Beware: Capt Rico Sakara

[friskecrisps.livejournal.com]

WHO: Capt Rico Sakara

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/captricosakara/

WHAT: $30 digital art commission

WHEN: From roughly October of 2012 to April of 2013

PROOF: Payment sent: http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/Untitled-2_zps406d4e89.png

Conversations on commission updates and attempts to contact: http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/May7th2012_zps824f0cd4.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/August20th2012_zps11a69452.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/Contactattempts_zpsc30a0fc9.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/July9th2012_zps1fac88b7.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/October21st2012_zps84bbe9da.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/October9th2012Paymentsent_zps4bd6ff75.png

1st refund attempt:
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/March20th1strefundattempt_zpsedaee6c6.png

2nd refund attempt and Artist_Beware warning:
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/April25th2013Commissionrefund_zps847a6b3b.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/April25th2013part2_zps53f0c7bc.png
http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/FriskeCrisps/April25th2013part3_zpsbcc50d6c.png

EXPLAIN: Basically, I had paid for a commission back in October. His way of the business was the customer put down half the commission price as a pre-payment and then pay the rest for the approved sketch. So I made the payment and waited for him to get work on it. I had him added in my skype and asked them occasionally how the commissioning was going and he'd always said he'd get to it soon. However, during the whole 6 months, he had only uploaded 2 pictures from 2 year overdue commissions. After almost 7 months of waiting, I just asked for a refund. He hesitated at first, but I finally got my money back.
My basis for this, DO NOT COMMISSION HIM! He'll take your money and make you wait for months on end. He keeps putting commissions off to write fan-fiction and play online games and when you try to ask for a refund, he'll try and manipulate things to make you seem like the bad guy. He is incredibly rude and I would not recommend him for artwork to anyone!

Comments

[sigilgoat.livejournal.com]

While the issue is resolved, we have approved this post due to the artists's poor business practices.

[sigilgoat.livejournal.com]

I find it in poor taste that the OP threatened the artist with an Artists_Beware post, and then even after receiving a refund, came with a post anyway.

And unfortunately, I also feel the OP came off as much ruder than the artist in the screencaps. This is the very reason I don't do any business through IM's. If someone messages me that much, I often do a refund to save myself the headache.

[kasune.livejournal.com]

I think both parties are wrong here.

Artist was manipulative and didn't care about customers/had bad business ethic, commissioner came off as abrasive.

There are much nicer ways to ask for a refund. Don't keep going on and on about how the artist is "always online" and such. Just ask for your refund and if the artist doesn't comply, file for a dispute. Even if the artist keeps going, just keep saying "I want a refund."

"I have a life" is not an excuse. Ever. If you are a commission artist you are expected to make time to do your job, not screw around. If you don't have the vibe or motivation, then DON'T TAKE COMMISSIONS.

As for the commissioner/OP: I agree with Sigil. Threatening to post the artist to A_B and doing so despite receiving a refund was a jerk move. I think threatening A_B on them to begin with is rude. It comes off as "give me my commission/refund or I'll ruin your reputation" sort of thing. Even if the artist has bad business ethic, that was really tactless.

Yikes

[sintocat.livejournal.com]

The artist was NOT professional at all. He obviously didn't take commissions seriously - which is a big no-no when there's money involved. I would really suggest he take a step back from commissions to figure himself out a bit.

As for the commissioner? NOPE. I would go MAD if a commissioner sent me a Skype everyday. This is business, not social hour. That, and the threatening artist beware and doing it anyway? Buddy, I'm sure this whole situation was frustrating to you, but that is not how you handle things.

I personally wouldn't accept a commission from OP, and would never ask for a commission form the artist.

Beware on both ends.

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

Gross, that guy should not be taking commissions.

Though I wouldn't want to work with someone who constantly messages me.

[dragontripmon.livejournal.com]

Wow both sides look very bad from those chatlogs. Thought the artist bothers me a bit more considering from a few of his journal namely this one. http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4243399/ and yet he seems to keep taking commissions.

[mazz.livejournal.com]

While you could have handled being annoyed by this guy better (we all have our points where we just don't care anymore tho if we're strung along) the whole "it's a hobby" thing for him taking commissions and using the "an artist I watch has a backlog of a few years" as if to make people wait is ok because others do.

Also telling you someone else is "pestering" them for waiting a YEAR shoots red flags. Man, I would not commission that dude.

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

I think you were fully entitled to 'go back' on your word. If people don't get posted about, and face the consequences of their actions, how are they supposed to learn what they did wasn't kosher?

[kadaria.livejournal.com]

I think this post was totally justified and that the only person who ruined the artists reputation was the artist.
You can say that this was a dick move but this is how the customer service world works. There are countless reviews on yelp or the bad-service LJ about bad service from businesses where the business tried to make amends and they are still reviewed or posted. They weren't kidding when they said that you only have a few first chances to make a good impression on a customer and people are more likely to complain or speak up about bad service.
The best way for the artist to have avoided being posted here, would have been to issue the refund the first time the buyer asked or to have good business practices.

To take a note from the post about IMs, if you don't want someone to message you every day then do not give them your IM name, or only use a business IM or learn to show yourself as offline. One great way to keep people from pestering is to reply to them or keep them updated.

[duster.livejournal.com]

Exhibit A as to why I do not give my commissioners any form of IM info. I'd say it's a beware on both sides.

Artist for guilt tripping and screwing around (and it stops being a hobby when you start taking money for it.) OP for pestering the artist every day and pulling the "well he started it!" card up there. I wouldn't work woth either of them.

[kayla-na.livejournal.com]

UUUUUGLY business practices, but OP seemed a bit too abrasive, what with constantly pinging the artist on their personal messenger; even though he was in the right. =\

Beware warranted for both

[spartanwerewolf.livejournal.com]

I have a life.

Not when you have a series of outstanding commissions, you don't :|

[intervivos-2.livejournal.com]

I'm glad there's finally a beware on this guy. I wish there was more honestly, as there's a looooot of bad things this artist does. He's known for tracing commissions as well. A friend of mine commissioned him once, and Rico ended up /tracing one of the commissioner's own images/. I'm fairly sure he got a refund though.

Rico also traces images for actual artist contests, which he's won if I recall. He's also spent money he's won on things like online games. He received a large sum of money, and ended up dropping around 400$ on an online Star Trek game instead of refunding people.