More advice?

[crazy-sharklady.livejournal.com]

Hello, I am in need of some advice again.

I had commissioned an artist a month ago for an art bundle, which consisted of either two fulls or one full and two chibis for $25. I chose the two fulls. I was well aware that the artist worked slow as was stated in their ToS, so I was willing to wait. There were only two slots available, and I was the second one to buy the slot.
I received the first full a couple weeks ago and I was very pleased with it.

Approximately four days ago, I checked their userpage to see how they were doing and according to their journal, they had apparently committed suicide. (Note this is not confirmed whether or not it was successful, they had posted a journal stating they would kill themselves and no one that I can contact is close enough to the artist to confirm whether or not they went through with it.)

I talked about it with a couple of friends of mine, and immediately one of them asked me 'what about the rest of your bundle?' They think the artist is attempting to run away with my money but the artist's significant other seems really worried and that highly concerns me.

So..really what should I do about it? If I wait a week to contact the artist and hear nothing back, should I assume they're dead and just give up on the bundle, walk away with my single piece, or go through Paypal to get my money back? I feel like an awful person for even thinking of it, but I don't like to waste my money and if I'm not getting a product that I'm promised for my money then it bothers me.

(Note, this is just a possible scenario. As stated, I'm going to wait a week or so before contacting the artist. If the artist responds, then I'll continue to wait and give them their space to work. I would just like to know what to do if the other situation happens.)

Comments

[traceymordeaux.livejournal.com]

Personally I would wait a while and see what happens, make sure you don't wait too long so that your buyer protection on Paypal doesn't run out and if it comes down to it simply go through with a chargeback, you wouldn't hurt anybody if the artist really is dead and if they're not then they're trying to run with your money anyway.

It's a tough and sad situation but I wouldn't risk my money.

[celestinaketzia.livejournal.com]

It's a weird situation, but I'd just file the chargeback as a dispute. They have 20 days to respond to the dispute. If they don't you'll have to escalate it to a claim on your own.

[leahtaur.livejournal.com]

This sounds horribly crass but if they're deceased, well, they don't need the money, do they? It's yours by rights.

[false-prophet.livejournal.com]

i honestly agree with this- even if the attempt was unsuccessful, the commissioner is probably not within the right state of mind to continue doing commission work. the buyer would probably have to end up waiting well past the paypal chargeback timeframe if they chose to stick with it.
i would wait until the last week before the chargeback limit runs out and, if no contact has been made, definitely issue a refund.

[chaossal.livejournal.com]

Yeah I would do a chargeback :/
Like people said they're either trying to run off with people's money or they're dead in which case they won't care if you do a chargeback.

[wuvvumsoc.livejournal.com]

I would do a chargeback for it too. I don't know if you need to explain to paypal why. Suicide is a sensitive thing, but they can't do the work for you if they are dead or hospitalized. x:

[crazy-onna.livejournal.com]

If you do chargeback, send half the money back since you did get half of what you ordered. That way, if they're not dead, they get the money that they earned.

[ravensmoon666.livejournal.com]

You may want to leave out the username as this is an advice entry and they haven't named any names.

MOD COMMENT

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

Screening for outing the name in an advice post.

[laini.livejournal.com]

A charge back over $12.5? I wouldn't feel right doing that.

[wuvvumsoc.livejournal.com]

It's not the amount that matters for a chargeback, it's whether you expect to get your services. There's a good chance that they wouldn't get their commission for a long time, and may lose their buyer protection.

[leahtaur.livejournal.com]

That amount of money could still go towards a sketch or icon from an artist who will deliver.

[crazy-sharklady.livejournal.com]

I honestly wouldn't feel right over it either, but as I stated, if I'm promised two images for $25, I want my two images or my money back. And as leahtaur stated, I could use that 12.50 to get a sketch from someone who is in a better frame of mind.
But the artist has been confirmed alive, so this isn't much of an issue, thankfully.

[tock-fast.livejournal.com]

For the sake of what amounts to $12.50, I'd leave it alone.

If they're still around, they're likely not in the best frame of mind to be working on your piece, and a charge back might put them deeper into that mental hole of depression. I realize that's not your responsibility, but it might be better to look at the bigger picture.

I'd say the artist is depressed, and if they're still around then that just means they're still fighting. If this was a scam, they wouldn't have bothered finishing your first piece.

[crazy-sharklady.livejournal.com]

That is what I want to believe, as they did give me my first piece (albeit I discovered it by surprise and wasn't even linked to it) and I am still on their queue.
But even for that small of an amount, if I'm promised something for even $1 I want my promised image or my money. Money is valuable to me, and I cannot allow to let people get by with not giving what is due.

[stormrunner1981.livejournal.com]

Since some are saying the opposite, I feel I should put in my two cents being in a similar situation.

As in I was the one that attempted suicide.

Do the charge back, you have no idea how much of a relief it would be if they are still living to not have the burden of doing art anymore.

As others said, try to send back the half that was done if they are alive it will help, but the burden won't be there.

Not everyone with depression thinks the same as me, but in this case losing a commission is less serious then probably what made them want to hurt themselves.

[klokworkanatomy.livejournal.com]

As someone whose spouse attempted suicide, what if the Paypal account is joined to a bank account that they both work out of? I know that if money had been yanked out of my account during the time I was spending in the hospital with my husband, I would be stressed immensely as to why it had happened.

A friend of mine suggested to contact the partner and ask what they would like to do. At least that way, it's an open option for the artist and their partner to send the money back and know WHY the money went out of the account.

[celestinaketzia.livejournal.com]

IRRC, it just puts the Paypal account in the negative.

[klokworkanatomy.livejournal.com]

Which could still be a shared account anyway. :/

[stormrunner1981.livejournal.com]

This is one reason I don't share a paypal account with my husband. He shouldn't have to deal with my issues if I die. :/

[spartanwerewolf.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that's... not really the commissioner's problem. How your PP and banking is set up doesn't have anything to do with your customers.

[crazy-sharklady.livejournal.com]

That's somewhat why I was seeking advice instead of just immediately performing a chargeback and waiting to see what would happen.

[crazy-sharklady.livejournal.com]

I am really glad you did not commit suicide and are still with us today.<3
I want to give the artist the benefit of the doubt and let them continue with my last image, and if I get it soon then no harm no foul. However, I'll be keeping an eye on them and if they do something like this again then I will be filing a chargeback for 12.50 (since they DID give me my first image) and just explain that it would be less of a burden on the artist and they would have more of an opporunity to focus on themselves. I don't want to be rude, as I deal with depression and suicidal tendencies too, but I also want what was promised to me for my money.

[poto-heart.livejournal.com]

As someone who often struggles with being suicidal, I have to agree. I usually abruptly bail on commitments when I reach a critical point, and the stress over letting down the people I bailed on just adds to the situation. A chargeback and a quick note like 'don't worry about the second commission, I have the money back, I hope you're well soon' would be a big relief for me.

NOTICE!

[crazy-sharklady.livejournal.com]

The artist has been confirmed alive, however they are currently not working on any images for the time being due to their mental state. At the time, I will not be filing a chargeback, as I still want my image promised and will give them the benefit of the doubt. However, I will be keeping a close eye and be wary of them from now on.