artists_beware | Artist/Builder Beware!!!

EXPLAIN: Ok, so what had happened here was I commissioned Poprock back in December for some crow wings. I was having a different builder make a head for me, so I thought it’d be a good idea to make a collaboration of multiple builders for a partial suit. Poprock was saying, at the time, that she was really desperate for commissions, so I thought I could help her out by hiring her. I was talking with her on Second Life about the commission I had in mind, and even modeling it after a different builders design. When I asked for a price quote, she said that it would cost me $125, which I thought was a reasonable price. Afterwards, I asked Poprock how long it would take to make them, and she said that it would only take a couple of months to do. So, from there I sent her a duct tape dummy of my arm, and an envelope containing the down payment for my wings. ($50) In about 2 weeks she began working on the wings and had a livestream video of her working on the wings. In a couple of days she sent me a picture of the progress of the wings. They looked pretty rough so I hoped that they’d look better over time, and in all honesty I was just happy that I was getting the commission made. Periodically, I would check in to see if any progress was made on the wings. At first I was asking once a week because I was really excited having this commission done. Poprock told me, whenever I asked, that no progress had been made on them since the livestream video. I started asking less often because I wanted to give her some space and not put any pressure on her.

A month passes and I ask about the progress of my wings. She again says that no progress has been made. When the next month passes, she asks on Facebook for some money so that she could buy something. Out of generosity, I gave her that money and we both agreed that it would be put towards paying off my wings. ($35) I was hoping that by paying her a little more to what I owed, that it would motivate her to work on my wings. To my disappointment, another month passes and zero progress has been made. Yet again, she asks for money for another thing (which I don’t know what it was) so I gladly obliged and paid her the remainder of the money on my wings. ($40) Of course I was hoping that some progress was made on my wings by now...she tells me that barely anything had been done. I was remaining patient as possible with her because I knew that if I said the wrong thing, she’d probably get mad at me and take even longer on making them. It’s around April 2011 this time, and I ask her if she could give me a deadline on when the wings might be finished. At first she tells me that she’ll have them done by the end of the month. As April came to a close, I asked if she was almost done, and Poprock told me that only one wing was done, but I would have to wait a bit longer. Also, to state, there were multiple times when she was guilt tripping me by explaining why the wings were taking so long, and she even offered me a full refund in May because she was feeling really upset about some stuff. Being a nice guy, I told her that I was willing to wait for the wings instead. (I fell for her guilt trip)

Eventually, she told me that the new deadline would be at Anthrocon 2011. Even as the days drew closer to Anthrocon, I still asked if any progress had been made on the wings. She dodged the question by saying they’d be done by Anthrocon. So, Anthrocon arrives and I eagerly wait to finally pick up my wings at Poprock’s booth. When I get there, she tells me that they aren’t done. She goes on to say that she has a bunch of commissions in progress, that she was booked until Christmas, and that she’d fit my wing commission “in there, somewhere”. In other words, it wasn’t a priority to her. Let it be noted that she constantly was asking for more commissions as each month went by, while my wings remained untouched. Nearly a month after Anthrocon goes by and I asked if she had done anything with my wings. Wonder of wonders, nothing had been done at all. So, what did I do? I spent 2 hours online talking to her trying to motivate her to work on my wings and other people’s commissions. She agreed to that, and I was glad that some progress was about to be made. One more month goes by, and I ask...she tells me nothing’s been done.

In this 8 month timespan, only one wing was finished and the other one hadn’t even been started on. At this point, my patience ran thin and I had to ask for a refund. She was highly confused by this and didn’t understand why. I explained to her that I was tired of waiting for them. Poprock flips out on me and begins asking all of these questions of why I didn’t say anything. I told her that I was trying to be a nice guy, but in all honesty, I was being too lenient with her. So she tells me that she’s only going to give me 30% back of what I paid once she sells the wings to someone else. First off, how many crows are out there who have the exact same arm size as me, and want the wings? Secondly, only 30%?! I paid her to do a service and she didn’t provide the service at all!

Eventually, I found out that she’s been manipulating other furs as well. Apparently, all of the commissions she was asking people to take from her, were just excuses so she could take the money from them and run off with it. There have been multiple reports from people who commissioned her, where they’ve been waiting up to two years for a commission. Not only that, some people didn’t even get a refund or any kind of update from her. She would often get pissed at them when they asked for an update and she would even go as far as to block them from all form of contact. 14 other people have reported cases similar to mine. In addition to that, some people who actually got the commissions from her were highly disappointed. One of the suits she made at a con even fell apart. The stitching was bad and it couldn’t even hold itself up for a second.

Sorry that this is so long, but all of this had to be explained in explicit detail so I could warn others of this horrible experience I had with this builder. I really worked hard to try and be her friend, but she was just using me the entire time. On one final note, I found out from a friend that Poprock was taking about me behind my back at Otakon and she told him that I hadn’t paid for my wings in full and that I was being extremely rude to her and pressuring her for the wings. Both of these statements are completely false! So that’s my experience here. Please, PLEASE, beware of her!

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OP made the account because after hearing about his issue through a mutual friend of ours, I suggested he make one and post about it here.

I've asked Mutual Friend to pass word along to the OP to come back and fix his post / answer peoples' questions / possibly provide more proof if he has it, etc.

I was honestly very upset yesterday, yes but not flipping out. I was just attempting to emphasize some words in caps.

I was not threatening to sue anyone without cause. The harassment I have had from a group of people have caused me such problems, I have considered multiple "quick-fixes". I need not go further into that subject because I realize that is a weak way out and I need to try to defend myself, not "attack" for no reason.

So could one assume you know of these claimed 14 people and even the one that supposedly fell apart?

So you spent his money before completing the project?

On the materials, and yes on some bills that needed immediate paying such as a hospital bill.

And it is ridiculously rare for me to do so. It was an emergency and I was also told I was getting paid for something else which sadly fell through.

(Learned from that though.)

Sure, it feels like OP may have been exaggerating a little bit, but from the comments I read in the caps AND in this post, poprock seems to have been stringing the OP along for quite a while, and to only give them a 30% refund? Just... bad business.

Plus the tantrum poprock threw in a previous comments plus throwing around legal jargon about subpoenas and lawsuits and such, that just makes me never want to ever have anything to do with her, much less buy something from her.

This is coming from someone who doesn't know anything about past drama with poprock. This is solely from viewing evidence provided by OP and poprock's responses. I could care less about past drama with her, because this is what's happening now.

To be fair, most of the payments were in the form of buying something for the artist because they couldn't afford it... I should think the OP had some awareness that this maker seems chronically broke (not that that's a great business recommendation)

Aves, I also don't even know how to contact you anymore since I was blocked.
Please let me know so I may. I was trying to contact you, but I am unable to do so.

I can quote the exact words that you told me, before, during, and after AC. Before AC, on May 5th, 2011 you said to me, and I quote "I'll need to deliver your arm wings at AC" Here's a screen shot of you saying those exact words to me and my reply to it.

http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k541/AvianMaverick/NinthStage.png

I can't screen shot this next part, because it was directly spoken. At your booth at Anthrocon, I walked up to you and you said to me "So, I have some bad news. I didn't finish your wings, and there was some other stuff that I was trying to finish before the con." At the time, I knew that if I said anything wrong you'd probably get mad at me and just not even do the commission, so I asked when you'd get a chance to finish them, which you replied "Umm...Well you see, I'm booked until Christmas, so I can try to fit your wings somewhere in there." Key words used, "Somewhere in there" as in they weren't a priority to you despite the fact I had been waiting 6 months by this point.

After Anthrocon. On July 2nd, I was talking with you on Facebook and I asked, "If you happen to have any spare time, could you knock 'em out for me? My arms feel so bare right now, heh heh" [In Regards to my wings] and you said "xD Sure can!" Here's a link:

http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k541/AvianMaverick/EleventhStage.jpg

A few days later I spent about 3 hours talking to you on Steam Chat trying to motivate you to work on my wings because you were lacking the desire to do so. Steam chat doesn't keep all of it's chat logs, but I can show via Facebook message of the transition from Steam Chat to Facebook by asking "This better or Steam Chat?" http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k541/AvianMaverick/TwelthStage.jpg

In Steam chat, you told me that you didn't want to have to sew all of my wing fingers together because it was tedious. So you asked me if it would be ok to use hot glue instead. I agreed with it because you said that this would make the work go by much faster. Again, that was in the beginning of July. A month later I asked if any progress was made on my wings and I asked if you could show me some pictures of it or if you could show me on Livestream. On August 4th, you sent me a link to your livestream to show me the wing and you showed that only one of them was finished. Here's a screen shot of things leading up to that Livestream video: http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k541/AvianMaverick/FourteenthStage.jpg
Only one wing was done.

Hmm, sounds like she hasn't been taking your commission in particular very seriously until it was posted here. It might be because you two were friendly, not that that's an excuse. A commission is a commission.

Hey there! Just popping in quick and saying I've seen poprock receive harsh trolling on FB before from another builder and her "fans." I did screenshot and partially get involved at the time, but this took place quite a few months ago, and I'm unsure if I still have the shots. (But I will check! =) )

I know without the screenie readily available, it's simply more hearsay, but I never knew of poprock before that incident, and I have to say it really disturbed me how she was attacked, so I really would give more credit to her claims of harassment.

Still, hearsay without proof, but hopefully it gives a little food for thought.

the OP came to me for arm wings after he lost hope that you'd finish them, but didn't go through with it because money issues.

so I'm hoping you don't mean me as the person he was getting the same commission from who slandered you? because I haven't done that...

oh man what a headache. what's bothering me:

if these wings are 85% done like poprock claims (they're at least half done http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5108833/), why not just finish them and you can both put this behind you

poprock focusing on tails/dealer stock for AC instead of promised commissions. it seems like the wings could have been finished by sacrificing a few dealer items, and since the wings were already paid for I would think they take first priority

Oh heck no! It is someone else that he is getting them from.

Never once had I heard anything mentioned involving you.

All the "he never gave me a 100% deadline!" stuff really makes me mad. YOU gave him a deadline. 3 times. And since YOU gave the deadlines they should have been ones you could have finished the work by. Missing one? Yeah that happens sometimes but missing 3? You were taking advantage of a patient customer.

And now this "I'm booked until Christmas, you're not being moved to the top of the list, I'll finish it somewhere in there" stuff? Are there customers who have been waiting even LONGER than the OP who have you booked until Christmas or were these customers who commissioned you after the wings were commissioned? Because if it was the latter than the OP SHOULD ALREADY be at the TOP of your list. There's no way this guy should only be getting 30% of his refund.

Now if the OP was harassing you that reflects poorly on them but that does not excuse your poor behavior either.

Massive mess....:( and really it doesn't look good for either side. I can understand poprock's side and I know when you are trying to deal with some messed up emotions motivation becomes nil....

But the OP blocking pop from being able to contact them through the means they were before doesn't help the OP at all especially when they want answers.

The screens that are provided by the OP seem to be bits and pieces and not the whole story.

That's kind of lame of the other builder, and unprofessional. I've been sort of looking at builders to comission for a head and I would like to make sure I don't comission someone so crass as to harass another so nastily. Would you PM me the name, if you don't want to post it publically? =)

I totally wanted to do that, but he claims he doesn't want them anymore. :/

Thank you, and if you have those screenies, I would appreciate them greatly.

My apologies. It was just.. so huge.. I couldn't manage enough interest to read the bulk of the post, much less replies. So, sorry about that :3

sent. =)

No problem!

Sorry to see this particular situation has gotten so sticky. =/ It looks like both sides are guilty here to me. I feel like you didn't know he was so upset over fuzzy deadlines or the quality of the product. So when he suddenly backed out and was upset it must have been....confusing. Especially if other people are in the middle of the situation mucking things up. But on the other hand, to him deadlines were missed and he got antsy and felt yanked around, which I can also appreciate.

I think the main thing killing both of you here is the obvious lack of proof on either end, and that communication is so rough for you guys right now. Honestly, I really hope Avianmaverick DOES come back here, and use this as a neutral zone with you to just get this resolved.

Also....you do have my support with the past FB drama. That completely blew my mind that people were so willing to act that way. =/ I contemplated sending a friendly note your way when things were still rough, but I'm a total shut in on the internet. XD I'm always worried I'll offend someone. lol.

I have to say, OP if you are truly ignoring the maker (Poprock), who is attempting to contact you in order to resolve this beware so that you can get either product or return - you need to unblock her and communicate with her.

The point of this community is to not only describe a bad situation in regards to a commission or a buyer, but to get a resolution when possible by interacting with the artist/commissioner.

I see a possible resolution, but if you're going to cut off your nose to spite your face, and continue to ignore her... pardon my French but you're just shit up a creek.

oh ok lol. I get a bit paranoid sometimes

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Artist/Builder Beware!!!

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