Artist Beware: Vejiicakes (Resolved)
Jan. 29th, 2015 09:08 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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artists_beware
WHO: Vejiicakes
WHERE: DA Account/Tumblr
WHAT: $50 for two sketch fanwork pieces
WHEN: The artist solicited sketch commissions in exchange for donations to hurricane relief in the Phillipines in late November 2013, with delivery promised within 1 - 3 weeks. I made a donation and my commission was accepted on 11/24/13.
PROOF:
Original post date (original post at artist's DA)
Pricing and estimated delivery
Proof of payment
Acceptance (1, 2, 3, 4)
Update requests and responses (1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5 (between the two emails in the previous cap), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Reimbursement request
EXPLAIN: After my commission was accepted, I made my first update inquiry 1/2/14. I got a quick response regarding my place in line and hopes that commissions would go faster after the holidays. I requested updates twice more over the next two months with no response. The next update was a group email sent by the artist in March 2014 saying commissions would take longer than anticiapted. Since then, the only sign I've seen that my commission has been worked on was a WIP in August 2014. I requested one minor change on each piece, and there's been no progress since. Save for the group email, I've had to initiate contact every time to get an update, the artist will go weeks or months without responding, and there's always a fresh excuse for the lack of progress. She relegated the donation commissions to a "fandom" email she admitted she doesn't check often, has missed multiple self-imposed deadlines, and as time has passed, I've had to resort to alerting her on Tumblr and DA weeks after sending emails to get a response. My last request for an update was 1/4/2014, which she's opted to ignore (I've seen her active on Tumblr, so I know she's had internet access and seen the alerts I've sent letting her know she has mail). On 1/21/2015, I finally sent a request for either a realistic ETA or reimbursement, alerted her on her Tumblr the same day. I alerted her on her DA a week later, but there's been no response.
I've been a fan of Vejii's "Authority" fanwork for a while, so this has just been a disappointing experience all around, from her initial delivery date (unrealistic given the amount of work she later admitted she took on), to her increasingly poor time management as this has progressed. Even taking the time spent in queue off the table, 5 - 6 months is lousy turn-around time for a couple of sketches, and having to practically hammer down an artist's door to get updates is never acceptable.
ETA: Issue resolved. Artist reestablished contact on 2/1/15 to finish artwork and offer a partial refund for the wait.
WHERE: DA Account/Tumblr
WHAT: $50 for two sketch fanwork pieces
WHEN: The artist solicited sketch commissions in exchange for donations to hurricane relief in the Phillipines in late November 2013, with delivery promised within 1 - 3 weeks. I made a donation and my commission was accepted on 11/24/13.
PROOF:
Original post date (original post at artist's DA)
Pricing and estimated delivery
Proof of payment
Acceptance (1, 2, 3, 4)
Update requests and responses (1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5 (between the two emails in the previous cap), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Reimbursement request
EXPLAIN: After my commission was accepted, I made my first update inquiry 1/2/14. I got a quick response regarding my place in line and hopes that commissions would go faster after the holidays. I requested updates twice more over the next two months with no response. The next update was a group email sent by the artist in March 2014 saying commissions would take longer than anticiapted. Since then, the only sign I've seen that my commission has been worked on was a WIP in August 2014. I requested one minor change on each piece, and there's been no progress since. Save for the group email, I've had to initiate contact every time to get an update, the artist will go weeks or months without responding, and there's always a fresh excuse for the lack of progress. She relegated the donation commissions to a "fandom" email she admitted she doesn't check often, has missed multiple self-imposed deadlines, and as time has passed, I've had to resort to alerting her on Tumblr and DA weeks after sending emails to get a response. My last request for an update was 1/4/2014, which she's opted to ignore (I've seen her active on Tumblr, so I know she's had internet access and seen the alerts I've sent letting her know she has mail). On 1/21/2015, I finally sent a request for either a realistic ETA or reimbursement, alerted her on her Tumblr the same day. I alerted her on her DA a week later, but there's been no response.
I've been a fan of Vejii's "Authority" fanwork for a while, so this has just been a disappointing experience all around, from her initial delivery date (unrealistic given the amount of work she later admitted she took on), to her increasingly poor time management as this has progressed. Even taking the time spent in queue off the table, 5 - 6 months is lousy turn-around time for a couple of sketches, and having to practically hammer down an artist's door to get updates is never acceptable.
ETA: Issue resolved. Artist reestablished contact on 2/1/15 to finish artwork and offer a partial refund for the wait.
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no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 03:38 pm (UTC)And after reading this post, it dawned on me that she never even sent me an e-mail saying that it would take longer for it to be done, much less kept me informed of any updates. Shame on me for not being more on the horn about it, so I guess I've only myself to blame in my case. At this point, I've decided it's a lost cause (and I'm going to be super leery about 'donation commissions' from here on out, too)
Hopefully you get some resolution (and a reimbursement), though.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 03:45 pm (UTC)And yeah, I think if I do another donation commission, it'll have to be one where I pay the artist directly and let them donate if they want. At least then I can go through Paypal for a refund without the artist using the involved charity as a shield.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 07:28 pm (UTC)I agree. Might be difficult to make sure your money is going to the intended cause if it's going to the artist (who then donates to the stated charity), but it's a hell of a lot less scummy -for lack of a better word- than using something like donating directly to the Red Cross as an ass cover. The more I think about this and the way Vejii has handled it (or hasn't) makes me feel kinda sick tbh. :/
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 04:39 pm (UTC)