Vani/Vanimute/VanillaKitsune
Mar. 16th, 2012 12:47 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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artists_bewareWHO: Vani/Vanimute/Vanillakitsune
aka Stripesandteeth/Ash
WHERE: VanillaKitsune.deviantart.com (now deactivated)
also
Vanimute@DA
Vani@FA
Stripesandteeth@Tumblr
WHAT: Digital chibi, Digital Portrait
WHEN: August 6th 2009
up until 20th December 2011
PROOF: Proof of payment http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/ashpayment-1.jpg
Original commission request was made on her Vanillakitsune DA account which has now been deactivated. I have placed screencaps of what conversation I could get, they are in the explanation.
EXPLAIN: I have been a customer wronged by Vani/Ash.
At one point I thought we were on a very good level, enough to say we were sort of friends.
While my situation has a better ending than most as I received a refund in the end, I will share it. I've wanted to share it for a long time but always felt the need to tip-toe around her feelings and her fans. I'm done hiding though, because her behaviour is not on.
I was happy with my outcome, despite having to fight for it for so long. However, after seeing her open more commissions, well, that angered me! I feel upset and sorry for the people who are still waiting, and those new commissioners who have no idea.
I commissioned Ash on August 5th, 2009, this was on her VanillaKitsune DA account. She was wanting to save up for some ragdoll cats. Her art was an inspiration and I think this was around the time we were acquaintances. I ordered a chibi ($15) and a digital portrait ($50). I am a very trusting person and I really wanted to help. Full payment of $65 was sent upfront, I was extremely excited! Here is the payment proof http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/ashpayment-1.jpg
A few months passed and I finally received a my chibi. It wasn't the highest quality of art (pencil sketch coloured in) but I still did enjoy it, hey I got art for one of my biggest inspirations, yipee! Here is the chibi commission http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/Art%20for%20me/Kyle/Kyle_Commish_by_Vanimute.jpg
At this point I was pretty confident I will get my digital portrait soon. I waited.. and waited. Ash has changed accounts to Vanimute on DA so I found her there and watched her. I continued to see her upload new art (none being commissions) but still I waited patiently! I take commissions myself and understand that sometimes you don't have the right inspiration. I also kept into account she was in college.
A while passed and I discovered she was active on FA under the name Vani, not only uploading personal art but.. taking more commissions? I made an account on FA just to follow her and wait, still very patiently though! It came to the point where she was continuously opening commissions, until finally making a journal about her to-do list/queue. The one we know ever so well http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1953643/
My commission is a year and a half overdue at this point, you would think I would be at the top of the list? I am all the way down the bottom! At this point I was done patiently and silently waiting. I voiced my feelings, albeit in the open but I think I had the right to. You can find the conversation here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2014394/#cid:16534744
I generally like to be a kind person and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, even after being told it was my responsibility to keep in touch with her. Also if you read her reply, it is full of excuses (valid or not) and not one apology to me (I ended up being the one apologising?). As a commissioner myself I feel it is my responsibility to let my commissioners know if there will be a delay, also at least have the decency to own up to your mistake, have some humility and apologise??
So after feeling like the bad guy, I noted her on FA, here is a print screen. Note how I am still very understanding! http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/Ash1.jpg
Well, that note was never read. I couldn't understand? I was told to note her! I waited months for a reply, it still says in my outbox that it has not been read. So I sent another one, this time I did not sugar coat my feelings. I was done, this was unacceptable. She still had $50 of my money and not one apology. Here is the note http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/Ash2.jpg
After this on not being read, I discovered I have to email her school account? Awesome! So far we have gone from Vanillakitsune@DA, Vanimute@da, Vani@FA (all of which have been abandoned) and now her school email.
I sent the same message to her but via email. To my surprise I got a reply. I got an apology, we worked out what I wanted. I gave her 5 different characters to choose from. All different species and levels of fun in hopes this would be helpful. In these emails I reverted back to being kind and understanding, hoping to not upset her. I understood she was stressed and made a mistake and honestly didn't want to ruin any chances of receiving my art. This was the 7th/8th of June 2011. I received an update 2 weeks later, with some sketches. Awesome, it looked like we were getting somewhere. I replied saying I liked them, thanked her and hoped for her to continue.
2 months I waited, and sent her an email wondering what was going on. I didn't receive a reply.
This is getting quite long, I promise it ends soon!
I then discovered her on TUMBLR. We are so far away from commissioning her on Vanillakitsune. Tumblr has an ask system so some months after the email I sent, I sent an ask about it. I don't have records of what was sent, but I expressed my unhappiness again and stated this was unfair. I was told since I found it unfair I would get a refund. If I remember correctly a few weeks passed and I had to send her an ask again! This time the reply I got was her paypal email, telling me to send her an invoice for the refund and that she would have it by the end of the week. I sent it on the 6th of December.
I received the refund 2 weeks later, on the 20th of December, 2011.
I commissioned her on the 5th of August, 2009.
I am happy I got a refund, although it took a look of persistence. I remained nice and understanding the majority of the time. Forgave her constantly and chased her around the internet. While I finally got my money back, so many others are not this lucky!
More of us need to share our stories. People need to know that commissioning Ash is a bad idea. We need to stop being scared of her fans and hurting her feelings. She may have nice art and be popular, but not saying anything in public seems to be allowing this behaviour. She has run away with hundreds (maybe thousands?) of dollars, and continues to do nothing to right her wrongs but rather make it worse!
Hopefully one day this will end. I hope that she can change her ways, own up and make up for her mistakes and complete any overdue art/refund people. It will take some time but she has dug this hole and continues to to this very day! You can only be supportive and forgiving for so long before enough is enough.
aka Stripesandteeth/Ash
WHERE: VanillaKitsune.deviantart.com (now deactivated)
also
Vanimute@DA
Vani@FA
Stripesandteeth@Tumblr
WHAT: Digital chibi, Digital Portrait
WHEN: August 6th 2009
up until 20th December 2011
PROOF: Proof of payment http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/ashpayment-1.jpg
Original commission request was made on her Vanillakitsune DA account which has now been deactivated. I have placed screencaps of what conversation I could get, they are in the explanation.
EXPLAIN: I have been a customer wronged by Vani/Ash.
At one point I thought we were on a very good level, enough to say we were sort of friends.
While my situation has a better ending than most as I received a refund in the end, I will share it. I've wanted to share it for a long time but always felt the need to tip-toe around her feelings and her fans. I'm done hiding though, because her behaviour is not on.
I was happy with my outcome, despite having to fight for it for so long. However, after seeing her open more commissions, well, that angered me! I feel upset and sorry for the people who are still waiting, and those new commissioners who have no idea.
I commissioned Ash on August 5th, 2009, this was on her VanillaKitsune DA account. She was wanting to save up for some ragdoll cats. Her art was an inspiration and I think this was around the time we were acquaintances. I ordered a chibi ($15) and a digital portrait ($50). I am a very trusting person and I really wanted to help. Full payment of $65 was sent upfront, I was extremely excited! Here is the payment proof http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/ashpayment-1.jpg
A few months passed and I finally received a my chibi. It wasn't the highest quality of art (pencil sketch coloured in) but I still did enjoy it, hey I got art for one of my biggest inspirations, yipee! Here is the chibi commission http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/Art%20for%20me/Kyle/Kyle_Commish_by_Vanimute.jpg
At this point I was pretty confident I will get my digital portrait soon. I waited.. and waited. Ash has changed accounts to Vanimute on DA so I found her there and watched her. I continued to see her upload new art (none being commissions) but still I waited patiently! I take commissions myself and understand that sometimes you don't have the right inspiration. I also kept into account she was in college.
A while passed and I discovered she was active on FA under the name Vani, not only uploading personal art but.. taking more commissions? I made an account on FA just to follow her and wait, still very patiently though! It came to the point where she was continuously opening commissions, until finally making a journal about her to-do list/queue. The one we know ever so well http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1953643/
My commission is a year and a half overdue at this point, you would think I would be at the top of the list? I am all the way down the bottom! At this point I was done patiently and silently waiting. I voiced my feelings, albeit in the open but I think I had the right to. You can find the conversation here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2014394/#cid:16534744
I generally like to be a kind person and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, even after being told it was my responsibility to keep in touch with her. Also if you read her reply, it is full of excuses (valid or not) and not one apology to me (I ended up being the one apologising?). As a commissioner myself I feel it is my responsibility to let my commissioners know if there will be a delay, also at least have the decency to own up to your mistake, have some humility and apologise??
So after feeling like the bad guy, I noted her on FA, here is a print screen. Note how I am still very understanding! http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/Ash1.jpg
Well, that note was never read. I couldn't understand? I was told to note her! I waited months for a reply, it still says in my outbox that it has not been read. So I sent another one, this time I did not sugar coat my feelings. I was done, this was unacceptable. She still had $50 of my money and not one apology. Here is the note http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/Ash2.jpg
After this on not being read, I discovered I have to email her school account? Awesome! So far we have gone from Vanillakitsune@DA, Vanimute@da, Vani@FA (all of which have been abandoned) and now her school email.
I sent the same message to her but via email. To my surprise I got a reply. I got an apology, we worked out what I wanted. I gave her 5 different characters to choose from. All different species and levels of fun in hopes this would be helpful. In these emails I reverted back to being kind and understanding, hoping to not upset her. I understood she was stressed and made a mistake and honestly didn't want to ruin any chances of receiving my art. This was the 7th/8th of June 2011. I received an update 2 weeks later, with some sketches. Awesome, it looked like we were getting somewhere. I replied saying I liked them, thanked her and hoped for her to continue.
2 months I waited, and sent her an email wondering what was going on. I didn't receive a reply.
This is getting quite long, I promise it ends soon!
I then discovered her on TUMBLR. We are so far away from commissioning her on Vanillakitsune. Tumblr has an ask system so some months after the email I sent, I sent an ask about it. I don't have records of what was sent, but I expressed my unhappiness again and stated this was unfair. I was told since I found it unfair I would get a refund. If I remember correctly a few weeks passed and I had to send her an ask again! This time the reply I got was her paypal email, telling me to send her an invoice for the refund and that she would have it by the end of the week. I sent it on the 6th of December.
I received the refund 2 weeks later, on the 20th of December, 2011.
I commissioned her on the 5th of August, 2009.
I am happy I got a refund, although it took a look of persistence. I remained nice and understanding the majority of the time. Forgave her constantly and chased her around the internet. While I finally got my money back, so many others are not this lucky!
More of us need to share our stories. People need to know that commissioning Ash is a bad idea. We need to stop being scared of her fans and hurting her feelings. She may have nice art and be popular, but not saying anything in public seems to be allowing this behaviour. She has run away with hundreds (maybe thousands?) of dollars, and continues to do nothing to right her wrongs but rather make it worse!
Hopefully one day this will end. I hope that she can change her ways, own up and make up for her mistakes and complete any overdue art/refund people. It will take some time but she has dug this hole and continues to to this very day! You can only be supportive and forgiving for so long before enough is enough.
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 07:14 am (UTC)However, due to the large number of outstanding obligations Vani has, the 'beware' tag has been left on the post, as well.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 02:35 pm (UTC)I'll admit I am nervous to post anything against her as I DO like her and I don't want to stress her out but yes, her behavior is unacceptable and the times when I have offered my advice to her on what to do in this difficult situation have been completely ignored.
It's very unfair to everyone that she continues to go to many cons, spending time she could be working on commissions making NEW merchandise instead of sticking to selling what she already has made. It would make so much sense to just sell what she already has and use the money she makes to refund people and the time she has to do commissions but... she just won't listen to my advice.
I can't ever imagine being in a situation like hers. It would literally kill me.
I really hope something happens soon. I'll try talking to her once more and offer my advice once more or I'll probably post her here too. =(
And I really don't want to do that.
And what happens when she tries to get a job? They're going to search her name, find her Wikipedia and online aliases, find she owes thousands of dollars (yes, it's thousands. She owes my one friend 300+ alone) and she won't get hired.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 06:42 pm (UTC)I'm very glad you got the refund, but... wow, this is just appalling to me.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 09:58 pm (UTC)I remember finding Vani when I was like 14 and idolizing her work. Kinda sucks to see old idols fall like that.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 11:05 pm (UTC)And running away isn't going to help her...she should work in chunks, maybe. Sort commisions by sketches, to really detailed, and work from there?
Or even split into groups, work on 2 per week, as far as she can, then finish and go from there.
(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 11:26 pm (UTC)And she is/was in Ringling? She just wasted a whole lot of money then since being good at art means squat if you can't make a deadline.
(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 11:33 pm (UTC)(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 11:48 pm (UTC)(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-26 01:26 am (UTC)There's no way.
(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-26 08:45 am (UTC)(And Mods, please inform me if what I'm writing is inappropriate for this, because I didn't see it in the rules...)
I use to go to Ringling, and only lasted 1-2 and a half years there, because my health dropped suddenly (not to mention the workload in the Illustration major was really stressful, that it might have contributed to it...).
I thought this was all a coincidence when I saw the name 'Ash' come up, and it just became more apparent to me after hearing she went to Ringling, AND that she switched majors from Animation to Illustration... So as soon as I started reading the two recent bewares on her, I realized that I might have met her in real life.
I only had her in one class, which was figure drawing, but I have seen first hand how not only she doesn't take her art assignments seriously, but she would not show up to the class without an excuse. I think she might have done this to other classes, but I do not know.
Not to mention, her 'do not care' attitude really astounded me when we were suppose to do an assignment, and all she did was talk and not work. I just thought, "Why the heck are you here, spending a lot of money here, and NOT seriously working?"
Seeing these bewares on her, I shouldn't say that I am surprised. I thought her behavior in school was one thing, but seeing her apparent history in not taking responsibility to people online for their art or refunding them is just... wow... I would either feel guilty for holding up people on their art, or I'd just DIE from that many requests.
(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-26 03:48 pm (UTC)(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-26 06:17 pm (UTC)(frozen) no subject
Date: 2012-03-26 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-25 11:32 pm (UTC)