Beware: iKissa/EyeKissa

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/904784.html

In July 2015, I posted a lost contact on this artist, but was never able to contact her. As she seems to have vanished from all her known accounts, posting a beware on her seems pointless, but this is still something everyone should be aware of in the extremely unlikely event that she returns and continues to accept commissions.

All information is below.

WHO: EyeKissa (deviantART) or iKissa (FurAffinity)

WHERE: http://www.eyekissa.deviantart.com or http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ikissa

WHAT: Traditional Design Commission ($10 USD)

WHEN: The commission correspondence began on April 3rd, 2014. The commission was paid for on May 26th, 2014, after I approved a sketch. As of May 2016, the commission still hasn't been received and the artist has vanished, with the final conversation I had with her taking place in November 2014.

PROOF/EXPLAIN: Since our correspondence was over two years ago, some messages have been deleted, but here is what I managed to find in my dA inbox. Read from bottom to top, please!

April 2014: EyeKissa opened for design commissions and I sent her a note about one, including a form she specified for prospective customers to use. She replied that nine other users had ordered commissions before me and that my custom might take "up to two weeks at the most," which I agreed to. She also told me to wait until an approval sketch was sent to pay.

May 2014: I didn't hear from EyeKissa in awhile, but she was progressing on her other commissions rather quickly, so I didn't mind the wait. On May 26th, she sent me a note and asked if I was still interested in the custom, to which I replied that I was and requested a species change, since it hadn't been started. She told me this was fine and to expect a sketch later that day. A few hours later, she sent me this note with a sketch included for my approval. I approve and pay. (The red box censors an email address.)

November 2014: After this, I don't hear from her until November, when she unexpectedly offers me a refund. Here, I will confess that I was rude in my response, which I know now was unnecessarily guilt-tripping and could have been said much better. Essentially, I told her that I would accept the refund, but I was disappointed in her service because she had finished almost all of her other commissions, most of which had been paid for after mine. Someone who had been added to her to-do list weeks after me had their commission finished before me, which is why I was so displeased. Still, this was rude of me and I regret it. She responds with the offer to both refund me and finish the commission, to which I tell her that I don't expect her to complete the commission after she's refunded me. I receive this response, in which she tells me that she wants to do it, which is the last message I have on record from her.

She claims she will send the refund the next day, but it was never received. I've sent follow-up messages, but none of them have been opened, as well as posted on her pages to see if anyone has been in contact with her lately. This comment on her page suggests that she might be overseas at the moment, but there's no solid evidence of this otherwise. If this to-do list is to be believed, there's at least one other customer out there who never received their commission.

Before she vanished, EyeKissa was always pleasant to work with, so I'm sad that I had to post a beware on her, but the fact remains that she didn't refund me or complete a commission I paid for two years ago. It's a lost cause by now, but I hope she's okay.

EDIT (06/05/16): Here is evidence that the artist has internet connection and has been on her dA account very recently. Someone drew her character and she added the image to her favorites just today. The notes I have sent her still haven't been opened, however, and she hasn't reached out to me.

EDIT (06/23/16): After I received the note that is pasted in the comments below, I responded to EyeKissa on dA. She promised me a refund the next day, when I instead received notice that she was unable to make it to the bank, but would be able to the next day. One week passed with no response or refund, so I noted her. Five days later, the note still hasn't been read, so it seems like she has vanished on me once more. (I'll add screenshots of this as soon as I'm able.)

EDIT (06/23/16): Here are the screenshots of the above transaction!

Notes 1 (Read Bottom to Top)
Notes 2 (Read Bottom to Top)

The latter includes both the request for an update that I sent five days ago and the response I received to it literally thirty minutes or so after I posted today's update. The most recent correspondence promises a refund later tonight, but I've received nothing thus far. (I didn't intend to update this so frequently, or include literally every update as it comes, but a response happened to pop up today.)

EDIT (06/30/16): EyeKissa has refunded me. This matter is resolved. (I also want to mention here that she has been extremely apologetic for her absence and has went through a great deal of trouble to right her wrongs. While it doesn't erase that this happened, I know she had no ill intent in the situation and I believe she's safe for others to commission!)