Beware - Fluffy Fox Fursuits (Hawk0206)

I first contacted Hawk on April 25, 2020 through instagram. I received a quote of $1050 (+$50 shipping) on the same day. Commissions were advertised to open on July 1st, so when that day came around I went ahead to request a slot. They did not reply for 5 days (they usually didn't take more than a day to respond), so I emailed them instead. I got a reply in about 6 hours saying that they weren’t very active on insta due to personal reasons and that I could get a slot. I requested a commission slot on July 5th, 2020. At first, they tried to get me to send through Venmo, but I declined due to lack of buyer protection (thank god). Sorry I couldn't fit their user into this screenshot- the email too long to fit this piece and their user into one screenshot. 

I got an updated quote of $1200 (+$50 shipping) on July 6, 2020. At time of slot request, I was not first in the queue, so we agreed that I'd pay 30% down ($360) then to save my place, and the other 70%  ($840) when I was first in line. I paid the 30% down on July 9th, 2020. After contact via email, replies from Hawk came every 1-4 days. On July 27, 2020, Hawk contacted me to tell me that I was now first in the queue.

I paid the remaining 70% on July 28, 2020.

After sending the rest of the payment, they confirmed that they'd received it, and said they'd be posting to their instagram, @fluffy.fox.fursuits, in a few days. Their instagram has not posted anything new since April 2020. As seen in the screenshot below, their definition of a late response was 3 days after the money was sent, which would become nothing compared to after this email lol.

On their website, it states that the turnaround time for a partials take 6-7 weeks once you're first in the queue, so I expected to see SOME kind of progress within 2.5 months. 

After seeing no work in progresses and getting no response, I reached out just to check if things were going alright. I'm completely okay with delays, but not with being completely ignored for months.

As my buyer protection was nearing its close, I decided to file a paypal dispute on November 23, 2020. By the 27th, they still hadn't replied, so I messaged them through paypal giving them one more chance to respond before I escalated the issue to paypal. After no response, I escalated the issue. Paypal has messaged them but have not received a response as of yet. It's safe to say I'll be getting the money back by default after the unresponsive 10 days are up. Judging by their attempt to get me to pay through venmo, I think this was their plan all along, yet they aren't experienced enough with paypal to know that it has buyer protection. I suspect after their account goes under by the $1.2k they'll suddenly appear and want to chat.  

This maker had great recent work despite their not-so-great past, and I personally know the person they last made a suit for, which is what made me choose this maker in the first place. Still, even if they decide to fix up their act after losing the money, I wouldn't trust them again, and I'm surely not giving the money back if they ask for a second chance.