Beware: Breadpuddi

[missiekruger.livejournal.com]

WHO: Breadpuddi

WHERE: http://breadpuddi.tumblr.com (NSFW)
http://puddi-art.tumblr.com/
http://exquisitecharmboutique.tumblr.com/ (NSFW)
http://breadpuddi.deviantart.com/ (abandoned)
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/breadpuddi
http://shsl-mangaka.tumblr.com/

WHAT: Three art pieces

WHEN: December 17th 2012 - now

PROOF: Her post regarding commissions (take note of the prices) : http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/proof1_zps3887a712.png
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/proof2_zps8c61750c.png
Proof of payment: http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/proof8_zps49965af2.png
Email conversation (from bottom up):
http://s736.photobucket.com/user/szayel_dollx/media/1555437a-5b38-40aa-9b4a-7b3d54a4a1cd_zps65a5fd62.jpg.html
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/bff771f8-adf4-4835-862d-eab5ee40b2ea_zpse9f1f9af.jpg
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/224131e7-f2c1-4e50-a349-4566bb51f21c_zpsa5898ca4.jpg
http://s736.photobucket.com/user/szayel_dollx/media/57e35c35-eeeb-48fa-b5d5-038f28c95c6f_zps04997d09.jpg.html

Sketch provided:
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/iaza19234168944900_zps640fca2f.png
Her post about her hiatus:
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx10/szayel_dollx/proof3_zps64564e4e.png

EXPLAIN:
Near Christmas time, Breadpuddi posted that she would be taking commissions. I had been wanting to get art for me and my best friend of our characters as a Christmas gift, so I jumped at the chance. I emailed her and I was sent back a total. That's when my first red flag shot up. She asked me for a total of 25 when my calculations only added up to 14. I, unfortunately, did not say anything as I figured that I had just miscounted...or That it was more because I had asked for more. I paid in full and waited. I shot her a few asks here and there...and They went ignored. I will give her that tumblr does have a nasty habit of eating asks. I shot her a few emails here and there as well, but didn't get a reply til the one up in April. Up to this point, she had been updating her own art. I have no issue with personal art being posted as I find it important...its a good break. I just was a little put off by the lack of an update. There was little to no speak of the commissions and never any posted. She provided me with a sketch of the two pony couples and I was delighted, thinking that it meant that they were close to done. I was disheartened to find out that my other couple hadn't even been started, but I figured not to push it to far. A few more months....no more updates. She has posted less and less...though I chocked that up to stress. Finally, due to a personal issue with money, I ask for a refund. I don't really expect in full since I did get a sketch...but I feel I'm entitled to a bit of one at least. After my email, she posted she was going on a hiatus. (This was a week and few days ago. I honestly do find this to be a coincidence.) Still waiting for a reply...I will update this when I get one! I desperately want to clear her name, but I really can't til I'm given a refund or a product...): She honestly seems like a nice person! So I hope this gets resolved...):
Edit: I have located her rp blog which is active. I have attempted contact with her and sadly I feel like its been ignored. Time will tell.

Comments

[missiekruger.livejournal.com]

Ya, and I regret putting that in there the more I look at it. xn x I didn't mean to come off entitled to a low price if I did...x nx I do hope she gets back to me...):

[klippybluefox.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't they let you know what the surcharges are, and why they're there, though? It seems a little bit sleazy to charge extra and not mention a word about why.

[klippybluefox.livejournal.com]

Well, it's okay to a point. If someone requests something which is stated in the price sheet to cost extra, or if it's obvious it will surcharge (such as backgrounds- it'd be a little ridiculous not to charge for those), then that doesn't bug me at all. I also don't mind if it is some type of subject-material/character-related surcharge, as long as it's relatively easy to tell why. It just bothers me when a price is hiked significantly/sharply, there doesn't logically appear to be any reason, and it's not explained anywhere. (Being willing to clarify, or fix if there was a mistake, helps a lot though.)

In this case, the price is hovering close to double. Assuming that she did commission Breadpuddi with the new prices, $14 is correct. Unless the designs are very complicated (which they don't seem to be from the sketch), I'm honestly not sure where the other $11 comes from, and I think it's fair to point that out as a problem. (EDIT: I also don't think it's subject material, since ponies were specifically advertised as $3.. and they don't appear to be doing something difficult to draw or uncomfortable?)

All that said, the client does not have to accept the commission after a quote. The artist could have had a perfectly good reason, and just happened to not relay it. At the same time, though, the intent could have been specifically to see whether they could get away with it. That's rather on the pessimistic side though, and I don't really think that's what happened here. It's not that bad, it's just that the uncertainty would bother me, especially if they refused to explain.

All in all the possibility of a bad intent regarding a surcharge bothers me more than the act of not explaining. Hopefully you understand what I mean? D: Obviously this is one of the less egregious parts of the beware, but I do think it was worth mentioning.

[missiekruger.livejournal.com]

Oh by no means do I think she was trying to up the price to see if I'd take it! Shes a nice person from what I can tell, honestly. In the long run, the price falls completely on me. I should have questioned it.

[klippybluefox.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I didn't think so either! I intended it to mean the worst-case scenario rather than what I thought it was. I just think it was worth taking note of in your beware.

Now that I've read tycw's stuff, if I were to guess, she either made an honest mistake, or added extra for a benign reason that I can't see from what we know. I'd still like to know why though, because combined with the rest of the beware, it could potentially have been without a fair reason. But I'm only trying to be skeptical, not condemning.

[exo-formicidae.livejournal.com]

I can't talk specifically about this situation as I don't know much and haven't read it completely yet. I do think you have a point for a more "in general" when comissioning artist though. I understand upping charges when you combine stuff from the price sheet/different/diffucult character etc, and I even get upping prices just to round them up - it's the artist choice what the prices are afterall and a customer could just decline.

there are however, some that will advertise with low prices and then up them when giving a quote- again not saying this artist did this, nor am I saying it's wrong, Just saying it's sometimng comissioners should be on the lookout for as it's some pretty shady advertisement.

[klippybluefox.livejournal.com]

Sent a note! I think I understand the whole idea a lot better after the explanation, so thank you! :D

[karthegrax.livejournal.com]

I've got a hunch that perhaps you said "I'm having personal money problems" and not "it's been 10 months and my art's not done" because it sounds nicer, but regardless, I feel you're entitled to a refund or the finished art at this point. As you've already stated, it will likely only be a partial refund, but I can't find her TOS anywhere, so I may be wrong.

Regarding the price - I calculate $14 too, and $22 if you price each character seperately. You've probably hit this conclusion already, but even if you're okay with a quote, if it's not what you expected, it's always better to ask. Any artist who throws a tantrum when you ask them to break down their quote you probably don't want to be working with anyway. Best of luck getting this resolved. I think you're right - there was no intentional malice or to rip you off, but things just got out of hand.

[missiekruger.livejournal.com]

Haha, I could see where you'd get that! But honestly, I am having some money issues. XD; She never had a tos from the get go from what I understand. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't even find the original post regarding the commissions. I had to settle for her reblog of it. I'm assuming its a tumblr thing.

[xubunturambles.livejournal.com]

Uhmmmmmmmm somebody's deleteing comments and nobody is doing anything about it :/
mods where did you go

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

Don't do that. If you see something weird, feel free to report it to a mod via PMs, instead of leaving a snarky comment.

That said, this was a case of a user deleting their journal entirely, which really isn't anything we CAN do anything about. We were already aware of it.

[missiekruger.livejournal.com]

Oh thank goodness, I was afraid I had done it somehow. xn x