Lost Contact: Cranked-Mutt

[runspotter.livejournal.com]

Alright... Not entirely sure if I'm doing this right, so I apologize now if I'm going about this the wrong way.

Anyway, 9 months ago, around mid-June, I commissioned a cell shaded waist-up from the artist http://www.furaffinity.net/user/cranked-mutt/ on Furaffinity and lost contact with them after being hospitalized in late July.
I returned early September to find that not only had I not received my art, but that both their main, character, and boyfriend's accounts had been suspended sometime early August, judging from her last activity. Since then all my attempts to make contact through other sites have failed. I've had a LOT happen to me in this time, but I'd still really love a refund, or at least the art that I'm owed. So if there's anyone who can help me get back in touch with Cranked that would be absolutely wonderful and I'd deeply appreciate it.

UPDATE: I sent Sparsile an email explaining the situation. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes well. Thank you all so much for your help!

UPDATE #2 It seems I'm not getting anywhere with Cranked-Mutt/Sparsile. The more I ask around on different sites, the more I'm finding that I'm not the first one to have done some amateur detective work on the matter. Despite everything she still claims to not be Cranked.

My first email: http://imgur.com/riXBp7A

Her reply: http://imgur.com/PInTuPY

Me pointing out the obvious and collected evidence: http://imgur.com/qB3f7QA

This was a side note I forgot to mention, but I worded it poorly. I meant to say that I found it peculiar that Cranked had once been an original bidder after her character's design, then the design just happened to come into her ownership by supposed chance: http://imgur.com/5JdO7VX

Her reply: http://imgur.com/EIaXi5J

My response. At this point I was tired and hungry after a long day and pretty annoyed with the situation. I think I might have come off as being pretty snippy, but my friends said they didn't think so and that I was just being blunt and honest. I'll let you guys be the judge of that: http://imgur.com/4olpcQX

Her response and the last of the conversation: http://imgur.com/6UXWo0K

I'm pretty much done with the situation. I just feel like she's dancing around the subject and at this point I don't really have the patience to deal with it.
The money I lost isn't worth the headache, but I do hope the people who take the time to read this will take it as a warning and be careful so they don't have to go through the same kind of trouble. I don't take kindly to being played a fool and the more digging I do, the more people are coming forward and outing her bad behavior.

My experience with the person in question wasn't a good one, but I want to thank everyone here, on DA and FA who've spoken up and helped me. It means a lot to know that there are supportive people in the furry-fandom and the art community as a whole. Gives me faith.

Comments

[rueq.livejournal.com]

According to the comments on Cranked's profile, this is now her https://www.furaffinity.net/user/sparsile/

[runspotter.livejournal.com]

Oh. Looks like if I had held off and checked again I would have gotten my answer. XD

[norsepaw.livejournal.com]

In a shout they say this is their new account; https://www.furaffinity.net/user/sparsile/

Derp someone commented before me about it 6_9

[celestinaketzia.livejournal.com]

So they're ban evading? Huh

[dragroon.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, I wonder why that person knows/assumes that Sparsile is Cranked-Mutt? While there styles ARE slightly similar, they aren't exact. (( Hard to tell though, since CM's last artwork is almost a year old.))

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

Wow.. i'm a little unnerved that Cranked decided to just up and abandon all their customers.

[ramthedragon.livejournal.com]

On the sparsile account there is also an email so do poke there too!
But the suspension is very disconcerting to say the least.

(frozen)

[dragroon.livejournal.com]

Did not know Sparsile was Cranked-Mutt, wow. But I think Cranked-Mutts account was suspended due to someone falsely reporting her as under-age? At-least that is what I remember her stating on Weasyl with corresponding screenshots.

(frozen)

[kattotang.livejournal.com]

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if she was falsely suspended. I have been too, in the past. (Yet the two 16-year-olds I've reported for faving a bunch of my mature art still have active accounts have since both turned 17 without the trouble tickets being responded to, heh)

[corghi.livejournal.com]

I do believe you should be able to dispute that transaction?

[latiro.livejournal.com]

I think it's probably too late to file a PayPal dispute since that 180-day limit thing didn't exist until, like, November.

[whoop-zi.livejournal.com]

from what i can tell, people have been leaving shouts on her old accounts(cranked-mutt and alfy) revealing her new account and what i assume are her friends are spamming her shouts to hide it. meanwhile, on her old "alfy" weasyl there's no activity since october, other than a journal saying she's leaving the fandom.

and yet, sparsile as a queue full of what i assume are new commissions. ban-evading is one thing but if she has people from her old accounts waiting for art then this really comes off as her evading her old commissioners, and that's incredibly skeevy, wow.

[jansither.livejournal.com]

There is actually an AB journal in review for her at the moment, so be cautious.
Her account here is Sparsbutt.

Meant to reply to the thread, not your comment - sorry! (:

[orangemonsterco.livejournal.com]

She seems to have an active trello with an 'old commissions' card as well
https://trello.com/b/yAdTAhsX/sparsile-commissions

[ramthedragon.livejournal.com]

I saw that, unsure if OP is listed in the Trello queue or not.

(frozen)

[orangemonsterco.livejournal.com]

If I remember right cranked mutt was suspended for harassment of another user. I'm not sure if that is an entire truth nor if this is appropriate here.

(frozen)

[dragroon.livejournal.com]

I believe she did have a temp suspension from a incident of harassment.

[lunar-orchids.livejournal.com]

This sucks if I'd have known I'd never have commissioned sparsile.. since cranked mutt has owed me a piece from Almost A year ago.

[whoop-zi.livejournal.com]

if you can remember the date of the transactions, you ought to try finding them to see if her names match up, too.

[laughsatthunder.livejournal.com]

I wrote an A_B against her some time ago but can't seem to find it, was it deleted...?

Anyways, contact her and try to get a refund. If you make her angry you're either going to get nothing, a journal about you or a half finished piece.

[jansither.livejournal.com]

A journal in which she claims that you are "harassing" her and getting your friends to "attack" her, nod nod.

Would you please PM a mod about that? I have an entry under review for her and they could get linked up. I can't find it, either.

[puddingpaw.livejournal.com]

Hopefully she wont up and block her old clients, claiming they are "harassing her" because god forbid they want the art they PAID her to do!

[runspotter.livejournal.com]

I know, right?

[teekchan.livejournal.com]

Reading the comments here about her makes me glad I gave her a ban from auctions from me (For removing bids/refusing to pay). I think I'll add her to a perma black list.

[sbneko.livejournal.com]

Is she known to do that?

I've had a bit of issue from Sparsile where she asks for a commission, then...just doesn't reply, and ignores notes. No payment/info was sent, but after that happening about three times now, I'm not sure what to do about it. The one commission I got replies on(from this new account) went fine though, but I did give her a warning that I'd wait two days max for info and payment.

A lot of people say that nothing is set in stone if payment isn't sent, they don't need to reply to you, which is true, but it wastes a lot of time since people think the slot is taken.

[jansither.livejournal.com]

Hm. Seems she nuked her gallery submissions. Wonder why.

[dragroon.livejournal.com]

On the Spar's account? I still see her pictures.

[maxx attax (from livejournal.com)]

After her response and stringing you along, I would honestly just report her to staff for ban evasion. She can claim she isn't the same person all she likes, but the admins can trace her IP.

[wyla.livejournal.com]

Seconding this. If the IPs match up then the staff should be able to confirm that to you. (They've done so before for me when I was getting harassed.)

[whoop-zi.livejournal.com]

i would report her for ban evasion and write out a full beware at this point. it's sad that it has to come to that; i hope you see your money back soon. :/

[runspotter.livejournal.com]

Due to no longer having proof of the agreement and transaction I don't think I'd be able to make an actual beware post. Just don't have enough to back my case up. However a lot of people are coming forward, so I feel confident that at least people will know to steer clear of her in the future.

[jansither.livejournal.com]

Yes - please write an AB!

Mod Comment

[celestinaketzia.livejournal.com]

Do not comment on her page. Please review rule two on our profile page that states not to contact the featured person.

[false-prophet.livejournal.com]

is there a 100% confirmation on the shared ip? i read through the notes, but i cant tell if it was merely speculation or fact.
the mods of artists-beware could (probably- im not entirely sure how dreamwidth works) double check via this comment & submitted a_b entry:

http://artists-beware.dreamwidth.org/1514759.html
http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/829242.html

just a suggestion for anyone who would be interested! ;w;

(sorry for the edit- i just want to echo everyone else about creating a detailed a_b entry so its properly tagged to her name on here.)

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea!

Cranked-mutt

[shysheri.livejournal.com]

I am another who bought a ych over a year ago from cranked-mutt that was never fulfilled. First the file mysteriously got lost. Then a chibi work promised as a replacement. Her sob stories were daily, so I kept letting this slide, by the time I took any action, it was beyond Paypal's time limit. So I do hope if this claim about her being Sparsile is true, someone makes notice before she takes a whole lot of others money and runs with it.

Re: Cranked-mutt

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

If you paid with a credit card balance versus paypal you can still do a credit card charge back

[smokey-incense.livejournal.com]

The evidence is very hard to dispute and I too would feel comfortable with saying that the two are indeed the same person.
Cranked does not have a good reputation among the art community.
Owed art and money, pulling out of auctions she's won last minute, temper-tantrums over not winning auctions and receiving freebies, sending friends to harass people she feels have wronged her, copy-catting, taking commissions and then whining about not wanting to do them, and allegations of having spread nude photographs of another FA user.
I'm sorry for you and everyone else here who've who've had to put up with her nonsense.

[false-prophet.livejournal.com]

hey just wanted to let anyone interested know that the account 'sparsile' has been suspended. i have no clue if its related to their cranked-mutt account. they can be reached via email at stainedandsinned[at]yahoo.com now.

(sorry for the edit, cant word)