Bware of stellary/Spaceinvaders!

[animewolfchick.livejournal.com]

 I TOLD MYSELF THAT I WOULDNT NEED TO DO THIS BUT I CANT LET THIS GO ON.

DO NOT Commission http://www.furaffinity.net/user/stellary OR the collab account http://www.furaffinity.net/user/spaceinvaders!!

Stellary is RUDE and UNFAIR in the way she accepts and produces commissions.

What i witnessed when i attempted to commission her through spaceinvaders. (please read the dates!

1. as soon as i gained interest (over a month ago) i got this: http://i52.tinypic.com/m90ymd.png
so i thought, fair enough they want to be payed right away and paid up. (since they were coming out twice a week at this point i figured id get mine within 1-2 weeks as there wasnt many before me in the que)

2. i sent a note to stellary's account to inform her i noted her on spaceinvaders as the note had not been read in a few days and i wanted to contact her before she started. i asked if it was okay to get a sketch WIP before she continued. her responce: http://i56.tinypic.com/wgq7oj.png which was a tad snappy but i left it be.

3. since then i hadnt seen a sketch WIP even though she claimed to have sketched MOST of them out here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2477103/ (which was posted a month ago)

4. LAST WEEK after reading this (after it was posted on her page recently): http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/441258.html in an attempt to just see what was happening with my commission (with no intent to rush because i understand people get busy) i kindly asked for an update.( http://i51.tinypic.com/j93ss2.png ) Alex (stellarys partner) then responded very rudely to me: http://i51.tinypic.com/2aj409c.png

5. i decided enough is enough! so i asked nicely for a refund. in which alex agreed to do. i then got THIS from stellary: http://i54.tinypic.com/o86l5k.png

6. i no longer responded and received a refund shortly after.

Stellary on artists beware before: http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/441258.html <-- someone experianced another problem with her.

id also like to mention within this time space until earlier today stellary has completed:

1 Trade
3 Requests
3 Personal Art Peices
1 Commission

AND tried to take on MORE commissions: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2550809/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6165025
She is also trying to take donations: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2556699/

If you agree that all this should NOT be happening to commissioners PLEASE spread the word!


EDIT: Alex Has Apologized for the rude comment she personally sent me which is of-corse accepted.

Comments

[lilclaudy.livejournal.com]

I had seen the other beware but not the part where she tells people to " go die ". D:
Also this is kinda sad, her friend looked cool when we talked on someone's stream. :[
I am all for letting artists take their time but you didn't really seem to be bothering them all that much, just asking, they could just answer.
Hell, when I take a month on a commission I ask for forgiveness and give them an update.
Scary artist is scary, also needs to learn some business etiquette...

[everainsley]

Woah. I would have changed my mind as soon as she said to send payment as "Personal -> Payment Owed."

Asking for personal payments removes holds on the funds, if the account is flagged as a "risk" and means the seller isn't charged for the fees they should incur for using the service. Sending a personal payment removes protections for buyers (shady), and sending it as such is against PayPal ToU, as sellers are responsible for their own fees (not buyers).

I'd report her to PayPal for that, with that screenshot. :/

Both her and her partner seem very unprofessional, as I noticed in the other post (additionally, her use of colored text is very hard on the eyes). Thank you for the further warning, and glad you did get your refund.

[roocodendron.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this is just so bad. Red flags indeed, I definitely wouldn't have gone through with it knowing that.

Didn't she claim to have problems with paypal before though..?

[aerospiritual.livejournal.com]

she's already had one account shut down by PayPal for this.

[ryunwoofie.livejournal.com]

Not surprised one bit her attitude hasn't changed. Also her recent journal once again showing her true colors.

"Taking down my donations because apparently seeing my girlfriend isn't as important as work. =n=
Thanks."

[ryunwoofie.livejournal.com]

I don't really know how one could spread the 'word' w/o being accused of 'defaming' an artist on FA.

[thornwolf.livejournal.com]

Should be noted she takes commissions under another name as well, Poltergeist.
She just updated recently.

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

[yoka-neko.livejournal.com]

Blimey, she has so many different accounts o.O

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

There is also another collab account with Mavu http://www.furaffinity.net/user/hotchkiss

Sure seems like a busy bee.

[cesarin.livejournal.com]

wow, she sure knows how to scam people.. Im surprised she hasnt been banned due of the abuse usage of multi accounts.
not even Starfinder was that cynical..


so just to resume:

she's rude.
she makes you to wait 2 months in paypal, so you dont get protection.
now she asks you to send it as personal owed, so you dont get any protection.
she keeps asking more and more commissions.. finishes a small fraction only.
she hides behind multiple accounts.
she harrases you if you complain, block and do everything to prevent you voice your opinions or help others to know her true face.
also blocks you to make it harder for you to ask your money back.


yikes!

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

While I don't think there is anything wrong with you being told not to bother their personal account with commission-account related questions (it's easier for some people to keep it separate), I do think that it should be checked more often than once a week. With two owners, it should be checked far more than that, IMHO.

Long story short: her business manners are nothing short of nasty. Alex gave you an unnecessarily detailed reply about her life. There was too much attitude from their side.

I've purchased from Stellary before under a different user account. Her attitude has not improved, it seems.

I'm glad they refunded you. I just wish they didn't act so harassed when you just want to know what's up. (they do kind of have people's money.)

[everainsley]

Even with one owner, there is more than one internet browser on pretty much EVERY PC OS. How difficult is it to leave the second account logged in to a second browser and just reload that browser's FA page at least once a day, especially if you have customers that have paid? Even if it's IE, if you're only using the account's FA page (you can copy and paste links to the safer browser if you're that paranoid), you're going to be pretty safe.

FA has allowed multiple login locations for a single account for a while now. I know my phone doesn't have the same IP address as my laptop when I'm not on the wi-fi.

[alex-dachshund.livejournal.com]

As Stellary's collab partner, I will admit my response was rather snappy, but I was a bit irritable at the time and I shouldn't have taken it out on you (I'm going through a tough time right now at home and I'm constantly worried and stressed out over the smallest things). I acknowledge that I was rather blunt about my response. I apologize for this but do please try to be more patient with people you commission in the future.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

Could you provide the horde of notes/comments/shouts that were so numerous and offensively harassing to you guys? You have a side of the story, after all.

[michikip.livejournal.com]

I can vouch that Alex isn't normally like that.
I commissioned them some time ago for an icon and they completed it in a very timely manner and were really friendly towards me.

I don't know anything about this Stellary person though.

Update - Apology to the OP

[alex-dachshund.livejournal.com]

To the OP:
We have made a public apology journal addressed to you, apologizing for our “unprofessional” and slightly rude actions, remarks, and comments made to you:

Journal can be found here:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2564103/

We understand if you don’t want to accept our apology. We are trying to turn things around and set them right again, so that no one is mad at each other anymore.

I believe that we both were at fault here. I was a bit snappy with my response to you and I do acknowledge this and I apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart for that. And I feel (don’t take this as an insult) that maybe you could have been a bit more patient with us. We all make mistakes and the best part about making mistakes is learning from them, so you know not to do it again.

It really breaks my heart to see an Artists_Beware entry featuring me, but I’m not going to complain about it. What I had done was wrong, and I acknowledge it. If I could take back what I said, I sincerely would, but I can’t. I just hope you can forgive us for how we treated you.

All we ask is that you please don’t get your friends to note us about what had happened. I feel that this is in the past now and that we should move on, and not be angry anymore at each other. Arguing and fighting and hate never solves anything and I’m sorry we had to put you through this.

Re: Update - Apology to the OP

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

I just wanna say this seems kinda like a generic "we made an oopsies" and not an apology directly to the Op? I'm a little confused at that journal. Also, why is "unprofessional" in quotations like that?

Also, as much as it must suck to be involved with A_B, you gotta realize who you're keeping company with - someone featured on here multiple times with a bad BAD track record. I'd personally like to see Stellary apologize, and not you, to commission clients. It feels like she's letting you do the grunt work here.

[lilclaudy.livejournal.com]

I also want to hear from the OP if they did tell the friend to send a note or not, it seems like everyone is just assuming they did but the friend might have just done it on their own.

I sometimes do things on my own to protect my friends too, I tell them after but yeah, it might have been the same situation here.

Update - Apology to the OP Part II

[alex-dachshund.livejournal.com]

I have edited the SpaceInvaders journal.

And personally PMed the OP.
And she forgives me for how I reacted to her notes.

My PM to the OP: http://tinyurl.com/3mh7d34
Their response to me: http://tinyurl.com/3co23ru

I hope the OP doesn't mind me screencapping our PMs.

Re: Update - Apology to the OP Part II

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

That's very professional of you. :) Based on these notes and journal, and since the OP has been refunded, I'll go ahead and mark this resolved.

[skiota.livejournal.com]

*sigh* feverdog again? Man I had some issues with her from the last A_B post. ugh. I loved the first piece from her, but the second page looks almost exactly like a gift art she did for a friend =\ which really sucks because the second was one of my favorites.

[kikai-saigono.livejournal.com]

This girl is trouble. After all her posts combined on this site -- even if this one was a teeny bit to hasty -- I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her. Alex, you are handling this very well and I think we all appreciate your level of sincerity in your apology. But drop Stellary, really. She's got a bad name and you don't need to drag yourself through the mud and get a bad name either.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

I got this a while back http://www.iaza.com/work/110801C/iaza12206110055100.png basically theres no need to be professional because they dont make enough money or whatever.

I love the art, i dont like the artist's attitude 8/

[hellfire99x.livejournal.com]

I have to say, when I first started reading this entry and the linked journals/screenshots, I wasn't too terribly offended. Definitely not a fan of how she/they are requesting the payments to be processed, but aside from that... given the situation and the snippy response from her collab partner, I would've asked for a refund and moved on as well.

THEN I read the previous A_B entry. Hoooooooly coooooooooooow! I can definitely see she is trying to move away from that and behave more professionally. But still, I was shocked -- flabbergasted by that. I entirely forgot that that old entry was four months ago. I had to re-read this entry to convince myself!

I'm glad your situation's been resolved now, animewolfchick.

I'd like to address the rest of this comment to Stellary:

First, please accept my apologies if I talk about something that has already occurred. I'm a random person who's never heard of you before, and my time is fairly limited, so I don't have the time to go searching through multiple accounts, archives and whatnot. With that said...

Bravo for moving forward and trying to be a better person! You've come a long, long way from what you once were, if the linked entry and this one are any sign, and I hope you continue forward and don't relapse. ( ... the internetz will let me know if you do ... )

If you are still over-commissioned yet not making enough to cover your expenses, and especially if it's a great source of stress in your life, consider raising your commission prices. You may lose a certain number of customers, but if you can lighten your workload a bit and still make the same amount of money -- or more! -- you'll thank yourself for it. Plus, those customers that you "lose" due to higher prices might not be entirely "lost" -- they could just be saving up for a later commission. ;)

Another thing: please review your Paypal practices. Not only is it disingenuous at best for your commissioners to ask them to use certain payment methods which strip them of protections, Paypal can ban you for violating their Terms of Service in doing so. I'd also suggest you ditch "the person who handles your Paypal account" and start managing the account yourself. Maybe even designate 1-2 days per week to handle ONLY e-mails, billing, refunds (if any), etc., and state such a thing on your commission page or TOS. I mean hell, people never read TOSes anyway (even though they should), but it should still be there to refer to.

While on the topic of TOSes, if you haven't already, compare your TOS to other established artists and see if you're missing anything important. Stuff that should be there. If it's one thing that nobody likes, it's a TOS that is constantly changing -- customers hate it ("That line wasn't there when I paid for my commission!!"), and artists hate it too ("I know, but it should be common sense???") Build up a single TOS that you're proud of, stand behind it, and try to keep modifications to an absolute minimum.

Finally, please also realize that customers do have multiple ways of getting their money back from Paypal -- in a situation like this one, if a customer wants their money back and you're unwilling to give it, they can open a Paypal dispute against you. If you care at all about your reputation, NEVER LET THE SITUATION GET TO THAT POINT. Even if Paypal ultimately sides with you (whether it be because of the method of payment used or an actual conscious decision), if the situation remains unresolved, the customer can then file a chargeback with their bank against Paypal. Paypal will likely close that customer's account as a result, but they'll still be out the money... and without taking anyone to court, they'll have only one person to recover their losses from -- you.

You have the artistic talent to make things work. Don't abuse your muse! In the meantime, keep moving forward, keep improving your attitude, don't go around telling entire communities or customers to "go f@$# yourself" because you'll never know how your actions will affect you later, and I hope this wall o' text finds you well.

My Absence

[animewolfchick.livejournal.com]

Sorry For Not Posting Sooner i see my info on the details might have cleared the confusion a lil faster in a few cases. however ive read through everything and posted on the issues which my details help clear up. since an apology from alex and i have had a refund, this is now resolved but here for those who may need a warning in future.

ive had NO contact from stellary in any form of apology since the dispute and i dont like how they turned it on me for being a bad person. however, its in the past to me.

TO ALEX: I dont blame you for most of the actions that occured, though i can assure you i didnt mean to come accross as impatient. just nervous and in desparate need of updates. i do not see you as a bad person.

TO STELLARY:
Im not even gonna bother saying anything here coz it will never be read :)

if anyone needs to ask any questions please feel free to ask here. (though im not amazingly active on LJ)

Re: My Absence

[animewolfchick.livejournal.com]

oh forgot to mention that the reason i wasnt on here was because LJ completely shut down for me and i had no access for anything D: only just noticed that its working now.

[dolloflithium.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that I have not had the chance to apologize personally for what happened.

I've made several journals stating that my personal life has been extremely busy and hectic the past few months.
I was living in a craphole with drunks and crackheads, and then I was busy setting up things so I could move out. And now that I've moved out, my dad has passed away.
And I still have to look for a new job, and get settled into my new place.


I'm sorry that I might not be the nicest of people, or the most "professional" when it comes to dealing with people that annoy me. I know that it's completely my fault that I'm snippy, aggressive and socially awkward.
And I'm sorry that I'm not the quickest to respond. It's not professional to put off commissioners, at least that's what most people think.
But my personal life and personal well being are far more important than art and commissioners, and I wish that some people would just understand that.


And regardless of what you might think, I do read all notes, comments and anything people send me. Just because I don't respond, doesn't mean I don't read it. I don't respond in most cases because I'm busy, not because I'm ignoring you, or hate you, or dislike you.
I find that commissioners especially take things far too personally when it comes to artists, in this community the most in seems.
People need to learn to not take things personally, and just learn to understand that artists aren't machines, they're not robots, we're humans with human feelings, we have lives, and not all artists live off of their art.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

But my personal life and personal well being are far more important than art and commissioners, and I wish that some people would just understand that.

If your belief is as black and white as that, you really shouldn't take commissions. It's too easy to use it as an excuse and you seem to have trouble keeping yourself on track when you can just tell yourself 'Well this is WAY more important than these people who gave me their hard-earned money!'.

Not everyone is cut out to do commissions. That's all.

[dolloflithium.livejournal.com]

I also had to add a fact that I do not have my own paypal account, because mine was frozen.
So I needed to handle my funds through my friend Lonelywolf's paypal account, and they were kind enough to let me do so.
Now that I've moved, I'll be able to get a new bank account, which means a new paypal account.
But for now, my friend and roommate Nico / Wolfosdragon will be handling my funds.

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Can I ask WHY the previous account was frozen?

And frankly, yes, you shouldn't be taking commissions if you cannot dedicate the time and effort to them. Being passive aggressive isn't helping any, and you're not really seeming to make attempts to correct the issue.

Personal life is a big deal, but freelance/commissions are just as big a deal. They are real transactions, with real people, who ALSO have real lives. Yours is no better or worse, and the least you could do is provide the service you are paid to do. It's not hard, and plenty of artists juggle personal lives with professional ones.

Case in point, I've had family die, I've had my long time boyfriend die, and I finished my work. Why? Because I have to. Because I want to. Because my customers are important. They will respect you if YOU respect them. You need to learn that lesson, otherwise you'll continue to lose customers and eventually might get yourself banned from places that allow you to do business.

I'm saying this as a professional artist who's had a pretty tumultuous life and yet still manages to do business and keep a decent reputation. You can do it too.

[dolloflithium.livejournal.com]

I see that there is obviously no point in trying to defend myself.
I'm a horrible commission artist, and I shouldn't be offering commissions.

You're right. Thanks guys.