Beware: Rubbertex Racoon

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/833310.html

WHO: RubbertexRaccoon

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

WHAT: 3-page comic ($120). An inflatable suit and a matching inflatable toy ($2400 for both to be paid in three installments: $800 down to pay for materials, $800 on completion of prototype, $800 on delivery - $1,600 paid to date.)

WHEN: Comic commissioned March 2013, the inflatable suit and toy commissioned in April, 2013.

PROOF:

Journal showing comic pages paid:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4396795/

Original Agreement for the inflatable suit and toy:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/07imdps245l9xw2/Original Agreement PM.jpg?dl=0

Project delivery date showing target date of Midwest Furfest 2013:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/dpe9cpb507dp24a/Project Delivery Date PM.jpg?dl=0

First payment made on April 15, after timeline agreed upon for MFF. Second payment made in 2013 after initial concept sketch was finished:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/wjbr3sh4acsepl1/Payment proof email.jpg?dl=0

EXPLAIN:

I commissioned Rubbertex Raccoon for art, an inflatable Maximus Ursus muscle bear suit and a matching life-size inflatable muscle bear toy, all in 2013. All of the products were to be completed in 2013, but the only thing I have received thus far is the pencil drawing concept sketch of the suit. Rubbertex said in a PM he received the materials to build my suit and toy, but I have seen no evidence to support the claim. He said he would mail a swatch of the latex for my approval of the thickness and color, but that never happened.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/cxg2bza1fbjrsnf/Swatches 12-2013.jpg?dl=0

He mentioned in later updates he is finished with the foam body so I could approve the size and shape of the muscles, but no photos were ever sent. He has also mentioned numerous times that his emails are often undelivered as spam because of the “rubber” part of his name, but I’ve never had any problems receiving emails from anyone. He has told this to numerous commissioners, including my mate, TonkaWolf, to whom he also owes an inflatable suit.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ha54nx05dehqvag/Email issues 06-2014.png?dl=0

Here is the update from May 19, 2013 talking about receiving the materials:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/yr1rnswlgwi9shj/05-2013 Update.jpg?dl=0

And an update in February 2014 saying he is waiting for tools to arrive to finish the foam dummy for approval, as well as not yet having done the comic:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/3na64moglubvrlz/02-2014 Update.jpg?dl=0

An update in May 2014 saying he is still struggling with completing projects and is having financial issues (none of which should have affected my commissions, since the materials were supposedly already purchased a year ago).
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/ddqugvunlbr1m87/05-2014 Update.jpg?dl=0

After several PMs and emails later, I told Rubbertex that although I would be disappointed with not getting the suit and toy, I would accept a refund of the $1,600 paid if the projects were not completed by December 31, 2014. I can’t find any documentation where we talked about the drop dead date, so it might have been via texts or something. I have had it posted on my FA profile since October 2014:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/cgea1f13qu72wqs/FA Profile.jpg?dl=0

It is now March 8, 2015 and the projects still are not completed. Neither have the comic pages been completed, although Rubbertex has been doing LiveStreams fairly regularly since January, taking on all new work and completing that during the streams or shortly thereafter.

Rubbertex is now avoiding the problem by not reading PMs on FA, such as this one I sent 10 days ago (02-27) asking for an update on the refunds for Tonka and me:
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/mu2ybdt3pa6upnq/Unanswered PM 03-08-2015.jpg?dl=0

Even though he is still doing sketching live streams (this one is from 03-07):
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/feg8woe1ww0pe10/Sketch Stream 03-07-2015.jpg?dl=0

He is also looking at FA as he responded to one of Oz Kangaroo’s journals on 03-01.
https://dl.dropbox.com/s/xnppxkrjoe7yjed/Rubbertex journal post 03-01-2015.jpg?dl=0

I know Rubbertex is under a lot of stress and pressure and I honestly just want a refund of all of the money I’ve paid to this point: $1720. I would love to still get the items, but as far as I know, there are still at least 6 suits and toys in the queue before mine, so I don’t think it’s realistic that my projects will ever be done.

*****UPDATE: 07-15-2015*****

I received a PM from Rubbertex on FA, apologizing for not having the work done and saying he will give me a refund "within a reasonable time frame". I replied to him that I would still rather have the suit and toy, since he says "I'm taking a huge financial hit on the materials and labor", but I have not yet seen any evidence that the materials have even been purchased. I have tried to help him over the past few years to get his life and diet in order to reduce his anxiety, but it is up to him to change. our exchange is here:

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/i2t648eszcs6ath/Rubbertex Refund PM on FA 07-11-2015.jpg?dl=0

The suit/toy building queue I mention is here:

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/r6v2umlhnmd2slb/Rubbertex queue.png?dl=0