FA User: Beeejaay

[eenyuwolf.livejournal.com]

With Anthrocon on the horizon I thought it was about time I make a post here concerning someone I commissioned at AC last year.

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/beeejaay/

Last year Beeejaay was a close friend of my boyfriend's friend, so my boyfriend commissioned a badge from her in the artist's alley and received it. It was a cute badge so I decided to get one as well, besides I always like to help out a friend. I wasn't all that concerned seeing as it was a friend of a friend so i admit I paid her there instead of doing the whole receipt thing they do at AC, plus the AA was about to close and I didn't want to bother with the line. Looking back this was a poor decision on my part as I don't have physical proof anymore, but like I said I wanted to help a friend; so lesson learned.

Anyway, my badge wasn't completed at AC so I figured I would have it mailed out to me. AC was around the 4th of July last year and I get this note from her after the con:

Sent By: Beeejaay On: July 13th, 2009 02:17

Hay womanz,

I need your address kthnx :>


I reply with a thanks and my address.
Time goes on and I don't see anything; nothing in the mail no progress sketches, nothing. so eventually I reply with my own FA note:

Sent By: EenyuWolf On: March 15th, 2010 10:06

Hey there,

I didn't want to bother you about this as I don't want to be a pest, but I feel like it's been a while and I would like to inquire about the badge I commissioned from you at AC '09.

If you need a reff again I have one here:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3404486/

If you would rather refund the $20 that would be fine, but I would rather have the badge.

Thank you for your time,

-EenyuWolf



This note still sits unread and her FA profile is cleared out and abandoned. I probably shouldn't have waited so long to follow up, nor have been so passive but I have a bad habit of worrying that I am pestering artists. She has also had a falling out with my boyfriend's friend and I also know that she owes two of my other friends commissions from AC '09 as well.

I could have handled things better, but I still don't think it makes up for her taking my money along with the money of others and just dropping off the face of the earth like she seems to have done.

Comments

[baronyiffington.livejournal.com]

Agreed, you defiantly should not have waited 8 months to say anything.

If she's just simply disappeared, there really isn't much you can do. I'd say send an e-mail to Anthrocon and let them know that you were scammed - but with no receipt, you can't prove that you commissioned anyone.

As you said, basically, lesson learned. Never ever ever buy ANYTHING without proof of purchase.

[eenyuwolf.livejournal.com]

Yup, definitely learned my lesson.

Thankfully at the time it was a favor for a friend so I don't have many regrets about the money lost; at this point I think I made this post to mostly serve as a warning for others in case she happens to appear again.

Though I should tell my other friends who were scammed out of their money to inform AC as they were smart about their transactions and hopefully still have their receipts.

[baronyiffington.livejournal.com]

For sure have them report her to Anthrocon. They'll keep her from getting a table. I didn't even notice that others were scammed too the first time I read your post.

[rileycostello.livejournal.com]

from what I hear, she pretty much ditched all work and hightailed it. :P

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

so i admit I paid her there instead of doing the whole receipt thing they do at AC

By violating the stated rules of the Artist's Alley (and the PA tax code), you basically made a free donation to the artist in question. Anthrocon can't do anything about it. Sorry so harsh, but it's true.

(Edit: sorry, hit the wrong reply button)

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

If the artist in question did scam people who have AA receipts from AC last year, yes we want to know about it! You can email Alley-2010 "at" anthrocon.org with your questions. Be prepared to provide proof, if necessary.

[litheauyer.livejournal.com]

This right here. Anthrocon also tends to frown on this sort of thing, if I remember correctly. =/ Or they really really discourage it.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

She pulled a Paiseley.

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

while it does seem tiresome to wait in the line to pay artists, its necessary to keep accountability and to keep things legal in the tax sense. I hope other people learn from your example at least and make sure they get that receipt from anything they buy at AC, since I don't think there is much to do about this artist

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

I have three other friends that commissioned things from her. Ref sheet, and two badges. She has kept them waiting upwards of a year.

I didn't feel right giving out her AIM information to one of the gents, because I wouldn't really like it if someone did that to me. So I just let her know about it.

However, she got upset at her ex and pulled a "leaving the fandom forever" ... except she didn't. I have heard she intends to attend AC this year.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

I'll have to get a hold of the other people that paid her via paypal whom she hasn't done the work for.

This post should not be discounted for the true meaning. The artist has not been putting out her commissions for the last year.

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

The true meaning would be you (as in the OP) didn't go through the right channels and this artist ran away with your money. It serves the purpose both to warn about the artist and make sure when commissioning any artist at a large convention to make sure you stand in line to get that receipt.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

I was going for "This. Artist. Doesn't. Do. Work."

I'm not the commissioner. :)

[p3nsive.livejournal.com]

Make that four. She owes me a badge, too. :/

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

Yeah I caught that after I made the post.

Yeah the artist doesn't do the work, but I always hope these posts serve more than just to warn about ONE said artist and can perhaps be a teaching tool on how to avoid getting scammed in the furry art world. I've been commissioning furry art for nearly 10 years since I've been an active member of the fandom and I can only point to 2 times that I've been unsatisfied and even then I still got my art. I make a point of following this community and being mindful of the mistakes people make and try not to do the same thing. So my long winded point is that I hope others do the same thing, and thus more people will continue to commission worthy and responsible artists and keep our little furry artist economy afloat.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

:/ Nice.
Got some proof you'd like to put up to further this case?

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

C: Good 'nuff.

[p3nsive.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I don't, since I was stupid and commissioned it via instant messenger. :c I commissioned her last year over MSN since we were friends and we talked a lot over IM's, but last I heard from her she told me she moved and my badge was in another state. Haven't seen or heard from her since.

I kinda gave up and assumed this was one of those cases I'd never be getting my art.

[stealthferret.livejournal.com]

Oh oh! Me too! :

[stealthferret.livejournal.com]

Well my story goes like.. me and my sister both commissioned her last ac. Somewhere along the line we poke her about them... she said she had already shipped them, but not let us know or check on the status of us receiving them. Said she'd do new ones if we never got them. That't the last I've heard.

[stealthferret.livejournal.com]

Wow I was under the understanding that AC didn't really deal with things like that.

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

If it was an official transaction through the Alley, I believe they might be able to at least make sure it doesn't happen again. You'd have to email them directly, though.

[stealthferret.livejournal.com]

Ehhh I was under the impression that they don't ban people from alley or dealers den?

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

If it's someone who doesn't hold up their end of a transaction, I believe they can be placed on a watch list of some sort. Again, I'd recommend emailing alley-2010 "at" anthrocon.org to make sure.

ETA: I just spoke with one of the Board members. If Anthrocon has proof that an artist is defrauding people, they can be banned from the Alley. Email alley-2010 "at" anthrocon.org with your information and proof.

[gel-wolf.livejournal.com]

I know BJ personally, and while she's a sweetie and has such adorable art, you're definitely not the first person she didn't do the art for/didn't mail it out.

She did a badge for my roommate Quil a couple years ago, and we saw the finished badge, but she never mailed it, despite me asking for it at a couple more cons. She's also ditched on at least one trade with my friend Mottenfest that he's told me about. =/ so yeah, cool as she is to hang with, make sure you get your art at the con. She tends not to take art very seriously, from what I can tell