Problems with PIRATE-CASHOO

[svarta perlan]

WHO: pirate-cashoo / zombiebooty / zombiepirate

WHERE: http://pirate-cashoo.deviantart.com

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/pirate-cashoo

http://pirate-cashoo.tumblr.com ;

http://zombiebooty.tumblr.com/ (NSFW)

http://www.hentai-foundry.com/user/zombiepirate (NSFW)

http://pirate-cashoo.sofurry.com

WHAT: 3x commissions, total worth $285 - also offered a free full body colored sketch, to be worked on in december as by then, her workload wouldn't be as much.

WHEN: Start of March this year - ongoing now.

PROOF: 
PAYPAL SCREENCAP


SCREENCAPS OF AMOUNT OF EMAILS SENT/RECEIVED, 2 PAGES (+ 2-3 more emails on page 3, not screencapped, but you get the idea!) - sorry how blurry they look. :( I know next to nothing about editing images or screencaps online... I had to zoom out on my browser to get these screens, and this is the result.

EXPLAIN: This is pretty much a re-cap of my comment that I left yesterday on the previous AB post regarding pirate-cashoo. I have added some screencaps of my own... one of the paypal statements, and two of mine and her's email correspondence... where you'll notice how regularly it happens that i must email her more than once for an update.

So, here is my story/experience with her as well... I apologize in advance if this seems confusing. Trust me, I'm pretty confused myself. All I know is, pirate-cashoo owes me (and a friend who is sharing one commission with me) ~$285 worth of art.

Back in March this year, on March 11th to be exact, I paid her $70 for a colored sketch commission of two characters, minimum background. On August 10, I finally received a rough/initial sketch. Yep, she took 5 months to deliver the rough preview sketch!

In the meantime, I had been discussing the possibility of a hi-res commission with her, as she had opened for some slots. That fell through, though, due to (SURPRISE, SURPRISE) failure on her part to communicate with me.

Now, let's fast forward a bit... and at all times keep in mind, she is quick to respond when money is on the way, but communication ceases to be important to her as soon as the cash is in. That's my experience, anyway.

Now, the fast forward... me and a friend of mine had for a while discussed getting a hi-res piece from her of our characters together with a background. So back in... late August, early September, when she opens for a batch, I quickly message her for a slot. After much discussing, the final total comes to $185, which is paid on September 3rd and 4th. Ok, not that long ago, BUT... On September 18th I also send her $30 for a full body sketch, as she was offering discount sketches on her tumblr page. I had to ask her a couple of times if she received the payment, and when she finally responded and said she wasn't sure, I forwarded the paypal email statement to her as proof.

About a month ago, she opens for more commissions on FA and I express my concern about the owed art... and shortly after I notice that one of the examples she's using is unmistakably my character! So, she drew her... but never showed it to me... and her excuse? It wasn't FINISHED yet.

Let me be clear, though... it took opening a case on paypal against her to get her to reply to me. And finally on October 12th I receive wall of text, full of excuses, but also plenty of sweet talking... saying I'm her favorite customer as I'm always so nice and patient (no, I'm a pushover, that's what I am), and also a promise to have my image from March 11th finished in 2 weeks time, also expressing that my $185 hi-res image and the "unfinished" sketch will take priority over other work. She also offered to upgrade my images, the colored sketch would be more like a hi-res image, and the hi-res image would be lineless. AND... she also offered me a FREE FULL BODY COLORED SKETCH as compensation, something I will absolutely not "forget" about.

On October 13th she showed me a slightly-more-worked-on preview of my colored sketch since March, but since then...? Nothing. No further previews, no updates.

I had forgiven her... cancelled the case on paypal, we were chatting a bit by email for a few days... then I got ill and had a busy period at school and got delayed in replying to her, but that gives her no excuse to stop working on the art she owes. At this point, I have no desire to correspond with her more than necessary. She has pushed all my buttons, made a completely passive and tolerant person want to punch holes through walls in pure rage. Even more so after discovering how much work she owes other people... it must amount to several thousand dollars at this point.

What ultimately made me lose all faith in her was when she opened for hi-res commission on DA early this month, saying those commissions would be finished by the end of the year and thus ideal as presents. I think I saw at least 3 people, beside myself, expressing concern on that very journal that they were still waiting for overdue work.

All I ask is to have my 3 commissions and the free colored sketch, then she'll never have to worry about hearing from me ever again as I have no desire to work with someone so unprofessional and unorganized, ever again.

--------------------------------

Finally, here is a comment I left on her pages (DA, FA and a private message on tumblr) a couple of days ago...

can you please answer my very short, very simple email regarding the current status of my commissions? I'm not asking for much, just asking to be acknowledged as you owe me almost $300 worth of art.

To which she promptly replied....

Wait…what? I’m sorry, I haven’t been on my e-mail or the computer very much these past couple weeks, and since my family’s visit I’ve had mountains of messages to get back to and I’m slowly getting through them…you are not being ignored or anything, just relax… I’ve already acknowledged the art that I owe you, I’m not sure what more I can do other than finish them…

— pirate-cashoo

Unfortunately, tumblr has no sent-messages folder, but I replied to this with a concern about how she's taking on too much work, a request for an estimated date of when to expect my commissions, and finally the suggestion that she come up with an automatic response for her emails if she's away from her email/internet. So far, no response.

I sent her an email today, as well... expressing that I've had enough, I have no more patience.


So... that's my "story". I've had the pleasure of commissioning a lot of amazing artists through the years... never, ever had this sort of trouble. I consider myself patient, tolerant and kind... but we all have our limits, right?

I've tried my best to make use of the lj-cut and linking images correctly... I'm no where near being good at this thing, so I apologize if I've jumbled everything up. Mods absolutely have my "ok" to adjust the post if it looks off or is taking up too much space, hahah.

ETA: Before I wrote this entry, I sent her an email. Simply telling her that this post was in the making and expressing my concern about several things. This is the message I sent...:

Summary: Owes me (and a friend who is sharing a commission with me) $285 worth of art, the oldest piece since March 11th. Poor communication, endless promises, constant "troubles" on her end that cause delays... and yet she always has time to open for more commissions!

hi - I'm sorry it has come to this once more... but after chatting to several people, including a dear friend of mine who I just discovered you've owed a $140 hi-res image for 13 MONTHS... I'm making my own AB post. I wanted to let you know about it, and I encourage you to step forward and give us all an updated list of your backlog of commissions... it's extremely concerning to think you might owe thousands of dollars worth of art to people at this point. 

anyway, I highly suspect my AB post won't be the last... there's a swarm of people really disappointed and angry with you right now, so unfortunately I think my post and the one by graphix-goddess are only just the beginning. :/ I truly hope you can resolve all this, but in my case, I have no more patience. none, at all. I asked you 2 days ago on tumblr to give me an estimate of when to expect my commissions, and there has been no reply. once again, sorry.

Right after I submitted this post to AB, I checked my email... and, facepalm. Wall of text from her, and I still do not know how I'm supposed to even BEGIN replying to this... 
Her email to me this morning...

What does AB mean? Also, if you could, please keep these things private...I've been doing my best, but it evidently isn't enough. I've been corresponding with those who have been displeased (and so far only 2-3 people seem to be), and for those who are unhappy with me, they should consult me personally. I don't bite...and I never get angry or defensive. I've lost friends because of my job and how much I work...it's pretty ridiculous. And it's exactly why I'm stopping my entire commission business next year. I've never had problems until this year, when people suddenly started thinking that I take too long to finish a commission.

It's unfair to start posting elsewhere and publicly when they haven't tried speaking with me and peacefully talking things out with me beforehand... I'm really not sure what I'm doing wrong exactly. I know my art is a wait, but I have absolutely no intention of ripping anyone off, and I compensate accordingly for those who have waited an unusually long time. And so far, I've never had a bad experience.

Also, I'm unsure as to what's wrong between you and I? We came to a really awesome, peaceful conclusion, and you said you had complete faith in me... I offered that promise to you when you were severely displeased with me in your e-mail to see if you would be alright with that in return for not making things public and taking serious action, and you said it was alright after seeing my reply, and you made no mention of the promise (correct me if I'm wrong). I think it's a matter of miscommunication or something...but from what I interpreted from your e-mail, you didn't find it necessary for me to go through with the promise I offered...so I figured it was alright. I've been working on your withstanding commissions throughout this past month, but I never thought there were any problems. I had a family visit from October 30 to November 13, so I haven't been able to get much work done within that time, nor have I gotten back to all of my e-mails.

Suddenly everyone's angry at me? I'm sorry, but it's completely unfair to be angry at me and not even talk to me about anything... I've been ridiculously busy since my parents visited, and I've been doing my best to get back to everyone while still getting solid hours of commissions done each day. I'm not on Tumblr every day of my life, and you can't be angry at me and assume things because I don't reply to you within your personal time limit...in the case with Tumblr it was 2 days.

I'm sorry, but I don't find the problem here, and you can't point fingers at me because I didn't get back to you in just two days. My art can be quite a wait, yes, but there are no scams and I am not intentionally ignoring anyone. I'm not the most professional and organized in comparison to many, but I kinda find this whole accusation unfair. Especially since you say that there are so many people angry with me? I was not aware of this at all. :/

I've waited years for a commission from an artist, and the shortest amount of time I waited for a commission was about 6 months. I personally have no issue with wait time (unless there was a specified deadline that both the artist and customer agreed to). Everyone has their own patience levels, it differs. I understand that.


I apologize that you have had an unexpected experience with me, but I have done nothing but my absolute best with the situation I have put myself in. I'm not angry, defensive, or immature. I fully intend to finish everything that I started, and I have done NOTHING to prove otherwise. Yes, it can be a bit of a wait, but I do my best to make it worth it and compensate...whether it be additional detail/work I put into the commissions, or do a free illustration after their commission(s) is finished.


I hope that we can rationally work things out in a mature manner...I seriously don't understand what's going on. :(


The only reply I can truly think of? A link to artists-beware, nothing more and nothing less. I've not replied yet, by the way. I just feel sick reading this.

NOVEMBER 21st 2012 EDIT

She has responded to my email from this morning... I warn you guys, it's not pretty.

Email I sent to her this morning...

as you've not addressed any of my concerns in my email to you, or the ones in the note on tumblr, I see no reason why I should address any of yours.
I've had enough. there are two posts about you here so far: http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/ so take a moment to read through them and the comments and consider them.
I've no desire to communicate with you more than is necessary, from now on. I only want to know an exact date of when to expect my commissions, nothing more and nothing less.
thank you, and good luck sorting out this mess.

And the reply I just now received... I just threw up a little, I'm trembling, I'm so stressed... HOW can she be so blind, so twisted?! Apparently it is ME who is ruining her business! It's MY FAULT!!! HOW can she say this?! The email...

Um...I'm sorry, but I believe that I DID address your concerns. I've been working on your commissions, and I can send you WIP shots today. Now that I don't have any family taking up my time or space, I can finish them within the next two weeks or so, depending on how long they take (The biggest one you got with the city crumbling will surely take the longest, it's a good challenge). It's really no use being so worked up and having unnecessary anger...you're only hurting yourself and others in the long run. But, I'm sure you don't want to hear those sorts of things right now...my apologies.

The only other thing I really have to say is that I'd really rather not do any artwork for you ever again after these commissions. Ugh, and that hurts me to say that considering how much respect I've had for you for so long because of your kindness and patience over the time we've known each other. However, I can't handle unstable customers...one minute you have 100% faith in me, and the next you're extremely angry and trying to ruin my business...simply because I didn't reply to you fast enough and you're suddenly out of patience. That's not within my control.
I'm sorry...and in addition to being an empath, these things especially make me ridiculously stressed out, and I can't have business get personal. And I definitely can't bank on whether or not my customer might flip out for some reason I'm unaware of. I tell people that my art can be a long wait sometimes, and I've only had a COUPLE customers be so unhappy. Well, only a couple that have expressed their concern, because apparently TONS of my customers are pissed at me, according to you. I've never had a customer as full of rage as you though, I must admit...I don't think I've ever met anyone with such a rollercoaster of emotions in my entire life. So, I know my art has been "too much" of a wait for you, but we've kept in regular communication, I've made progress on your commissions, and I have done nothing wrong. I know I'm not in control of the way others feel, but I know the truth. I'm sorry that you find my experience so inexplicably repulsive.

I'm sorry if I seem abrasive at all...and I truly don't mean to. I'm not angry. But...if I feel that I've been walked on, which I have in a lot of cases with my customers, I WILL stand up for myself until the very end. I never liked Artists Beware, because it simply seems like a punching bag for artists that some people dislike. Some artists legitimately scam, and that should be brought to attention...BUT for me to get trashed on because one of my customers is emotionally unstable is really trivial and especially unfair. The only thing "bad" about my business is that my art is potentially a long wait, but I keep in contact and compensate for a long wait in any way that I can. I wouldn't be surprised if you'll conveniently leave that important piece of information out in the BA article, though...

I know I seem unprofessional in some areas, but this whole thing with you is extremely childish... you fail to communicate with me, and shut me off completely suddenly. Please, don't tell me I'm unprofessional or irrational, because this is ridiculous. You won't even agree to have a civil conversation with me.

This entire situation is exactly why I'm putting my entire commission business to a stop next year. I'm done working my hardest, losing friends because of how much I work, and never going outside, only to be at the "mercy" of my customers and their mental stability. It's not a business relationship. It all depends on how the customer "feels". If they're not unhappy for whatever reason, I receive all the repercussions. 

I'm ready to start working with adults, and get paid for what I'm worth. -- And on that note, the main reason why I'm in so much "art-debt" is because I get paid less than HALF of what I should for my commissions, or else they would seem too expensive. But...if I actually got paid $20-25 per hour, I wouldn't be in this mess at all, and I wouldn't have nearly as many people waiting as long as they have. It's a death cycle, having to pay bills but continuously having to take more commissions in order to pay them.
This situation has opened my eyes though, and I've really learned a lot. It's really unfortunate, because I do commissions because of my passion for doing art for people and sharing it with the world, but if people push me around, I'm going to look elsewhere...for people who DO want to work with me and treat me fairly. I don't take long at all to do artwork...I'm actually pretty fast, but it's the buildup of commissions that take long. It really sucks... but it is never due to laziness or anything personal.


I understand a wait can be concerning, but I've made the agreement to finish the commission, and I have shown NOTHING to make anyone think otherwise. I do have a list, but it needs to be updated...and I can send it to you once that's done. I have about 30 or so commissions waiting total, about half of them either almost finished or still in-progress. You're welcome.


I just... I give up. I'm a nervous wreck because of this girl... this CHILD who preaches about maturity. I'm falling behind with my studies because of this. I suffer from severe anxiety and the past few days and nights have been a NIGHTMARE. I hope to never, ever have to see or hear more of this FOOL ever again... pardon my harsh words, but she has POUNDED every last one of my buttons, not merely pressed them. I'm FURIOUS at this point. (edits made to this paragraph as per mod's request)

Edit November 23rd

Cashoo emailed me yesterday to apologize... To sum it up, she herself has been feeling mentally unstable and depressed, but most importantly she admits to her mistakes. She still talks about how she can't control the patience levels of her customers, though... :/ She can, however, if she just brushes up on communication and provides regular updates. I don't think she has looked at the new posts here about her, either... at least, that's what she said.

I replied to her just now... I needed some time to decide on what to say... and here is what I decided to say...

alright, listen... I'm not one to hold grudges, or stay angry. I'm extremely passive, I hate conflicts and drama and do everything to avoid such situations.

in this case, however, I was simply at a loss... and you know why, so no reason for me to repeat myself. I'm sorry to hear you've had it rough, but one of the basic rules of business is to not use your personal life as an excuse... and absolutely never lash out at your customers, who have done nothing wrong and are simply concerned and worried. your last email to me was, sorry to say, extremely rude and childish. just to make one point absolutely clear, you ARE working with adults. what do you think we are, 12 year olds running around with our parents' credit cards? no, absolutely not. I'm not going to scold you, however... I think you've learned your lesson at this point, and it's good that you admit your mistakes. I hope you can set things right again, I truly do, but what's done is done and in the case of the post over at AB, both mine and the one posted the day before by another person, those posts cannot be removed or edited to make everything "look alright" again, they can merely be updated, and I'm willing to do so as you provide wips and regular updates.

no one here is trying to ruin your reputation or your business... that's your own doing, unfortunately. you are still very young, though, so people might be willing to look past that and forgive you, and in fact I'm sure most will. what I recommend you do is simply update the sites you use the most for getting commissions with an accurate list of what you owe and to who, and then simply update it as you finish each piece or make progress on a piece. this will give all your customers a peace of mind, and it will prove to them that you ARE indeed working on their commissions. also if you possibly can, don't take on more commission work. if you must get a part time job at a fast food chain or something to make ends meet, you absolutely should... as it will enable you to pay your bills and work on your backlog of commissions without adding more to it.

I am very sorry it had to come to this, believe me it was not easy for me to make the post on AB - but it had to be done, unfortunately. anyway, I'm not going to repeat myself. I'll simply say... if you haven't looked at my or the other person's posts on AB already, maybe it's best that you don't, at least not until you are feeling better and have made some progress with your backlog. people there are mostly just very disappointed in you... some are angry, of course, but for the most part they are just very disappointed. AB is maintained by nice, mature and fair people, this is not a place where people can go to flame other people, but merely a place to get support and advice, and that's what I needed, and that's what I got.

I will wait for wip's of my commissions, in fact I would appreciate regular wip's, however much or little work you've done on my pieces. you also promised me a free colored full body sketch, as well, and considering you've broken quite a few promises regarding when to expect wip's and such, I think you should at least try to stick to this promise.

take care - I do hope you are feeling better, and ready to start sorting out this whole mess in a manner that will calm your customers and help you rebuild your reputation.

I guess... the only thing to be done now is to wait, wait and see if she follows through and keeps up with regular updates and such. I'm worried her backlog may be much longer than just 30 commissions though... I guess we'll have to wait and see.


Edit November 28th

Haven't heard back from her since I sent my email on the 23rd... I've sent 2 short messages since, just asking for the wip's she claimed she had for me in a previous message. am starting to suspect there are no further wip's, that it's just another lie. :'/ I'll keep you guys updated!


Edit November 29th

Stil ignoring me, but... she's opened for MORE COMMISSIONS at DA! This is just... Enraged, I am.

Edit November 30th

Finally got some wip's today! No work has been done on my oldest commission, though... I asked for a deadline for it, before Christmas. I won't be able to view this as "resolved" until all 3 commissions have been finished, though.

Edit December 6th

Well, she pulled a nice stunt in a comment on her own journal on DA, using my "mental instability" as a public excuse, trying to yet again make herself look like a victim. This was the last straw for me, and I've emailed her just now, asking for a partial refund... Here's my email I just sent:

hey, I wanted to suggest something... because to be perfectly honest, I'm not really all that excited about getting those last two commissions from you anymore. after dealing with you and seeing your true colors, your art has simply become anything but appealing to me, sorry to say.

so what I want to suggest is a partial refund; a percentage of what I paid you for the colored sketch comm ($70) and the 2-char full body hi-res comm ($185) - I would be content with getting just $185 back, and it wouldn't have to be right away or all at once, though I would request we decide on when payment(s) would be made to avoid further conflicts. thing is... I'm just so fed up with you, and the last straw was when you openly defended yourself in a comment on your journal on DA, using my "mental instability" in your defense, a stunt that has quite a lot of people even more angry with you now than before. no use running and hiding that comment, either, as myself and several others have it screen capped. :/

please answer promptly - honestly, even if you finish the commissions, there's no pleasure in it for me at this point... I do hope you understand.

Honestly? I'm expecting nothing more or less than yet another boo-hoo sob story as a reply. I feel I'm letting her off easy, though. Offering to take a refund, a partial one, and not all at once... so she won't have to draw anything more for the "mentally unstable" lady who has ruined her career. Just... ugh. Even if she were to complete the commissions... at this point, I'd still consider it wasted money, for (I hope) obvious reasons.

December 15th Edit

Well, finally an update. I emailed her on the 6th, you can see the message above here... and she replied the day after, with the usual wall-of-sob, but also agreed that if a partial refund is what I really wanted, she'd try to work out a payment plan with me. I replied right away (this was on the 7th) and told her I'd give her until the end of the year to complete the commissions... because as usual, I'm a pushover, even when people don't deserve any patience or kindness at all. I told her I needed a prompt reply, and have sent her TWO reminders of my message since. It is now the 15th, 8 days since my message to her. So... it's safe to say she's ignoring me again, as I know she's been online. :/ At this point... I honestly consider the money lost, and am not expecting to see the completed commissions. If there are any updates, I'll let you guys know.

December 15th Second Edit

She replied - more sob stories, of course, but that's to be expected. I'm really annoyed now though, as she did not even hint at the status of my commissions, answer my question about whether she could complete it by the end of the year... She basically ignored my main concern, wrote a few paragraphs of sob, and left it at that. I replied right away, saying I only needed a simple "yes" or "no" answer about the commissions... Let's see if she manages to turn a simple yes or no into another wall-of-sob. :/ Here's the email...

Hey there...I am SO deeply sorry for not sending my reply to you as soon as you requested...I've been writing it in small increments throughout the past few days amidst commission work this week, and I've slept ONE night since Tuesday (although I overslept pretty hard). I've had to stay up multiple nights this week to be able attain enough time to finish a few half-paid commissions and gather enough funds to (hopefully) pay my rent on Monday...
sigh...
It's been a relentlessly brutal week. I really hope your week has been far better than mine though, even amidst exams.... Nobody deserves to go through such dangerously high levels of stress, and it doesn't help to be alongside prolonged lack of sleep.  But I can't afford to stop...there's way too much on the line. I know it won't last forever though, I just need to stay dedicated and focused and it will pay off...

But yeah, my main reply to you is practically an essayl! >_< hope that's alright...I've REALLY been trying to condense it still...I have a baaad tendency to get excessively wrapped up in details... But it's all important, relevant stuff...well I think, at least.

My perception of reality has been kinda skewed because of such a massive lack of sleep lately, so I've been rather disoriented, and as a result my judgements are potentially impaired until I get more sleep...which I am JUST about to do! And when I wake up and clear my head, I'll proofread  and then send it to you. Is that alright? 

Again, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I'm doing my best to handle things one at a time. I hope you understand...thank you for being so calm with me lately, it's incredibly relieving and I really appreciate it... 

You take care, as well~

To which I replied...

...
you really only need to tell me "yes" or "no" about whether you can complete my commissions by the end of the year, or if we need to start deciding on payment plans for the partial refund - that's my main concern. please don't worry about the other email - use the time for commission work instead. seriously.

Comments

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Hey there, I put this through for you. But could you edit your BBcode image tags up there? They don't show up here! Only html does.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

I can surely do that, if you can tell me how to edit them! I've no idea which tags/codes to use. Clueless about these things. :)

[anastasia-gg.livejournal.com]

Oh boy... I sure hope PC gets their butt into serious gear and get's it through that the world is not just being MEAN to her...

When people break promises, people get upset. Period.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

For the html to work the entry needs to be posted with the html editor, not rich text.

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Reading through your post, I am incredibly baffled. Her last email to you has a lot of guilt-trip lines and playing the blame game all over the place. She may not see what she's doing that's wrong, but there's been more then just 2 or 3 unhappy customers...and some dating back pretty far. I hate to say it, but I think she's trying to dumb down the situation and try and keep it quiet. Asking you to keep it private doesn't sit well with me, especially when she has terrible habits of keeping communication.

It's no ones business that her family was over, or that she's lost friends, or that she's waited on her commissions. Nothing she's speaking about is you or any other customers problem. The way her email comes off is very condescending. If she were earnest about keeping her customers happy, she'd learn how to give updates in a more timely manner.

Op - Has she finished any of the owed art? If not, I'd politely ask her to refund you the remainder of the money, minus her work already. Ask for all the files of what she has so far, and a basic refund of the rest.

Some people are willing to wait years for their images, many are not. In my years of working as a freelance illustrator, I've never come across customers who were willing to wait more then 6 months. So I don't think she should expect others to either. This would all be a different story if she kept her customers UPDATED however.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

Basically, all of this. I am BAFFLED that she cannot see how taking forever to do things and not communicating with her customers is an issue. I'll give her credit for sounding calm at least, but the entirely unapologetic "I did nothing wrong" attitude really rubs me the wrong way.

Her workload is her own responsibility and she needs to learn how to only take on what she can handle.

[cyiakanami.livejournal.com]

100% agree with this. It was hard for me to drag my eyes over her wall of text and not want to scream at my monitor.

She needs to stop opening up on so many sites, restrict her self to 1-2 and manage her time better. And get a normal job so she can still catch up on her back log without money issues as much.

Because of her hopping around on sites, she probably gets a ton of mail a day, and I can see why, after reading like 15 messages she says F it and doesn't even bother replying. Says to her self, they can wait, I'll get it done eventually, and months and months later.. she's probably still saying the same thing to her self.

For everyone and the OP's sake, I hope she realizes she's on a very rocky road and her work ethics are far from perfect and gets it in gear.

edited for grammer

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

The guilt tripping made me physically ill.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

Me too. :/ Yesterday was horrible for me physically, "thanks" to her email.

[kasuned.livejournal.com]

This type of behavior is inexcusable. Guilt tripping, then on top of that telling the OP to keep it under wraps?

Lolno. BIG red flag. That's extremely shady. I'm glad you posted this.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

It never once crossed my mind to keep this private after I finished reading the email. I anxiously reloaded AB yesterday until my post was up, so I could edit it and add the email.

Her behavior is completely unacceptable, and in my case she crossed the line yesterday with her message, not addressing even one of my concerns that I expressed in my email and tumblr message.

[taasla.livejournal.com]

It's good that she's shutting down commissions, because it's obvious she has no sense of turn-around time or sets personal deadlines. In short, I don't think she's cut out for commission work if she seriously thinks it's ok to keep people waiting for months to a year plus for art. Six months for an image? No.

Also, I may just be adding a personal bias, but two days to respond? Come now, how long does it take to respond to someone?

eta: I also find it really skeevy that she wanted you to keep it private. It just comes off as "I want to keep on taking people's money while not delivering!"

[anastasia-gg.livejournal.com]

It sometimes takes her a week + to respond.. and sometimes several mails and (I want a refund) letters, too. I don't get it. I am a freelancer, too and I HONESTLY have spent a FEW HOURS every morning going over all my emails and replying before I start work - because it's important not to keep people hanging. Even if it cuts into your worktime sometimes. You need to be prompt and courteous.

[creepymaggie.livejournal.com]

Her reply is unbelievable. How can she claim she has no idea so many people are angry or frustrated? They post everytime she writes a new journal taking on loads of new commissions when her previous ones aren't finished. Also on her profile pages. I've seen people comment that they sent her a few notes or messages and they never heard back right in her journals. Is she blind?
That and even if you wanted to keep things between the two of you, she never communicates with the customers anyways. How would that work?
When she says some people are prepared to wait years for a commission, I highly doubt that. I know of people who maybe wait years for an opening on a certain artists commission list, but I don't think they'd pay $200-$300 up front and let that slide for years.
I really hope she reconsiders and doesn't take on 4 new commissions (done in time for christmas) and gets some of her backlog done.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

Exactly! There are people ALL OVER THE PLACE expressing concern... It's almost as if she doesn't read comments/shouts? It baffles me.

[starinthegutter.livejournal.com]

Good on ya for posting this <3 I know it's tough : /

Seems to me the only reason Cashoo sent you an email at all is because she's aware of the posts here. "What does AB mean?" - right. Anyway, here's hoping she comes to her senses and you get what you paid almost $300 for. I already removed her from my watch. Can't stand artists with crappy personalities, even if their art is decent.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

Thank you for the support, dear. <3

Yeah, she must know what AB means, otherwise I hiiiighly doubt she'd have been this prompt with her reply. She's going straight off my watch on da/fa/tumblr as soon as this is over... I've no desire to see any more of her work anymore... I'm the same as you, if the artist's personality is crappy, their art loses appeal. So I won't watch/follow them. :/

[germanchoclates.livejournal.com]

I can't believe her attitude regarding all of this. It's downright unbelievable. This is the kind of things that should only exist in examples of what not to do with clients.

Then for her to say you Gould have contacted her? You have! I'm sure a lot of her other commissioners have been trying to as well. If she'd take on a policy of handing out an e-mail that's strictly for commissioning she wouldn't have to dig through all these sites to keep up and could easily consolidate everything. (Hell, there's a lot she should change, but I'm on my phone and it's a post in itself.)

What a terrible situation all around. I do hope that you get somewhere in all this. If not, I'd certainly encourage others to post here and tell their story. It's sad that it has come to this, but something has to be done.

[germanchoclates.livejournal.com]

Could- iPhones...oy

[timelapsedecay.livejournal.com]

I am personally very disappointed. I really admire her work and look up to her as an artist but this is just unaccetable

[radiocatastrophe (from livejournal.com)]

Sent her an email yesterday after the other AB post was made of her, still waiting to hear back. Here's hoping she gets herself together and balances her work properly, I'm considering asking her to live stream when she's working on commissions at this point just to monitor that she is in fact working on them as she says she is. :P

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

I do hope you hear back from her! Keep us updated. :)
As for livestreams, that's a great idea... If only to prove to us that she IS working on owed art.

[houndofloki.livejournal.com]

I went back and forth on whether or not to post here - because I've bought several pictures from Cashoo in the past without problems. A couple of busts and colored sketches, all really nice quality and completed somewhat slowly, but none the less within an acceptable timeframe. One was posted to her Tumblr randomly without her linking it to me, but I was willing to chalk that up as a minor, forgetful mistake.

But I bought a hi-res commission from her last year (November 2011) that was paid in full for $140. Since November 2011, we've been in occasional contact about it. I'm not someone who sends out a ton of inquiries (I'm very, very patient), so several months did go by at various points without me saying me anything. A little over a month ago (October 14th), I asked for an update. She responded saying my hi-res was "one of the last few she was working in this month" and that I would "surely have a refined sketch in the next couple weeks".

Well, the couple of weeks went by. On November 13th, I still hadn't seen the sketch - so I sent out another note asking about it. The note was read that day, but I never got a response to it. I sent a followup note yesterday, but it hasn't been read yet.

So to recap: $140 paid in full November 2011, sketch promised "in the next couple of weeks" October 14th 2012, followup note sent November 13th 2012. Still no sketch.

I'm frustrated about this and really disappointed - because I've loved the other art I've bought from but at this point it's been a year, there's no progress at all, and I'm starting to feel ducked. I think the extended wait period here is partly my fault - I try to be patient and trust people, and I let too long go by at points without prodding her. It's still upsetting, though.

At this point I'm still hoping for the art to be finished. If this goes on with no word, I'll pull screencaps together and make my own beware post, but I'm still hoping that ends up not needing to happen.

[germanchoclates.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that's just awful. I can't even image the level of stress regarding that much money and the wait you have been dealing with.

I'm glad you are willing to take it here if you have to. Best of luck getting your art. Each post I read just gets more appalling by the day.

[tifaria.livejournal.com]

oh lawd, that last reply is astounding levels of guilt-tripping wrapped in an attempt to play dumb about the actual problem.

I love how she keeps insisting this is a big surprise to her. The problem isn't necessarily that she's taking so long, but that she's not keeping people informed about their stuff. Just... reply to people. Let them know when something comes up. And look, when you take people's money up front, in full, then drag their commission out well past the point of being able to open a dispute about it while continuing to take other commissions... yeah, people start to get suspicious.

It's for the best that she's going to stop taking commissions.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

Communication is the key... to so many things. I'm glad she's going to stop taking commissions, it will save more people from feeling anxious, worried, etc. :/

[copper-curls.livejournal.com]

Oh, not good... it's a shame, too, because she's definitely a skilled artist. Business management skills, though, need some work. Thank you for posting this beware.

[jadinerhine.livejournal.com]

Man, that IS the best reply you can make. Give her the link and done. Actually, you know what? Just, just wait a few days before replying, since clearly she thinks a prompt reply with regards to paid things is just plain silly. *facedesk*

I agree with another commenter, she sounds calm so I guess that's good. But her passive-aggressiveness/guilt trip here is...not a good sign.

[anastasia-gg.livejournal.com]

As hard as it is, I believe that admitting one's mistakes is the first step to fixing them. But that doesn't seem to be happening here at all. It's more "our fault" than anything. And I supposed those of us who do wait months and months and TRY to be patient are possibly sending her signs that we don't care how long it takes her, when in fact, we are just being NICE and trusting her... and apparently, that's not the way to go.

[svarta perlan (from livejournal.com)]

I've sent her this as a reply to the ridiculous email she sent...

as you've not addressed any of my concerns in my email to you, or the ones in the note on tumblr, I see no reason why I should address any of yours.
I've had enough. there are two posts about you here so far: http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/ so take a moment to read through them and the comments and consider them.
I've no desire to communicate with you more than is necessary, from now on. I only want to know an exact date of when to expect my commissions, nothing more and nothing less.
thank you, and good luck sorting out this mess.

Short and to the point...

[anastasia-gg.livejournal.com]

Goodness, you weren't kidding!! But, honestly, that's all you needed to say. I hope she gets back to you, too.
Afterall, It seems the patient, "honest and trusting" approach hasn't worked so well in the past for us. We need the same from her.

[mreviver.livejournal.com]

I'm getting the feeling that she's taking all these commissions because she really needs the money for something, but then isn't able to do the work.

[intj-reflection.livejournal.com]

Sadly that is a common thread for some very talented artists. They pile up on work because they know there is a demand and people will keep buying as long as it doesn't affect them personally. Then the emergencies never end because they can get the cash quick and don't have to follow through immediately. That doesn't excuse blatant guilt tripping of clients. I'm just shocked by those emails.

BS

[anastasia-gg.livejournal.com]

Oh man... she calls YOU A CHILD... but seriously... she's still lying... "tell people that my art can be a long wait sometimes" hah hah... I POSTED PROOF that OVER AND OVER she would have them FINISHED within a month or 2, or whatever… she never posted ANYWHERE that they took FOREVER years/months, etc.

Then she has the nerve to call you names and emotional, etc etc when it's really her who has been using "family" issues, etc, to back up all of her failures to communicate.

A TRUE, HONEST PROFESSIONAL would not close their shop because of one "so-called angry customer" ... that's not the way TRUE HONEST BUSINESSES WORK. You FIX the situation and MOVE ON. PERIOD. You save your reputation. You refund, you do WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE THEM HAPPY AND GET THAT CUSTOMER OFF YOUR BACK.

And then she continues on to state how she STAYS IN CONTACT CONSTANTLY - I have proof that it's take her months to REPLY sometimes to me.... that's NOT staying in contact. Period.

Don't stress out, dear. Just be happy when you get her piece and forget about her and warn everyone you know that she's a loon to work with. It's the best you can do.

I know it's hard and - honestly - If I woke up one day and say this post about me, I'd probably DIE, but... then I would also PRAY to not have made a customer so angry to have posted it and I'd do whatever to resolve it ASAP... no matter what.

I've even had to give refunds to crazy clients just to get them off of my back when they were unruly and unfair (which you have not been, to my knowledge).
Genuine crazies, are RARE, but it does happen. You're not in the wrong here to be concerned about your piece(s) and there are more than just a FEW people mad about this.

She NEVER states ANYWHERE on her commission pages that they will take MONTHS YEARS WHATEVER. Even on her commish page on DA it says "2-3 days" and "I'm really pushing myself as an artist here".... Bull...

I think unfortunately that she needs a reality check. She needs to get into the real world of business and deal with people who won't cater to her royalty. That slap of reality may be hard, but it may be the only way.

And to think, some people NEVER smarten up. But it is frustrating for her to put the blame off on you. Not fair. Not Professional. Not right. Shut up and fix this - that's all I can say. Stop blaming customers. Stop blaming US for paying you money to do work for us. AND STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT NOT MAKING MINIMUM WAGE - THAT IS NOT OUR FAULT EITHER.

She keeps bringing up the "If I were getting paid what I should be" BS - SHE SETS HER OWN PRICES!!!! STOP BLAMING US FOR YOU RIPPING YOUR OWN SELF OFF and then treating us like dirt!!!

Re: BS

[sigilgoat.livejournal.com]

Your tone is becoming pretty aggressive, please calm down.

I understand your frustration, but A_B is a place for civil, professional discussion.

[starinthegutter.livejournal.com]

So the reason she's not working on commissions is because she feels she's not paid enough for them, but she set her own prices, but she wants them to be affordable...

Okay. Get paid to work on a commission but don't work on it because you feel you didn't receive the $$$ you *should* be paid. Winning logic. If you want to be inspired enough to work on people's commissions, set a price that works for *you*, not just your commissioners.

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

I am absolutely stunned.

All my respect has been lost. To turn around and call you unstable when she has your money, your time, you've taken all the risk by paying her only to get this?...to insult you? No. This is unacceptable.

Cashoo, you will never, ever, make it into the professional world, or in any industry with this sort of rhetoric. Word spreads, and there are plenty of professionals on this forum who read this and will spread this around. You will lose out on opportunities, and you will realize that this boils down to your own faulty behavior.

It is not the customers problem that you charge less then you feel is worth. It is not the customers fault that you choose to spread yourself so thin. You think you're going to get paid what you're worth in the industry? You are dead wrong. You have so much to learn.

It's too bad, but this is a lesson that'll be learned the hard way.

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

And OP...could I doodle you something? Seriously? You've been patient, and I know this has probably made you nervous as hell and stressed! If you would like something specific I would love to drawr you a thing.

Let me know via email if possible - paigoma@gmail.com

<3

[http://users.livejournal.com/_patches_/]

All aboard the Disappointment Train. Toot, toot. :(

I had wanted to commission Cashoo... but now I will most definitely not. I'm sorry, OP, for what you've dealt with.

[germanchoclates.livejournal.com]

Wow. Just...what a disgusting human being. I cannot wait until this catches up to her (which is already is) and bites her hard enough in the backside to give her the wake up call of her life.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

I know it's tempting, but try to refrain from namecalling, please!

OP, I would also appreciate it if you could edit the part where you call her idiotic. I know this whole thing sucks, but we try to keep flames out of our posts.

[kayla-la.livejournal.com]

I never liked Artists Beware

But.. I thought she just claimed she didn't even know what AB WAS...

[neolucky.livejournal.com]

Yyyyeahhh that made me side-eye a bit too. Icon is my face.

I see what you did there, Cashoo.