Update with Starfinder/Christina Penescu

[gizagiza.livejournal.com]

I wanted to give a quick update regarding the issue I had with Starfinder/Astray/Kannos/Christina Penescu, previously posted two months ago here.

I updated that post saying that she had contacted me shortly after posting here, informing me that she'll send it out at the end of that week. This would have been the first or second week of December, latest. I haven't received it, so I sent her an e-mail asking about the matter (as instructed on her FA page, under the username Astray) two weeks ago, and then a note on FA five days ago. She hasn't opened by note and all her galleries on FA or DA haven't been touched. However, she's updated her Facebook page since, the latest update being January 26th. So, she has internet access.

I just wanted to say that the issue has not been resolved, and I doubt it'll ever be.

And please, since it was a problem last time, nobody contact her or her employers about the matter. I'm posting this here so that the community and others know to stay away from her (as if there wasn't ample reason already), not to make her life difficult. She'll do that herself.

Comments

[cesarin.livejournal.com]

not to make her life difficult. She'll do that herself.
I think the point about this is..
even if she makes her own life difficult.. she is dragging unsuspecting people with her scam schemes (aka pseudo commisssions she "magically forges" or never does them)
Id do my best to prevent others from falling to such schemes.

[gizagiza.livejournal.com]

I think the best way to do that is to inform others, not to harass the artist.

[2cuxi.livejournal.com]

People were calling her job? That's not right at all. You'd think people would make the logical connection that if she lost her "day job", she'd just start doing even MORE grab-and-run commissions.

[insane-kangaroo.livejournal.com]

I think gizagiza is referring to the other beware where an artist claimed someone from AB called her work?

[lilenth.livejournal.com]

Starfinder alleged that someone did, however no proof of such happening seems to have been provided, my feeling is that since she does watch the comm, she probably saw the discussion as to whether spreading her reputation to the new areas she's moved onto would be a good idea and decided that complaining that someone had done that would be a good ploy for sympathy.

Personally I would not be surprised if her "job" (which isn't really a job so much as an art gallery she's managed to get to take her work) will eventually face many of the same issues with her as have been posted here.

[maryseif.livejournal.com]

Color me unsurprised. Again.

[silverfoxwolf.livejournal.com]

Don't forget she might be using a phone to access Facebook on a dedicated application which might not run FA very well. Goodness knows I can hardly use it on my phone and that's a full doo dar phone with internet connected up.

[gizagiza.livejournal.com]

I contacted her by email, though, 8 days before I tried with FA.

[marus-puppy.livejournal.com]

If her facebook's active, why not try to contact her there?

[gizagiza.livejournal.com]

She has specifically stated on her FA to contact her at the e-mail address she provided. I'm reluctant to have to chase after her.

I may re-send her the e-mail, though. Every two days until she replies. We'll see.

[genkigami.livejournal.com]

I see a pattern with all these Starfinder posts. When Plan A (guilt trip and bitch) doesn't work, she goes to Plan B (ignore you until you'll either forget or give up) which is where she's at right now. She executes Plan C (offer something of lesser value she feels like doing rather than what you paid for and make you feel like you're a huge bother and a horrible person because her life is SO HARD) after you harass her endlessly.

Keep going after her, you deserve your money or your product. Good luck, sorry you got scammed.

[spiffystuff.livejournal.com]

and then plan D - if an artist_beware post comes up after A,B, and C, promise to make good on everything. May or may not actually follow through.

[torikonero.livejournal.com]

When I saw this issue at first, I contacted her about a print I ordered almost 2 years ago and had never been sent to me. Unsurprisingly, she has read the note but not responded, and the print has not been sent. I didn't expect much, but it doesn't hurt to try.

[underthebed.livejournal.com]

Stupid question I'm sure, but WHY do people continue to give this chick money when it's all over the bloody internet/AB/FA that she's a scam artist??? This makes me seethe. I stress hugely if I take too long on commissions, and this piece of gosa blatantly runs away with people's money and then has the unmitigated gall to WHINE about how MEAN they're being to her because they want the art that they PAID her for??? WTF?

[lilenth.livejournal.com]

Offhand I'd say there's a variety of reasons:

1. Not everyone knows about artists_beware, as unlikely as that may seem, it's only one medium sized community and there are thousands of folks out there who don't even use livejournal.
2. Some people presume that anything like AB is "slanderous" and "written by jealous people" because they haven't bothered to actually read the community for themselves and thus fail to heed the warnings. (Seriously, I knew one person who hit the roof when she was told about AB because apparently having an internet equivalent of BBB for artists is eviiiiiiiiiil or something).
3. Some assume since some people have actually got what they paid for that they'll be the lucky ones and get their stuff despite how unlikely that is.
4. Some risk it anyway despite knowing her reputation simply because they like her work and hope it works out for them.

I doubt there are few people who have never been caught in a scam ever, even I got trapped in one of BT's scams a few years back and I read the small print.

[hollowzero.livejournal.com]

Yeah, problem is it's NOT all over the internet. She got her ED page taken down, and that's unfortunately how a lot of "regular" internet users got their information about her.

Sure, all pages have some lies in them, but most have screencapped evidence (and frankly, I look on ED before conversing with furries, lol)

[leahtaur.livejournal.com]

To clarify one thing: she actually has been using her FA account. She doesn't update with pictures or journals, but she has been watching new people (as evidenced by her shouts) and she has been actively deleting shouts asking for progress, as recently as a week ago or less. I've sent a few screenshots of stiffed customers' shouts to Witchiebunny quite recently.

OP, I probably asked this of you in one of your previous posts, but please do keep Witchiebunny updated on this ongoing saga. I feel that getting the FA mods involved is one of the few ways Starfinder will actually feel the pinch, and you're more likely to get your money/picture if she feels her livelihood is threatened.

[gizagiza.livejournal.com]

Really. Thank you for the information, that's very interesting.

I'll be contacting WB tonight.

[thaily.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you left the post up, she often tries to get people to delete them with the promise of giving them the service she should have been giving them all along.
I really wish this would be resolved for you, but I fear it never will, given her track record, despite continuous claims that she is improving her business practice.

[gizagiza.livejournal.com]

She did ask me to delete it. I refused.

[nambroth.livejournal.com]

I'm posting this here so that the community and others know to stay away from her (as if there wasn't ample reason already), not to make her life difficult. She'll do that herself.

I'll toast to that. Best wishes in getting this resolved. :(

[jono-m.livejournal.com]

really hope it gets resolved as she has been making journals about how she will finish backlogged work (at least she's mentioned and acknowledged it) in the new year. it's been a month and nothing has been posted though :\

[kuwaizair.livejournal.com]

we have her tags here, but would she gain her own "beware" website?

why does she do this? does she have any kind of syndromes or complexes? if i get overwhelmed and i shut down and "run"

does she have some kind of OCD-ADD hybred?

when I see all these kind of things, I get a sence of "maybe I should accept payment when things are done, and not have a down payment insentive (here is the first $20, when you are done you get the next $30")

or is her busniess sence very poor?

[taasla.livejournal.com]

The thing is she has been doing charge on delivery. She is still managing to mess that up. She made a major error on my friend, Dipper's, commission, promised to fix it AFTER she got payment, and then never did.

[hellfire99x.livejournal.com]

Oh my, she still hasn't sent it to you? Wow... what a terrible business sense she has. :/ She has even worse practical sense, choosing to pick a fight with you! I'd say I feel sorry for her... but no, I don't. I really, really don't.

She really needs to buckle down tight, set aside a few months to do nothing but complete her previous obligations -- get them all out of the way at once -- then never, ever take commissions again.

[frazzled-niya.livejournal.com]

Personally I wouldn't give too hoots if people actively went out and tried to ruin her RL...She has scammed that many people that have posted here and others that haven't spoken up or just write it off (and for any other reason)...She deserves everything she gets. Karma....

Could this also be her?

[cryptcreature.livejournal.com]

Stumbled across this on DA, apparently another is curious about the user as well.

Re: Could this also be her?

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

Did you mean to include something here?