"Artists Beware"

Artist beware - Coff

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 03:09:00 GMT

Posted by: archaeologist92.livejournal.com

Who: Coff

Where: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/coff/ ;

What: 2 sketch commissions, 8 USD each.

When: 1 was commissioned 23rd November 2016, the 2nd one on the 7th of December, 2016

( Read more... )

Edit 14th of December 2017
Received my refund near midnight on the 13th of December.
Glad that the issue has been solved.

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Beware: SilverDeni

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:19:00 GMT

Posted by: lykanlunatik.livejournal.com

WHO: SilverDeni

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/silverdeni/

WHAT: $60 Digital Flat Commission, don't care if completed at this point

WHEN: Commissioned Feb 27th, 2013

EXPLAIN: Back in 2013, I replied to a journal post on SilverDeni's page for flat commissions, she mentioned college work but also laid out a plan to get the commissions done so I already had an expectation that it might take a bit to get the art and was perfectly fine with it. [Journal in question is here - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4385634/] [Journal with work plan — http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4403494/]

Time passes and she posts an update that things will be slow due to IRL things, and also that she'd be taking on some more commissions in another journal. I also sent a PM to her letting her know to delay mine a bit if she needed some breathing room, her response in is PM1 in the proof below. [Update http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4445386/] [More commissions — http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4473308/]

( Read more... )

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Artist Beware: Grey_Scarborough

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 14:54:00 GMT

Posted by: karnblueearring.livejournal.com

WHO:
GreyScarborough, Grey-Scarborough, Grey_Scarborough

WHERE:
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/greyscarborough/
https://grey-scarborough.sofurry.com/
https://grey-scarborough.sofurry.com/
https://www.weasyl.com/~greyscarborough

WHAT:
NSFW Digital Flat Color Commission, for 25$

WHEN:
Jul 19th: First contact
Jul 20th: Commission details explained and paid
Aug 18th: First time asking about the state of the commission (It was said to be completed within 2 weeks, instead 4 weeks have passed) (Artist responded).
Sep 15th: Second time asking about the state of the commission (Artist did not respond).
Sep 23rd: Asking for their response (Artist responded).
Nov 3rd: Third time asking about the state of the commission (Artist did not respond).
Nov 16th: Forth time asking about the state of the commission (Artist did respond, saying he "will dig it up today").
Nov 24th: Fifth time asking about the state of the commission and first time seeing a sketch. The sketch was not what I asked for, artist knew about it.
Nov 25th: I complain about his inability to work with me properly and demand him to finally start working with me constuctively, or to refund me by the 10th of December.
Nov 26th: His reponse: "Ok we'll eat shit and take a refund on the 10th you pompous fuck."
He just kept insulting me, while I tried to work constructively with him.
Nov 27th: He finally explains himself, yet keeps being insulting and blocks me. No further contact from then on.
Dec 11th: Yesterday was the last day I demanded him to refund me. It didn't happen. Money is officially stolen by this date.

EXPLAIN:
On the 19th of July I decided to commission Grey_Scarborough for an adult piece of art. He was quick to respond, we exchanged details about the commission and I paid him the next day. He claimed it would take him 2 weeks to finish the piece. I am "free to request a WIP whenever" and contact him at any of his messengers. Sounds good to me.

I didn't hear anything of him for 4 weeks, so I sent him a note on the 18th of August, asking if he forgot about me. Again, he was quick to respond, told me he was busy moving, admitted he was behind schedule. No problem to me. I responded with some kind of smalltalk, to which I didn't receive a response. Also, not a problem at all.

September the 15th, another 4 weeks have passed. I'm asking for updates. Telling him I'm not intending to rush, telling him to take his time. Though I was giving an emphasis on the fact that 9 weeks have already passed. I asked about his queue, where I am placed at. I didn't receive a response.
One week later I sent him another note, asking if he is going to answer me eventually. Slowly losing my patience. He responded the day after, saying he thought he responded to me already. He told me he "hit a pretty bad road bump, but we should be pretty square now." I should "keep an eye out", he'll "bump me an update soon". I responded ecstatically, telling him not to rush it. But I wished we would have a more active base of communication. Told him about a story of a previous bad experience with another artist (though resolved). He didn't respond to this.

November the 3rd, another 6 weeks later, I ask him if he could start anytime soon. I didn't receive a response. I noticed he uploaded another artworks and YCHs especially. Apparently, he needed to make more money, while he couldn't finish anything else of his queue.

November the 16th, another 2 weeks later, I told him he didn't respond to my note, and asked about the status of my commission. He responded the same day, saying he'll "dig it up today" and send me the "current version" of it.

November the 24th, another week later, I asked about his progress. He responded the same day, saying he "found the work" (!?) and he "had done the dang pose wrong", telling me he was sorry about that. He included a link to a sketch, which didn't represent what I was asking for at all.
I responded the next day, losing my patience, criticizing his work ethic, yet staying constructive and not being insulting (Even though I admitted, that "I am pissed right now"). I was in disbelief that it took him 4 months to work on my commission, while not even doing what I paid for. I told him about the times he didn't care to respond to me, how I expected him to come forward to me, instead of me having to poke and ask every few weeks, how I paid for this commission alredy, how he makes me belief he might have stolen my money.
I questioned him about the other artworks and YCHs he kept posting, while he apparently could not bother to work on my commission. I told him his work ethic was insulting to me.
I also told him that I'm sad it went this way. I had hoped it would've been better for us. "I sincerly hope you do understand."

I made some demands to have him work with me more proactively and constructively. I gave him my contact data for Discord and Steam.
I promised him to work professionally as possible with him. I would focus on the progress of the commission and I wouldn't complain to him about his work ethic any further, if he agreed.
I told him the picture has to be finished within the next 2 weeks, as he originally promised, or I'll demand a refund. Which was due yesterday, which I didn't receive.

His response was, I quote: "Ok we'll eat shit and take a refund on the 10th you pompous fuck."

I was shocked at his response, to say the least. Yet I didn't respond back in any insulting manner. Again, I showed him how the situation was and how he tore my patience apart with that last piece. I criticized his work ethic again and told him I was appalled in which insulting manner he responed to me, a customer.

His response: "No. Fuck you. I really don't care about you, or your views, or suffering to be polite to you. You do t deserve it. Fuck you."
This only became more childish the more we went on.
I told him he was taking my critique way too personal. Yet again, I criticized him. Especially pointing out, how he claims to be "overly social" with his customers and how he is "always seeking to improve", as it's stated on his profile page.
I reinforced my previous statement, saying I never attacked him in person. I asked him to keep his dignity. I told him he can refund me at anytime, 10th of December being the deadline. He, again, responded with a lot of vulgarity.

Later notes went a bit back and forth, so I won't explain the exact details of them here, yet I will post it in the screenshots below. It's interesting nontheless.
- I warned him about carrying this issue towards artist beware, to which he said he didn't give a fuck, he would refund me eventually. He was still very abusive in his choice of words.
- He claimed what he did could be done in a "quick edit", yet comparing the sketch to my instructions, it's obvious that it needs a complete redo. I wouldn't have complained if it was just a small error.
- Admittedly, I lost a bit of my temper in between, though I didn't attack him personally.
- He called me a liar and claimed he did respond to every single one of my notes. He prompted me to read his TOS (explained in the paragraph below).
- I proofed him wrong and criticized his TOS. To which he "dares" me to make the Artist Beware post.
- I asked him what his deal is.
- He told me his personal opinion of me.
- I responded and criticized him again. I told him that IF I personally insulted him in any way, I am sorry.
- He told me I am delusional. Something about "stead pay"!?
- After the last note he send me, to which I tried to respond, he blocked me. I wasn't able to contact him any further.

It came to my attention that he claims in his TOS that he "will cancel the commission with no refund if you're abusive." And I believe he makes use of his own rule here, despite me not attacking him in person once.
Besides, TOS rule or not, stealing money is stealing money. You can't make it legal by writing up a rule of your own, saying it is legal.

Well then, the next 2 weeks until yesterday, I waited for my refund. He didn't do it, so now we're here.

PROOF:
Proof of Payment: https://i.imgur.com/D1oukQ9.png (as much as this proof goes, anyway...)
Full conversation from start to finish and pictures (NSFW): https://imgur.com/a/xfXpl

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🌲☃️🌲 December Positive Reviews 🌲☃️🌲

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 12:15:00 GMT

Posted by: celestinaketzia.livejournal.com

🌲☃️🌲 Jingle jingle! It's that time of the month again! Positive reviews~ 🌲☃️🌲

If you've had a great commission experience, either as an artist or a customer, please comment here and spread the word. It doesn't have to be a full-on story, though you're welcome to type one! All we need are a few lines on why this person was so great to work with. You can also recommend companies, such as printers or fursuit-making teams, as long as it's relevant!

There are plenty of reasons to post someone here: perhaps they went above and beyond the call of duty to fix a problem, or were so prompt with communication and payment it was like having them right next to you, or were very professional and courteous every time you contacted them.

To help keep things organized, please follow this simple form:

1. Name of the person you recommend:
2. Link to person's website or art page:
3. Approximate time period of when you did business with this person:
4. Details (Here's where you tell us why they are so awesome! What made the transaction go so well? Perhaps link to the art or suit you bought/sold if you feel like sharing. Please mark NSFW if the subject matter is adult!!):

If you have multiple people to recommend, please put them in separate comments to keep things organized.

Trades are just as welcome as paid transactions. But try not to post for friends (or yourself) who are looking to be commissioned. If customers are what they/you seek, teenycom, artsales or artcommissions is for them!

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Lost contact: Foxiful

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 00:23:00 GMT

Posted by: sleetfury.livejournal.com

I commissioned Foxiful at FWA for a badge for my hubby's bday, took their business card and stuck it in my wallet and promptly forgot about it. They were sitting at the booth opposite mine so I remember them quite clearly, but other than a few messages over FA I haven't had much luck getting in touch with them.

Their FA page says to send emails for commission inquiries but they haven't replied to any emails I've sent either.

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Artists Beware - FruitSuit Creations / ClemFox

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 16:26:00 GMT

Posted by: mori-mutt.livejournal.com

WHO: FruitSuit Creations / ClemFox

WHERE: https://twitter.com/FruitSuits (Business account)
https://twitter.com/ClemFox_ (Creator account)

WHAT: Fullsuit Fursuit commission ($3,605.00)

WHEN: March 2017 - Initial communication
April 2017 - Contract signed, project paid in full
June 2017 - First notice project was running behind
June 2017 - Notice commission would not be completed on time
July - November 2017 - Further notice of commission delay

EXPLAIN: In early 2017, I saw the first piece of this artist's work and was very impressed. After a few short conversations, we agreed on an expedited commission at a greatly increased price. Several close friends had vouched for her work by this point and many conversations and assurances were given that the expected completion time of Anthrocon 2017 would be totally doable.
[Contract w/ completion date: https://i.imgur.com/ViRLy6Q.png https://i.imgur.com/jGIIjQW.png

For some context, a previous Beware I had written led to the rushed circumstance. This is a suit I've been trying to have made since 2014. The original artist has since completely given up responsibility for the project. Explaining this situation, plus the premium price, is part of why the deal was agreed upon with such a deadline.

My first concern came by way of being told she incurs a 5% convenience fee for using PayPal, something I had believed was against ToS. Given the sum of money already being spent here (again, 3600 dollars) I thought charging anything else was a little excessive. Needless to say, I went along with it and completely paid off that balance. After that time, I actually received regular updates, she streamed and showcased the work to me frequently, I actually believed I might really be getting this done!
[Convenience fee: https://i.imgur.com/QPyzgyK.png
[WIP: https://i.imgur.com/XxVDjoM.jpg
[WIP: https://i.imgur.com/KfAhsyZ.jpg

In early June I received the first communication that things would be suffering a delay. She complained of issues with drug interactions, stating her mood was too poor to be able to work. From this point onward, I only got one more follow up progress report on the suit. She continued to tell me about her diminished mental state and how she was unable to perform even basic, everyday functions. Come Anthrocon, I'm informed the suit would not be completed on time, but she would work tirelessly to get it done as quickly as can be. After July, she runs into a family health issue that takes several more months away from her projects, leading to the most recent updates in November where she has informed me she's suffered a shoulder injury and is, again, unable to perform even simple, daily tasks.
[First issues: https://i.imgur.com/pLMAq9P.jpg
[Second issues: https://i.imgur.com/BUgF7I8.jpg
[Third issues: https://i.imgur.com/foAO9pU.jpg
[Forth issues: https://i.imgur.com/8x7IlQb.jpg

PROOF: Payment in full: https://i.imgur.com/rfZG0a1.jpg
Contract Agreement: https://i.imgur.com/ViRLy6Q.png

This has been a difficult thing to do. Given the issues with health and family she has communicated to me, I gave every bit of leniency I could before writing this and even still feed bad doing so--I even offered to waive the money I was to be refunded for not completing it in a timely manner. But excuse after excuse, something this artist seems to have a history with, has once more led me to believe this is another project I should not expect to see completed and certainly not for the added expense.

EDIT: Original post updated to include a screen of the second page of the contract ( https://i.imgur.com/jGIIjQW.png ). The refund outlined here was indirectly referenced in the "First issue" link under explain, leading to its accidental omission.

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Artists Beware - LostVioletLotus / SaltedDriftwood / LostSaltSpiral / BraidedBurgundy

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 15:42:00 GMT

Posted by: pinstripedtiger.livejournal.com

WHO: SaltedDriftwood / LostSaltSpiral / LostVioletLotus / BraidedBurgundy

WHERE: http://twitter.com/salteddriftwood
http://salteddriftwood.deviantart.com/ (Account I did business with.)
https://lostvioletlotus.deviantart.com/
http://twitter.com/braidedburgundy (Account refund was requested from.)

WHAT: Two pre-made adoptables. Requested refund as "item was not as described."

WHEN: First pre-made design purchased January 2017.
Second purchased August 2017.
Refunds on both requested November 2017.

EXPLAIN: January 13th of 2017, SaltedDriftwood purchased a pre-made adoptable. They paid, I sent them the file.
August 22nd of 2017, they purchased another. They paid, I sent them the file.

This involves personal issues which do not relate to the transactions, but lead up to the paypal claims.

SaltedDriftwood and one of my friends followed each other on twitter. My friend grew uncomfortable with them because of their own personal issues, and silently softblocked and unfollowed them. When SaltedDriftwood noticed, they messaged me, asking me why. I was not comfortable being put in that position, and declined telling them.
They then liked a reply I had made to my friend, which upset him, on top of knowing SaltedDriftwood had tried to contact him through me, an unrelated party. I told them this upset both of us, and the reasons my friend wanted space between them. An argument broke out, SD removed me from discord, and I assumed that was the end of that.
Today, I received notices from Paypal that SD wants refunds on the pre-made designs from August and January, citing that the "Items are not as described." I had missed a DM from them on Saturday, Nov 25th (I received the refund request Monday, Nov 27th)-- I do not conduct business on twitter, so I don't have a tab dedicated to my DMs on Tweetdeck, and didn't see the message. It was also filled with responses to the personal issues from the conversation on Discord. They are asking for a refund on items they received in January and August because of the personal disagreements, despite the fact the items were pre-made and they knew full well what they looked like before they bought them.

At the time of writing I have responded to the claim offering a full refund provided they do not keep the design. I am waiting to hear back on that.
They requested a partial refund on the design they bought from me in January. I told them I would give them a full refund on the condition they do not keep the adoptable, or no refund and let them keep the adoptable. I am waiting to hear back on this as well.
I am aware I could refuse the refunds, but I do not feel it's worth it to prove the receipt of digital goods to Paypal, and would rather this be done with.

As a note, I do allow for my designs to be traded and resold, and I do not need to be notified of any transfer.

PROOF: https://sta.sh/2stt9cjsjhk?edit=1
Initially I thought I was unable to offer a refund on the condition of the item being returned, which was why I had asked them to de-escalate the claim-- I thought I was only able to offer a refund and let them keep the item, which I did not want them to do. I realised I was misreading the error Paypal was giving me, and responded with the Refund+Return offer.

EDIT 11/29/17: They have dropped the claim on the design from January and approved my refund offer. However, I have no way of marking that they are returning the item from August, and I am now blocked from any contact with them, so I have no idea how to move the claim forward from here. I assume the ball is in their court to prove the item is returned? Which I'm not sure how to do, given that it's a digital item.

Proof of attempt to clear up refund / of being blocked
Proof of claim status

I'm completely unclear on whether or not they still want the refund or how to proceed at all.

EDIT 11/29/17 #2: A friend of theirs got into contact with me. SaltedDriftwood is now refunded in full.

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Buyer Beware: Deathfox45

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:15:00 GMT

Posted by: xherolike.livejournal.com

WHO: deathfox45
WHERE: furaffinity
WHAT: digital adopt, chargeback
WHEN: November 15

EXPLAIN: Deathfox45 has not contacted me whatsoever for any sort of refund and instead performed a chargeback through their financial instution which Paypal then notified me of.
Oct 23rd, 2017, 08:11 PM buyer asked to purchase adopt (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/25111521/)
Oct 23rd, 2017, 08:31 PM received buyer's paypal in note which I then invoiced (https://imgur.com/5LtOd1R)
Oct 23rd, 2017, 09:02 PM buyer said they paid (invoice: https://imgur.com/p9sOfwJ)
Oct 23rd, 2017, 09:08 PM files were sent (https://imgur.com/RbZ0QOg)
Nov 15, 2017 The buyer disputed the $16.00 charge for the following reason: Unauthorized payment. We were notified about the dispute by the buyer's financial institution. We opened a case and contacted you for more information. (https://imgur.com/wr3lKkq)
Nov 16, 2017 Status Changed to Being reviewed by PayPal
- on this day, deathfox45's account was disabled by them on furaffinity
Nov 21, 2017 Case Closed PayPal
- I lost, am out the invoiced amount and $20 dispute amount. Note that at this point I called Paypal and am waiting to see the results of my call.

PROOF: full album of above links https://imgur.com/a/5iPU6

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Artist Beware: Mithacal Creatures

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 21:18:00 GMT

Posted by: crankycoyote.livejournal.com

Who:

Mithacal Creatures - Alaska business license 1052001
Twitter: mithacal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mithacalcreatures/
Website: https://www.mithacal.com/
FurBuy username: MithacalCreatures
FurAffinity:http://www.furaffinity.net/user/Mitha/

Where:

Furbid Auction - https://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1092553.html

What:

Fursuit head commission, won at auction. The auction was won for $575, and the agreed-upon price after enhancements, modifications, and shipping was $905. Custom features were to include custom eye cuts for better vision, whiskers, and a silicone nose.

When:

The auction was won on February 14, 2017, and lists a completion time of 5 weeks after full payment is received. Full payment was made on February 17, 2017, after some initial communication difficulties. Delivery of the head was delayed repeatedly. On July 12, after a disagreement about what features were included in the increased price, Mitha offered a full refund, then asked for a legal agreement to be signed as a pre-requisite for the refund. On July 13, Mitha refused to honor that offer, and said that only a 50% refund would be available. On July 17, after I had requested several days to decide what to do (which was also over a weekend), Mitha stated that she would be giving me a 50% refund in 14 days whether I wanted it or not. At that point, I filed a credit card dispute, which was resolved in my favor in September.

Explanation & Evidence:

The commission got off to a rough start when Mitha didn’t get my emails, but that’s on me. Eventually we made contact via Twitter, which is where we would do all of our subsequent communication. I sent Mitha a long explanation, including a web page with references and desired features.

Screenshot 1

Mitha agreed to this, saying that she could “do everything I wanted” on my reference page.

Screenshot 2

The features added $280 to the price of the head, which made the total with shipping $905.

Screenshot 3

Payment was made immediately via credit card on her website, http://www.mithacal.com.

Screenshot 4

Some additional discussion about fur kinds and colors followed, since I wanted to try making a body suit for the head and wanted to coordinate on the fur we were using. At the end of the discussion, I mentioned her move, something that she had been talking about on Twitter. No mention was made of it impacting the deadline.

Screenshot 5

One month later, I check in. No progress, and we talk about fur choices, but don’t exit the conversation with an unambiguous decision.

Screenshot 6

Another month goes by with no communication. It’s now April 23^rd, with no WIPs. I check in again. Apparently Mitha thought that she was still waiting on fur choices, and after getting the go-ahead to use whatever she wanted, says that she’ll finish up the mask and will have updates in a week.

Screenshot 7

At the time, she also asks me what color eyes I want. LED eyes weren’t part of my request list, but I had thought they were just something standard she did. Her last message says she needs to wait for them, but had said just before that she’d report progress in a week.

Screenshot 7_1

Another month goes by, and it’s now May 30^th. I have not yet heard anything from Mitha without me prompting her. She says she’s still waiting on the eyes from DVC.

Screenshot 8

Amazingly, the eyes come in the same day! Or so she says. She also now says it will be another few weeks before there’s any progress to see.

Screenshot 9
Screenshot 10

June 13^th, and I finally get a communication from her asking me to choose eye backgrounds, and to say that the head is still a couple of weeks away from completion.

Screenshot 11

June 21^st , and I message her again for a status update, and to let her know that I was going to be out of town from July 1 – 10. She indicates that she’ll have the head shipped so that it arrives around July 10^th.

Screenshot 12
Screenshot 13

July 11^th, and I haven’t heard anything from her, so I ping her again. Apparently there’s been a delay due to her wedding and honeymoon, which she didn’t mention anything about. I congratulate her, and ask for some WIPs, especially of the tear duct modifications. This is where things start to go very wrong.

Screenshot 14

Mitha claims she never agreed to the modifications. I ask where she said that, because the last message I got from her about it, before I paid, was that it wouldn’t be a problem. She says she sent something saying she wasn’t capable of that kind of modification,
and offers a refund if that’s a problem. I ask again to just point me where she said that, and after 24 hours
of no response, I’m pretty fed up with the whole deal and agree to the refund.

Screenshot 15

Mitha goes off, but agrees to the full refund. Fine, I just want to be done with this; I’ve seen scant evidence that my commission was even being worked on (nothing other than the eye backgrounds), and we’re now 5 months into what was promised in 5 weeks.

Screenshot 16

And now things get really weird. Mitha wants me to sign some kind of contract – I was guessing a non-disparagement agreement – as part of the refund. But, instead of sending me something to sign and review, she sends me a contract that she signed, between herself and her dog breeder, over some dispute that they had. Real names redacted below, but they weren't in what she sent me:

Screenshot 17

One, sending me this unredacted was probably a violation of her agreement with her breeder. Two, it’s really odd to send somebody a legal agreement that isn’t actually ready to be signed, and is in fact between her and another party, with all of those details.

Because I've had some experience with contracts and NDAs, I’m going to get a lawyer to look at any contract I’m being asked to sign. I’m not trying to be aggressive here, and in most business environments when you say you need a lawyer to look at a legal document, that’s a sign of being
sane and prudent, not that you're making a legal threat.

Screenshot 18

The whole thing has taken a turn for the strange, and I’m asking her for options. I feel she’s had a really poor record of communicating with me, so I’m trying to be proactive about communication and expectations.

Asking for a mailing address for legal communications is pretty standard business practice, and signing a non-disparagement clause is a lot different than a regular commercial transaction. As a registered business in the state of Alaska, she has to have a publicly-available mailing address, and it can be found very easily online at the Alaska Chamber of Commerce website (https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main), so I'm not sure why it would be a problem.

Screenshot 19

And then Mitha changes her mind, says she won’t be giving me a full refund, that only a 50% refund is on the table, and accuses me of threatening legal action, apparently because I uttered the word ‘lawyer’, after she asked me to sign a legally-binding document.

Screenshot 20

I want to take some time to think about this, because none of my options here are good: I can lose $450, or I can maybe get a head that doesn’t have the features that I wanted, from a maker that I no longer trust. Since this is already months late, I didn’t think a few extra days would be an issue, especially over a weekend. July 14 was a Friday, July 17 is a Monday. Mitha feels differently, and by Monday evening is saying that she will give me a 50% refund whether I like it or not.

Screenshot 21

I’m still not clear on what’s going on – do I still have to sign a document of some kind, even for the 50% refund? I’m not sure, and I don’t want to make a decision until we can hash this out. Mitha doesn’t want to wait though, and just after midnight on Monday she decides she’s going to keep half the money and not send me anything, no matter what I want. After 5 months of me waiting for her, she’s definitely not going to wait for me.

Screenshot 22

To me, and to the lawyer that I had review all of this, this is a breach of contract on her part. What she’s saying here, as evidenced by all the previous tweets, is mostly false. She offered the refund first, I just took her up on it. She asked me to sign a legal document, I just wanted to do it safely by having a lawyer look at the contract. At this point, I’m pretty upset.

Screenshot 23

Screenshot 24

After her message on July 18^th, and blocking me on Twitter, I filed a dispute with the credit card company to get my money back. I’d received nothing, no WIPs beyond the eye backdrop photos, no proof of work done, and no product, and was only going to get half of a refund after waiting 5 months for something that Mitha agreed to do but later decided she couldn't, or wouldn't. Finally, on July 30^th, Mitha unblocked me long enough to tell me that she was going to sue me in small claims court.

To date, Mitha hasn’t served me with anything for a lawsuit, and the credit card company finalized the chargeback in September, so I have 100% of my money back. As things go, this could have been worse, but I think Mitha is somebody to avoid doing business with.

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Mithacal Creatures artist Beware

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 19:05:00 GMT

Posted by: shadowfang92.livejournal.com

I am willing to have a Civil discussion with this Artist and hope we can reach a solution that we are both happy with.

Who: Mithacal Creatures
Where: www.mithacal.com
Twitter:mithacal

What:Fursuit head, Refund.

When: May 24th- Present

Proof: Mithacal Creatures Beware https://imgur.com/gallery/ukVAP

Explain: On May 24th Mithical and I agreed to a trade: I would shop for clothes for her, and in return for my time I would recieve a Custom Half Mask. (See Screen Shot 1)
https://i.imgur.com/q2jv2hg.jpg
During my part of the trade I inquired about upgrading to a full mask. She told me $200 worth of clothes since she does not need the money right now. (See screen shot 2)
https://i.imgur.com/q2jv2hg.jpg
My part of trade took roughly 2 weeks; she recieved her box of goodies and loved them.
(See Screen shot 3)
https://i.imgur.com/q2jv2hg.jpg

For Mitha's part of the trade, she told me the completion time would be 1 month for the half mask. I agreed, and she added another 2 months for a full mask. I agreed to this as well. (see Screenshot one and 6)
https://i.imgur.com/q2jv2hg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mr5jBE5.jpg
July: I discussed with Mitha on what my mask design would be. Previously, we agreed on a red fox with Antlers. I gave her the concept design. It was verbally agreed that my mask would have some artistic liberty. Those conversations happened in person during a camping trip we had in Homer. (Enter Screen shot here 4)
https://i.imgur.com/mr5jBE5.jpg
August 3rd-16th: I started to get worried and asked her for an update, or at least a start date for my mask, and never got an answer. (See Screen Shot 5)
https://i.imgur.com/mr5jBE5.jpg
Late August: I see on Twitter and instagram that she is open for commissions. Being curious and wanting some sort of response from her I asked on her instagram what her turnaround time is. She responded "your mask would be done before these peoples if thats what you are really asking" (See Screen shot 7)
https://i.imgur.com/4dlNEYN.jpg
I continued sending her messages asking about the start point of my mask as well as asking if I can get some reassurance from her if I was bothering her, and if she does have a start point in mind for my mask. Not once did I ask her "where is my mask". Each message was a couple of weeks apart. I just needed assurance that I hadn't been forgotten.

September hits a couple weeks before Senshi con happens. Senshi con was the con we planned on attending with the mask, and the end time Mitha had told me I would have my mask.

I start asking about the fur again wanting to match fur. I still have not received a single response from her. When I finally did, it was her sending me her address because I asked for it so I can send a piece of sample fur to her. She got the sample and told me it was wrong. I asked if she can send a picture of the right fur, but received no response. (Screen shot 8)
https://i.imgur.com/4dlNEYN.jpg
Then on september 4th she says she is giving me a refund of the $200 extra I spent on her, due to her wanting to close her buisness. (Screen shot 9)
https://i.imgur.com/4dlNEYN.jpg
I asked for clarification, wondering if we can work something out, and if she will be compensating me for my time I spent shopping for her rather then spending that valuable time elsewhere. I also offered to take a premade artistic liberty head instead, trying to work something out with her. (Screen Shot 9)
https://i.imgur.com/4dlNEYN.jpg
I don't get I response from her until I post on one of her Facebook posts agreeing with her that being ignored sucks. (Screen Shot 10)
https://i.imgur.com/WehJCAs.jpg
She takes offense, telling me she doesn't do buisness stuff when she is away with family, then demands that I give her my mailing address so she can send a check since she no longer does Paypal. (Screen shot 11)
https://i.imgur.com/WehJCAs.jpg
I comply, and ask yet again for my compensation, as well as explaining that I was upset becuase I had asked for clarification about the refund the very same day she told me I was getting one. (Screen shot 11)
https://i.imgur.com/WehJCAs.jpg
She gets angry and demands my address again saying she has asked 3 times now. (Screen shot 11)
https://i.imgur.com/WehJCAs.jpg

Ignoring the fact I have already given it to her, I give it to her again and state that I had already done so. I pointed that fact out. Her response was to request when I write a beware that I don't add her actual number. At the time I told her I don't write bewares. (Screen shot 12 and screen shot 17)
https://i.imgur.com/WehJCAs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MkKptPy.jpg
I ask on the September 11th, and again on the 25th, about my refund. No answer to either. September 26th she sends me a message stating she is waiting to recoup the money. Screen shot 13
https://i.imgur.com/bju69X6.jpg
October 6th: I ask for her plan of action. Still no refund.
October 8th: she sends me a message stating she still doesn't have money plus she accuses me of posting snide comments on her Instagram. My snide remarks consisted of the word interesting and that is it. She tells me it takes time to close a buisness.
(Screen shot 14)
https://i.imgur.com/bju69X6.jpg
I ask for a time frame for my refund. At first she ignores me and says that the reason for my refund is because of how I talk to her. My response. (Screen shot 15)
https://i.imgur.com/bju69X6.jpg
October 31st: I tell Mitha I need the refund by November 15th, and that waiting 3 months for a refund is unacceptable. No response, but the message is marked as read.
(Screen shot 16)
https://i.imgur.com/Ua10fx6.jpg
November 8th: I get told that my check will be sent shortly and that she will be free to talk to me when business slows down.
(Screen shot 16)
https://i.imgur.com/Ua10fx6.jpg
Thats the last I have heard from her.

Edit: I am in contact with the Artist and we are working on a resolution.
I will update again when I have more information.

comments

Lost contact: Sapphu

Fri, 17 Nov 2017 23:41:00 GMT

Posted by: sirmeo.livejournal.com

I'm trying to reach artist called Sapphu ( http://www.furaffinity.net/user/sapphu / https://sapphu.weebly.com/ ) -- they owe me a commission from like... almost a year ago. Last time I had any contact was in May, when I e-mailed their PayPal address (after using FA notes and the form on their site to no avail) they said they were setting up a workspace to be able to work on stuff they owe, and after that nothing. I've tried e-mailing again but have not received any reply.

Their dA ( https://sapphirelullaby.deviantart.com/ ) seems abandoned and tumblr account under sapphirelullaby seems to be in use of some advertising bot.

I also tried googling their PP address but found nothing useful.

Does anyone know if this artist is still active anywhere where I could contact them? It's waaaay beyond PayPal chargeback by now and that's my fault, but I had commissioned this artist in the past with no problems :(

comments

Beware: Meesabeast

Thu, 16 Nov 2017 19:27:00 GMT

Posted by: teskine.livejournal.com

WHO: Meesabeast (Aliases: Meesasbeasts, GhettoImmortal, and Bangarang360)

WHERE: Commissioned at BLFC 2017
Telegram communications: bangarang360
FurAffinity: GhettoImmortal

WHAT: Traditional Art ATC

WHEN: BLFC 2017 (June 3/4, 2017) up until current (November 15th, 2017)

EXPLAIN: I commissioned Meesa at BLFC for an inked ATC. Paid in cash. It was like $15 or something of that sort. In person, she had told me she would have it done at con, which was part of why I had commissioned her (I have issues with the post so it’s easier that way.) She was very polite and had me send her my references on Telegram. The next day (June 4th) I came to her table sometime and she told me she hadn’t been able to work on it yet. I told her I understood since I’ve been a dealer many times before and got that things can pile up and you’re busy speaking with people all day. She said she would try to have it done by the end of the day. I told her I could be in den after hours and such on telegram, attempting to be accommodating for her. I stopped by a final time at the end of the day and she had no progress. She told me she would have it done within in a couple weeks after the con and ship it out right after.

Note: Everything past this point is recorded and posted in the proof section, I am merely giving my side on things in summary here now. You may skip this and go to the proof section to read everything yourself there.

( Read more... ) Tweet 1 / Tweet2 / Tweet 3

The fact she went off the rails so badly is super not-okay as a businessperson, especially when you’re criticized for giving poor service. I have been told she’s still been on about me, so I don’t see any hope in resolutions due to her aggressive and childish behavior.

PROOF:
All telegram correspondence between June 3rd and November 15th are in these two images:
https://imgur.com/PWXSFDK
https://imgur.com/3YE6lKM

My Twitter beware post:
https://twitter.com/TeskyArt/status/930775105642274816

Her responses on Twitter to the situation:
https://imgur.com/yRLlbkd
https://imgur.com/xtM91IM
https://imgur.com/tLVG75k

comments

Terms of Service for Physical Items help?

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 11:28:00 GMT

Posted by: kellserskr.livejournal.com

Hi everyone!

Last year I made a post about my Terms of Service for Art Commissions, and you were all so helpful with that - I'd like to thank you all for all the tips and ideas! Recently I've had a few ideas for customized physical items for people to commission (dolls remade to look like their OC's etc.), but as I haven't bought many items like this in the past, I haven't read very many TOS's dealing with this type of commission (like I have by reading artists' TOS's). I was wondering if any of you had any tips on writing Terms Of Service for physical customized goods, or any tips? I know it can be quite different because it's more difficult to make changes with physical items.

Thank you!
Kellie <3

comments

Artist Beware: BarkingEllie / Dorky Dog Suits

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 21:09:00 GMT

Posted by: khramchee.livejournal.com

EDIT: Paypal Customer Protection Refunded me the $50 that was owed. Artist never tried to talk to me or solve this problem thus this beware will still be kept up.
WHO:
Telegram: barkingellie
https://www.facebook.com/pg/DorkyDogSuits/
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/Ellieshepherd
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/dorkydogsuits
https://twitter.com/barkingellie?lang=es
https://barkingellie.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/barkingellie/

WHERE: Telegram

WHAT: A Fully Detailed Reference Sheet. Value of $100. Got Refunded $50.

WHEN: April 30th I Got the offer from her, and after a few days we got a deal.
May 10th is when I paid for the comission. ($100) with a plus of $50 that I did as donation.
Problems started in August when she started to ignore me for long periods of time.

EXPLAIN:
Everything started fine, we discussed prices and options, etc.
I would often check on her afterwards since I consider $100 to be quite a high price, though I was willing to pay a lot because of how complex the character is.
This person denied giving me access to a ''to-do list'' at all cost. (seen in screencaps) She would often give excuses to explain why she ''doesn't'' have a to-do list.
We had a few random days where we would have long chats about life and this one time she mentioned her friend and her run a fursuit business and her friend wanted to buy some fur supply and I donated $50 to help them buy it. I want to say, I am NOT interested into getting this $50 back since it was donation and plus has nothing to do with the actual comission.
After August is when I started to feel discomfort towards the treatment amongst the artist and me. Being ignored for almost a whole month made me doubt about this comission so I asked again about the to-do list. Got again another explanation why it doesn't exist and decided to keep quiet for some time.
During ALL this time I was given the same ''I will do it this upcoming week'' message over and over though NO sketches OR Work in progress were shown to me AT ALL.
Once September arrived I gave her a final message asking for either a To-Do list, to see a WIP OR a Full Refund.
Got a reply two days after that telling me they were doing the lineart. I got frustrated and asked why would they be doing the lineart already if I had not seen any work prior to that nor had I aproved it.
Artist replied with a short message saying ''If you don't like it then it's not worth finishing it :)''
I got mad over this message and decided to ask for a full refund. She promised to do it 'next week'.
I had to wait for a whole month until that happened. BUT I only got half of it refunded. Got a promise of the other half being done as soon as she gets her next payment. A whole month has passed and this person has been ignoring my messages since.

Plus I got adviced by one close person to check her furaffinity and facebook (Dorky Dog Suits, her business page) since people have been starting to show up leaving comments about her ignoring them and not getting refunds either.

PROOF:
Transcript of the Conversation here in both spanish and english(translated):
https://sta.sh/2qsuuicgafp?edit=1

All Screenshots of the Conversations both in the telegram group (decided to keep the name of the group hidden) and in private:
https://sta.sh/21mm46gupc6e?edit=1

PS; Conversation Transcription was cut in certain parts because the topic that was discussed in those parts had nothing to do with the comission. It was all just simple daily life chatting.

comments

November Positive Reviews

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:45:00 GMT

Posted by: celestinaketzia.livejournal.com

🦃🦃 Howdy! It's that time of the month again! Positive reviews~ 🦃🦃

(It's a little late, but we made it.)

If you've had a great commission experience, either as an artist or a customer, please comment here and spread the word. It doesn't have to be a full-on story, though you're welcome to type one! All we need are a few lines on why this person was so great to work with. You can also recommend companies, such as printers or fursuit-making teams, as long as it's relevant!

There are plenty of reasons to post someone here: perhaps they went above and beyond the call of duty to fix a problem, or were so prompt with communication and payment it was like having them right next to you, or were very professional and courteous every time you contacted them.

To help keep things organized, please follow this simple form:

1. Name of the person you recommend:
2. Link to person's website or art page:
3. Approximate time period of when you did business with this person:
4. Details (Here's where you tell us why they are so awesome! What made the transaction go so well? Perhaps link to the art or suit you bought/sold if you feel like sharing. Please mark NSFW if the subject matter is adult!!):

If you have multiple people to recommend, please put them in separate comments to keep things organized.

Trades are just as welcome as paid transactions. But try not to post for friends (or yourself) who are looking to be commissioned. If customers are what they/you seek, teenycom, artsales or artcommissions is for them!

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ARTIST BEWARE: -deymos-

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 19:39:00 GMT

Posted by: chochoo.livejournal.com

WHO: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/-deymos-/ their tumblr: https://darkhumorist.tumblr.com/ ( NSFW WARNING ) it's pretty much inactive as well

WHERE: on fa @ http://www.furaffinity.net/user/-deymos-/

WHAT: fullbody commission w color for 18 euros

WHEN: March 29th, 2017

EXPLAIN: I commissioned deymos for a doodle commission ( a fullbody w color ) back on March 29th of one of my oc's. https://i.imgur.com/dveGtDs.png I sent her the little form that she had on her submission post that advertised her commissions and sent it through notes. https://i.imgur.com/dXGQ8hl.png

I sent her the payment through paypal: https://i.imgur.com/wYIrdLX.png?1 I censored out something in the screenshot since it shows their real name. Two months pass by and I decide to send them a note asking about an update on my art which I sent on May 23rd. I normally don't try and bug artists too much when it comes to commissions but I figured it would be alright to ask since some time had passed. The note in question: https://i.imgur.com/iNnzPhR.png and https://i.imgur.com/q3kkCuC.png They replied to me a day later with this: https://i.imgur.com/4395WBc.png in the note they stated that I would see my art within the week which I was super excited about. I thanked them for responding and then I left them alone after that.

By the time I realize it, three more months have passed by. I send them another note around July 5th asking for another update. https://i.imgur.com/KvdPWA4.png Currently as of now, the note has still not been read. By now I'm already starting to get concerned and worried about the lack of responses. I sent them one last and final note asking for an update: https://i.imgur.com/JufRJCI.png which was on Sept 12 which has not been read either.

I kind of effed myself over, which I know is my own fault. There is no way I can do a chargeback or get my money back at this point since I waited too long to do so. I decided to leave them a shout on their fa in the hopes that they would see it if they ever got on their fa. https://i.imgur.com/dbkH3TI.png

At this point, I'm unsure of what else to do on how to resolve this. They have no other social media that I know of besides Tumblr which I found out to be just as inactive as their furaffinity account. I tried sending an email through their PP email but got no response back. Other than that, I would highly advise against commissioning this artist. Any help would be appreciated!

I also apologize if there are any mistakes here or the format looks awkward. I've never posted to AB before and it's my first time. I just hope I'm doing this right. Feel free to let me know if I need to add more on to this!

PROOF:
Notes: https://i.imgur.com/dveGtDs.png and https://i.imgur.com/dXGQ8hl.png
Proof of payment: https://i.imgur.com/wYIrdLX.png?1
May 23rd commission update: https://i.imgur.com/iNnzPhR.png and https://i.imgur.com/q3kkCuC.png
Artist response: https://i.imgur.com/4395WBc.png
July 5th commission update | Unread: https://i.imgur.com/KvdPWA4.png
sept 12 commission update | Unread: https://i.imgur.com/JufRJCI.png
FA shout: https://i.imgur.com/dbkH3TI.png

comments

Paypal advice; claim filed then canceled, should I say anything?

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:19:00 GMT

Posted by: betancore.livejournal.com

Hi all! I checked the advice for artists tag and didn't see anything exactly fitting my situation, so I'm hoping for your thoughts.

A few weeks ago, I offered some wing-it sketch commissions at a cheaper rate, hoping to attract some business. Unfortunately, I took on too many slots and got overwhelmed, resulting in the commissions taking much longer than I wanted.

I've bee in touch with my commissioners to keep them updated and to apologize for the wait and/or offer something extra where appropriate. However, one client filed a claim on Paypal, which I didn't notice until I got an email saying the claim was canceled and that no funds would be deducted from my account.

I don't have personal experience with Paypal claims, so I don't know how easy it is to "accidentally" file a claim, and now I'm not sure if I should bring it up with them.

I fully accept this situation is all my fault, but in my past communication with this commissioner, they had said there was no rush to get the art done and were very understanding of the wait time.

If it's possible they just misclicked, I don't want to make a huge deal out of it. I'm just not sure if I should be concerned they will file a new claim, or if I should even mention it to them, or just leave it alone and keep monitoring my Paypal acct more closely.

Thanks in advance for reading and I'm so sorry if I did something wrong, I had some trouble with the tags.

comments

Artist Beware: Sharpe19/SharpeCostumes

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 08:08:00 GMT

Posted by: s0lar5ail0r.livejournal.com

Where: Furaffinity.net/user/sharpe19

What: Premade head, to be upgraded with a matching tail.

When: September 2016

Explain: Sharpe was taking offers on this premade suit nicknamed at the time Alchemy https://imgur.com/fdz80W1. Sharpe did make it known that a new hood (neck/ears) would be made for the winner which I thought was too cool to pass up. I sent them an email private offer of 1800 with the request of a payment plan on 9/19/2016 https://imgur.com/6n2vueu.This was the highest bid at that time, and the payment plan was welcomed!

I also inquired about a design (this is prior to being the “chosen” buyer) which Sharpe seemed intrigued by. She asked if a deposit of 800 would be doable https://imgur.com/BCS4ls6 and that my offer is very interesting to her. At this time, I also asked if at this or a future time she would be willing to make me a tail and maybe hands/feet as well for extra funds of course. She agreed to a tail and to possibly add crystals as well! By this time, I was notified that I WAS the buyer (I’m not sure where that message is... I literally don’t have an email or a FA note so weird) and asked for her Paypal to send the first part of my deposit https://imgur.com/ryQN3in.

By now I had made my first deposit payment of 600 and was going to get the remainder the following day. I was waiting on Paypal to clear funds of a sale of mine to finish my deposit to Sharpe https://imgur.com/DyhGIzK and was able to put the remaining 200 down on September 30th

Some time passed (about a month) and I had sent another 750 to Sharpe while awaiting my first check from my new job https://imgur.com/HlCaOS3.

NOW all was going extremely smoothly Sharpe was very quick to respond and lovely to work with. I had 0 issues with communication. I’m going to switch from email to FA notes as I was assuming photos would be uploaded to FA instead of sent via EMAIL (what my previous makers have done in the past).

I let a few months go past, I was off FA for a small break, but decided to send a poke her way to see where we were at with the commission https://imgur.com/Qy5NYzz. Now this is about 6 months after the payments were made. I know sometimes life gets busy and I am VERY flexible when people are up front to me with what’s going on… but this response was honestly a little awkward for me https://imgur.com/opSPYdv it appeared she literally had no idea who I was. NOW that being said our primary form of communication was through email, and I’m not sure how others work but for me I document peoples Emails/FA/DA/FB whatever methods of communication I can just so I can keep in touch. But I brushed it off as just simple confusion as to who I was! It happens. https://imgur.com/r0J7p5B this is just me clearing up which commission I was and getting a few verbal updates. Sounds like the Hood didn’t turn out as well and needed to be redone-reworked before progressing. Sure no problem! Quality over speed in my opinion! https://imgur.com/DaoaH0p first talk of getting some updates. They never came but that’s ok life gets busy I suppose.

Now were onto June of 2017 where I again asked if we had any updates https://imgur.com/1SGuIdv to which I was responded with a note that seemed promising and that work was almost complete (unless I’m reading into it wrong, to me it sounded like all it needed was airbrushing) https://imgur.com/JYUUm4S. This got me quite excited so I decided to let her work and try back later if she didn’t get back to me first.

Well now were pushing the “Almost a year” mark and I am honestly starting to get antsy as I had conventions I was planning to wear this to and really didn’t expect it to take a full year to complete a hood replacement and a tail. https://imgur.com/mix1MqY I was a little confused by the response as I thought we were almost done with things and apparently it was just a first test run? Of the fur? https://imgur.com/1BtiaAr and at this point I had given up mentally that this project would get done. Sharpe was spending (I follow her on twitter) most of her time working on personal costumes/cosplays/projects and I felt like I was completely tossed on the backburner. This is when I asked a SECOND time (because she either ignored or didn’t read) for an estimated time of completion https://imgur.com/CisL4Jc.She said it would be Most likely August, but for sure before Halloween. Finally, a date set I can stop pestering her! https://imgur.com/Z5F4JO9

Well were officially at/past the one-year mark, august came and went and so I inquired one more time to be sure were on track for Halloween https://imgur.com/tyrNaxi to which they assured me we are https://imgur.com/HH4PmBV.To me, and please let me know if I’m wrong, I was under the assumption my suit would be IN HAND by Halloween when I asked if we were on track… Is that wrong of me to assume?

Completed Payments https://imgur.com/AnCPEK6 So the original plan was 1800 but I did not complete my final payment of 250 dollars. I was holding on to it until the product had either photo proof, or completion proof or SOMETHING because I have been burned MORE than a handful of times.
Well Halloween is tomorrow. I have 0 progress photos, proof of work, I literally have only her word. She messaged me asking for my address, however when I did ask for photos I was met with a really odd response of “Depending on how late you’re awake” https://imgur.com/wXg9Yilwhat?? What difference does it matter how late it is... why is it SO hard for Sharpe to provide me ANY proof of work?? At this point I just hope I can get my refund as I have ZERO desire for this character anymore. I’m not sure if it’s just my expectations or what but a year of waiting with no progress updates proof or anything really left a sour taste in my mouth. I’m a very patient person but I really feel like my commission was not taken seriously or professionally in the form of timelines/completion. It just seems like my commission didn’t/doesn’t matter and that I was only a quick paycheck for someone to use.

As of 10/29/2017 I was relayed it would be shipping out "this weekend" (the weekend before halloween) however it was not, and I still have 0 photographic proof of ANY work.

Sharpe is a really nice gal, super communicative and will respond very quickly. I just think her time management is lacking. Personal and new projects took priority over my paid commission. I just hope I can get my refund promptly.

Beware is only warranted for lack of time management and prioritizing issues. She makes great work, and she’s very communicative. I missed out on every event I wanted to wear this piece to and actually ordered a new costume in the meantime as backup for Halloween as I had a feeling it again, wouldn’t be completed on time. I hope Sharpe steps up her game on her time management and prioritizing pieces.

Update 11/8/2017: At this time Sharpe and I have agreed on a full refund, she will be selling the suit (this is the current listing link https://www.thedealersden.com/listing/alchemy/129915) and the profits will be coming to me. Im glad we could come to an agreement. I will update as soon as refund payments are made.

Update: 11/16/2017: I have received the first payment of 450 dollars, with an agreement on a payment plan that will total just over 1300 dollars in a matter of 5 weeks. I am currently at work, and unable to get a screenshot but I will update this post promptly.

comments

Advice Needed - Artist Neglecting Commissions?

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 23:43:00 GMT

Posted by: vespertilian-v.livejournal.com

About 8 months ago I commissioned an artist for a fullbody wing-it colored sketch and I still haven't received any kind of WIP, contact from the artist, or the finished piece and I'm not sure what the next step should be. At first I let a few months pass by without thinking much of it, then a while after that I began to get curious and made contact with the artist. They assured me that they'd simply fallen behind on their queue and that they planned to have their remaining pending commissions finished by the end of the week. A few more months passed after that and I tried to make contact with the artist again, but this time I didn't receive a response. The note was read but ignored. A few more weeks passed by and I sent another note, it too was ignored and now I'm not sure what I should do. Should I try to send them another note? Try to file a charge-back? I don't want to be a jerk, but I've been waiting for a long while now with no update and the lack of responses from the artist really has me worried. What bothers me most is that they're a fairly active poster. While I've been waiting they've posted multiple personal art pieces, held freebie streams, made gift art for friends and have created over half a dozen personal character designs. Normally I'd be totally fine with an artist working on personal projects between work. There's nothing wrong with drawing for yourself, but when your personal projects seem to be getting in the way of owed work it creates a bit of a problem in my opinion. Am I just being impatient? I don't want to be one of those commissioners who's constantly hounding an artist for the finished product.

comments

Artist Beware - shacklefunk

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 10:51:00 GMT

Posted by: kubbied.livejournal.com

WHO: shacklefunk, Shade

WHERE: shacklefunk.tumblr.com

WHAT: Colored Sketch commission for $50

WHEN: From July 5th to October 28th

EXPLAIN:

Tl;dr : After payment, they completely cut off communication despite multiple attempts to contact them about the status of our commission. They never kept us updated and ignored our messages, all while actively posting on their tumblr.

----July 1-5 : A friend and I decided we'd commission shacklefunk back in July 1st after noticing them opening slots for sketch commissions. So we sent them a form and our commission was confirmed along with the $50 payment on July 5th. (proof)

July 24 : A couple weeks past, and we decided to email them just to ask for the status of our commission. No response. (proof)

We just go with the benefit of the doubt and assume that they'll finish the commission on their own time, so we just waited.

August 8 : A month passes and we try and shoot them a private message on tumblr since they were actively posting unrelated art there. We ask for the status of our commission and our message was ignored.(proof)

October 4 : It got to the point of 3 months. We still hadn't received our commission, all while watching Shade remain active on tumblr. So we send another email requesting for the status of our commission. Our email was ignored again. They still actively posted unrelated art on their tumblr. (proof) (proof of activity, taken from shade's tumblr archive)

( Read more... )

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Customer Beware- Levi

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 19:34:00 GMT

Posted by: prince-mai.livejournal.com

WHO: Customer- Levi (Telegram: leviathan95 ) EDIT: Telegram username keeps changing every so often.

WHERE: Telegram

WHAT: Digital Ref(refunded $20)

WHEN: Between Sept 7th-October 19th

EXPLAIN: I had Levi commission for a fursuit ref on september 7th. He was 7th in line when he commissioned me with a lineart project in 1st and 5 small projects inbetween. Sadly I got sick with an infection the entire month of September and could not work on his reference sheet.

In October I had stopped working on a big lineart piece that was first in line to focus on his ref for the entire week of October 16th-19th. I had completed the linework of the ref and was going to color it on the 20th since I had a family emergency on the 19th but he tells me he is getting another artist to make his ref because I'm not working fast enough and I was working on other stuff that isn't his.
(Unfinished ref: https://imgur.com/hHKooX4 )

1. He was 7th in line on September 7th

2. As any normal artist working on smaller projects like icons, badges, etc is a way to take a break from big projects like lineart and refs so you can feel refreshed to come back to the big project.

3. Someone paid for a deadline for 1 week and I finished it in a day It was stated in my Telegram art channel that he was in and was able to read other messages like for example how I had halted work when I was sick.
(Proof of alerts what was posted on Art Channel: https://imgur.com/tSxpnee )

4. He was 2nd in line and I stopped working on the 1st commissioners lineart for him.

5. In the beginning of our conversations he had stated numerous times that he was in no rush for his ref to be completed. (Moments where he said it was no rush: https://imgur.com/tqgLmQD )

So he decides to lie to the fursuit maker that he was getting said fursuit from saying I pushed him to 12th in line when that wasn't even true, The maker informed me of his concerns and I had approached him with his problems.

My ToS states I only give partial refunds but I had no choice but to give him a full refund. Due to fearing he would spread rumors that I didn't give him a refund at all.
(my ToS: https://goo.gl/forms/New1kFb0HQwYtOzS2)

PROOF: Here is the entire conversation
https://imgur.com/a/tjpFK

UPDATE:
I had got in contact with the artist who had made his new reference sheet and they can confirm about his behavior that made them worried that Levi would attempt to get a refund if they did not work fast enough.
https://imgur.com/meBYbmu

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Artist Beware - alienpaw

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 14:27:00 GMT

Posted by: lesyacauda.livejournal.com

WHO: alienpaw / bootiehole

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/bootiehole/
http://www.twitter.com/alienpaw
https://www.instagram.com/alienpaw/

WHAT: $40 favorite food badge.

WHEN: I paid on 11/30/2016 and A WIP was posted on instagram on 2/13/2017. I received the finished piece and contacted them on furaffinity about changes on 3/27/2017. I contacted them again on twitter on 3/31/2017, this was the last time they communicated with me. I tried contacting them again several months later on 8/17/2017 and 8/22/2017 with no response.

EXPLAIN: I commissioned alienpaw back in 11/30/2016 for a favorite food badge of my fursona. They quickly responded to my inquiry and sent me a note requesting info required for the badge and their Paypal address. I paid the same day I received the note (https://sta.sh/01ulggzyispv).

A couple months went by with no updates on their Trello. I understand how long art can take so I didn't mind at all. At this point I also began following their Instagram account because I had seen that they would upload WIP pictures. On 2/13/2017, they posted a WIP on their Instagram (https://sta.sh/01nps8rvvq0h). I thought the WIP looked great and I was excited to see it finished. One thing that I didn't understand then though (and that I don't really understand now), is that they stated in their T.O.S. that they don't send out WIPs (https://sta.sh/0nfnlhie2l0). I don't really understand why you would publicly upload a WIP but not send it to the commissioner. I tend to be non-confrontational and everything was looking great so far, so I didn't say anything.

Another month or so passes, and on 3/27/2017, I received the finished piece (https://sta.sh/01bs8m6agxn6). I was very upset with the finished picture because I had imagined it would look like the WIP, but for some reason they completely redrew it. I don't think I would've had too much of a issue with that if they hadn't left out my fursona's hair.
I commented on the submission on Furaffinity on the same day thanking them for the commission and asking if they could possibly add my fursona's hair (https://sta.sh/06xfn20ulfr). They never responded to my comment, so I DM'd them on Twitter on 3/31/2017.

They responded to me this time around (https://sta.sh/01mqqfp02kf6). They stated that they would see if they could find the time to add the hair because they had school and other commissions to work on. This was understandable to me. But what made me upset was them trying to blame me for causing them to not draw the hair because I never specified for them to draw it and there being a small part on the reference sheet without it (https://sta.sh/0lvfro2do56). It honestly confused me because the original WIP they posted had hair... I tried not to let it bother me, and told them that that section was there for markings (https://sta.sh/01lnzvpkiw9m).

This was the last time they communicated with me. I waited months with absolutely no updates while they took more commissions and opened a online shop. I got fed up as the end of the summer approached, as it had been months with no communication, so I DM'd them again on 8/17 and 8/22 (https://sta.sh/07s53x2ba53) which got no response either times.

PROOF: https://sta.sh/2wsjchuxvne?edit=1

Update #1: I sent them another DM on twitter making them aware of the beware. They responded back to me and then offered to completely redraw the badge and send me WIPs along the way. I'm very grateful that they offered this, because I know some artists wouldn't do that! I accepted, and received a WIP of the lineart. Now all that's left is to wait for the finished piece and this will all be resolved c:!
Alienpaw also replied to this post clearing up some more things (https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/973731.html?thread=33299619#t33299619)!
DMs can be read here (https://sta.sh/212x1ecghbnf?edit=1).

Update #2: I received the finished piece on 11/9/17! This has been resolved :)!

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ARTIST BEWARE: FurFancyCostumes/Victoria10717/Vixxens

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:28:00 GMT

Posted by: crystalryuu.livejournal.com

> SUBJECT: ARTIST BEWARE: FurFancyCostumes/Victoria10717/Vixxens
>
> WHO: Victoria10717, Vixxens, or her official business FurfancyCostumes
>
> WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/victoria10717/, http://www.furaffinity.net/user/furfancycostumes, and http://www.furaffinity.net/user/vixxens/. More proof can be found on her instagram https://www.instagram.com/_victoria10717_/. Her business sites are http://furfancy.webstarts.com/ and http://www.furfancycostumes.com/
>
> WHAT: Stretchy handband ears
>
> WHEN: The journal where I asked for ears I cannot access but payment was recieved by her on January 30th of 2015. I spoke to her in person at AC about them. then there were a few notes exchanged on fa about the status of my commission.
>
> EXPLAIN: In February of 2015 I had paid Victoria for a hand made item (paypal transaction https://imgur.com/a/qAJnV
> ). A set of headband ears which I was told would be finished by July at Anthrocon. The convention came and went and I still did not receive my item (asking if they will be ready https://imgur.com/a/oYsYu. I was placed on her public Que for completion along with others. Earlier this year I was removed from the list without notification and I myself had to reach out to her. The reason I got was as follows: "ive been trying to get the extra cash to actually refund you for them since its been a crazy amount of time :(" I was also informed she wanted to focus solely on large scale projects (Trello removal? https://imgur.com/a/peEsU) (Trello response https://imgur.com/a/yd4Df). I also know between all of this she had moved several times and was having issues so I was patient and understanding. Since all of this she has bought quite a bit of house items, a large 3-d printer, and a large 22hd cintiq drawing tablet for herself within the past two months so I do not understand why I have not received my refund from her. She is using both the 3-d printer and the tablet to take on many commissions and pre-orders and has been very active online in doing so. On the 24th I issued a two week warning on an artist beware, believing this was more then enough time to rectify the issue of either my refund or the product. She has read these messages but has not responded since (Follow up https://imgur.com/a/mX8Kr) (following up again https://imgur.com/a/GdTjK) (Ultimatium issued https://imgur.com/a/NgsPk). Now I understand should not have waited this long for such a small product but with her moving a lot I thought it was the right thing to do. I would get paypal involved but it is now going on almost 3 years of waiting for ear headbands. She also claims she doesn't take small parts orders but her trello and her pages show otherwise.
>
> PROOF: (paypal transaction https://imgur.com/a/qAJnV
> ) (asking if they will be ready https://imgur.com/a/oYsYu) (overdue Acknowledgment https://imgur.com/a/Rrju8) (Trello removal? https://imgur.com/a/peEsU) (Trello response https://imgur.com/a/yd4Df) (Follow up https://imgur.com/a/mX8Kr) (following up again https://imgur.com/a/GdTjK) (Ultimatium issued https://imgur.com/a/NgsPk) (business email and possible refund? https://imgur.com/a/0vDdk
> ) (New Graphic Table and price https://imgur.com/a/TPpc6 https://imgur.com/a/L680s) (New large 3-d printer and price https://imgur.com/a/wJkBR https://imgur.com/a/0hVhO) (proof that all messages on furaffinty were read by Victoria as requested by AB staff https://imgur.com/a/tiqIA)

::EDIT AS OF 10/20/2017::
Full refund has been recieved by Victoria via paypal
So I am owed nothing else.
link for proof: https://imgur.com/a/wynPx

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Lost Contact Auratoon Doodle

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 12:42:00 GMT

Posted by: sawblade5.livejournal.com

Has anyone heard from Auratoon Doodle since Megaplex. He currently owes me a lenticular con badge commission that I paid for at the convention but have not heard from him since the convention. His Telegram does not seem to be working so I have no alternative ways to communicate with him or get in touch with him.

So if anyone knows how to get a hold of them let me know.

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Millenium-Millie-Gryphon@FA, drew wrong character, stopped responding after paypal deadline.

Sat, 07 Oct 2017 01:47:00 GMT

Posted by: m-ree bipolar

WHO: Millenium-Millie-Gryphon AKA Millie AKA Onyx AKA Onyx Art Studios

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/millenium-millie-gryphon

WHAT: 2 x circus poster style images of my otter shape

WHEN: Claimed slots, provided references and paid on February 14th. Inquired on progress April 10th, got response and first pic on April 16th, which was of a wrong character. After informing the artist of that, she did the second pic, then said she will redraw this one, then delayed past the paypal dispute deadline after which stopped responding to notes (still reading them and taking other commissions).

EXPLAIN: Millie opens these commissions via journals/picture announcements on a regular basis. I took two slots and sent info February 14th, 2017, paid same day.

After no progress for a couple months, I’ve contacted Millie on April 10th to check on the progress, and got a response with one image April 16th. There was one problem with that though, it was a wrong character, which I told her. We have reconfirmed the correct references, and May 7th, I got the second picture. That one was pretty well done. I again informed Millie that the first one was wrong, and also mentioned that it was supposed to go with another picture with the same subject from another artist. I have also requested the picture with the wrong character taken down. She said she will redraw it, then it took a series of delays until paypal dispute deadline has expired (in hindsight, I should have opened it, but her staying in communication and being polite kind of led me astray). After that, she stopped responding to notes while reading them, being active and offering further commissions.

PROOF: https://imgur.com/a/eJB32

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