[edited] please beware of this artist, Pollypuma

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

 How should i approach an artist that is obviously having an attitude with a client?

I paid for an item with shipping and i got this back a while ago

" Could you please send me your address? I will try to ship your product soon. We have to come up with 200 or the power company will shut us off. So i might have to wait to ship until my Veterans check comes in if thats okay. Its a measly 123 each month but it comes on the first. If you need your product before then i can ship it, but we may need the extra money this month to cover the cost of the electricity. Its up to you what you choose. Thank you for your business and support of  ********."

So okay, i was in no hurry. A bit annoyed, but i could wait. I sent them my address and told them i was okay with it.

That was over a week ago and i asked again about shipping and here is our conversation

Them: need your address.

Me: i gave it to you twice 8/ *insert address*
(i realize now i gave it to them once, but i had still given it to them. previously. But whatever, that was okay, a bit annoying but okay.)

Them: This is the first time I have received your address, and i had sent you a note saying that i didnt get paid until the first you then sent me one back saying that would be fine.
But i will skip dinner tonight and ship your equipment today.
( thats where they started to get rude.)

me: yes i did send it when i said i was okay with waiting. it's in my outbox.

them: I did not get that message from my mate and if your ok with waiting then why would you ask me if i shipped it yet?
But we will put it into the mail today.

me: i was, but i would like to know why it would take so long if i paid for it?

them: My mate and i just had a mis carriage and we have to pay for it, not to mention our electricity almost got cut off. So I had no choice but to use some of the shipping money you had sent for your commission to help pay for it. I was going to pay for it and send it once i got my check. But it will be shipped today or Monday at the latest . Im sorry again for the delay. I assure you we will not have another miscarriage.
(EXTREMELY rude now)

me: im truly sorry that you have problems, but i paid for it and honestly thats all my money should've gone to.

them: Without our electricity on i could not have completed the work, thank you so much for letting us mourn the loss of our unborn son your such a kind and understanding person.
(that really annoyed me. completely unprofessional)

a while later them: I just read your journal and your right your payment should have gone to your order im sorry to make you wait so long.

now i dont think i handled this too well, but what do you think and how could i have handled it better? i told them that i was okay with waiting but that the only problem i had was with the attitude and that i look forward to receiving the items;

"that is fine. the only problem i had was that you had an attitude about it.

i do not appreciate getting an attitude by someone i paid to do a job.

I look forward to see my items soon, my partner gave me the money for them as a gift and im very excited to wear the collar from her. "

I feel bad because they were having problems, and i understand. I guess i was to unsympathetic because i'm crabby? just looking for advice so i can handle this better and be nicer next time. also i dont know if this could be considered a beware so i will give the username if i am told that it can be considered one.

Edit 1: user is pollypuma, Here is a screencap for proof; http://www.iaza.com/work/110726C/iaza12206146228500.png

Edit 2: I have received the items today, and WAS given a tracking number not too long after i originally posted this.

This is resolved, but i really wont recommend the artist if you cant handle attitude. The fur lining of the collar is already falling off and i will have to ask a friend to help replace it 8/

edit 3: now the user posted a journal and sent a note asking me to have it removed. http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2564913/

The user is being continuously rude to me and badmouthing me on furaffinity as well as his 'mate'; http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2564913/ http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2565333/ screencaps have been taken in case the user deletes them before i can show my partner (they've been wanting to take their chances and order a collar from them because they like mine other than the glued fur problem) and  save just in case i need them in the future.

Edit 4: I would like to clarify that the only issue i had was the users attitude. Not the fact that they brought their personal life into it, as i had asked a question. the first thing that really annoyed me and was extremely unprofessional was this "I assure you that we will not have another miscarriage." If the user had simply left that and many other remarks out then i would have been much more sympathetic. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when someone uses a tragedy to make their customers feel bad about asking about their items.
I commission very often and i have nothing but patience. Another user i had commissioned missed many deadlines with me, but kept me updated and was very polite, therefore i was nothing but polite and patient. As long as I am updated and met with a professional (or even friendly) attitude then all is fine. I may seem to have high expectations, but this is a business relationship and i do not expect any less than i would if i go to a store and ask for assistance.

Edit 5; the user is bashing me now and has been reported on FA. I have tried to remain calm for the most part and hope i did not lose my temper. It seems that the stress has gotten to pollypuma and i will highly recommend one does not commission this artist to avoid such 'drama' and other problems; http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/683/wwwfuraffinitynetjourna.png/

Thanks,

Blue

Comments

[church3392.livejournal.com]

the way i see it is this,
1. yes i understand that your commission is late. you should be a little peeved about it

2. the miscarriage happened within the week, just think about "what if my unborn child died?" you would be quite devastated too.

3. your commission is done so why are you crying and complaining?

4. money is tight everywhere, especially since the government wont raise the debt ceiling. so if he had to pull money away from commissions to go about living his life so he can finish it then let him.

which brings me to point number

5. your just mad because he got a little attitude with you because you were being impatient. i am on his side for this, what your saying about him is completely uncalled for. just take what you paid for and shut up and grow up. quit posting stuff like this because you got pissed at the fact that he wouldn't jump up right away and complete your demands. the world doesn't revolve around your ass. just take your commission and leave him alone.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

Reign in the hostile attitude, please read the user info. We don't allow flaming here and we expect people to discuss things, including their disagreements, in a civil tone.

[church3392.livejournal.com]

im sorry about my comment but this is a little ridiculous and it just shows how people on the internet can get away with saying whatever they want and not have to deal with repercussions. this whole thing may put him out of the only way to pay bills and i dont want to see one of my friends out on the street.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it is a business transaction. They are your friend and I understand you want them safe and happy, but they are not the commissioner's friend and the commissioner has absolutely zero obligation to care. The artist had no right to force their problems on the commissioner to guilt them the way they did, and thus that is why they are here.

I do wish your friend the best in getting things worked out, but it is a valid post and I'm afraid you'll just have to deal with that, however mean that may sound. Strangers are not required to not care about something they payed for just because someone's having a hard time.

[church3392.livejournal.com]

but if you would stop looking at it from the sidelines and actually just try and put yourself in his shoes,
you have to pay a giant hospital bill and utility bills can be very stressing, and the OP was being a little impatient, saying that she would wait and then turning around and asking 20 questions, i would be a little mad too and snap at her.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

If the artist had handled it differently, it probably would have been met differently, you have to understand that, too. They immediately started into guilt tripping them about bills and miscarriages, and that's just WILDLY inappropriate.

That said, I don't advocate impatience. But it doesn't make the artist's behaviour okay.

[theredwolf.livejournal.com]

The only problem I have with this entire senario is:

I'm assuming this is a piece of artwork. 8.5x11" is standard, imo. Shipping on such an object, with packing supplies included (package, bubble wrap, etc.) is $4.00.

We all have medical bills. I've actually been in the EXACT same situation as the artist in question, but me mourning the loss of my daughter didn't effect the fact that I gave the package to my mate, and said "Hun. This has to go out on X/X/XX, can you please ship it?" Did the 20 minute trip to the post office bother him? I doubt it.

No matter what happens in your personal life (or in this case the artist, or mine.) The customers don't' pay for your life story, they don't pay for excuses. They pay for an image, and the resulting image in their hands.

Even if the OP was a little impatient, the things said by the artists were unnecessary, and completely over the top.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

I paid for a collar and cuffs set. Shipping included in price, it was flat rate i believe and i think shipping was around the $4-$5 range.

Honestly i dont feel that i was being impatient as much as excited. I had wanted to know when they could ship it so that i could wear them asap XD If i had been told to wait another week or so i would have been absolutely fine with it.

[theredwolf.livejournal.com]

This is true, perhaps I just read it wrong :)
However, I agree. A simple "Its going to be X Before I can ship" would have been sufficient for most people :)

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

1. I asked for an update, not for it to be shipped asap.

2. Yes but i would not be guilt tripping my customers or my boss at work, that is unprofessional.

3. i UPDATED the post. I did not get it till recently.

4. I paid for it. There is no excuse for that money to go to anything but shipping. Especially since he took other commissions that could've covered it.

5. I asked for an UPDATE. I do NOT post things like this EVER. I commission people VERY often and know how business works. Business is professional and the user was not. I did not tell him to ship it right away, he assumed that that is what i had wanted.

[church3392.livejournal.com]

yes but it was the way you worded everything which made him think that, just take this down, you are ruining somebodys life here.

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

Posts may not be taken down on Artists_Beware; they can only be added to and marked as Resolved.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

I apologize but english is not my first language. I may be very good at it, but im bad at wording things. Either way that does not excuse his behavior.

No. A_B posts cannot be removed and i am in no way ruining anyones life.

[church3392.livejournal.com]

so by driving his business away with this stupid post you arent ruining the one primary way he makes money to pay his bills and takes care of his family? and judging by your FA page and this post, you seem to know quite a bit of english, so dont play that card.

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

By being aggressive to this commissioner, you are not being helpful for your friends. Please tone down the hostility in your wording. You have been replying to several people; perhaps a break from commenting here would help you calm down.

In addition, it is possible to be quite familiar with English and still not know all of the nuances attached to certain ways of phrasing things. Poizenkat was simply explaining why things were worded the way they are.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

As i said i may be good at it, but that is mostly via spoken word and not as much by text.

I did not ruin his business. If his business has been ruined at all it is his own fault. I will not cater to an artists every wish or accept anything less than professional when i am the one who paid them.