Beware: Starfinder/-Star-/Astray/Kannos

[murdercrow.livejournal.com]

During FC 2009, I commissioned Star/Astray for a 30 dollar badge commission. It was the last day, so she said she would send it out to me in a few weeks. Since my partner Evolus had commissioned her on the first and had finished it during the con, I figured I could trust her.

It is now nearly a year and a half since then and I have yet to receive the badge that I paid 30 dollars for. Worse yet, she's completed OTHER commissions, done various artwork, and refused to respond to my (polite) notes until I threatened to post here, whereupon she bitched at me for requesting either my badge or a refund, saying that she was in terrible financial conditions right now, and according to her, hadn't received the character sheet to begin with. I figured that it might've been a glitch with the notes, so I resent the character sheet, and waited. And waited. And waited.

I'm sick of waiting. I ordered a basic badge going on two years ago, and I've watched her completely ignore me, do other people's work, bitch at me when I resorted to the only way I knew how to get her to actually COMMUNICATE with me, and then proceed to ignore me again when I showed the slightest bit of compassion.

I want either a refund or my badge, and at this point I think it's fair to say that the badge should be equivalent to her photorealistic work, considering I paid her up-front and haven't gotten diddly in return.

As for everybody else, beware. She's a great artist, but commissions with her are hit or miss, and if it's miss you will NEVER get your art.

EDIT/UPDATE: I sent her a PM on the 9th, and it has yet to be read. Considering she last posted a journal entry yesterday, I'm pretty much certain that I'm being ignored.

Again.

Advice, anybody? In the last PM I sent her, I didn't mention this post at all, hoping that she would put two and two together and get off her duff. It appears I was naive, however. I'm thinking of sending her another PM mentioning this article and asking (again) for my badge or my money. Either way, I've pretty much had it with her.

2nd Update: 5 days and no response while she's been active, and has also read my PM. I got sick of waiting and sent her another PM, this time mentioning this article. Think I should bring up this ordeal with con staff if she ignores THIS, too? =\

Look, I'm going to be blunt. I posted an article on AB about this experience. I really don't appreciate that you've got 30 bucks that I paid to you in good faith, and nearly two years later I haven't even seen a sketch, much less actually held the badge I commissioned from you in my hands.

I would very much like to post a resolved article, but rest assured that I'm tired of being completely ignored while you work on other projects.

Please respond as soon as possible.

Thank you,

-Eccitaze

Oh, and during all this, she's set up an InkBunny account under yet ANOTHER name, which I've added to the title.

I'm incredibly frustrated right now. All I want is the fucking badge I paid for. I've been nothing but polite and civil, refraining from insults even while I warned her that I would post here if she didn't respond, and I've been walked over and ignored.

Comments

[ellonwye.livejournal.com]

Unchanged, then. I honestly thought she had, for a moment.

[chronidu.livejournal.com]

Sadly I have to second this.

Hope this pushes star to give the OP their dues... otherwise this just sounds like the same old starfinder from years back :/

[chronidu.livejournal.com]

Curious, OP, Do you have screenshots of your note conversations? It may help us see if she did 'overreact and bitch' at you, just so we can be sure everything on your side was also polite.

Regardless, 2 years for a badge is certainly ridiculous, especially without contact.

[chronidu.livejournal.com]

Also a note on the "I think it's fair to say that the badge should be equivalent to her photorealistic work"

Commissions don't work like that. Although she has made you wait an obscene amount of time, that does not entitle you for more than you paid, and I could easily see how such a train of thought could make an artist turn sour fast.

If anything your entitled to the work you paid for/refund and a damn good apology :[

[spiffystuff.livejournal.com]

Maybe she's got other reasons than trying to dodge the bad rep she's earned as "starfinder", but the name change to Astray raises red flags to me...
I mean if she was in an AA and it said "Astray" she could dupe a lot of people again before word gets around to stay away.

[wereguitar.livejournal.com]

Because of past complaints I thought that she had a public list of who she owes artwork to that was updated as the work was completed? However I don't know where it is anymore, or if it was just temporary after the last huge A_B article I saw about her.

[chaimeleon.livejournal.com]

This- considering her photorealistic stuff goes for over 200 bucks a pop, sorry but no matter how long you wait for art does not entitle you to 170 bucks worth of free art. That attitude alone makes me not want to work with the op.

[chaimeleon.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, why were you not paying upon completion, like all of her current commissioners?

[pyroro.livejournal.com]

Usually if you get a badge at a con you pay up front... unfortunately the exact same thing happened to me long before I knew this community existed. It took over 2 years to get my badge and a full commission plus countless times of sending references as they mysteriously were always "lost". She may have great art..but I'll never commission her again after what I went through.. I understand the OP's frustration. It took a friend of mine who is close to her to actually get my art. When I got it I was very unsatisfied... didn't look like my character at all.

[chaimeleon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have customers pay up front as well- this artist however has had several issues in the past and as a result offerso nly pay upon completion.

[spiffystuff.livejournal.com]

I dunno about that. If you borrow money from someone you pay interest on it. What is a commission two years past the deadline if not borrowed money?
Maybe photorealistic is too much of an upgrade, but I don't think it's out-of-line to want something extra for the wait.

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

You know, and I was just starting to think maybe she'd finally learned and changed her ways, but this here makes me thankful I didn't bank any amount of money on that.

Not surprised.

[freudian-lisp.livejournal.com]

Sort-of-this.

It's common decency to make the commission a tad more fancy than what the original price would suggest if you're to years late and not very co-operative. It's more of an unwritten rule than anything, but it doesn't hurt your reputation. Or maybe that's just me.

I don't agree with the time = money in this case, though.

[freudian-lisp.livejournal.com]

This makes me a little dissapointed.

I'm not very involved with Starfinder, but some part of me hoped she'd managed to change, if only to prove the saying "nobody changes" wrong.

[lilenth.livejournal.com]

*sigh* And just as it was looking like she'd finally grown up and got her act together. I'm sorry to hear about your problems, hopefully she sees this and finally gives you what you paid for.

[lashiec.livejournal.com]

Yeeep. I add in extras if I take awhile, myself. But that's my choice, and it shouldn't be forced on anyone.

[sekhmet.livejournal.com]

excellent point, spiffystuff.

[murdercrow.livejournal.com]

I checked my FA archives when I first made the post hoping to get some and unfortunately they were deleted some time ago. Either by me figuring "Hey, don't need them anymore" or by FA itself. Keep in mind that these conversations DID date back to late last year, though (roughly october/november). ;_;

[murdercrow.livejournal.com]

I didn't know it went for THAT much. Yikes... okay, yeah, that's a little overboard. Still, at this point I just want what I paid for... saying "RAWR WANT PHOTOREALISTIC RAWR" was more me venting frustration than anything. =\

[chaimeleon.livejournal.com]

I assume when you work with an artist you would be familiar with their prices...

[murdercrow.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind though that this WAS a badge commissioned at a con, and it was also over a year ago. When I got the badge I also bought two of her photorealistic prints and they were only 30 a pop, so I figured it would be about 60-70. Shows what I know... D:

[chaimeleon.livejournal.com]

Prints are a hell of a lot cheaper than commissioned art O_O

[sigilgoat.livejournal.com]

those are prints selling for 30, not originals.

(frozen)

[genkigami.livejournal.com]

I recently did a search on how many posts about Starfinder we have. We have like.... over 5. All from different people.

I'm sorry you got gypped, but then again I've learned not to take any of her "I'M SORRY I'LL DO EVERYTHING" promises seriously. I'm not at all surprised she hasn't changed.

[murdercrow.livejournal.com]

I know, I know. I admit that asking for the photorealistic thing was too much. I'm just saying what I was thinking when I was making the post.