What would YOU do?

[livelaughlovep.livejournal.com]

EDIT: I have spoken with him. Payments are to be paid as soon as he gets funds. He will message me. I'm doubtful, but this is the best I can do. I will wait a bit, and then attempt to get him to sign somthing or try to push things farther.
I've done what I can, and yeah, wow, not doing this again. Thanks for the great advice everybody!


You have a friend. Who draws. You were a commissioner before friend, and now friend & commissioner. He is nice. But never finishes things that doesn't interest him.

Two years ago you pay for a commission by your 'friend' and pay up. The bill is over 100.00.

You wait for a very long time. Such a long time, that things change and you change the commission around a bit, which is fine with friend artist, and you wait more.

It is now two years later. You have only received one sketch of the two inks you were to receive, and its not even remotely what you wanted. Its okay, but not worth what you paid. Said artist is notorious for not doing your char really right, and ignoring little details that make it worth it.

Said artist has been posting new art up a storm, and you are rather pissed that you aren't included in this. You know he has done this to many, many other people.

You are fed up. You want your money back, all of it (even though he doesn't have a job and makes all his income off of art and you know it will be hard to pull it out of him) and you don't even want the friendship or art.
You won't even settle for him to do extra for you, you just want the cash.

How do you do this without IM'ing them and being a total asshole? I just want the money. I don't want the art. I don't want to be his friend and risk his growing rep to pull down my already tarnished rep. I feel like I"M The asshole for letting it go this long and letting him console me with that first sketch I don't even like/want.

If it were any less I'd just let it go but at this point I need that money, really, I do, for some important real life issues. Is this why I am finally bringing this thing to a head? No, not exactly. I'm sick of getting shafted and pushed around, and its about time that I put a stop to this. My niceness over the years has put me several hundered in the hole, and I"m not letting this be the whip cream and cherry.

I just don't know what to do.
I'm kind of afraid he'll find out through this and be very upset with me, but you know what, it has to be done. I can't be cheeky misses nice guy and just hand out hundered dollar bills with the hope I'll get somthing for it.

Comments

[stolenmilkcrate.livejournal.com]

I think it kinda would depend on whether they are still a friend (like, good friend, who would genuinely listen) or if they're really just an acquaintance at this point.

If they're someone you'd consider a true friend, I'd probably be very up-front and honest about it. "Hey, look, I've been waiting for a really long time for this piece/these pieces. You've given me one sketch in two years, for $X. (I wouldn't mention at this point that it was a very wrong sketch, as it might sound more offensive and cause him to ignore you more.) You promised you'd finish it for me, and you're cranking out tons of other art, and I just feel really hurt by this because not only did I think we were friends; I paid for this as well. I'm going through some pretty crummy stuff, and I could really use the money back, since you're not getting the work done. I don't want the drawing, I need the money."

I am not sure that I would expect positive results from this, though - if anything it might spur them to finish the piece. In a rush. :P

Not sure exactly what I would send to a person who is just an acquaintance. I probably might just be a little more blunt and leave out the hurt-feelings stuff.

I wouldn't send IMs, I would send e-mails, more trace-able in case something comes into question in the future.

[livelaughlovep.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think he's a good friend. I almost asked him for a refund at one point, and he basically blew me off and thats when he spat out the sketch. I really don't want art now at all though. I know it won't be worth the money at all.

Yeah, he's most commonly on IM and near impossible to get via email. At least I'd have logs, but I don't know if anyone would trust a log?

I suppose being honest is the best policy. I just figure i'm going to get blown off again, offered extra art and get it done up in a rush. I really really don't even want art. I just .. yeah. this RL stuff makes that money seem like its a million bucks. :/

[saitenyo.livejournal.com]

I personally think a good friend wouldn't do something like that to someone they considered a good friend, so it may not be worth trying to preserve the friendship in this case.

[gothwings.livejournal.com]

you know, you say that the guy is notorious for this sort of behaviour, that he's reknowned for not finishing things that don't interest him and yet you still gave him $100 on trust alone?

Personally, I think this is one you have to write off to bad experience and realise that if someone has a bad reputation that you don't pay them up front. I would certainly advise against paying more than 50% of the quoted final price up front with the balance paid on completion of the work.

I find that the biggest problem with those that are being shafted by artists is that there is no BUSINESS relationship, just this general furry comaraderie which is easy to abuse.

I keep a distinct line with my commissioners that the work I am doing is work and they are my customer. I'm even like that with friends. This has prevented me being burned and I've only been shafted for cash once in my career as an artist in the past 3 years.

Just some food for thought.

[livelaughlovep.livejournal.com]

I gave him 100 before his behavor really showed its head. it was shortly after that that it became aware to me it was a habit.

yeah, I always pay 50/50 but since it was a friend, I had trusted him. Not again.

I've talked to him, and hopefully he'll begin refunding me when he has money. Ended the friendship, but what can you do. He seems to only have friends as a way to pawn his art to them, anyway.

[tania.livejournal.com]

You want your money back, all of it (even though he doesn't have a job and makes all his income off of art and you know it will be hard to pull it out of him) and you don't even want the friendship or art.
You won't even settle for him to do extra for you, you just want the cash.

You've answered your own question there. Clearly the friendship is beyond saving, so you should no longer have any compunctions about emailing / calling him and pressing him for a refund.

If it's his ability to pay that you're worried about, why not ask him to refund it over two months in two lots of $50? I'm sure he can manage that. Or if he's in an even more dire situation (which begs the question: why is he sitting around doing furry art instead of getting an actual job?) make it $25/month over four months. And if he agrees over the phone or IM, fax or email him an WRITTEN CONTRACT laying out those terms and conditions and deadlines, and have him sign it and fax it back.

[livelaughlovep.livejournal.com]

Thats a good idea on the contract. I have it as an AIM log at this point. Ill give it two months, and then persue it further if need be. He'll probably try to drag it out horribly.

[gothwings.livejournal.com]

Something I learned through running a shop several years ago is that business and friends rarely mix well. No matter whether or not you think someone is your friend, all too often they try to get away with things that any other customer wouldn't.

We live and learn.

a little advice: if a friend cannot do business with you as they would anyone else (asking for money early, extended deadlines, pushing your work to the back of the queue, etc), don't do business with them.

[livelaughlovep.livejournal.com]

totally agreed. I'm not making this mistake twice at any time whatsoever.

[neongryphon.livejournal.com]

Doesn't sound like a friend to me.

If he's hard-up you can politely ask him to pay back the money for services not received and arrange repayments with him. Say personal issues are getting desperate and you need the money. Tell him to consider the rest of the commission terminated. Obviously he will want to keep some money for the work he has done (as little as that is).

My only other tip is don't pay friends to do you work. Unless they have a very upstanding reputation, they will likely try to bend the rules thinking it's "ok" because you are "buds."

[livelaughlovep.livejournal.com]

Thats what I did... none too pleased, I know he owed me more than he agreed to pay me, but I'll let him charge me for a peice of gift art he did and the sketch of the commission : whatever, as long as I get some back. I doubt I will though, because he will "message me" when he gets the funds. Pshht.

Second I see that he's getting more work in, ill definately be like "hey, scues me..."

yeah, this is true on that last note.