Beware: TEIL/Teileafuu/Teileaf

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/1001259.html

Final Edit 7/10: I've received my refund and I can only hope that TEIL continues to make changes in her business for the better and get her workload fixed. Through a few back and forth notes I've given her a few cautionary tips on how to not overwork herself (based on personal anecdata) while still getting what she needs done. She sounds genuinely sorry for letting her queue get so massive and untamed and I think honestly needs someone with good organization skills to be her art manager so this doesn't happen again. I'm hoping her roommates will fill this position. I also noticed a handful of old commissions on the queue are either getting done or are at the very least being updated.

Important edit 7/5: Please if you're reading this, do NOT associate TEIL's old partner nor their collab work with her to this beware, or any future one. PebblesRaven has no involvement in any of this anymore and has even replied to the beware explaining her side of the story and how she no longer has access to the work. If you have a collab piece owed, it's all 100% on TEIL to finish.

Who: TEIL/Teileafuu/Teileaf (possibly among others?). Used to be a solo account, became a collab account with Teileaf's partner, then solo again, before I think being a joint account with somebody new? I've lost track.
Where: FA (NSFW) Twitch (Nsfw? It's used for streaming) Picarto (edited in link on 6/30 because she's using this again instead of twitch, as well as the fact she's taken the twitch link off of her profile. Leaving the twitch link for reference.
What: $80 YCH (nsfw, right-side)
When: October 29th, 2017 - ongoing
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/xdjvBHi (NSFW). This is posted in order of the explanation and can be read alongside for clarification.
Explain:

I had recently followed TEIL for their work, already impressed with their coloring, poses and scenery (where applicable). I eventually found a YCH from them that interested me enough that I wanted to get of my OC. Details were exchanged, and I was put on the queue. The queue had an expected two month turnaround, which was super understandable because despite how fast they seemed to work from the daily output of art, there was a fair amount of people on the list.

During this time they also had outfit chibis that were same day, in stream commissions. I got one of those as well, of the same OC, and got the art the next day (as it was late and I was one of the last on the list. Still super prompt!) Happy with the result, I couldn't wait to see a WIP of the YCH.

A little while later, at the very start of November, I noticed there was a slight mixup with mine and another person's spot on TEIL's trello, so I sent them a note about it (I was apologizing for the nudging because I had pointed things about my character out in the outfit chibi stream and I felt bad for coming off as pushy).

About two months later I sent a note, asking if there was any progress to my commission. I should point out that, despite the journals having since been deleted, TEIL and her partner had some medical/personal issues and had let people know by means of a journal. The timing of my note was really abysmal because I had pressed send, then noticed that maybe a few minutes ago there was a new journal about a family issue. Of course I apologized for the bad timing and didn't mean to add stress to it, I had just wanted an update.

Another month, another note, this time with concern because I noticed YCHs being done out of order. I saw the note read, but not replied to, so I bumped it and got a response.

Two months later (no WIP given), there was a Refund list put out. This was something that TEIL and her partner had been talking about, and I had been under the impression that, with no WIP or conversation from TEIL, I'd be on that refund list. I wasn't, but the person who had bought the other YCH in the submission was. Curious, I asked about it. I sort of bungled up my words and confused TEIL, so I clarified what I meant.

They replied with a WIP of my character, but...except for the general features, the design was incredibly off. Even after I pointed the mistakes out, they had told me I never mentioned key details when I did and this frustrated me. Needless to say I was not entirely impressed with the lack of reading comprehension, and coupled with the trello mixup I felt like I wasn't being listened to. I should have asked to been put on the refund list at this point, but I was given a revised WIP with (mostly) correct features after and left it alone.

When the Paypal's 180 claim was coming up I had decided to send another note, asking about an update. A few weeks earlier, TEIL mentioned the threat of eviction and had been doing emergency commissions to make up the rent they needed. I had specifically waited until things died down to ask them, so as not to create another new year's note incident, but it was implied my asking was stressful. They did promise another WIP would be offered "soon."

A month later I ask for a refund.

I never mention this to them but between the last note to them and the note asking for a refund, I had lost my job. Outside of the paypal window officially, I wouldn't be able to file a claim and had to rely on faith that they would deliver, especially because things seemed to have turned around for TEIL money-wise and they were earning a lot of clients, both repeat and new, from their in-stream same-day commissions. This is just clarification for where I say previously I would rather wait for the art, then ask for a refund later.

After a while, TEIL's journals are all deleted, including the one with the link to the google doc of refunds. I ask about it, and they tell me they didn't see my name on the refund list, but they've added me. This doesn't prove to reassure me about the status of my refund or if I'll ever see it. I didn't respond to it, and even mulled over whether or not I should post this beware, but I'm overall frustrated with everything that's happened so far.

I still love TEIL's art but I can't say the same about their work ethic. I don't have record of the advice they were given because of the many journal deletions, but I recall someone suggesting they try to make their debt up through selling bases and adopts, so they aren't constantly adding to their commission queue. The advice, as far as I'm aware, was received positively, but has yet to be (consistently) implemented in favor of same-day/next-day YCHs, illustrations and Chibis.

update 7/3: https://i.imgur.com/BIrqjy2.png a message from "The Admins" (not FA's admins, but some of TEIL's friends who are going to handle communication between her and her clients).

o...kay. I don't have much faith in this, and it sounds INCREDIBLY sketchy, but if it gets me my refund then great! An art manager sounds like something she needs.