I’ve waited a while to make this review because I wanted to truly experience my tail and make a fair, honest and accurate review of my entire experience as a Merbella customer from ordering to product usage. I feel as though now is the time in which I can do so.
Back in early November, Merbella announced via Facebook that they had a production slot open. I had been considering them in my top two choices for my new silicone tail and thought this was the perfect opportunity. Because I work as a mermaid year-round (although much more heavily in the summers) I was anxious to get my tail as soon as possible. I was already aware that Raven is not known for moving quickly on orders, so I inquired into a rush fee, in which I was told that $450 would guarantee a 60-90 delivery of my tail. I paid the hefty upcharge. I also purchased a top as well. I paid the entire purchase up front.
In the beginning, I didn’t expect immediate movement, although I did presume that things would have to begin moving within a month or so for her to meet deadline. I did have a sketch from her within a month. After that initial sketch, there was very little contact for sometimes weeks a time. Again….I was told this was to be expected. I don’t consider myself to be an unreasonable customer. I certainly am not the type that will email every day for updates. I generally would request an update every 2 weeks. I was lucky if I got a response back half of the time. I am sorry….but for the amount of money invested in these products, this is completely unacceptable. I run two businesses myself. I don’t charge my clients one dime until the final product (websites) is delivered. When people invest in you, the least you can do is answer their emails….it is common courtesy not to mention good business practice. Frankly I am tired of hearing about how overbooked Raven is and how you can’t rush art. Again….this is business. Hire help or don’t take on as much work. DO WHAT IT TAKES to please your current customers lest you find yourself with unhappy customers and then no customers.
So in late January, I finally heard from Tyler informing me that they were still waiting on a monofin, but I should expect pics in 10-15 days. EXACTLY ONE MONTH after this, Raven responded and they STILL had nothing to show me. 13 days after that I got the first picture. The first thing I noticed was that the top was completely wrong…they made a scale top when I requested an Ariel top. Now, I will take partial blame in the miscommunication of this. I sent a PICTURE from their FB page of the top I wanted to order…but when we were talking about it, we both referred to it as a scale top. So that is how it was listed on the invoice, and that is what was made. However, I think this problem could have been avoided if a proper FILE was kept on each customer with their emails and images sent (I sent a complete order sheet with the top and a tail mockup that I made). I don’t know why this stuff isn’t referred back to when they sit down to work on a job. I was told they could make the CORRETC top for me ONLY if I paid the upcharge to what the Ariel top was. Frankly, I thought it could have been eaten because a review of their files could have saved us both time and money. But I paid the $100+ for the new top.
Between March 3 and March 26 we went back and forth on a few color touch ups and I got a total of 3 photo proofs. In each proof, my tail appeared to be a very vibrant, metallic blue color. It wasn’t quite the “teal” I requested, but I was really digging it, so I approved it BASED on the pics I received. I did not know that apparently those images very color adjusted.
Now, let’s make a note here that we are well out of the 60-90 day rush order time I was promised but I have not requested any refund or partial refund on my rush fee. I just want my darn tail at this point.
I received my tail on March 30.
Unfortunately it was not the glorious unboxing that I see so many other mers enjoying. First of all, it showed up in a busted up box with NO packing materials or care sheet. I cannot in earnest blame Merbella for this because this truly could be a result of poor handling in the shipping process. The box had a huge rip at the top so it is likely the packing fell out. I’m glad the top or tail did not.
While I could see the tail was well crafted, I was not thrilled with the color, as it was noticeably different than it appeared in pics. The top color looked much more matte and almost greenish. The back colors were more vibrant and even had a gloss coat on them. It is like they were painted at very different times.
I immediately contacted Raven to let her know about my disappointment in the color. Her response was I could send it back, pay the shipping and she could repaint. But oh by the way she could not guarantee when she would be done. Again, UNACCEPTABLE Why? Why can she not guarantee this? I paid a $450 upcharge that she did not deliver on….can I get ANY slack here? I am a working mermaid with gigs lined up…I can’t wait around till Christmas for a tail to come in. I also told her that I don’t think it is fair that I pay for shipping either for her misprepresentation of the tail in photos. She then agreed to pay shipping. And for full disclosure, I went back and read several of the threads on this forum regarding Merbella and realized she tends to often include free accessories with her orders. That’s nice. Would have been a nice gesture on her part for all the trouble and missed deadlines. I don’t expect freebies nor do I ask for them, but when I see she gives them to some and not others, I think she has a major problem with equitable treatment of customers here.
I will say the measurements were perfect and the tail fit well. The fluke was beautiful and I am extremely impressed with her overall craftsmanship.
I’ve swam in the tail several times now. It stays on much better than my last tail and drains wonderfully. I love the movement of the fluke.
My initial disappointment in the color has somewhat subsided….I have begun to love it for what it is. It is beautiful, even if not exactly what I was expecting.
That said, this will be my first and last purchase from Merbella. Raven is talented, but I just can’t deal with this type of service. I expect more and will PAY more if I need to just to get it. My friend recently purchased a tail from Mike Van Daal, who takes on VERY limited orders. Therefore, he fully devoted himself to her order, giving her daily updates and even sending her VIDEO of the tail production process. Then he would fully invested on her happiness with the finished product. THIS is service, people. This is what you should expect when you pay top dollar. If I wanted Wal-Mart service I would have ordered a $100 fabric tail.
As for quality, we put the tails side by side and there is just no comparison. His double silicone treatment, invisible seams and extreme elasticity on the tail is unreal. The seams in my Merbella or sloppy and not even fully glued down in some areas.
I know Raven has her fan army on here and I am not interested in going to battle with any to you. You may have had a different experience. This is mine, and it is honest and it is documented. I want people to know what they are getting and what they are getting into when they order from Merbella. Thanks for reading.
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