beware Beware: tortle/ gatorbite

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/873487.html

WHO: Tortle/ Jay/ Gatorbite

WHERE: http://tortle.tumblr.com/
https://www.furaffinity.net/user/gatorbite/
https://www.weasyl.com/~tortle

WHAT: Multiple commissions, including an art doll and a customized adoptable

WHEN: Art doll was purchased in May of 2013.

PROOF: Proof of payment for the art doll and adopt:
https://41.media.tumblr.com/5d2465c81301f52d9dee05dc058c5587/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o7_r1_1280.png
https://41.media.tumblr.com/e903d972329aa3a623cf7929c0b31176/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o9_r1_1280.png

There were other commissions that were not completed, but I don't remember exactly what they were or how much they cost.

EXPLAIN:

In May 2013, I commissioned Tortle for an art doll. Over the next 2 years I commissioned him for many more things, as well as buying adoptables he put up for sale. While I recieved most of these, the doll and a handful of other commissioned pieces were not completed.

In late 2014, Tortle became inactive on Tumblr and FA for several months, all the way up to May of this year. During this time, he would not respond to messages sent by myself or my partner. I have learned since that he did not respond to multiple other commissioners, either.

In May of this year, I checked his Tumblr after waiting for a couple months– only to discover that he had been active again for weeks– dispite the fact that he STILL hadn’t replied to the multiple messages my partner and I had sent him.

I sent Tortle a message asking for him to get in contact with me reguarding my commissions, which did not get any reply. However, my partner sent Tortle these two asks on Tumblr:
https://40.media.tumblr.com/22b485b4e20c76afd639f130133d8013/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o3_1280.png
https://41.media.tumblr.com/617c1f179e4b603be035eabdee3b1a5e/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o2_1280.png

Tortle's response:
https://40.media.tumblr.com/902f1208dc49364191ab6c9618a13937/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o1_1280.png

This was the last and only message we’ve recieved from him since. He never got back to us to work anything out.

We sent him multiple other messages, as well as messaging his partner in an effort to get into any kind of contact with him, all of which recieved no response.

About a month ago, I was browsing the front page of FA when I saw an adoptable posted to a new account: gatorbite, which makes no reference to and does not link to his Tortle accounts. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and hoped that he was making money to pay people back, and that he would get to people eventually.

After a month or so of him posting adopts and commissions almost constantly, however, it became clear that this was not the case.

Frustrated with Tortle’s unresponsiveness, I decided to note him asking what he planned to do about what he owed me and when – only to find out that he had blocked me on his gatorbite account, despite the fact that I had not watched him, favourited his art or interacted at all with him on that account previously.
https://36.media.tumblr.com/e7a1f7e01b4d1df90dd7c11dd2d47db0/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o5_r1_1280.png
https://40.media.tumblr.com/0ca6959ffcba7392358b4bd9f567e883/tumblr_nvjm8fRnfo1u6i3n1o4_r1_1280.png

This gives me the impression that Tortle created his Gatorbite account to avoid the people he previously owed art and money.

At this point, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do except post a beware. Tortle is not trustworthy and I strongly advise against commissioning him.

Edit: Fixed a date that I thought I had already fixed, sorry