Beware: Rikku

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

First off, this person is not a bad person, nor insulting. I'm just sick and tired of having to wait almost a year now, without a single WIP ( Work In Progress ). I'm posting this because I see way too many people considering to commission her, now for the story.




WHO: Rikku

WHERE: Furaffinity

WHAT: 2 traditional pieces to be shipped, both contained 2 characters.

WHEN: Late February 2011 to now.

PROOF: Proof added below.

EXPLAIN: I came across Rikku's gallery around February, and looked at her price chart, they were fairly cheap. I loved the art, so I decided to note her, asking for something of me and my fiance, she was very eager to get to it, here are the notes in order how the conversation went.



So I waited, then I got this message in my inbox



so I replied


Aaaand she got the payment



So now I played the waiting game, the suddenly, on March 25th, I saw her post a journal, asking for small chibi commissions to fix her scanner. At first I was rather weary about it, but then I thought, why not? I could use more art, plus commissioning her, she can get the scanner fixed quicker, we took it up in notes.





So we discussed about it, she agreed to have it done the Monday after, I paid her immediately, since I for one is a commission who doesn't like paying an artist after they started work.





Again...playing the waiting game

The Saturday comes, after the Monday she promises to get the sketches done, I noted her.



I got no reply, she read the note.

So I waited some more... gave her time.
Decided to note her AGAIN around the end of June



And waited...Finally got a reply from her a month after, it was a lenghty conversation about not being able to give me a refund, and asking me for more patiance, I think I'm a little too kindhearted on this end, but these were her intial replies.



The last one.... is what got me the most. I've been waiting so long, and she forgot the commission completely, it wasn't even that hard, nor is it hard to go into your inbox and look for notes. This fired me up, but I kept my cool, and told her I got the patience, and I'll be waiting for when she sends the sketches.

Haha...what was I thinking?

August came and I was already on a trip further up in the Caribbean than where I was, I didn't know whether or not I would have internet there, it turned out I did, so I noted her about 3 days before I left to come back.



She noted me, all the way in the second week in November, replying that she's VERY EAGER to get to the commissions. Sorry I don't got a screencap of this one, I probably deleted it by mistake...but this was my reply to her, November 11th.



We spoke a bit, I told her I'm glad her other customers isn't throwing a fit, I know how impatient some people are. All of said conversation happened on that day.

I haven't heard from her to this day, and I know I'm not the only person out there having difficulties with Rikku.

This is a warning not to go anywhere near this person for commission work, as I've seen a lot of people wanting work from her, stay far far away. Either she really has as much life troubles as she puts out to be, or she's a scammer, but all I can say I lost my $35 and I'm not pleased about it AT ALL.

Comments

Mod post

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

This entry is a bit on the large side and requires an LJ cut. If you don't know how to do that, see here. http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=75
Thanks!

No more comments past this point asking for a cut please.

[fuzibuni.livejournal.com]

Rikku owes me art as well, I commissioned them back around January 7, 2011.

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

As far as I know she has quite a few people waiting on her still.

[ocelotish]

Not saying it makes the artist right, but you probably should have taken the refund in July. The most powerful way to say you don't approve of the delay is take your money to spend elsewhere.

Have you contacted the artist again about a refund lately? It's just been over 2 months since the last communication you've posted. I'm not saying you should have to, but it's the best step if you want resolution.

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

I'm just too much of a patient person, I waited a year with Shizuworks as well for a commission, I let artists take their time.

Asking for a refund now? What's the point? She'd just replying in the next month saying she can't and she'd get to work on it and it'll just be a whole goosechase all over again....

[ocelotish]

If work isn't being done the way you want, it probably makes everyone happier than continuing a working relationship that isn't working for either party.

Asking for a refund now? What's the point? She'd just replying in the next month saying she can't and she'd get to work on it and it'll just be a whole goosechase all over again

Let's say that she doesn't have it. What's the harm in asking? You have literally nothing to lose by asking. Just be clear, ask for a definite deadline for a refund only. It might have been better to hold off on this entry and use that as a bargaining tool, but it's too late now.

Also, if you if refuse to contact the artist because you're sure she won't refund you, that's a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are ensuring that you won't get your refund.

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

To be honest I still DO want the art, is why I didn't ask more than once for a refund, is also why I didn't want to contact then again, because as stated above, I'm just too damn patient.

I'm not refusing to contact them, I just want my art.

---

Edit: I just send them a note via FA asking for the completed pieces or a refund with the next reply. I'll see how long it takes for them to reply.

[taasla.livejournal.com]

This may not end up the way you think it might. You may get what you paid for, or you may get something less that what you paid for, or you may get nothing at all, ever.

A year for two small commissions is more than enough time in waiting.

A good example is myself. I paid $50 for a two character waist up commission from someone. Two years later and two A_B posts later I finally got my art, but it was no where near what I paid for. I got two headshots, just because the artist was tired of me and wanted me gone. At that point, I took whatever I could take.

Take your refund. There are plenty of other artists out there.

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

Artists actually do that? That's really a load of bull.

Anyways, as I stated above, I noted Rikku, asking for the pieces or a refund, I printscreened when I sent it as well just for reference when they'd read and reply to me.

http://furrypile.co.uk/gallery/images/80219116751024920419.png

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

I'm in agreement with Taasla. While there's no guarantee that this would happen, it's highly possible the artist may rush something just to get you out of their hair.

[ghrelin.livejournal.com]

Thought I'd share my two cents as they are relevant; I'd commissioned a lot of artists over the years, and indeed have had the very frustrating experience of waiting a full year/nearly a full year for artwork. Because I thought it was so absurd, ever since then I would tell artists from the get-go that I don't want to wait a ridiculous amount of time because of my past experiences. So then usually we agree on an amount of time in advance. Though I can see how someone might agree to that and then still never deliver.

Also, when I commission something I'm usually very specific about what I want in the image (I wouldn't go out of my way to request something if it already existed somewhere or if it wasn't something I really wanted to see). So I usually tell the artist way in advance all the details of the image I want and they send me multiple preview images with revisions, etc. While I realize this can be a pain for the artist, I think that if you're going to pay money for an image (and some artists are expensive), then it should be what you want and not having to settle for something else. I also make it clear from the get-go that what I want is very specific and detailed. In that case I'd never had someone just send me a headshot instead of an upper body, for example.

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't lie when I say Rikku is my first commission I ever got. I've learned to tell artists I don't wish to wait actual months for a piece.

As for being specific, I hate being specific. I love giving artists freedom with pieces for me. Most of the time I only give a theme and they produce it for me, that's the thrill of commissioning for me.

And you say that you should get your money's worth and demand fixes and previews, I say there's artists who actually charge for every fix they make. Such as Azelyn and Dipper, and they 'are' hell of a lot expensive.

Also just my two cents ^^

[ghrelin.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your response - and hey, you gotta start somewhere. Indeed I learned from my first (and second!) experiences.

I think the detail bit may be a matter of taste - guess some people like giving the artist freedom to make it how they choose, while others want something very specific. I brought up the subject of asking for specific details because I think the more details you ask for, the less likely they are to give you something grossly wrong (ex., headshot vs. trunk shot). But as I said, it's a matter of preference after all.

(I think I may come off a bit harsh here, but I honestly didn't mean to be! It just came out that way haha) I think if an artist intends to charge for revisions, they should state so in their rules ahead of time, and honestly I don't think it's right for them to charge extra for revisions. This is because I think that would potentially give them the freedom to do whatever they want (as opposed to what you asked, which was the very reason you even asked for the commission) and then say they'll charge you extra if it wasn't what you wanted. I don't think there's any reason to pay someone money to get something other than what you wanted. You're not getting it for free, so while of course you should always act grateful and polite, you shouldn't treat it as though they're doing you a favor.

[ocelotish]

honestly I don't think it's right for them to charge extra for revisions.

The problem is that you can get people changing their mind, asking for a million little nudges, etc. My experience is that most artists will change things that they did wrong (e.g. forgetting markings, jewelry, etc.) so long as they are brought up when the artist can still change them.

This is because I think that would potentially give them the freedom to do whatever they want (as opposed to what you asked, which was the very reason you even asked for the commission) and then say they'll charge you extra if it wasn't what you wanted.

I think you're looking at two different situations here, but I can understand why you're lumping them together. The first situation is the artist going against what is described in the commission, the second is when artistic freedom is given, but it's not what the commissioner wanted. In the first case the artist is at fault, and yes, they should be required to redo it free of charge because they did not fulfill their side of the agreement. In the second case, yes, they do deserve to be paid for their sketch, even if the client doesn't like it.

One thing I'd watch is how detailed you get. Sometimes you'll be charged more because you've included 80 million details, just because it's more things for the artist to keep straight.

[ghrelin.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your thought-out explanations, they do give a good perspective from the artist's side.

While I do usually ask for a lot of very specific details, I try as much as I can to be considerate of the artist and professional as a customer. As a rule I am very good about paying and have also commissioned some rather expensive artists because I wanted specifically them to do the work. I'm willing to pay more if it means a better outcome and in cases where I really believe the artist had worked harder.

I usually make it very clear from the get-go what it is that I want, the level of detail that I want and which details are most important. I also try to establish in advance approximately how long the commission will take, where the artist tells me how long s/he thinks s/he'll need, but that once that's established, we stick to that. At that point the artist can always back out if they don't want to do it, but I've never had an artist back out.

I only ever commission someone if there's something very specific I want to see that had not been done before, to the extent that I know, and this is why detail is important, and why I am willing to pay a lot sometimes. Therefore indeed there were times I'd asked the artist to revise something s/he'd done multiple times. I think if artists do intend to charge for revisions, they should make that clear in their original rules, because while it does make sense as you say that if there was room for artistic freedom and the artist did their best to depict something the way they thought the commissioner wanted it, they should of course be paid for their work.

Sometimes indeed it is inevitable that something comes out differently from what you had expected, even when you thought you'd described very specifically what it should look like, because you'd not taken into consideration that it could still come out some other way - in my experience I would usually catch that sort of thing in original drafts that were made specifically in order for me to see if there was anything about it I would want changed.

While I understand that asking for a lot of detail can be annoying, on the other hand some artists prefer that because they say it gives them much more direction as far as what they need to do. Likewise, expensive commissions are an investment and I don't feel there's a point in paying a lot of money to get something you might have just found for free browsing the web because it's so different from what you had wanted. All in all, I've had a generally positive experience and friendly relationship working with artists, except for my first two commissions where the artists took a ridiculous amount of time to deliver (a year and almost a year). Since then I always establish a deadline in advance and it had not been a problem after that.

[ocelotish]

I'm not sure how much of this relates to what I said earlier.

There's also a difference between "level of detail" and the amount of detail described. A piece of a similar detail level is always going to be more if the commissioner is specifying every detail. I think most people find it very helpful to have people point at a piece in their gallery and say "Like that" but specifying every little detail gives them that many details that they have to get right. Also there's a big difference between "Sitting down to a feast at a wooden table," and "Sitting in a golden throne with a bird design, with ruby inlays to a feast of..." I might put the same level of detail, but having all those specific details just means that I have to wrangle all those little bits and make them work together.

Artists should make things clear from their TOS, but if they don't you can take the initiative to set them. Ask them about revisions and get the policy direct from the horse's mouth before it becomes an issue.

[ocelotish]

To be honest, if you still wanted the art, the best thing would have been to ask for a deadline from the artist, then say if you didn't get the art by said deadline, you would post here and expect a refund.

Posting here is a bit of a last resort. It's ending the friendly relationship in favor of getting a resolution. You wouldn't stand outside a bakery handing out flyers about your legitimately bad experience, then still expect them to finish your cake - you get a refund to resolve things as quickly as possible. Now it would be great if the artist delivered the art quickly, in the quality you paid for, but realistically it's easier to refund in most cases.

That doesn't mean the artist wasn't wrong to keep you waiting - she was. She was in the wrong 100%. However, in terms of getting what you want, this might have been the wrong way to go about it.

I just send them a note via FA asking for the completed pieces or a refund with the next reply. I'll see how long it takes for them to reply.

I am glad you sent them a note. Would you be able to post the full text?

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

If the artist was at least respondent, I wouldn't have posted here, but she's barely respondent.

I actually have ended my friendly relationship with this artist to the point where I'm not going to be responding to anything else but my own commissions.

And it's no problem, this is what I sent.

'' I'm going on to almost a year now since I ordered commissions from you. I would please want the next reply to have my completed commissions or a refund, my patience only runs so far.''

This is what I sent them.

[mekania.livejournal.com]

There is something about that "I understand life is rough, I'm just worried about your other customers reactions." that really rubs me the wrong way. If you're unhappy then you're unhappy and you need to express that not play up how understanding you are and how you worry about how other less understanding customers may react to the poor service she's providing.

Stand up for yourself. You don't have to be rude about it but remind them they have told you repeatedly that your commission(s) was in progress and you still don't have anything to show for it. You can still be patient and keep your cool without letting someone walk all over you.

[everainsley]

Yeah, this comment pretty much sums up my thoughts.

[mrst4nkr.livejournal.com]

Glad you brought this up before I could! Excellent points.

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

I wasn't unhappy back then, I am now as I realized it's going into more than a year with nothing to show for it, realizing how foolish I was back then.

To be honest, the only reason I wasn't pushy back then, is because of what Taasla stated before, about how the artist just rushed the work to get her away, I didn't want it to be that situation. I guess I can't avoid it now, I will try my best to stand up for myself to this person from now on.

[ichi-black.livejournal.com]

You know.. I kinda wondered what happened to her.. She and I had a trade a year or so ago, I finish my piece (a chainmaille bracelet) in no time and had that posted up but didn't send it out, I just kinda dropped the trade a few months ago since I hadn't seen hide nor hair of her :\

[slicklion.livejournal.com]

She comes around every 2-3 months as far as I see. Only comes around for ONE day. I don't see how she can be allowed internet for one day then have it taken away again....

[rottencanines.livejournal.com]

As far as I can see, she is still inactive since November (judging by no recent uploads or favourites)
It's odd, really..

[themoa.livejournal.com]

Hi, just thought I will drop different spotlight at this case. I was Rikku's classmate for 3 years, I kinda know some stuff about her personal life.
I totally don't want to defend her, all is clear - she took money and disappeared.
Anyway, as far as I had informations she had really hard times and even I don't know what's going on with her now. She failed year at school, her family was kind of poor, she lost internet connection suddenly, she was constantly moving from apartment to apartment, her parents were really rough on her so it also leaves a mark on personality. At some point it may happened that she was homeless and for sure living around friends apartments without own money. She was unemployed and these commissions were her only income. She REALLY needed money to live and that's the reason of low prices. Later her scanner broke and she couldn't continue, yet I am sure she would offer refunds, but I am also sure she didn't have money to refund.
I commissioned her many times and as well experienced delays, but sooner or later all orders were completed.
I really didn't want to look like some kind of white knight, but I'm sure she didn't share these details anywhere. Just letting you know.

[themoa.livejournal.com]

Don't pay attention to my previous comment. I didn't have in touch personally, but met her occasionally here and there and my suspicion is probably not true.