Warning about "Jester/Crystal/Ailiah"

[theredwolf.livejournal.com]

Starfinder offered a comission to this person on October 10th; http://www.livejournal.com/users/sfinder/51812.html

Which was accepted by Jester/Crystal/Ailiah for the ammount of $400 OR a PSP, and a second one which was for $800 for 2 character realism, or a $600 lens + tripod collar.

She then finished the first commission($400 or PSP) on the 14th (within a week, as promised to commissioner);
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sfinder/52436.html
Finished peice; http://www.starfinder.biz/sf-ailiah.jpg

Month have gone by and the buyer has not sent the PSP OR the $400 for the completed first. The PSP or $400 was for her birthday, which was Nov.8th, which was agreed to by the commissioner to have to her by then.
The commissioner has backed out of the $800 or a $600 lens + tripod collar after Starfinder has completed alot of work on the second peice (http://www.nvisionphotoandart.com/ailiah-wip4b.jpg)

http://www.livejournal.com/users/sfinder/61550.html?view=429422#t429422
and then this today. She has repeatly told Starfinder that the item was ordered but was pending - however nither myself or Starfinder beleive the item was ever ordered.

Starfinder is not posting this herself because she knows shes not very well liked here. But, Both of us felt that this commissioner was one to avoid. No payment, even though the first commission is complete, and the second one was well on its way to being finished.

Please do not flame either myself or Starfinder for this, as we're just posting about the dead-beat commissioner. Thanks!

Comments

[drake-anaya.livejournal.com]

The links to Starfinder's journal are all non-working for people who aren't on her friendslist, FYI.

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

Oh darn, I'll just have to behave. :P

In all seriousness -- holy crap. That's over a thousand dollars agreed to and backed out of. That's a fucking travesty.

Why did Starfinder accept the second commission from the person when they'd turned up as a deadbeat? Or were both commissions agreed upon at the same time?

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

She asked for a second one the day after I finished the first one, and I figured that she'd pull though, so I immediately began work on the second one. Given the nature of the commission (digital realism) it progressed slower than the first. I am glad, however, since I was able to find out in time that she wasn't intending to pay, and put it on hold, rather than work it all the way through.

The items that were to be obtained from these commissions were to be my birthday gifts to myself. Now I am out of a PSP, and because she refuses to pay the primary commission in full, giving me $300 as opposed to $400, I have to cut my loss and not get a PSP, and still dig into savings and/or borrow money from my father to buy the lens. In the end..my own gift to myself is costing me money. (I am lucky that currently that same lens is available for $475 with shipping on ebay. This is without the $100+ tripod collar though).

I'm sort of frightened to even show my face in this community since I do have a bad track record, although I have been making recent efforts to improve by keeping clients updated, and working in a more timely manner (this piece was finished just 4 days after it was ordered).

[kappyjeanne.livejournal.com]

I have to comment and say that I really really like the way the second one was progressing. Its gorgeous. Its a shame it'll never be finished though :(

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

Oh I'm going to strip it down so the characters are no longer her's and her fiance's, and then I will finish it as something else and sell prints. I won't just scrap it all together.

[wyna-hiros.livejournal.com]

I don't see what's the point of linking to sfinder's posts if they're f-locked.

But yeah, that totally sucks. You can't make them pay half up front, half after or something like that?

[synchra.livejournal.com]

er... not flaming anyone, but that person commissioned be and paid me for it the day of when i did a trade with her and same with a ton of other people so this is VERY out of character for her.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

*shrug* well, have a look at my LJ. She has no intent on even paying the full $400. I'm settling with $300 because it's better than nothing. I don't know how expensive your commissions are, but these commissions valued at $1200, or around $900 worth of trade items. I guess she can't handle larger commissions.

[synchra.livejournal.com]

too bad i don't have a more canid character of myself and Mook and a bunch of money. >.>

but yeah.. this is completely out of character for jester, she usually pays people very quickly, she commissions a lot of people and until this has never ever had any problems.

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

Pardon if this was covered in her replies, as I can't see the entries, but did you ask her if there was anything she was dissatisfied with the commission about? Or maybe some sort of odd emergency cropped up and she couldn't pay, but was too embarrassed/proud to mention it? -- I'm not saying she's not a deadbeat, but sometimes people can get weird about saying "I'm sorry, I can't pay for this at the moment" when they'd already made a commitment. And you know people are weird about saying "I'm not happy with what you've drawn" :p

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

Oh, for godsakes, LJ is retarded. Or maybe I am. This was supposed to go as a reply to your reply to me. :P

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

I'll help you cover the costs if you still need help in funds.

All I ask for is good-solid friendship.

Hell, I'm getting a psp soon. If I don't like it, i'll let you have that as well. i don't like seeing artists jipped.

Happy Holidays,

~Mix.

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

I'd ask her about that too.

Moreso: TALK WITH HER PARENTS!!!

Heh.

they'll get on her ass.

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

I may commishion you later on when I can. Give it some months before I do.

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, 'no signatures' please. I really hate them.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

Oh no, she was happy with it. Happy enough to order a second one. O.O

And personal matters aside, I have seen OTHER commissioned artwork which she posted in her LJ which she apparently commissioned after mine. Even if she has money issues, telling me "I ordered it, but it's stuck at pending" everytime seems odd, you know? An item only gets stuck in such a state if it is on back order, out of stock, or there are insufficient funds available for the transaction. And to have this happen to multiple retailers? Sounds strange.

Besides, if she couldn't afford it, why take on another one? She asked for two, knowing full well she would owe me either $1200 cash, or $900 in items.

[moonstone-wind.livejournal.com]

when you finish it let me know id love print

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

I greatly appreciate that, and would offer art in return (since I don't feel right taking without giving something back). As it stands, she's giving me $300 for the $400 commission, and backing out of the other one completely. While the other one is not finished, it still pains me to cut my losses on it since I put in quite abit of work. I'm mostly displeased with the finished one, as I am getting $100 less, and I already ran a 13x19 glossy photo print of the image. I will be framing and selling that at FC, though. I am peeved since these items (the lens and the all white sony PSP) were to be birthday gifts to myself. I understand that she may have hit rough times financially, but then don't take on commissions you can't afford, ya know?

[thornwolf.livejournal.com]

good idea. fuck that shit.

[synchra.livejournal.com]

yeah the most i've ever charged is $70, but i've also let people take 3 months to pay me back maybe more, because I can be slower than that to sometimes get artwork done for people.

I have a feeling she was just really having problems with getting the money to you.. but she does seem a bit rude about saying that to you. >.< but it might be the amount, I don't know how much she paid people for the other commissions she has asked for, but i know that some of those people do charge more than me. (the one she got from me was only the price of a year subscription to DA.)

[fierycatthing.livejournal.com]

That's actually kind of funny, because I know she has commissioned several artists before and I haven't heard a single complaint before now. :/

Hope things get settled. That is some really uncalled for shit, especially after a commission is well on its way like that.

[fierycatthing.livejournal.com]

I know that's how I handle my commissions-- half up front and before I get majorly through the image(usually I ask for the other half after my "preliminary color" stage). It saves my tail from losing any money from deadbeat commissioners.

I strongly suggest that anyone who takes commissions at a decently high price on something that requires a lot of time does the same. Small commissions, say under 20, isn't as big of a deal as several hundred dollars lost.

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

That's really odd. I can only conclude that she was somehow dissatisfied, especially if she went ahead and commissioned other people that she wound up paying after she'd backed out of yours. Try talking to her again, and this time ask for a brutally honest/straight answer. Sometimes it takes a few blows with the cluebat before people get it, and this was a huge enough thing that it shouldn't be let go of.

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

No problem.

Though, keep a sharp look out for black-market and price fuck-ups on psp's. Anywhere from $50 at times.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well I'm looking for a specific kind, the all white one from japan, and the price is pretty consistant on that one.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

The thing was, when I finished, she commissioned me for the second one. Then while I worked on that one, she went and commissioned other folks. She LOVED both pieces, yet today when I confronted her, she said fine, she won't get the PSP for me, but she also refused to pay the $400 cash value for the finished commission, offering only $300 instead. She then backed out of the other one completely. Until I brought this up today, she was damn pleased with the work I did/was doing.

[acrimonius.livejournal.com]

Unless she was lying to your face, which is entirely possible, I'm at a total loss. I'm sorry. :(

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

I'll keep an eye out just for you.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

Don't bother, at this point I'm no longer interested in that. I'm just trying to get this girl to give me the cash I need for another, more important purchase that I need to make.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

About the only thing she was lying to my face about was ever buying that PSP. At this point I don't want it anymore, since she backed out of the lens commission. I need that lens more than a PSP, so I just want her to pay me the $300 that we agreed upon. Now, just to be a brat, she's quick to try to get that PSP out to me, just because it's not what I want. She said to a friend that she 'doesn't want to be walked on' and 'bend to my whim'. -_- More like she doesn't want me to be happy. When I wanted the PSP, she wouldn't send it, now that I want alternate payment, she's quick to want to send the PSP.

Given the fact that I take photography seriously, I'd rather have that lens (a good, desirable Canon L-series lens, too) for my set up than a PSP.

[thaily.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, fuck you :D
Really.

[crssafox.livejournal.com]

Before you go making images for Mix you might want to read this (http://www.livejournal.com/community/artists_beware/54917.html). He won't like it if you sign your artwork, in fact, he seems to throw a fit about it. ^_^

As for the topic at hand, I'm sorry to hear that someone backed out like that. In the future, for something like this, I'd think that your best bet would be to get partial payment up front - or proof from the person that they actually have the trade item agreed on in hand before you begin work - before continuing on with commissions. Half might be asking a bit much if the commission value is $400, but asking $100 would probably be okay, and that way it'd "soften the blow" so to speak when it comes time for the commissioner to pay.

I certainly agree people shouldn't be taking on commissions that they can't afford. But that's probably why I would insist on a down payment, at least, to be sure that they're serious about wanting what they're commissioning.

[korrok.livejournal.com]

I'd watch it with Mix. He has an awful reputation (as stated in crssafox's post) and has appeared to be trying to scam cash through Furbid.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/furbid_horrors/22095.html

A big "AVOID", imo.

[yaochi.livejournal.com]

Gosh that is impressive work Starfinder.

I cannot fathom how someone would commit to something, be so apparently satisfied, and then leave you twisting in the wind like that.

Sometimes. Folks are flush when they commission work, and then After things are well along, something throws them an unexpected curve hardball.

Even so, a commitment is a commitment.

I look forward to seeing more of your work at FC.

[kjorteo]

Also http://www.livejournal.com/community/artists_beware/54917.html 8)

[duraji-synth.livejournal.com]

You've gotta be joking.

[mix-hyenataur.livejournal.com]

I don't see you gossipers trying to help her out.

Just spreading rumours, as always, like the 'furry' you are.

[westly.livejournal.com]

Personally I don't think you should have to go through the extra work to pull identifying marks off of the picture.

You'd sell it as-is in print form if she paid for it, yes? You already have permission to use the characters, just make prints and be done.

You can still make money off of it, you're not using her characters without her permission (Which she gave when she made the comission).

My $0.02

[thaily.livejournal.com]

Yeah we are, we're warning her about you.

[sfinder.livejournal.com]

I intend on doing that with the finished one, however the digital realism one is not yet finished, only her face/head is colored in, so stripping that one of any identifying marks won't be too hard. I can then finish it as I see fit (the commission didn't progress very far since I put it on hold, and only intended to start working again once I recieved payment for the first one).

[anjel-kitty.livejournal.com]

Jesus that is a lot of money for a picture. But then I suppose you are worth it. I love your work SF, but what goes around comes around and some time Karma has a way of coming back and fucking you when you fuck others.
Either way I am sorry it happened to you.