Baby doll disappointment: What you see isn’t always what you get

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Last month, Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke spoke with several people from the Charlotte area who thought they were purchasing Reborn Baby Dolls, but what they received didn’t look anything like the photos advertised online.

After the story aired, more than 60 people, including customers in Canada and England, contacted Channel 9 with the same complaint: the dolls they got didn’t look anything like the photos.

Each buyer shared their disappointment with Stoogenke.

Mandy Keen said she paid more than $200 for two boy Reborn dolls.

“What I got was one, awful, little female doll that was nothing, nothing like even close to the quality of what they advertised” she said.

“I’m so upset … I’m a single mom, so my dad sent me that $265 to be able to get my girls this doll,” she added.

Another customer, Annette Muller said, “It’s definitely not the one that was ordered.”

Many of the customers told Stoogenke that they complained to the company they ordered their doll from but the businesses either didn’t respond or they refused to give full refunds.

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Reborn baby dolls scam The images on the left are the dolls consumers thought they were purchasing. The images on the right are what they received. (WSOC)

Channel 9 found at least 10 websites that look almost identical to each other, such as Rebornsshops.com, Reborndollsshop.com and Myrebornbabydoll.com.

The websites feature the same photos and some of the sites include matching scam warnings that include the same spelling mistakes.

Stoogenke emailed each website to ask about the dolls, but at press time no one had responded.

Several customers also told Channel 9 they used PayPal to purchase their doll, but that company has not been able to provide refunds. Stoogenke has contacted PayPal to see if anything can be done.

He also contacted several Reborn baby doll artists to ask for advice.

Here are three suggestions they shared:

1. Authentic Reborn Baby Dolls are not cheap. Be suspicious of ones that cost less than $100. Many real ones start at $300.

2. Ask the seller for a “safety photo” – a picture of the doll posed with an object of your choosing. That way, you know the picture isn’t a stock photo.

3. This really is an artform, so you may want to research Reborn baby “artists” instead of searching for Reborn baby “dolls.”

Mother says company sent her Reborn Baby Doll that looks nothing like picture

Cox Media Group