I'll try my best to explain this case in chronological order.
I claimed an YCH from said artist on Furaffinity on March 7th, 2020.
I also paid it the same day.
The basics, linking characters and discussing the little details. Nothing alarming.
Fast forward couple months, when nothing seemed to happen, I asked them about the delay.
It already took over three days to get a reply after being left on read, which unfortunately cannot be seen here.
In August 2020 I actually got a WIP, well, after asking for it. Little did I know when I thought I'd get updates without asking.
I was still confident that my fear was irrational and that work is being done.
9 months went by in absolute silence. (Later in the post why I didn't go poking them) I started to get really suspicious about what's going on.
Anyone familiar with Furaffinity's file number system notices immediately, that their queue has years old YCH's and commissions,
from which some has been completed, but I'm unable to find the most. Tells something how well clients are updated when even public queue is so neglected.
Almost every client update has been a new or old reason why work couldn't have been done. Very unprofessional in my opinion.
The text above describes my experiences with them until my first attempt here at Artists Beware. Moderators instructed me to give them a final warning before posting on AB, so I did. I went on full disclosure, and said that I've already gone to AB with this case, mainly to strongly describe my disappointment.
I admit on my end that my actions haven't been flawless either, not even close. But I believe lots of the readers here at
AB know the frustration when you think you've been scammed. Even in that case, I should have asked some questions,
no matter how pointless doing so felt at the time. In the other hand however, I've commissioned dozens of other artists and they all provided updates themselves.
So it's fair to assume it's a standard? Especially when to my surprise, today I found out that their TOS actually comes in two parts. The second part being so well hidden in the clutter of their front page that in all honesty I only found out today, May 19th, 2021, when making sure that none of my sayings is false. To which I never received a link or instructions to find it, neither of them. Well, see for yourself, is it easy to find?
Though it seems that there is a connection in my proof that I have seen both parts. From which I had close to zero memory at this point, I realized this myself when noticing that my statement "I remember being told it'll take some time" was written on said missing TOS half. Honest question, am I expected to remember after over a year who had split their TOS in two, or what exactly was written there? Well at least that I was wrong about the client update policy, but also that the usual waiting time has been multiplied by 14.
Content of the easily found TOS...
...and the not-so-easy-to-find one.
My initial assumptions were quickly proven wrong, work had been done. To which I tried to apologize and told them that I'll have to reconsider my actions.
I explained what has led to this and said I may take down the AB entirely. Well that was a lost cause.
The main point is turning to their wait time and attitude. I've waited over a year and I get told that queue must be skipped due to a tight(??) deadline.
How long I would have had to wait? Another year? This time frame is simply unacceptable.
On top of that, my apology was turned down, with quite offensive wording.
It was indeed me who started this, but it was also me who tried to apologize and make things right. They decided to hold to the hostility until the very end. It's apparent that they had no intention to resolve this in a civil manner. I wasn't left with much more options other than showing everything from start to finish.
By the time of writing this I'm fairly confident that I'll receive the art after all, much work has been done in the last few days.
On January 19th, 2021, guppygoopy advertised five slots for iPad sketches for an uncolored $15 through Ko-fi tips/donations. As instructed, I donated through her Ko-fi with my username and left my DMs open for her. From reviews and her activity, I didn't think of the consequences of commissioning through donations as it was a simple commission that could've been delivered right away.
Once the payment was completed, she contacted me through DMs. As brief as it was, her replies were quick and simple.
After that last message, the conversation ended and I assumed that would mean she was going to start on my commission.
Around February and March, guppygoopy took a hiatus. As far as I know, no formal announcement was made on social media. I was not messaged about the hiatus either.
After a few months of waiting without any progress, seeing her active on social media again, I asked her about the progress of my commission on April 1st, 2021. The message was left unread. I asked again on April 22nd, 2021. That message was also left unread.
During that time, guppygoopy was active on her profile to announce Twitch gaming streams and post doodles for friends and outside of commission works.
On April 30th, 2021, I wrote another message to her requesting either a refund or for her to communicate with me. I included my feelings about being ignored when expecting a product from her. The message was left unread.
As of April 29th, 2021, guppygoopy has been inactive on her profile. I have no other way of contacting her; she has a Discord that isn't made public where she appears to be much more active and her Ko-fi is bustling with donations. As of writing this, she is currently live on Twitch as well.
I am beyond frustrated at this point. The least I want from her is communication or my money back.
Contacted the Artist on the date of August 25th 2019 after seeing them advertise in a Dealer Den group on Telegram. Commissioned from them an Icon and a Sketch. After talking about the commissions for a short while I payed them. The next month they told me they were going through personal stuff and thus they've been radio silent. They said it'd be done by the following Sunday and thanked me for my patience. That was the last time I'd hear from them. For the next few months all the way to April of 2020 I would message them to try to get some form of update from them. On Feb 9th 2020 I sent them a message asking for any kind of update and that I'd be fine with the wait so long as they gave me anything. On April 16th 2020 I've had my last straw and sent them a lengthy post telling them that the ghosting was unacceptable and that I'd be reporting them to the telegram group I saw them on originally. Months later they deleted their Telegram completely. Their FA hasn't had a post in a year and their Twitter is Private. Chat logs will be posted as photos however with their real name blacked out.
A final attempt was made to contact the artist again on May 15th on the email address specified plainly on their FA account and the artist has not responded, since.
March 2nd, 2020
SP and I were on VC when a question came up, as seen in the screenshot. Curious, SP made a sketch and shared it with me. Immediately, I jumped on it, offering money as first dibs. There wasn't an addition or edit for the design commission. Throughout this transaction, I did not ask for updates, as I trusted them enough to uphold their end of the deal considering they were a friend to me.
Question
Concept
May 14, 2020 - 2 months from the start
I sent them money to help out and thus, the design became labeled as "Sam Bait".
Payment
July 25th, 2020 - 3 months from the start
I received a second update.
WIP
January 6th, 2021 - 10 months from the start
I inquired about the design comm. They responded they had told me through one of our VC sessions they might have accidentally deleted the file. This, of course, made me upset. But they reassured me they'll restart the design and go deep diving for the WIPs they sent me as there were thousands of images to go through, as we nearly spoke every day.
Inquiry
February 24th, 2021 - 11 months from the start
It turns out they renamed the file. Further discussion of the idea occurred.
Last "Talk"
May 1st, 2021 - (14 months from the start)
I sent them a message regarding the design and having no desire of wanting it anymore. What led to my decision was the fact they had finished multiple comms that were accepted AFTER my purchase for the design and FINISHED before the completion. One given example is this:
Trello: https://trello.com/c/JidbFFqZ
Cancellation
In conclusion, as a client, I'm thoroughly upset. Please, take caution when commissioning synthpolice. Having quality art does not equate to quality services.
[Mod Edit]: After asking the client about a refund policy after the last pic, they responded that the artist has a "no refunds if the client cancels" clause. The artist has not contacted them since.
Coddez reached out to me to commission me. I did the work and, knowing that he’s a kid, figured I’d give him some leniency and trust that he’ll pay me when he can. He even said that he’d pay me once he got the money together. Time passes and nothing only for me to learn that he has no intention of paying me at all and that there’s multiple other artists who he’s pulled the same scam on. As he says himself, the way he goes about commissioning artists, is tricking a bunch to do the work and then only paying the one he likes best; or in this case, the one that’s free.
The only reason he even reached out to me to tell me that he isn’t going to pay me, is because I had another streamer whom both of us know, talk to him and tell him to contact me.
I’d also like to clarify, in the very last message when I say, “and that’s fine...” his actions are in no way fine and are very harmful to the art community. It’s just the only words my brain came up with at the time.
Pretty simple, Ryun opened for $25 sketches, I claimed a slot, then we negotiated the price (I asked for something with an outfit/props and that raised the price to $30) and I never received it. I would attach the original tweet she posted, but she's since deleted it and my reply doesn't make sense without the context.
This is the entirety of our conversation together, including a smaller screencap for the latest message due to the fuzzy date format.
Then here's the proof that I paid her on June 20, 2019:
At this point I have no confidence that she will ever get back to me, or that I will receive my art. She either straight-up ignores you or gives you the run-around. I know $30 doesn't seem like a lot of money, but I still paid for a service I'll likely never get. Also note that she changes her username a lot, and has her read receipts turned off on Twitter.
Goes without saying, but I can't recommend purchasing from her.
Hello,
TL;DR: ChubbyCappie is keeping me on the hook for a $45 for five months with minimal communication and no proof of progress.
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I never wanted to make a beware for any artist, but given the circumstances and the outcome at this point, my hand has been forced. It may not even be totally relevant for the future since they don't seem to be taking commissions outwardly anymore, but this was still a very poor experience, and warrants a beware as it is the only option I have at this point.
For context, I have previously commissioned CC before (mid Sept of 2020) and was very happy with the result, not to mention receiving it within three days of me paying/first contacting. I didn't expect this to be any different, except for the fact I've now waited five months and have had minimal communication (all of which was from me to them; they never reached out to me first).
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On November 24th, 2020, I contacted CC for another commission idea I had.
I received a response the following day and sent my information to them, and I paid the invoice that day.
Proof of payment (they don't have their name publicly available afaik so I censored it):
Some time passes, it's now December 12th, and I haven't heard anything, so I reach out to them. I get a response on Dec 20th, and they ask for proof of payment, so I send it to them (censoring URL as it has the above screenshot but with less censored):
This is the last time I heard from ChubbyCappie for months.
Mid February of 2021 rolls around and I'm now getting frustrated. I responded to the last message they sent me (I hadn't received any others):
I receive no response, so in mid March, I send an email to their PayPal email letting them know I'm still waiting and giving them the necessary information. The screenshot cuts off the full text, so I'll include it here, minus the image information.
Hi,
I paid you back on Nov 25, 2020 for a commission. The information is on Furaffinity. You’ve been silent on there but I follow your Twitter and have seen you active there. I’m wondering if I’m going to get my commission, or if that’s not possible, then I’d like to receive a refund.
For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to include all relevant information here.
I received no response and initiated a chargeback, and finally I received a response.
SIDE NOTE: I learned too late to NEVER withdraw the claim, even if the artist asks (I was aware it couldn't be reopened but did it anyway), and that is on me, I know. Unfortunately, I did so, hence why I'm writing this beware, since I already made the mistake. Yes I'm still beating myself up for it. And no, I'm not happy that they asked me to cancel it. They may not realize that that's bad form, but still.
The last time I heard from ChubbyCappie was April 7th, 2021. (link is NSFW so I censored it; the pose I wanted is only suggestive, and there is no NSFW detail in the original links so I didn't censor them)
Now at the end of April and at my wits' end, I sent them this as a note and email, and then followed with the addendum note/email. They have not seen either yet on FA.
Some people might think I didn't wait long enough after sending my final heads up before writing this, but consider:
I've already been waiting five months
I've been struggling to remain in contact
Everyone I've vented to about this told me they wouldn't have waited this long
I haven't seen a single WIP or any proof they've started on my commission
I am a very patient, understanding client. I don't mind if people have delays, I understand internet issues. But given their recent activity on their other accounts, the lack of communication is completely unacceptable and honestly insulting, and I will only wait so long.
----
Conclusion: I feel awful that I closed the claim and should have either accepted a refund if they didn't want to deal with the limited time frame or done whatever else would have happened. I'm accepting that I will probably just have to bite the bullet on this one and accept the loss of $45, since while I don't believe at all that ChubbyCappie was out to scam me, they did. And that's unacceptable. They continue to be active on YouTube and Twitter and have gone inactive on their FurAffinity, so my only hope is that they catch wind that there is a beware on them and find a way to right this wrong, and I will gladly mark it resolved and move on with no lasting ill-will towards them.
Thank you for reading. I hope something comes from this, but at this point, I don't know.
I had originally commissioned them due to a recommendation from a friend for a partial fursuit for $500 and later on added sleeves for an additional $150 and another additional $50 for extra work needed for a total of $700.
The commission was originally set for a FC'20 completion date.
This was later pushed back to due supposed health concerns.
This was consistently used as an excuse to push back the completion date to which there wasn't an actual set date. I had sent another telegram message to them back in August 2020 for a reminder (which had stayed unread) but deleted when I had posted those last 3 lines. I sent her those messages in hopes that she would do some work and at least just get a head since it would be less work than a partial but she has completely ghosted me.
She had been consistently taking on other commissions while her backlog was increasing. She has deleted her "commissions" channel from Telegram as well which I was unfortunately unable to get the chat log from.
Pepapen and her husband, Posepedia, had opened for collaborative commissions on March 27, 2021. I managed to get a slot for a single commission. Pepapen contacted me soon after, letting me know that the pair had accepted my submission for a commission.
Here is the correspondence Pepapen and I had, coming to an agreement of terms for a single full body commission at $150 USD:
Here is the proof of payment for the commission:
About a little more than a week later, I was contacted by another individual with the handle Lainebrary on DeviantArt, who was messaging previous clients of Posepedia and Pepapen with compelling proof that the artist had been found to trace artwork. This prompted me to look for myself on one of the artist's webpages, where I found that I had been blocked by both Posepedia and Pepapen. As that had been the only method I knew to contact them at the time, I checked with an associate of mine to see if they were able to view their page for themselves.
They found that they did have access to their DeviantArt page and decided to message them on my behalf:
A few minutes after sending this message, both Pepapen and Posepedia had deactivated their DeviantArt accounts. As the website was the only way I had previously contacted them, I had no other known way to get in touch, short of emailing the PayPal address. However, because of the sudden closure of the account, followed by other accounts that could be found by searching their usernames on a search engine, I decided to go through PayPal to begin filing a claim.
It was around this time I received this email from Posepedia through a previously unknown email:
I do not have my email publicly available, so I took this as legitimate, since it is associated with my PayPal. I was offered a refund by a certain date, which has now passed and was not returned, and I have received no additional correspondence, even after replying to them and asking for the refund. As such, I have kept the claim with PayPal open and am now awaiting PayPal's ruling on the matter.
While I have personal feelings on this matter, I wanted to present objective facts about my situation separate from them. With no communication, I feel it is appropriate to demand a refund, which has not been met as of the time of writing.
Around the end of August 2020 I made a post in a facebook group for Custom Plushies asking to commission a plush maker for a plush of a character from the show Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go. One of the makers that approached me was a UK-based maker named Sona Simkova. On the post I asked them to send me a direct message with examples of their work.
After they sent examples, I asked Sona if they had any social media accounts and this was their response. This is why they are referred to with their full name, as it is the only thing available ("Ockolapka" is from their public facebook page's URL).
I agreed to commission them and on September 2nd 2020 I sent them payment via PayPal.
Once the payment was given, I would message them every 1-2 months requesting updates on my commission. Being an artist myself, I'm more than understanding of how much time and work goes into making plushies so I never rushed them.
In the beginning their responses seemed pretty normal delay responses.
Now this I thought was slightly odd as they never mentioned before that my commission was in a queue, but I did tell them I was in no rush so I was understanding and let it go.
Here is where I started to get worried. COVID-19 is no joke and of course if they did contract the virus I would want them to take it easy, but at the same time it started to get weirder and weirder that Sona was feeding me excuse after excuse. But I didn't want to think badly of them for it; I hated the idea of accusing them of being a liar during a deadly pandemic. However, this was also the start of their delayed responses, and I was started to get seriously annoyed that I was the only one initiating conversation. As you've seen in the previous responses, I had gotten a few "I forgot to tell you"s, so really I should've been a lot more suspicious much earlier on (Word is censored from their message because they put my last name).
So once again I got radio silence, and it's getting close to me needed to move out of my current apartment so now I really needed my commission to be done sooner. At the same time I started to realize I might not even GET my commission, so I decided to twist the knife and see what happens.
Unfortunately my fears were true. As you can see in my second response, Sona's facebook icon is next to it indicating they've seen the messages. They have now proceeded to ghost me and has not responded to my messages since. I reached out to one of the mods of the Plush facebook group about them and this was the response.
Sona appears to be attempting to disappear, and has ran off with my money. I cannot open a dispute on Paypal because it's past their 180 day limit (which I will admit is on me for not keeping track on dates).
