“Girl what”: Bratz requires customer to deface defective doll before they’ll replace it, sparking backlash

A woman on X went viral with a claim that her brand-new Bratz doll was defective and that the company made her deface it to get it replaced.

“What in the ritual is happening here?”

On July 10, X user @plastic_heartzz, or “Max,” posted photos of her “most expensive doll” from Bratz. The hair closest to the forehead was already splitting off from the plastic.

Max even posed the doll so that it was holding its own loose hair in one photo. The post gained over six million views in less than two weeks.

Max followed this up with a new post on July 21 sharing the email Bratz sent her about replacing the defective figurine. The company instructs her to cut off the doll’s hair and mark its body with a specific number multiple times.

“We will be happy to send out a replacement, but we do ask that you deface this one first,” the email reads. “Defacing means taking a black permanent marker and writing your numbers 085 on the arms, legs and face of the defective item about 3 to 4 times in large print and also you will need to cut the hair.”

“Once that has been completed, please send pictures of the defacement and we will get a replacement ordered.”

Max commented “girl, what” on her follow-up post and added a gif of a rather weirded-out woman.

Other X users felt a similar way about it.

“What in the ritual is happening here?” asked @L4t5s.

User @shrekspearb called it “literally the black dolphin episode of ransom.”

Some offered ways to get around this odd request, including Photoshopping it or using a washable marker instead of permanent.

Why do companies make you deface defective merchandise?

Other commenters, especially those interested in collectibles, had a simple explanation. Companies that sell high-value items often have policies in place to prevent individuals from obtaining free duplicates by claiming their item is defective. This works well when returns are not an option.

It’s possible that Max’s photos could have faked the hair loss. However, if she has to deface the doll clearly, then she can’t resell it to another collector once she has the replacement.

“This is a collector’s item,” @shekiex3 explained. “It’s very common for hobby companies to request that the defect[ive] item be destroyed in order to be replaced. Amazon has you all spoiled thinking you can just get another product for free lol.”

Plenty of other companies go to great lengths to make sure no one gets their products for free. Over the years, people have called out companies like Coach, Ulta, and PetCo for making their workers destroy unwanted items before they throw it into the dumpster.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @plastic_heartzz for comment via email.