Valium Wasn’t Enough
Nope…Can’t touch this
Classic Evening Gown Barbie® Doll
Apparently even Valium wasn’t enough to carry the day for Mattel’s latest scheduled platinum sale. According to Mattel, a server error before the sale even started was enough to cancel the entire thing for that day and no date has been named for its release as of this posting. I have experienced Mattel and Barbiecollector system issues for years (YEARS!) before this hence my previous blog post “Get your Valium Ready” but even I did not anticipate a complete customer fail.
Customer Fail = to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved.
What?!!! This begs the question, if one server error was enough to bring this sale down, exactly how many servers were allotted to this event? I am thinking….2. Come on people. It is a platinum sale. You hold it once a year. You know…I can believe that weird system things happen. Believe me, I have experienced just such a thing. The system issues that Mattel and BC experience at these platinum sales are consistent not just a “one-off” thing. To come in two minutes before kick-off and say “We are sorry, but we have a system problem”, just comes off as poor planning to me.
Don’t want to arm chair quarterback here but, if you don’t have the server capacity or you have had problems previously with the capacity, one would think you would have a back up plan…perhaps RENT some additional server space or start to question the ability of your system to handle the load you place on it during these high volume sales. There are companies like Amazon and Microsoft that offer up services to handle and solve such issues each and every day. If you can’t diagnose and treat the issue, perhaps it is time to seek outside help. Just a thought. In the meantime, Mattel and the BFC have left their most avid and loyal collector customers with a decidedly sour taste in their mouths. I have no idea if it is the IT staff at Barbie collector who plan poorly or Mattel Inc. itself that simply has not allocated the funding and resources necessary to handle these sales. It is entirely possible that Mattel has told Barbie Collector and its IT staff they must make bricks with no straw on this one. If that is the case, I feel for them. Either way, it leaves the collectors questioning whether they want to purchase the product or not. Not a positive customer experience. Not a good day for Mattel and the BarbieCollector brand.
As of this posting, no available date of sale has been given by Mattel or Barbiecollector for this doll.
Haunted Beauty Ghost™ Barbie® Doll
I may not be in the market for this one but it does not stop me from admiring her. Many, many collectors have been greatly anticipating this beauty and the pictures will show you why. Here is the write up from Mattel on this ghost….
“An ancient mansion sits beneath ink black skies. Midnight winds whisper through deserted rooms. Softly, the sound of clanging chains and supernatural murmurs rises and grows. From the darkness, an apparition appears, sheer and barely visible. Frightfully beautiful, she lives between this earthly life and an unknown world beyond. You are indeed fortunate that this sublime spirit has revealed herself to you!
Haunted Beauty Ghost™ Barbie® wears an ethereal, off-white gown featuring fitted bodice, bell sleeves, and full skirt with tattered hem. A silvery earthly chain wraps around her body. Her long, pale platinum hair and dramatic face paint take her far beyond the paranormal to extraordinary!” —From Barbiecollector.com
Oh my! She was designed by Mr. Bill Greening and is available only from Barbiecollector.com….just in time for Halloween too. Cool! Just click on her picture if you want to go to Barbiecollector.com to take a look at her.
** Photos are property of Mattel Inc**
If interest on the doll boards is a good gauge ( and I believe it is 
), then this is another one that may sell out sooner rather than later. Just an FYI.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 