Advice for Long Wait, Little Communication

[Arasteia]

In October 2017 I commissioned an artist for a fullbody sketch of one of my OCs. They have no public waitlist and no set waiting times (it just says that it can vary but may take 'a long time'). They are very popular and seem to have a lot of commissions going at once, but I decided to take the risk since they seemed to get them done.

Now it has been almost 2 years and I have still not received my sketch. They have never reached out to me on their own to let me know how long I can expect to wait. I've contacted them three times, the first in early 2018 and the second in mid 2018, just asking whether I could be able to have an update on my commission. The first time they reassured me I had not been forgotten, but the second time they sent me a screenshot of the part in their TOS about varying waiting times and told me I would be getting my commission (still no expected time though).

I've contacted them a third time recently but received no reply.

The PayPal dispute window is well and truly closed, so I can't file a chargeback. I've been wondering if I should try asking for a refund at this point (though I would still like the art, really). I'm just not sure whether I have any legs to stand on, since they never specified a waiting time (though I never expected to wait 2 years for a sketch!)

I was also wondering if I should warn them that I am thinking about posting about them here, since they seem to have a lot of clients (and I've seen at least one other person comment on their art that they have also been waiting a long time for their commission, so it's not just me). However, I'm a bit reluctant to do this, as it just feels a bit like a callout, but I'm not sure if it would help others?

This is the first time anything like this has happened to me, and I'd just like some advice on what to do! Thanks in advance for any help! 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Arasteia

[Bornes]

If it were me, I'd probably just ask for a refund in the form of an ultimatum a la "refund within X amount of time or I post a beware on AB."

But if you still think it's remotely possible you'll get the art, I'd send a note/email along the lines of "Hey, I just wanted to know if you could give me any more specific detail about how much longer this commission may take? I realize your TOS said it could be a long time, but I was not expecting it to be over 2 years. If you could give me a time frame for how much longer, that would really help ease my mind. Alternatively, maybe we could work out a refund instead if you're no longer interested in my commission?"
or something similar.