Advice, should I ask for a refund?

[exo-formicidae.livejournal.com]

Edit; Refund recieved, without any issue :)

I'm using you fine folks far to much for advice - but here I go again :)

It's are a little long so going to do it in short points. just say if you want something elaborated :)


Okt 2013 - commissioned an artist for pet portrait
Nov 2013 - Paid down the commission ($250+) and recieved a Wip
Jan 2014 - artist ask if it's ok to change from one traditional method to another traditional method - this was fine by me.
Feb 2014 - Pet passed away, I'll admit I lost a little interest in the commission due to this. Later in Feb I got a sketch in the new media and approved it.
June 2014 - not hearing anything I asked for an update, I was told due to some irl things the piece had barely been worked on and the artist had no updates.
July 2014 (now) I discovered she have a history of taking money from people and skipping accounts, but it was under another name with her new name not tagged (but mentioned). Also said artist came and had a small attitude in the comments. (not mean and nast, but a little inapropiate due to their actions)

I was not worried - but now I am, this was a couple years ago (the artist's old A_B entries), and I want to give them a chance to see if things have changed, but if this was any other image I would have asked for a refund by now. However due to the sentimental value I would really love the image as well.

Should I just wait it out and hope for the best? I am on the queve and not "forgotten" in that way. Or should I send an ultimatum of X'timeframe or partial refund? (I do not want the full refunds and I've kept a copy off all the sketches and adore them greatly).

Also any help with how I should word it when asking for a refund (if I decide to go this way), I do not want to come off as demanding and harsh - but I do not want to be too nice either :/

Comments

[moondoge.livejournal.com]

Sounds very fishy to me. Huge red flags if many other customers had bad experienc with the artist.
I believe if i you ask for a refund and the artist denies/ignores it, then you probably can't do anything about it because PayPal only allows a refund before 40 days :/
Good Luck tho!

[adzuki.livejournal.com]

I would definitely ask for a refund. This long with no updates and the poor feedback from customers is a bad sign.

If they ignore you, try to talk to Paypal about opening a dispute. If you paid with a credit card or debit card through paypal, issue a charge back.

[moondoge.livejournal.com]

This.
If it was paid with credit/debit card, indeed issue a charge back.

[dazen-cobalt.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to butt into your conversation but charge back also applies to debit cards? I thought it was just to credit cards.

[intj-reflection.livejournal.com]

As long as money was not withdrawn at an ATM (ie: the debit card was skimmed and the PIN compromised) the credit card company through which the debit card was issued can start a charge back.

[exo-formicidae.livejournal.com]

Paid with debit, and the bank have been very helpfull with chargebacks before (not for art but other in general card scam.)

I will try another note though - as there is no trouble with the artist ignoring me. Very friendly, just no work to show after so many months :/

[adzuki.livejournal.com]

Wanted to add, even though it is past the 45 days, you can still contact Paypal's dispute services and see if they can't give you options. It might be a long shot, but it's something.

[intj-reflection.livejournal.com]

At this point I would ask for a refund. If they refuse to work with you, post a beware. Unfortunately, not all artists who haven't had an A_B post in a while have reformed. :-/

[armaina.livejournal.com]

I would ask for a refund for the unfinished work, maybe leave 10-20$ for the sketch and re-sketch at least, and refund the rest.

If you need help with wording
"I haven't seen any progress from you in a really long time, and I'm thinking I'd really prefer a refund at this point. Since you did do some sketches, you can keep ____ and just refund ____."

Or something to that effect. replacing the blanks with the appropriate amounts that you decide.

[cdemonkam.livejournal.com]

Gonna echo some of the others. Get a partial refund but leave enough to pay for the sketch that was done.

[crazydraconic.livejournal.com]

I would suggest asking them when they can finish the art, and if they give you a set date, then wait until that time arrives.

If it has not been finished by then, I would probably ask for a partial refund at that point, since they did at least finish the sketch.

If they ignore you or respond rudely, Its probably a good idea to post an AB on them.

Keep on your toes though, if they have scammed people before then its possible they can again

[exo-formicidae.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to update that there is contact with me and the artist and we agreed on a refund being the best option for both. They are being very polite and proffesional about :)

Still thank you for the advice and I'll keep it in mind for the future :) I will update this when everything have gone through the banks and all that boring stuff :)