Beware: Vejiicakes

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/819893.html

WHO: Vejiicakes

WHERE: DA Account/Tumblr

WHAT: $50 for two sketch fanwork pieces

WHEN: The artist solicited sketch commissions in exchange for donations to hurricane relief in the Phillipines in late November 2013, with delivery promised within 1 - 3 weeks. I made a donation and my commission was accepted on 11/24/13.

PROOF:
Original post date (original post at artist's DA)
Pricing and estimated delivery
Proof of payment
Acceptance (1, 2, 3, 4)
Update requests and responses (1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5 (between the two emails in the previous cap), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Reimbursement request

EXPLAIN: After my commission was accepted, I made my first update inquiry 1/2/14. I got a quick response regarding my place in line and hopes that commissions would go faster after the holidays. I requested updates twice more over the next two months with no response. The next update was a group email sent by the artist in March 2014 saying commissions would take longer than anticiapted. Since then, the only sign I've seen that my commission has been worked on was a WIP in August 2014. I requested one minor change on each piece, and there's been no progress since. Save for the group email, I've had to initiate contact every time to get an update, the artist will go weeks or months without responding, and there's always a fresh excuse for the lack of progress. She relegated the donation commissions to a "fandom" email she admitted she doesn't check often, has missed multiple self-imposed deadlines, and as time has passed, I've had to resort to alerting her on Tumblr and DA weeks after sending emails to get a response. My last request for an update was 1/4/2014, which she's opted to ignore (I've seen her active on Tumblr, so I know she's had internet access and seen the alerts I've sent letting her know she has mail). On 1/21/2015, I finally sent a request for either a realistic ETA or reimbursement, alerted her on her Tumblr the same day. I alerted her on her DA a week later, but there's been no response.

I've been a fan of Vejii's "Authority" fanwork for a while, so this has just been a disappointing experience all around, from her initial delivery date (unrealistic given the amount of work she later admitted she took on), to her increasingly poor time management as this has progressed. Even taking the time spent in queue off the table, 5 - 6 months is lousy turn-around time for a couple of sketches, and having to practically hammer down an artist's door to get updates is never acceptable.

ETA: Issue resolved. Artist reestablished contact on 2/1/15 to finish artwork and offer a partial refund for the wait.