Beware: Rachverity

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/831564.html

Who: Rachverity

Where: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/rachverity/
https://trello.com/b/kDddOtiK/commissions-list

What: Digital Art Commissions. Purchased many commissions (23 in total - $915.30 USD) that nearly all were very behind in set deadlines. When inquiring/complaining about missed deadlines, artist chose to no longer work with me and prompted for a refund and block.

When: Problems started August 2014. Escalated from there. End result (refund) has yet to be started or finished.

Proof: (Note: All pieces were paid for, but not all were given details for. I purchased the slot/commission to be done at a later date. This was mostly due to wanting to give away a full commission as gifts and to lessen the over head work load of Rachverity. I will do my best to show what was purchased, what had details, what never got done, and what was finished.)

1) One 2-character soft shade with background dance piece: Completed without incident. https://www.dropbox.com/s/b8pc7oeroaswd1e/pp1.jpg?dl=0

2) First art bundle : https://www.dropbox.com/s/2xtkofx6p0jtkc0/First bundle purchase.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/rm7uijheut3b9sz/pp2.jpg?dl=0
2a) Comic - incomplete (details given). Extra pages paid for: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2l5lgu7m1srkxui/pp4.jpg?dl=0
2b) two 2-chracter soft shade with background - never started (no details given)
2c) Character sheet - incomplete (details given)
3d) six icons - 1 completed, 2 incomplete (details given), 3 never started (no details given)

3) 1 3-character cell shade with background. Details sent for a 2 character piece. incomplete. https://www.dropbox.com/s/6u44tf0a82bviga/pp3.jpg?dl=0

4) Second Art Bundle - https://www.dropbox.com/s/uu567x7pseqeaaw/art bundle 2.jpg?dl=0. https://www.dropbox.com/s/e069sow9scmqxtq/pp5.jpg?dl=0
4a) five (up to) 6-character soft shaded with background. Never started (no details given)

5) Third Art Bundle - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ttn935xexz1d730/bundle 3.jpg?dl=0. Sister package to prior art bundle that did not sell. This one offered a guaranteed Halloween themed 2 character soft shade that will be done by Halloween. https://www.dropbox.com/s/t9c410ljxnm11jv/pp6.jpg?dl=0
5a) One 2-character soft shade with background for Halloween. Details Given. Deadline missed by nearly 30 days. Requested for it to be changed to a Christmas piece. Request accepted. Completed.
5b) Five (up to) 6-character soft shaded with background.
5b1) extra characters paid for to be added for guaranteed New years eve party. https://www.dropbox.com/s/9qzbbb2kyexgxog/pp7.jpg?dl=0
5b2) 6 character raffle winner. incomplete (details given)
5b3) 5 character Raffle winner. Incomplete (details given)
5b4) three (up to) 6-character soft shaded with background never started (no details given)

6) Tip/expedite payment. https://www.dropbox.com/s/3shp0ca6hbrje19/ppex.jpg?dl=0 (look at note in payment)
18th October 2014 Rachverity said publicly that she still needed more money shortly after selling the two prior bundles. https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ys81z4bh0unywn/help.jpg?dl=0
24th October 2014 Rachverity said publicly that she was still giving low cost art and (maybe) was going to start raising prices. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nntjqv9fiw8lnq9/help2.jpg?dl=0 I personally felt a bit bad for getting so much art for such a low cost so I talked to her privately and offered to help without buying more art. This had no issues until into 2015 when I brought up that she missed another deadline even after I paid her this extra money. With the wording (seen later in AB post), I considered it a expedite payment as Rachverity considered it a tip. Thus the discrepancy whether it was a tip or expedite payment. Ultimately this discrepancy is now moot due to the forced unpaid refund.

Explain:

Back in August of 2014, Rachverity put out a journal offering a large art bundle due to need of funds. I had commissioned her once before and had an amazing experience (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12486045/). I decided to talk to Rachverity about it since a large thing I wanted was the comic. But I wanted a longer story comic done. She told me that I could purchase additional pages at the discounted rate. With this, I purchased the initial bundle and paid for it immediately. The said artwork was to be done before December 2014. Although the comic, due to it being longer from extra pages purchased, would be started but may not be finished by the end of 2014.

Rachverity, still in need of money for a few of the next months, put out more art bundles and open commissions. Seeing her in need, I helped out more. Purchasing two $200 art bundles and a few other things. I also gave an extra $100 to have my pieces expedited ( https://www.dropbox.com/s/3shp0ca6hbrje19/ppex.jpg?dl=0). Rachverity and I conflicted later after some missed deadlines that this extra money was a tip. I also purchased extra character slots for a New Year's Eve piece to be done by the first of the year.

Signs of first problem: I gave a few commission details to Rachverity, but no set dates. In early October, I gave details for a free (for purchasing the bundles) "guaranteed" 2 character Halloween piece. This was accepted by Rachverity to be done by Halloween. She told me after the deadline was missed that she was slightly behind. I understood and gave more time. After Thanksgiving, I decided to cancel the piece and request a Christmas piece in replacement to have a due date of Christmas.

The New Years Eve piece was set in stone in November to be done by the first of the year. She accepted and I paid for extra characters to be added to the piece. On the 2nd of January 2015 I requested to have the expedited payment be refunded. I was told no because it was a "tip" and thus hers to keep. I understand the confusion, even though I was quite upset, and I did not fight it much more (https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrl1imvaz3wxf0z/expedite.jpg?dl=0).

Later on the 2nd of January 2015, myself and few others had a skype group conversation with Rachverity. This was an intervention of sorts as the last waning minutes of our friendships. I can not provide this private conversation, but after this Rachverity got very angry with us (myself and other friends trying to help). This is where I learned that she had roughly 200 paid for open commissions. By the end, she would not budge on any subjects and, incidentally, some nasty words were exchanged.

A few days after this, Rachverity blocked skype contact with me. I understood this and tried to only deal with her over my own art matters from there on out.

On Jan 7th 2015 I asked for a WIP of this overdue piece. (https://www.dropbox.com/s/gh41oha3c99s7u0/wipparty1.jpg?dl=0)
I received a response shortly after: (https://www.dropbox.com/s/leaglrkhzxx0cld/wipparty2.jpg?dl=0) I found out that she was missing some of the details of the commission and that there was another large(r) commission due for new years as well that was also missed deadline wise.

I waited 15 days and on an 22nd 2015, I requested another WIP. Rachverity seemed to be set on an accusation I had made during the group conversation 20 days earlier about how she 'did not care about her commissioners and/or watchers.'

The notes were not back and forth, but rather I came back to several notes sent to be without a response. All the links of this conversation are put in time stamp order.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9xc5gi6p1s15t3u/AACg-zMQtlSBe1N1NqKf-hIha?dl=0

Some notes about the conversation above:
-A fellow friend and commissioner that has 6 open commissions with Rachverity offered a proposal due to their thinking that Rachverity will ultimately not finish the commissions. This proposal was to have 3 of their commissions done by the end of March 2015 and forfeit the other three, no refunds to be paid out. (Yes, I have permission to reveal this information and themselves, but I am still going to hold and block out their name for integrity purposes)
- The 10 pages of comic to be done by the beginning of the year was due to Rachverity wanting to change her comic style to that of "Wolfy-Nail". Where there would be 1-3 panels to a page. Since I bought the comic for 6-9 panels per page, the number of pages increased so that agreed upon story could still be told. I was paid to 14 pages, and more would cost me at the time of discovery that more pages were needed. If less where needed, some alternate images would be done like a cover image or such. The option for the older style comics with more panels per page was still available and preferred.

I originally had counted that I paid Rachverity $848.41. This was a mistake as seen above with all of my paypal receipts. I also did not want to include the first commission ($30) since that one was done. I wanted the amount in full returned since the only two pieces done so far was a free incentive piece for one of her bundles that she did not sell (The Halloween piece that was never done and had to be changed to a Christmas piece due to a 30 day missed deadline) and an icon that was done nearly 2.5 months after the raffle was finished (http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6175294/ http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15484943/)

Rachverity denied this request for a full refund and instead said she was going to refund me $800. I was a little upset, but understood and accepted this amount. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l6jq2cjswjadbrn/AAAW5HAjM-fjwExUuEhN0w9ga?dl=0

I asked about a time for the refund to take place and Rachverity would not talk to me, only her manager would through Rachverity's account. https://www.dropbox.com/s/m0sjhbqt9da057l/refund 2.jpg?dl=0

On March 2nd 2015, before any artist beware post was put up about Rachverity, I offered the artist the ability to take back the commissions in full or partial: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3znizi8vnrmjap7/Offer1.jpg?dl=0
Rachverity responded angrily about asking for the refund and, again, was told that I would be blocked for asking about it on grounds of harassment: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sxblkotz2xh33jn/offer2.jpg?dl=0

I tried to leave out most of the argumentative parts between us on a personal level and tried to keep it to just the business facts.

Still to this day, I do not have an approximate time of when refund will be paid.

I no longer recommend this artist.

Thank you for your time.