Beware: Fuudles/ButlerInHeels

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/981645.html

UPDATE: (5/28/18): Oh &#$%ing boy. Hello again my friends on AB. I have an update. Upon really thinking about it, I am so, so tired and annoyed.

On the same day that this was resolved Fuu had said they'd send me the completed laminated badge in the mail within the next week (https://imgur.com/a/bQYXUWH). Cool. It's almost June and I have NEVER received it. At this point, I give up. Not active on their art twitter. Highly active on their personal twitter. They uploaded everyone's finished badges on instagram except mine? Like okay, maybe I'm being petty, but maybe someone else gets me.

It's not like there was only one of said badge, but the reason this is SO beyond annoying for me is that I'm so tired of asking Fuu to just. Get. It. Done. Get it done and we don't have to speak about it ever again. But now, I'm fed up, and Fuu get's a bad review from me. I was sympathetic, but now, I'm really not.

UPDATE (1/18/18): Fuu has contacted me with the finished art and even offered me a full refund. I declined the full refund as I was just happy to have my art. Fuu is by no means a terrible person and has very humbly owned up to their mistakes with absolute grace. Lovely human being, but just a poor example of customer service, which I hope to see them improve on in the future.

WHO: Fuudles/ButlerInHeels

WHERE: https://twitter.com/Fuudles

WHAT: Coloured badge

WHEN: Invoice for payment was sent September 5th, 2016. I remember clearly because I was not in the country when I contacted them. First signs of trouble appeared near the end of the year when they were taking on more commissions and not completing ones they had previously taken.

EXPLAIN: I was under the impression the artist had an excellent work ethic as people were retweeting their completed commissions in a very timely manner. This set them up as someone who was excellent to commission because they had good prices and high quality work. I was very happy to receive a slot from them. I’m pretty sure that I was the last person they accepted in that batch/run of badges. 

I received an inked WIP ten days after the invoice was paid. They posted a coloured WIP in October of my badge flat-coloured with something like fifteen-odd other commissions in the same stage of completion. I thought it was excellent that they were getting so many done so fast. I was not at all concerned and was willing to wait 1-2 months because I knew they had lots to do.

Come January 2017 they had a computer crash and their hard drive was toast. If anyone is sympathetic, it would be me; I was in a similar situation ages ago. I was under the assumption that my file was not recovered as I waited another 2-3 months for my commission with nothing. I was not informed whether or not my art was recovered (spoiler alert: it actually was recovered, but did I know that? Nope.), and while it may be my responsibility to ask, it’s also the artist’s responsibility as someone who is running a business to be upfront and clear with their customers, no matter how many people they owed art to.

Over the course of 2017, I constantly saw Fuu finishing commissions that I was highly certain were taken long after I had paid for my own. They were opening commissions for convention pick-ups, completing them all in easily a week or less. At this point, I’m getting really irritated; they are obviously fully capable of completing commissions quickly, and I couldn’t understand what was taking so long. I was also thinking about other people that might be waiting alongside with me. I could easily go through the WIPs they have posted in the past, and tell you who has and who hasn’t gotten their art. MOST people have gotten their art, but for some odd reason, I feel as if I have been forgotten. I’m sure there are a handful of others who feel the same way, but are too afraid to assert themselves.

Come July 2017, I finally messaged Fuu as the one year mark was coming up. I said to them I felt as if I was forgotten and they assured me I wasn’t. They said come mid-August and after Midwest FurFest, would be a good time to expect my commission to be completed. Come September 2017, and I had not heard anything. 

In all fairness to Fuu, I understand doing owed art and working at a job is very difficult to balance. And I was also very patient because I was sympathetic. But it’s not an excuse when you have already proven yourself to be very quick to finish commissions only to pull the rug under your customers.

Come January 2018, I realize I have not seen Fuu on my newsfeed in sometime - turns out they have been inactive on their art account and main account for almost a month with no warning to commissioners.

To wrap it all up I feel jerked around, lied to, and my patience has been taken advantage of. Regardless if the art is completed, this kind of customer service is unacceptable and disregards the integrity and loyalty of your commissioners.

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

I first messaged Fuu on September 3rd, 2016. Invoice was sent and paid on September 6th, 2016. I received a WIP on September 15th, 2016. A coloured WIP was posted on October 15th, 2016. That’s as far as the art has ever gotten

Updated: On January 3rd 2018, because it’s now the new year, I decided to send Fuu another message. Obviously this one is not as kindly worded as my other messages. 

https://imgur.com/a/RVOeA

It remains unread since January 3rd, 2018. They also still seem to be inactive on both their art account and main account. I still am completely unaware of what caused their disappearance as there is nothing to tell what caused it. Obviously it can be cause for worry but nothing indicates something very bad has happened, so, at this point, it seems pretty fruitless.