Artist Beware: Sharkfu/Fraud

[nocitae.livejournal.com]

The incident occurred earlier in the year, but the artist is again taking commissions without finishing her current list. (Some of the people on the list have been waiting for over a year.) I am putting a record up here just in case.

WHO:

Sharkfu on DA
Fraud on FA
Vicious on Weasyl
dydoe on Tumblr

Former usernames include: bohemianjc (Twitter/Twitch/?), Atroci (DA), Debauches (Facebook), Plushiez, JamieBroLol

WHERE:

http://sharkfu.deviantart.com
https://www.furaffinity.net/user/fraud


WHAT:

Several digital art commissions. There were at least two that were spaced several years apart. (screencaps below)

WHEN:

Our interactions began in early 2013. She was in a financial crisis and her bank had charged her an overdraft fee. I helped her out by giving her a small loan and when she still could not make ends meet, I commissioned her for a drawing. We fell in and out of contact until summer of 2015, when she was once again in a financial crisis. I commissioned her yet again. In the summer of 2016, I began noting her about the commission, whether she intended to finish it or issue a refund. I got one response saying that she would be willing to refund me, but nothing afterwards. She then posted her journal offering to sell a gryphon design, which is when the screencaps begin.

PROOF:

Our conversation: http://sta.sh/222ie5e1znd0?edit=1
Backup link: http://imgur.com/a/UC2WV

EXPLAIN:

I approached offering a trade: clear all of her debt (and then some) in exchange for the gryphon. I included PayPal screenshots in case she had forgotten about the art. She refused the trade, then attempted to get out of refunding the full amount. (The latter might have been a simple misunderstanding on their part.) She then claimed that she had not received any payment from me. After having PayPal send copies of the receipt to her and providing additional screenshots of receipts, she acknowledged that I had paid her, but insisted that I had sent the money as a gift or loan instead of payment. She also seems to be under the impression that after PayPal buyer protection runs out, she is under no obligation to complete owed work. In addition, she posted several journals asking commissioners to remind her of owed work. Though I did indeed comment on two of them, she deleted the journals and declared that not commenting on the journals meant that I voided all of her obligations. In the end, I provided a screenshot where I did indeed commission her and I finally got my refund.

Though I was lucky enough to receive a refund (and indeed, several others have), there are others who are still waiting. The artist always seems to be in some sort of financial crisis and takes emergency commissions which she does not always complete.

EDITED 11/14/16 with more alternate usernames.

Comments

[latiro.livejournal.com]

While it's good to know you got your refund after waiting for so long, the fact that the artist is constantly opening emergency commissions to pile up on her plate but doesn't always complete them reminds me of this one artist I had trouble with in the past few months (at least my issue with him was resolved).

To Sharkfu: I understand that having a financial crisis is bad news, but in all honesty, either finish the paid commissions or refund your commissioners like you said you would.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

wow this artist sounds incredibly frustrating to work with considering how long it's been and the fact that they made you go through all of the trouble to call paypal and threaten because they seemed to have forgotten that you paid them. thank you for taking the time to write this out.

[talentedfool.livejournal.com]

Honestly even though you received your refund in the end, I would never work with this artist because of their attitude. They were incredibly rude and constantly changing their tune on things. Make a public journal selling a gryphon and then claiming they don't know if they want to sell it? With an "Excuse me, ha." Or calling you spiteful repeatedly for wanting a refund? Stating in writing "I have no history of that transaction and can even make a video of me proving so" and then later on switching to "I think you're misunderstanding, I'm not asking for a receipt, I don't need proof that you sent it, I know you sent it, I have invoices". Yikes! Clearly someone who keeps on top of their outstanding owed commissions!

Or my favourite part! Claiming that not posting a comment on a journal voided them of all responsibility to give you a refund! Nope, nope, that's not how that works! Sorry!

I would absolutely never ever ever work with someone who pulled that kind of behaviour. Ugh, honestly, as someone who has had to open emergency commissions and rely on the good will of people willing to pay me up front to help me out of a tight spot, seeing her speak to and treat someone this way after giving her a goodwill commission makes me so upset. That you remained relatively calm and polite through the whole exchange is a credit to you as a commissioner.

If this person is going to continue to rely on people commissioning them to stay financially afloat, which apparently they are by the way they constantly open emergency commissions, I'd hope they start treating their commissioners better and take on a more professional tone. "I don't like being spoken to that way" is NOT an excuse if you're a professional.

What disgusting behaviour.

[keith faulkner (from livejournal.com)]

Never ever ever give all your money away to someone you don't know. Even if they are part of a welcoming-loving fandom. Cause if you do then your financial situation will be screwed as well. I'm dealing with an artist similar to this. He always opens emergency commissions. He lies about how his life sucks, but I find him else where and he's having a good time. People like this are manipulative liars and are very bad at doing business with others. Well all I have to say about this is lesson learned.

mod comment

[whoop-zi.livejournal.com]

"People like this are manipulative liars and are very bad at doing business with others."

Please refrain from name-calling here.