perhaps, they figure that anyone who can tell the difference is worth giving a decent product to, or maybe that\'s simply the nature of business, and I\'m lucky. Either way, being polite, truthful, and persistent did pay off. Another triumph for the legitimacy of the industry. Keep this in mind, if you order from DMC.
A week or two ago, I\'d posted a thread concerning a poor paint job I\'d received from DMC. I got a lot of responses (thanks), and even an offer from Mike to repaint it for 30 bucks, which I was going to take up, UNTIL... David Miller got back to me. Anyway, here\'s a record of the e-mail exchange for your edification:
MY FIRST E-MAIL:
I don’t mean to complain, but I recently received a Roy hockey mask from you, and quite frankly, the paint job isn’t quite what I expected. I know that you’ve been extremely busy lately, having moved your entire facilities, but… not only could the mask have been done better, it looks as though two or three entire stages in the painting process were skipped.
When I requested the mask, I was told that the overall look of my mask will be the same as the overall look of the film-used mask. I was also told that your masks are very accurate to the film-used masks, and “David Miller worked on the 5th movie himself and created the masks himself.” I imagine that if David Miller had painted it, then the mask would have looked marvelous, however, whoever painted it seems to have been rushed and it shows; even the holes look as if they were drilled in a hurry.
You guys have been very polite and consistent in your correspondence, and I appreciate that. I just don’t understand what happened.
DMC FIRST RESPONSE:
Hello Seth. I am so sorry you were disappointed with the Part 5 Hockey Mask. I assure you that nothing was rushed. Our painters use what we call an "artists proof" as a guide in which to paint the masks. The artists proof was indeed painted by David Miller based on his mask from the movie.
Now having said that, the way that we paint the masks is based on the price for our stock or "non-custom" masks. In order to keep costs down and because of the sheer volume of orders, the painters are only allowed a limited amount of time to work on each mask. Any requests for additional work or detail qualifies as a "custom" job and subsequently will cost more. Our painters are working film industry painters, and are quite expensive. David still approves all of the masks that go out.
There are a lot of variables when it comes to matching a mask from a film:
There may be several masks made for a film that differ slightly from scene to scene. (we attempt to find a happy medium)
The lighting in a particular scene may have an effect on how the mask looks.
The mask may look "dirtier" or "cleaner" depending on a particular scene.
If you base the look on a photo from a magazine, the printing methods may make the mask look different
Computer monitor settings can make the mask look different
and many more variables
This is all simply for your information Seth.
If you send the mask back to us, we will give you an immediate PayPal refund minus the shipping and handling costs. You must also send us the Certificate of Authenticity for the mask.
Please send to our mail drop @:
[DMC ADDRESS]
Again, sorry you were disappointed. You have every right to complain if you are not happy.
If you would like to check out another site that makes Hockey Mask reproductions, there is one I saw recently located here :
[url=\"http://www.goalieterror.com/\"]http://www.goalieterror.com/[/url] I cannot vouch for the quality of the work or the people that are making the masks, and I don\'t know if they are proffesionals or what the pricing is like, but I think the photos look pretty good and thought you may like to check out another alternative.
Best regards,
Elizabeth @
David Miller Creations
PRETTY LAME, RIGHT?? SO---
MY SECOND E-MAIL:
David Miller Creations:
About a week ago, I wrote you concerning my dissatisfaction with a hockey mask replica I received, and your response was as follows:
[DMC\'s FIRST RESPONSE HERE]
1) I know that an artist\'s proof was used. This has very little to do with the quality of the paint job I received, though I do understand the methodology.
2) I have a record of every e-mail exchange between us. Before my purchase I asked, "Is this mask an exact replica of the one featured in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning?" to which you responded "... they are very accurate to the film used masks. David Miller worked on the 5th film movie and created the masks himself. Don\'t worry, you will love it!" Subsequently, I specifically requested: "I would like the mask to look exactly like the ad piece on your website. That would be perfect," to which you replied, "... we have an artist\'s proof that we copy when painting, however, since they are all hand painted (not by machine), there may be slight variations." Nowhere did it mention that a) The way you paint the masks is based on the price for stock or \'non-custom\' masks, B) In order to keep costs and order volume down, the painters are only allowed a limited amount of time to work on each mask, or c) Any requests for additional work or detail qualifies as a \'custom\' job and subsequently will cost more.
3) Nothing is mentioned of this on your website. It only says that each mask is meticulously painted by your top painter to match, as closely as possible, the originals used in the film.
4) I do thank you for the information on the variables of matching a screen-used mask with a replica mask; as it is, I was aware of this information, as I both paint masks (as a hobby), and create video and film for the tri-state area (as a profession). Again, this had virtually nothing to do with the quality of the paint job I received.
Everything you said to me indicated that my request was fine and required no additional money, nor did it fall under the title of a "custom" paint job. You never said that I would have to pay additional money if I wanted a mask that looked exactly like the one on your website. If you\'d have said something, I would have paid extra and waited the 4-6 weeks. I ordered from you specifically because of the amazing results that fellow mask makers have received (without paying one cent extra). I\'ve attached pictures of these masks and a picture of the mask you advertised, plus a picture of my mask, to show the difference.
I do not want a refund. All I want is a repaint, or a new mask that looks like it should, which is not asking much, especially considering the rather large inconsistencies I experienced between your advertising and your actual practices. I imagine that David Miller, being a professional, would understand this. Please let me know if this is acceptable.
ANOTHER WEEK, NO RESPONSE, SO I SEND THE SAME E-MAIL AGAIN, AND I GET THIS RESPONSE FOLLOWING DAY:
Hello Seth. David Miller here. First of all I would like to apologize for all of the trouble. 2nd, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have been out of town on a commercial. Elizabeth has forwarded your emailsto me because she felt they needed my personal attention. She was right. When I saw the photo you sent, I knew immediately what the problem was. Actually, you knew what the problem was. There were a few steps missing in the paint job. Somehow, one of the unfinished masks made it\'s way to the packing area. I don\'t know how, or why.
But!
Here\'s what I will do. I will give you 2 options.
1. Keep the # 5 mask we mistakingly sent you and I will rush you another # 5 mask (properly painted of course, I will personally see to that) at no charge of course!
2. Send the # 5 mask back and I will personally see to it that it is painted properly and rushed back to you with reimbursement for your shipping cost AND I will send you another hockey mask of your choice for free (any of the Hockey masks that we offer, you choose).
If you decide to send it back with option # 2, please send it via Priority Mail at the US Post Office ( again, I will reimburse you). That way it will only take 2-3 days to reach us and I will stand by with a whip to make sure it gets out in the next days mail.
If you wish to do that, please send it to our mail drop at this address:
[DMC ADDRESS]
Let us know if and when you send it so that we will know to expect it.
I will make this right for you Seth. I promise. Again, my sincerest apologies.
SO, DMC has great customer service, despite the poor paint jobs they sometimes try to pass off. I guess, perhaps, they figure that anyone who can tell the difference is worth giving a decent product to, or maybe that\'s simply the nature of business, and I\'m lucky. Either way, being polite, truthful, and persistent did pay off. Another triumph for the legitimacy of the industry. Keep this in mind, if you order from DMC.