Jump to content
  • Staff Pick


  • Welcome to Artists Beware! 

    All posts have been reviewed prior to being allowed in.


    Comments are moderated:  Please review the Commenting Rules.  Comments that don't meet our rules will not be posted.

    If your post is resolved:  Contact one (1) member of staff or leave a comment, and we'll update your post!

    If a beware needs a tag update:  Post a comment!

    To contact a member of staff:  See the Staff page or fill out the Contact Us form.

    Posts are not deleted unless you can prove they are fabricated.  If this is the case contact one (1) admin, and we will help you asap.

  • Beware: Darkgai / Darkgaia45 / soniczap3


    DragonMasterX
    • Who: Darkgai Darkgaia45 soniczap3
      Where: https://pokehalls-blog1.tumblr.com/
      https://twitter.com/darkgaia45
      https://www.deviantart.com/darkgai
      When: 09/10/2021
      What: Commission
      NSFW Content

    I'm a writer who is commissioned to write mostly growth/macro stories, and have been at it since 2013. In this time I've taken over 60 jobs which have all been read, approved and paid by every single client.

    My DeviantArt ToS: https://www.deviantart.com/blackspyro33/journal/Official-Terms-of-Service-for-Commissions-2021-485184088

    I have always operated on an honor system with every single client. I don't set completion dates, I don't take advance payments. People read the final product, they tell me if they're happy with it or if they require alterations/additions, and then I get paid.

    I was first approached by Darkgai on September 10th, 2021, as the third slot in a queue of public commissions. Our correspondence was civil and well-mannered for the most part.

    1641286326_Contactproof.thumb.png.4fb96c35378fe1c6529556b10e6ca910.png

    749299804_Discussionproof1.thumb.png.ceadcc92db2cec1ef8635b73b51ac334.png749299804_Discussionproof1.thumb.png.ceadcc92db2cec1ef8635b73b51ac334.png

    122443563_Discussionproof2.thumb.png.152c246412c6a68ea166370bbd055c55.png

    482280706_Discussionproof3.thumb.png.43a2f6bcf69057d42f91ec7346f02155.png

    1931755085_Discussionproof4.thumb.png.6ce3eed2cfd74a8cbbdafa30bed8cdd7.png

     

    Since Darkgai was the third in a queue of three and I don't work on multiple commissions at once, he was made to wait until I was done with the two before him.

    306770834_Discussionproof5.thumb.png.889cf3fc3cdd10bdc4040fc90ca62667.png

     

    Unfortunately, circumstances forced me into my full-time job earlier in the year than I expected. All commissions were worked at at a slower pace. This led me to unusually higher waiting times, including Darkgai, who asked me about his commission.

    Inked1581269156_Discussionproof6_LI.thumb.jpg.4263e3846ee5fd9d2e4596fca2e8585c.jpg

    1502202947_Discussionproof7.thumb.png.aa10ab9ef26d8de92cb022674d74266c.png

    I decided to give him an update about why I was taking so long, since it's unusual for me to make a customer wait so long.

    1251215214_Discussionproof8.thumb.png.3d893e56cde7b2f56fe10bbfc57d2aa2.png

    641829293_Discussionproof9.thumb.png.1a4e4119fae7a3d3dc14995d2fa9a65b.png

     

    Finally, at about 00:15 on December 31st, I sent the finished story to the client as explained in the ToS he had agreed to. Instructions were given, and I received critique and engaged in a minor dispute that I believed had reached a positive conclusion for us both. Thinking the issue resolved, I waited for three hours and found no evidence of the guy sending payment, and he has yet to reply to my last inquiry.

    245195599_MailProof1.thumb.png.254498cacb15068d340df61b8584f946.png

    661230954_MailProof2.thumb.png.476a8724995494c6d7d981dd415996cc.png

    2145564295_MailProof3.thumb.png.03a26799b601b111f46152edd36c1a47.png

    304484655_MailProof4.thumb.png.895e986c1a49ac55496bf550003bd0b8.png

    1305841602_MailProof5.thumb.png.cd407aa5f308b909acfe7333a8dc68cb.png

    1419633137_MailProof6.thumb.png.2bf55e7763856b8fe811cd56dd5687db.png

    2013184883_MailProof7.thumb.png.c4f771b4390da8e1d4662602041ace46.png

    1737703342_MailProof8.thumb.png.45ed0a0724ab2db9c655d9977c4ba168.png

    1615207412_MailProof9.thumb.png.6c877643fde86b9c8656d2e1d4133a33.png

    As the (current) DeviantArt correspondence from earlier shows, visiting Darkgai's dA will show it as disabled. When I first saw it like that after 3 hours of radio silence I feared the worst. I made this person wait. I explained my situation. I delivered my agreed upon interpretation of his wishes. I saw dissatisfaction and attempted to find an alternative solution. We agreed on a price slash since he did not want modifications.

    He paid my time and effort with indifference and avoidance. I dedicated time and effort when I knew I couldn't instead of giving up to the pressure and finished a product that he allegedly found okay except for certain parts which I offered to touch up. Seeing as though our interpretations became irreconciliable, I decided to offer a hefty discount which is basically giving up my claim to time and effort I am not getting back to meet him somewhere I deemed appropriate. He told me he was going to pay me. He hasn't. He deleted his dA, and I take it as him avoiding me. I take it as him avoiding his responsibility to pay what he owes me for the story I wrote. I do not want anybody else to have to suffer through this annoyance ever again.

    Edited by James
    censored cap




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    3 hours ago, rikki said:

    While it is not uncommon to see many creatives taking payment upon completion, this is definitely an experience where you should consider changing your policies to avoid a client ghosting you for payment.

    Maybe offer a brief preview and secure payment upon approval and go from there.

    However, your TOS does not state anywhere that you are expecting clients to pay via the Friends and Family feature, which is incredibly deceptive and suspicious to an experienced commissioner. This is an incredibly poor practice that goes against Paypal's TOS which can get you in trouble for misuse. If you're not keen on the fees, you should up your rate for custom works accordingly and factor those costs into your prices.

    Skirting Paypal terms to save a couple of bucks is not worth the risk losing your account.

    Do not explicitly charge for these fees, it's the cost of using this or any other payment facilitator, just factor the fees into your pricing and you should be good moving forward.

    Thank you. This all sounds like great advice. I will keep it in mind going forwards.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

  • Mod Note:  Looking for the edit button?  Editing is turned off by default, and staff will issue you an edit pass when we review your post.

×
×
  • Create New...