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Everything posted by baja
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Hey OP, have you tried contacting Bluhuny since you made your post? Local friends of mine who attended PawCon this past weekend as vendors were stationed near his booth, where he was also vending. As I was told by him when I attempted to commission him back in January, he "only" opens up slots for more commissions via Cons as a vendor, so there's a strong possibility that the queue has grown since you made your post here. Definitely push for your refund before it gets buried with his backlog!
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I do have some questions regarding your end of the transaction here... Are you requesting a full refund for this commission, or just a partial one at a loss? Looking at the references, it is very plain to see what was missed, but it does read as your character to me when I compare the references. With that said, why did you provide two different references of your character? Looking at the refs, the colors and proportions of key elements you make note of are rather different between both refs. Its difficult to discern the proper color palette to be followed, the shape of the ears and how much space their chest fluff is supposed to cover. Depending on which ref the artist chose to follow, it is easy to see where things may have been misunderstood from their end. They absolutely should have provided you with a WIP before completing the work, but I feel like this is where you made a misstep in the commission process. I would also take note that English is not this artist's first language, which makes it all the more important to be clear on certain aspects of your character's design that you deem absolutely essential to their portrayal. I speak from experience from my first posted beware, where I completely fudged it up on my end by doing just that; conflicting refs & not being clear whatsoever on key deets. Not a happy situation on that one either. I personally let it go as a loss to myself, and I would recommend the same in all honesty. I don't think you're entitled to a full refund, as the services were fully rendered from the Artist's end.
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Beware: London/Vani/Vanimute/Vanilla Kitsune
baja commented on InklopBunny's record in Artist Bewares
Did you contact Square directly about your issues with Vani? https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5060-refund-overview Right here it says you have a full year to be issued a refund for a purchase not made via mobile. You're not without your resources! -
Beware: London/Vani/Vanimute/Vanilla Kitsune
baja commented on InklopBunny's record in Artist Bewares
Square payments are processed through your Credit Card's end if I'm not mistaken? You should be able to either go through the platform or contact your bank directly to force a refund. Vani has one of the worst track records in the fandom, so signs point to ??? on if you'll either be refunded directly or get your items. -
I had similar issues with BluHuny myself earlier this year, but once I made it clear that I wanted a refund, he actually followed through with it. Though with quite an arrogant attitude about it tbh. I see that in his telegram group, he outright states that he should be contacted on his new account? It's really confusing, and honestly, he's very disorganized as far as his work ethic and the way he handles his backlog, so I would not be surprised if it was some form of deterrent to avoid backlash in this format. This is directly from the queue group, but its almost coming up on One Month since the last update they made on it, the 28th, like seen in your caps. I'd say just directly contact him, to at least state you'd like a refund and give him an ETA of about a 48 hours to respond, then go through your credit card company to file the chargeback if he is not willing to work with you. I have seen other dissatisfied BLFC customers posting about him sporadically on social media, so I don't think you're the only one whos wholly dissatisfied with his lack of professionalism with his own work. Oh! And if you still have access to the Queue Channel, it'd be worth scrolling up to grab the ""VIP"" discord link, as it is entirely possible that BluHuny might be avoiding telegram and tending to the other platform. Though, from what I saw there, its a really quiet/dead server s:
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Sorry if this might be an odd question, but when you were prompted for payment, did they make any indication of how to send it? (Like, outside of your posted notes) A few years ago, back when they were actively posting and advertising their icon commissions, when I inquired about working with them, they were *adamant* about receiving payment via gifting options and not service ones; I def took my business elsewhere after that. The only reason I ask is despite the time anyone, yourself included, spent waiting... if he was still insistent on skirting paypal fees... he also sabotaged his commissioners from taking proper recourse via disputes on the platform before his owed commissions/refunds got to that height. Which, boy howdy, is quite a feat in itself.
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Generally Paypal will tell you when the protection runs out! But since its a 6 month window, I believe it would be til October that you'd be able to dispute it. But that's just my math on it haha. But yeah, if not sure, your original transaction should give you the definitive date on that 180 day window.
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In doing a little digging via the page... It looks like the artist they duped in to this commission doesn't speak English natively, and while I don't like to speculate wildly, given the extreme that this individual went to with your personal character, it gives me the impression that it was done intentionally. It isn't unheard of for people to pass off other characters as their own and then pull something like this, but picking someone who doesn't have a fair grasp of the language reeks of another shade of shifty business. Though, Celestina def has the right suggestion that you may be able to pull the images with the support of the very same artist who was taken advantage of by this person.
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did you choose to downgrade it, or was it a choice on the part of the artist? from april to now, your protection would run out in october, not september. and if you're not happy with it? def post a beware/caution about the individual.
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i would take theodor's advice with a grain of salt. you can't predict a minor's typing patterns nor their intent with their inquiries over text alone. someone you might believe is a minor may just be an adult with particular mannerisms, or someone who may not be accustomed to the commission process, so it might be a little scrambled. often times, when i look for artists to commission, i try to do a bit of homework on their art pages or social media for TOS and output, but at times i will take in to account age. since paypal has changed their TOS in recent years, minors can no longer open/use paypal accounts. it doesn't stop them from trying to use them, but in my experience in dealing with minors, as artists, have made a huge deal out of hiding their age to try and get around this. so if it's not immediately available, and they're not too keen on a yes/no question, i would pass on working with them for peace of mind.
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I believe the difference here is that the individual has Ko-Fi Gold, rather than the base, free service that Ko-Fi offers! With Ko-Fi Gold, you're able to offer commissions via the platform in a formal manner. Its an actual commission widget for someone vs the donation doodles a lot of artists tend to offer. So, I believe that the client would be able to file a claim if this was the case, rather than expect to be refunded by the artist themselves. But it is as others have said, unless someone's upgraded to a business account, they would be outing their personal information to the person in question. Which is wholly understandable if you'd rather not disclose any of that sort of thing. But OP, check if you actually commissioned them via Ko-Fi Gold's official commission means, and it may help you file a claim on your end.
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Yeah, as someone who also struggles with their own mental health, it rubs me the wrong way to see this suddenly being thrown out there as a reason to basically turn tail and flee. You gotta own up to your mistakes, even if its a colossal one like this. I saw the listing/post via ToyHouse myself when I was browsing the site some weeks ago and I worry that it might actually be the same design being tossed around outside of this double-dip sale they pulled. This particular design was the only Poofy design I saw them advertising via the forums. Sincerely hope that this is resolved in your favor.
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I'm not sure if the design has also been traded in addition to the double sale you're involved in? They're posting designs they've gotten in trades for sale and they make note of the value of a Poofylion design being the reason for the cost? Its kind of confusing so I sincerely hope they didn't try to dupe THREE people in to taking this design? They're going about this in a really uncomfortable way with their emotional manipulation. Were you able to file a chargeback for this purchase, or were you refunded at all? On top of that, I think, given the situation, it may be worth actually reporting them to TH staff because this is very much a scam and that's a LOT of money to "accidentally" get twice over. You cannot feign ignorance and blame your mental health as the reason for this when there's quite a bit of proof against them.
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Even with the conflicting references of the character, Camaro is clearly a COUGAR. There should be no ambiguity about the details when you know what animal to use as a base for the head! Even the example posted above shows that their wheelhouse is not in Big Cats. And this isn't the first time that Lemonbrat has taken it upon themselves to make calls on a commissioner's order without proper communication and discussion with the client. Camaro invested quite a bit and there were missteps but Lemonbrat played with a lot more money than a mere reference commission would warrant, their projection upon the client is not acceptable and if anything was uncalled for. This should have been communicated extensively between the two parties before making headway towards finishing the suit with their deadline. Multiple users have stated that their knowledge as suit makers should have been used to guide Camaro towards a mutual understanding, this clearly wasn't happening. There should be a complete overhaul on Lemonbrat's behalf to better their communication and delegation of the work put in to these suits. A project being passed down through multiple people of varying skill level does not bode well if there's issues that aren't being addressed, and then we end up with the suit that Camaro is expected to receive. If you're marketing yourself as a brand, set a standard and maintain it well, because all we're seeing as a collective community is that the standard is quite low, and it doesn't look like it'll get better. For the money spent on the project, you need to be on your A Game with your A Team, not trying to put out the fire once it's gotten out of control.
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If your issues stem from their website, they will act and remove the user in question/close their account. This is strictly speaking from ToyHouse's end of things. There was a user who exhibited a lot of questionable behavior via forums I used to admin, and eventually their behavior bled on to ToyHouse and dA. While my team and I had taken care of them on our turf, we couldn't do anything for other sites aside from letting them be aware that a user with a history of theft/scamming was active via their platform. The situation was handled via TH when they were reported en masse for their poor behavior. So they will act, as long as things stem from their end. If you were a victim via dA or another site and nothing happened via TH, then it is clear they can't do anything and won't be getting involved. If your stolen/scammed characters were uploaded to TH and you want them removed, they'll definitely be able to help you out; you just can't report someone as a third party x:
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I know it was sent as goods, but your message to them clearly says to not send payment as goods/services. If it was to avoid paypal fees, you're going to get yourself and others in trouble since that is STRICTLY against their TOS; its a minor fee which is the cost of essentially keeping the service free to use. The beware is absolutely valid, I am not disputing that at all. But it is an extremely poor business practice to expect to be paid for goods via the gifting option.
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Wait. Did you tell them to send payment as a gift? Clearly they didn't as there was an ability to file a claim, but uh... Don't do that? While the situation is bad with the theft, it doesn't look right to take payments as gifts when you're clearly selling them intangible goods s:
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Shantayz has a history of scamming & defrauding others in other furry communities so it does not surprise me in the slightest that she's taken on this stance. She started off on Furcadia, where she ended up stealing premium items and smaller things of the sort, but I definitely remember her butting heads with artists in the past too. Sadly, all of the records of her past discretions were lost when the forum I moderated for was shut down by our admin without our knowledge. But she is a troublesome individual, and her behavior hasn't changed in nearly a decade it seems. It's unfortunate that she lead you along like this and went for some severe emotional manipulation with you, but I will say in knowing how she has affected others, it is unlikely you will see your finished mod from her. With that said? You shouldn't have proceeded past the sketch phase on this piece without her showing you some form of WIP for the mod. The image is rendered now, but you have the sketch still? So perhaps you could repurpose it as a YCH for someone else to recoup the loss, if you're able to. For future pieces, be they art trades or commissions, be sure to fully watermark the piece, send a low-resolution version of the work to be done and do not finish it until you receive compensation for your work. You may lose out on something, even if you do take precautionary measures, but its easier to salvage a sketch vs a fully rendered piece >:
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Caution: Voregence - unprofessional conduct
baja commented on Rionquosue's record in Artist Cautions
You keep bringing up 'external issues', citing them as reasons for your aggression, but they are not included within the post. If it pertains to your circumstances with this commission, then they should have been included in your initial posting if you consider these things to be of great importance. You only continue to vaguely allude to them, but you do not provide proof of this conduct against you. The external situation either pertains to this situation or it doesn't, you should decide where you stand there vs continuing to prop something up that comes off very 'he said/she said'. If the things said are ultimately unimportant in the realm of this post, then you should drop them all together and not use them as a justification for yourself, plain & simple. The conclusions drawn are only to this point because of what we as a community can see in this post, with the information provided and your subsequent responses. Putting the onus on the community is kind of ridiculous when the burden of proof is on you as the OP to this caution post x: -
Caution: Voregence - unprofessional conduct
baja commented on Rionquosue's record in Artist Cautions
There were definitely missteps from the artist's behalf, but this is a situation where the both of you are at fault to some degree. You've acknowledged the issue that came up in the process of attempting to get the piece edited, which is fine. But your subsequent response after it wasn't up to your personal standard was out of line, imo. If they had been outright ghosting you for over a month, I'd say it was cause for alarm, but you hardly waited at all for her to get back to you, and in a way, you forced her into a corner and her reaction was justified to an extent. It's even worse that you pushed for a chargeback for the full amount. Looking at the artist's price range for this sort of work, it absolutely looks like it was a full refund request. Work was rendered, even with the communication falling apart with the unprofessional conduct on both sides, this is unacceptable. This alone would make me wary of ever working with you, or even recommending you to others as a client. It doesn't matter if you've commissioned 1 piece or 1000 pieces in the past, shit happens and you react in the manner *you* perceive is correct in the moment, but ultimately it isn't right. If I were you, I would take a step back and look at the situation objectively to see where you could improve on your manner of communication. -
While it has been a while, I see that you used a card to pay for this commission. Have you attempted to go through your card carrier about this purchase to get it reversed?
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You need to actually communicate your intentions with your inquiries. It isn't right that they ran off with your money, but just repeatedly spamming 'hi' and other generic greetings doesn't get the point across that you'd like to discuss your work with them. Friend or no, you hired them to provide a service and they failed to keep up on that. You should separate your friendship from business transactions to avoid miscommunications with an artist. It can be friendly conversation, sure, but this isn't the way I would conduct business with a friend. It's even worse because of the second post you made regarding this individual. While your intentions were good, you were taken advantage of by a 'friend' who shouldn't have asked so much of you without giving you what was initially due 😞
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The lack of a public queue, and the oversaturation of the private queue is a big hoo-eyyyy... No good. It is a beware well-warranted in regards to their practices, and they should be rightfully avoided. And while you are in the right to be frustrated with the situation as a whole, the artist was at the very least, transparent with you about the quality of the work you were going to get after the confrontation. In accepting the art you have shown in this post, I personally think it is null and void to bring up the quality of the work when the artist was clear they were going to rush your pieces within the timeframe given. It doesn't make them come off any better, but when pressed to produce something after leaving commissioners hanging, this is often the outcome a lot of people see. In this case, the artist flat-out told you what you were going to get. And, really, unless we have a reference of your character to compare the images you got with? I don't think there's much of a point to put the color swatches up as a point of contention with the art pieces you got. One of them is cel-shaded, while the other seems to have full render with ambient lighting, it isn't going to be one-to-one with whatever reference you've given. And not every artist may use the exact palette depending on how they will render the work. This is a rather, well, sour situation, but they were still up front with what you ended up getting.
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I sincerely hope, for your sake, that if they finish the commission, that it isn't rushed at all. For three plus years, that better be a quality product coming out of them because anything less is going to reflect poorly on them and their existing queue.
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Good on you for standing your ground on this matter! I believe someone else on the cross-post you made via Toyhouse suggested going to the bank about being able to get your refund that way? It might be a bit tough, but if you have a clear record of the money sent to them for your unfulfilled commission, I believe you'd be able to speak to your bank to get the charge reversed? Though that's a bit more legwork, but it's a possibility and not a bad idea to look for any avenue you can to get what you're owed either way.
