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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

- Original agreement + Proof Casual conversation about the Salt Queen ideas. We started Feb 23rd. They ended up sketching her out extensively. - Proof of payment I asked for a paypal invoice, so that I could keep track of the transaction. They confirmed payment. I received the gif immediately and was extremely pleased with it. I used it on my commission website as well as my curious.cat. - Any relevant correspondence Spine Breaker was friends with my partner first. I met them through their work on my partner's persona, Salt King. Often described as Spine Breaker's muse, Salt King was a design they made based on my partner's likeness, rights to the character was always Spine Breakers. My partner has never claimed to own the design or want it. Salt King art was only used as discord profile pictures and steam profile pictures. Spine Breaker would send me random sketches or finished pieces of Salt King, and other finished works, but no Salt Queen progress. March 19th is the last I saw any related work of any kind on Salt Queen. I liked their art so much.. I wouldn't have spent 300$ on their work if I didn't like it. I'd always message them about their newest Salt King works that they would send my partner! - Refund Request Half a year of random conversations later, I asked for a refund on Sept 21st. I had started to doubt their desire to finish the commission long before this, but wanted to wait it out for as long as possible.. I was honestly so excited to see Salt Queen design finished by them. October 12th was our final correspondence. Below is a message they sent to my partner the same day as my refund request. My partner felt like he could do something about the situation and inquired on his own. Receiving this excuse below as the reason why they didn't work on my commission this year. The fact that Spine Breaker tried to say I didn't like their work still baffles me. This whole thing was an insult... A slap to the face. I said nothing and waited on the refund. Yes, I too am an artist, my income is 100% made from freelance artwork. But I commissioned THEM for the Salt Queen because of their amazing work! (Work I believe far surpasses my talents.) I didn't design Salt Queen myself because I wanted them to.. I'm still very confused by this logic... Or why this wasn't brought up to me long before we reached this point. I waited until November 1st for the 100$ refund, nothing was received, not even a message. With no communication at this point, things started to feel personal. I removed the artist from my socials November 1st. Below is the inflammatory message they sent my partner a day later on November 2nd. Absolutely none of this can be explained by me. I was always honest with the artist, always excited to see their work, and honestly felt lucky to be so closely associated with them through my partner. If they ever had any sort of ill feelings towards me, it was never brought up with me. And with 200$ spent, I wasn't really sure how to act around them. After sending the message above to my partner, they blocked him, making this a very odd personal attack. I was never refunded anything. And he lost a good friend in his attempt to mediate. Beware this artist. 6/27/2024 mod edit: MazumaCat has received a partial refund and considers the matter resolved.

Who: lrkcreations / NekkoMeneko When: November 25th, 2020 What: Plush commission ordered through Instagram of my character Baphomet Worth: 155$ Reason for Beware: Has gone a full year without giving me any wips, notifications, and keeps pushing back the turn around 'estimate' time of my order Proof of Purchase November 25th, 2020 I ordered a plushie on November 25th, 2020. This plush is a kuttari, something I have been interested in for a long time. I was excited to grab a slot for one of these as it's one of my favorite plush styles. We went through and discussed price, INCLUDING an estimated time frame. Which was late February. Everything got paid, except shipping, since that was in her tos. I also already knew she has a 1/3 deposit price, but was not aware that she considered the total price of my order as the full deposit. There was no confirmation that the $155 was going to be the deposit until after the transaction. February 6th, 2021 Throughout the time from November to February I received nothing. No hellos, check ins, notifications, nothing. During the time I had redrawn Baphs reference, changing only the art and not the design. So the design staid the same, there were no design changes. I decided to send a message back and notify them that there was a new, cleaner, reference sheet they could use since the old one was kinda ugly. It took them 10 days to respond to me, and after which I sent them the new reference. They messaged back 2 days later with a simple thank you. April 30th, 2021 I was kinda ancy and wanted to know a new time frame of when my order was going to be done. It was then she stated estimates were not set in stone. This was a shocker because all the plushies I have ordered from different artists all had due dates on when I would be receiving work in progress shots, and physical goods always have a turnaround time set. I thought I was going to get my plush in February since that was the original 'estimated' time. She also mentioned a list/queue, something that isn't public so I had no idea where I was in her queue, or if she even has a queue. I begrudgingly had to reply with a calm, great to hear, knowing I had to wait even longer for my order. September 25th, 2021 & Current I reached out again as a little nudge. To see if I could get things rolling, or even a wip. It takes them a good chunk of time to respond. Saying they have been late on their work, 'trying' to get caught up. There's nothing more I can say and just leave it at that. I decide to pop in a few weeks ago to see if I can get a glimpse of their 'queue', something that's apparently not public information for their clients. As of November 12th, 2021, I have received no reply. Radio silence. I decided to send a charge back dispute notice telling her she had until the 25th until I decided to take action and tell her about how this transaction was highly unprofessional. I have still yet to even hear back from her since November 12th / 21st. I do not plan to chase her around to her other accounts just to get a hold of her, she has shown me how unprofessional she is and it is not my responsibility to chase her around. They stopped being active on their instagram so I wanted to check and see if they were active on any of their other social medias they listed in their linktree on their profile. I began my little search their other social medias to see if they have been active anywhere else. I found they have been streaming on Twitch, as well as going under a new rebrand named, NekkoMeneko. Being incredibly active on Twitch, Twitter, and their Tictoc posting almost daily. As of now, I am waiting for the 25th to come around before I take action with Paypals buyer protection and file a dispute against her.

I commissioned Raver back in June 2019 for a bodysuit with indoor feet. Prices were discussed and the total came to $1050. I later added on custom shoes to go with the feet paws which was $150. Totaling now $1200. I had ask if a deadline of late Oct/Start of Nov as I had a convention later in Nov. He said he would try but he had a convention in July he was attending and would try getting it started in Aug. Over the rest of 2019, I had messaged him multiple times asking for updates which I was always met with excuses about illness or family matters. Which I understand life sometimes gets in the way so I let it slide. See screenshots below of all excuses also excuses from 2020. Now into 2020 I had asked a few more times for updates to which I was met with more excuses(See above). Then in March world wide lockdowns started to occur. I asked him if he would be working from home during the lockdown and he said he wouldn't be able to so I waited. Come April he mentioned on social media that he would be going back to work. One of his excuses was that my DTD wasn't suitable for use. He had waited almost a full year(April 2020) to tell me my DTD wasn't useable even though he had opened the box when he first got it and would've seen the issue with it(issue was I used cling film instead of a painters suit) Proof he opened the box when he first got it He claims that is his TOS it states 50% would be nonrefundable once work had started. Not once were his TOS sent to me nor were they anywhere on his profile for me to access. Only a small message at the start did he say "when I start 50% is non refundable" After a lot of back and forth I sent him a new DTD and had asked that my feetpaws be worked on while he waited on the new DTD Feetpaws were not worked out while he waited for the DTD. He then also had a surgery coming up. That was all he had to show, for almost a year. There's no confirming those are even meant to be mine, could easily be someone else's. I then asked for more updates in April and May. More excuses(attached above with excuses from 2019). I was rather upset at this point that I had waited almost a full year and nothing had been done. He then posted that he was selling a commission slot for a head piece that would be started in June. I messaged him rather upset explaining my disappointment that someone would have their piece worked on before mine was even started. On 19th of May 2020 after informing him of my disapproval of the lack of work, he decided to cancel my order and was only offering me a 50% refund. I tried going to both PayPal and my bank to see if they could help but because it had been so long either could do anything to help me. I also tried to get a lawyer but because he's in a different country from me(Scotland and Norway) they said it would cost more to get my money back. He tried to send me 50% refund but I didn't accept until I had spoken with my bank and PayPal but because both too so long to get back to me PayPal refunded the money Raver had sent back to him. I later requested the 50%($600) from Raver on 26th Oct 2020. Luckily he sent me the money. Raver has since said in a Instagram Live that he does only 30% nonrefundable deposit. I have since emailed him regarding this and he has agreed to refund me. I am now waiting on the rest that I am owed.

Nov. 19th, 2012 at 5:49 PM Artist in Question: Pirate-CashoozombiepirateURL where they base their business out of: http://pirate-cashoo.deviantart.com http://www.furaffinity.net/user/pirate-cashoo http://pirate-cashoo.tumblr.com (They request commissions here, too) http://www.hentai-foundry.com/user/zombiepirate (WARNING –NSFW adult site) http://pirate-cashoo.sofurry.com Time Period: ORIGINAL REQUEST/INQUIRY MADE via email: MAY 10 2012 PAYMENT MADE 50%: $75.00 May 11, 2012 (PAYPAL) PAYMENT MADE REMAINING 50%: $75.00 May 26, 2012 (PAYPAL)FIRST DRAFT: MAY 26 (It was approved by me)2nd DRAFT: New sketch sent to me (She wasn’t happy with the original) September 15, 2012.3rd DRAFT: Another new sketch OCTOBER 3, 2012LINEART: OCTOBER 17, 2012NEW ETA for FINISHED PRODUCT: 7 days (or so) from Oct 17, 2012.INQUIRIES: about progress/status: Nov 8, 15, 18th (2012).... no repliesNEW REPLY From PC: Nov 19, (2012) (after post to AB, unrelated)UPDATE: From PC: Nov. 22.: Apologies for not keeping deadlines UPDATE: From PC: Nov 22.: Colored draft *YAY!!!* Finally. I think this may almost be resolved.UPDATE: NEW REPLY From PC: Dec 2.: She has given me the deadline of Dec 21st and offered a free sketch in compensation for the trouble.UPDATE: PC posted a public apology on DA and FA admitting her poor practices: http://pirate-cashoo.deviantart.com/journal/An-open-letter-to-all-of-my-customers-341302281 'm not sure if this changes anything, though unless she changes the way things are going. I sent her an email with lots of advice and tips on how she could better her freelance strategies but it seems others are doing this, too. I got a reply that was similar to her journal - I don't believe she really wants any advice or help even though people are trying to help. Stubbornness isn't going to fix this problem.UPDATE: DEC 2: New Promised deadline of Dec 21 offered and aggreed to by Cashoo. I sent her a reminder on the 19th about this, too.UPDATE: DEC 22: Just received my FINISHED PIECE! FINALLY! YAY! It is BEAUTIFUL and she put a lot of work into it. So I am happy I got it at least. I will mark this resolved. Item(s) Ordered: 2-PERSON Full-body COLORED SKETCH WITH LINEART. PRICE QUOTED/GIVEN: $150.00 (Basically, I asked for something similar to this: http://fav.me/d4tbnqj) 2 characters, no wings or anything crazy. JUST HUMANS with no detailed background.Proof of Purchase: PAYPAL:Explanation of Situation: Note: I am not accusing PC of being a scam-artist, but some serious business standards need to be reinstated and adhered to by this artist as clients like myself are getting very upset about her current practices. This needs to be addressed.I did my research before even making my purchase with her and thought it was a safe bet. The issue here is communication/miscommunication/missed deadline/turnarounds and ridiculously slow response times, etc.Many times over I had almost suspected she had taken my money and run, but then weeks later, I'd get a response apologizing for another ridiculously long wait of weeks or even months between letters.I'm still waiting on my finished piece long past the original deadline of June 15th, 2012 though.Here's how this has gone:I had been watching Pirate-Cashoo on Deviant art for some time when I noticed she FINALLY opened up her commissions. HERE IS THE DA JOURNAL I RESPONDED TO: http://fav.me/d4zcncw She states here: “These will be done within the month/by June 15th. Or if you have a particular deadline, let me know! Depending on the complexity, one commission can take up to 3 days total to finish. I'm really trying to push myself as an artist with these.” I got a reply back that day (May 11th) with the estimate ($150) and where to send the paypal money. She said I could pay half now and the other half after I got the sketch, which is what I did. The sketch came May 26th and following it, I paid her the rest (SAME DAY): $75.00. I am listing below how things went after that. I have documented them here though often her replies were so huge that I truncated some of them in the screenshots. She has also been taking MORE commissions every few weeks/months since I ordered mine. First ETA: MAY 11 “You'll receive a preliminary sketch within the next 7 days or so to look over before I hop into it.” SKETCH RECEIVED: MAY 26. (2 weeks) No reply after I approved the sketch.NEXT MESSAGE SENT: Jun 12 No reply. I wrote again JUL 25:PROOF: “I am writing you because it's been over 2 months since I've heard anything from you and I wanted to know if you could just give me an update on my commission. I don't mean to bother you, but I sent you the payment in FULL already 2 months ago back when you showed me the sketch, and I haven't heard a thing since. (If you need the paypal Invoice #'s just ask) I am not upset about the time frame, I just feel that as a paying client, I should at least be kept in the loop about what I paid for.” REPLY: JULY 25 “Ohh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I was in the middle of the lineart, but I was thinking about partially redoing the sketch, because it's got some serious anatomical issues, and I've improved my anatomy since then.” and a big story about all sorts of “troubles....” she’s having. SECOND ETA: “I should be getting to yours within the next week or so. I hope you understand.” (AS OF JULY 25) NEW INQUIRY: SEPT 3: PROOF: “I was wondering, Have you been able to make any additional progress on my piece yet? Last time I heard from you was July 25th - so, it's been over a month and I've not heard anything still.... You had mentioned getting to it in a week or so, but I've not gotten any updates since then.” REPLY FROM CASHOO: SEPT 8 Apologies, etc etc.... and “I'll be spending the next 2-3 days finishing up all sketches that haven't been done yet, which will include yours. I've redone yours a couple times and tossed them, but I think I've decided on what I'd really like this time!” “...But I'll be finishing your commission within the next two weeks FOR SURE” SEPT 13: FROM CASHOO “Well, I just spent the last ten minutes bawling my eyes out. I just...I just shut my computer down for the night, and apparently I didn't save. I...I don't know why my program didn't ask to save before I closed it. I seriously cannot believe it. It was so good, too... great pose and composition and everything. I.... seriously, seriously can't believe it. Oh my goodness...” Accidents happen, I get that, too. SEPT 15 I get a new sketch. NOTE: only a sketch. No more replies after I approved the sketch. NEW INQUIRY: OCT 2Proof:"Hello again Umm, didn't want to bother you, but any progress on my piece? Were you able to adjust the sketch? I know you mentioned the piece would be done within 2 weeks "for sure" but this was over 2 weeks ago... I didn't want to have to bug you, but I keep seeing new sketches on your tumblr... so... I'm sort of wondering where the heck mine went.” REPLY from CASHOO:OCT 3I GET MY NEW SKETCH. *yay*. I APPROVE. OCT 17: I GET THE FINAL LINEART AND A REPLY.PROOF:REPLY FROM CASHOO: “I have one commission in which its deadline is the 20th, and it's got a full background and everything, so I unfortunately have to work on that today. BUT, I'll definitely finish yours within the next 7 days or so...the hardest/longest parts are over, and the coloring is simply smooth sailing from here~” No reply. INQUIRY 1: NOVEMBER 8 “ I know you're busy but it's been a few weeks since you wrote me and you'd mentioned a while back... 7 days... but it's been 3 weeks now again. Any progress by chance? I noticed you opened more commissions for xmas, but please be sure to get mine done before you do those since I've been waiting since April/May and it doesn't seem fair that I would have to wait until after xmas.”No reply. INQUIRY 2: NOVEMBER 15th “Hey there, I haven't gotten a reply, so I'm writing again... apparently my messages are getting lost in your mounds of email I know you're busy but it's been a few weeks since you wrote me and you'd mentioned a while back... 7 days (or so)... OK, I get it - 1 week, 2 week, 3 weeks.... but it's been 4 weeks again and not so much as a reply or an (I'll be late again note) or ANYTHING....&rdquo etc. INQUIRY 3: NOVEMBER: 19th PARTIAL LETTER: “If you can't finish it for whatever reason or aren't inspired, or just don't want to - than by all means please tell me that or give me a partial refund or something. Otherwise, I just really want some honesty, that's all. I am a paying "customer" nonetheless and I have the right to know where my product is regardless of the circumstances and I seriously don't think that it is NOT reasonable for any client to INQUIRE about their product they purchased 7+ months after payment, and 4 WEEKS after an estimated delivery time. I saw on your FA even that you said in ref to that other person waiting months : "And, like some other freelance artists out there, a long wait time (about 4+ months, I consider) is guaranteed more effort and detail put into the final product. And if it's been an abnormally long wait time (7-8 months and beyond), there's a 50% discount on whatever next commission the customer gets, even free if the customer is thoroughly displeased." I'm sorry to be so concerned but we're going on 8 months almost here... You said it yourself: abnormally long wait time. And then, you gave me another eta over a month ago and no reply since. I mean, I think you can understand why I am still very concerned here... I can still wait if you just asked me to, but I don't appreciate being given deadlines that aren't kept or that I am not even told about changing, etc.”NEW REPLY AS OF NOV 19th:This was AFTER my post to AB. Unsure if it was provoked by this or not...(note: I truncated this a little because there were a bunch more personal family "issues" in there). I didn't think needed to be posted here. Also, she states that she doesn't know why so many people are getting upset with her about turnaround times. It's not just the turnaround times - it's also the money and the fact that we get deadlines that aren't kept, no replies, etc etc.NEW REPLY: NOV 22.It's very long, so I will summarize. I just got a new and lengthy letter from PC and although it seems to be thoughtful and kind, I am still empty-handed here. I am a little relieved that she has finally apologized for being terrible at keeping deadlines and "estimates" for turnaround times, but the message contained no further details or wips about my commission either, nor did it mention anything else about when I might get it. I appreciate some of her honesty, here. She is very upset about the whole AB drama, but I have tried to assure her that, despite her suspicions , we are not trying to "ruin her business". (this is what she has told me she is suspecting of AB). She's trying to sound nice about this whole thing and so am I, but niceness doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere and I still don't have any additional wips.IMPORTANT UPDATE: NOV 23. I sent PC a letter with some advice and bullet points on how I think she could improve her commission process (because it’s not nice to just say someone’s doing something wrong and not tell them how to fix it). I have finally gotten a colored draft and an honest explaination of how she works and how she runs business - basically deadlines are only kept if the client demands a deadline and all other pieces are worked on when she gets to them. Understood, but I thought I had been given several deadline/etas, but I guess not. So I am starting to believe that alot of these issues are from miscommunication and not keeping estimated turnarounds, etc. I am finally relieved to know that she's still working on my piece and that I haven't been forgotten. She also told me a lot of things about her work ethics and schedules that opened my eyes to why these are all taking forever (much of it is still not good business practice, but at least I have an explaination now). Much of this is also just miscommunication. I feel a LOT BETTER now knowing all of this, and I wish she’d tell all of her clients the same thing.... Partial letter: “A lot of the problems you've addressed that I've run into are due to sudden changes within this year from my previous years in this line of work. For example, in all of my years of doing this business, I've never had problems or concerns with 4-6+ months of waiting with little contact and no WIPs. Only earlier this year did I start regularly sending WIPs to clients, because I thought it would be a fun idea to do so. Before then, though, the client would pay for the commission, wait a few months, and then receive a message with the completed commission. And it worked out wonderfully, without fail...until these last few months. And it's weird, I'm not sure what exactly has made the change, but ohhh well~But...obviously, if I want to continue with this commission business, I have to adapt to my environment in order to be successful with it.Also, I always try to make sure to mention either publicly or to each inquiring customer that they don't have to pay all upfront (most I have are half upfront, and half after completion), and that they can choose a reasonable deadline if they so desire. Those who give me definitive deadlines get their commissions done on time. Otherwise, I assume they don't mind, and I try to mention that beforehand. I have forgotten on occasion, but for the most part I mention deadlines for sure.Oh! And setbacks can indeed set me back 4-6 months, as I illustrated in my last note to you...I hope that made sense! A commission of your type typically takes about 7 days to complete alone. With a queue of only 15 commissions of the same type already ahead of it in line is about a 4 month wait minimum until the commission is even started. I had about 20, and some of them had three characters and some had detailed backgrounds, which adds a few days to those commissions (typically). The thing that's really killed me is that I've been forced to take more commissions, because my consistent slew of bills can't be met entirely with my commissions, which take too long to complete to keep up with the bills. It's this self-defeating death cycle, and I've dug myself into this hole as a result...Sadly though, I wasn't aware of how inaccurate my estimated turnaround time was when I took your commission until I started improving my skill and putting more detail into my overall work...and shot myself in the foot in the long run.”

Nov. 16, 2012 at 12:53 PM I originally came here seeking advice on the situation, which can be seen here, but it was suggested that I still make the beware because of said person's behavior. This is my first actual beware post, so I apologize if it's done incorrectly. WHO: Thera WHERE: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/thera/ Though everything happened here on this journal. WHAT: One digital sketch. Here's screen shots of our initial conversation when she first ordered the sketch. Though everything can still be read in the journal I linked above. This is the finished commission. WHEN: November 6th, 2012 until now. PROOF: This is the paypal screenshot showing when she initially sent the eheck. This is the screenshot showing that the echeck failed to send. I sent her a note about the failed echeck asking if she could send it again or perhaps have someone else do it for her. She did reply to my note, which can be seen here, but she also commented on the original commission journal where the transaction took place. All of it can still be read in the journal linked above, but here are screenshots anyways. EXPLAIN: I hope it's alright if I just copy/paste from my advice journal, if not I can edit it. On November 6th, 2012 I opened for $5 sketch commissions and Thera wanted a slot. So we work out all the details, got everything settled and agreed upon. There was a slight bit of confusion on what she wanted at first, but we got that all worked out with no problems. She sent the payment, it was an echeck, and I started her commission. I finished it the next day and she was very happy with it. She even colored it and did a wonderful job at doing so. Now I've /never/ had any problems with echecks clearing so I really didn't think I'd have a problem this time. So like I stated, I did her sketch and finished it the next day. Now on the 14th, of this month, I got an email saying that the echeck failed. I sent a note to Thera asking if she could send it again or maybe have someone else send it for her. She replied saying she wasn't sure why it failed, but this was the second time it happened. She also told me that she wasn't sure why it failed because she had enough to send it, but paypal wouldn't let her send it until she added more money. So she asked me if there was anything else she could give me in exchange and I said no. With pretty large medical/dental debt over my head I really need every penny. A little while later she replied saying that she tried to send it again, got charged a fee, lost $70, and told me to please let her sort out her "financial bullsh*t". She said that this wasn't her fault because she didn't know this would happen. Which I got kind of confused by because she said this wasn't the first time this had happened, but okay, I understand that things happen sometimes. So the next reply I got from her is a story explaining about the last time it happened and her current family/money issues. I proceeded to reply with how I was sorry that her life was falling apart, but it wasn't really fair to me nor did it really concern me because I did the work they paid for, but in the end I didn't get paid. And that maybe she shouldn't commission people if her life is falling apart and she doesn't have money to spend. Honestly at this point I'm trying to be understanding, but it's kind of hard because she's dumping all her life problems on me and they don't concern me. I don't even know her on a personal level. The first time I talked to her was when this transaction started and I haven't contacted her or talked to her up until now. Now from this point on she starts getting kind of nasty with me. She's getting angry/frustrated and keeps using vulgar language towards me when I've been trying to be as calm as possible. Maybe I came off as cold hearted or something, I'm not sure. I mean I do feel bad for her, because honestly it sucks when crap goes down hill, I know, but I've always heard that business transactions should be kept as such. None the less, she tells me that all of this has happened in two days. So I go on to tell her again that I am sorry that her life is falling apart, but it doesn't concern me and she really has no reason to be so angry at me. She says she's not angry at me, that she's just upset in general, which is understandable, but really she shouldn't be taking it out on me. She should calm down and think about it before taking frustrations out on someone else. She has yet to respond to my last comment though. I was originally just going to accept the loss and just take it as a lessoned learned, but she says she still intends to pay me. She said I'd have my money in three days, but we'll see. I won't hold my breathe or anything though. I hope that's okay, I'm not very good at explaining things. 😧 I can edit anything as necessary. EDIT as of November 21th, 2012: I received a payment from taasla paying in place of Thera. I really appreciate it, so thank you again! I guess this can be marked as resolved then.

Oct. 8th, 2012 at 1:28 PM staple_gunner EDIT #2: ribbun has finally sent me my refund, so this can be marked as resolved! finally.. who: ribbun where: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ribbun / http://www.anipan.com/#!326 what: a mock 'sticker set' commission like this. they were only open for a limited time, so i snagged myself another one later in the day. later on, i had bad feelings about getting another, knowing she'd burn out on them eventually... but i resisted on changing my mind, knowing she needed the money for a reason i can't remember atm. when: 4-5 months ago, in may, after i received mozaik's sticker set. proof/explain: after having received mozaik's piece, i immediately wanted another so i told her i'd note her and had sent the note with the details and told i was put on the commission list. i promptly sent the payment (that was the basic rule, to send it when you were added to the list) on may 6th, the same day she had posted my previous commission. she knew it was from me, when she saw it in her paypal- because i always title my paypal payments with my username, and what it's for. i was getting tired of waiting throughout june. i was busy on vacation, and didn't really mind how long she was taking. later on in the beginning of july, i instantly regretted getting another, knowing she of course, must have just lost the inspiration to get them done. at first, i sent a note on july 13th, but it remained unread. i gave it time, knowing she must've been busy... so i emailed her instead, asking about a refund, on august 4th. i included my friend, ange, thinking it was easier to just let her know we both wanted one; ange is in the same situation as me, waiting on a sticker commission. she replied the next day, on the 5th telling me how she had just moved, had no internet, and it would be a few more weeks until i could get a refund. that's okay, so i waited until august 30th. that should be enough time, right? so i sent another email. she gave me another excuse. i emailed again, on september 17th. no reply. i emailed AGAIN on OCTOBER 4TH. no reply. my main problem is, after sending various emails asking for the status, is that after telling me she'd pay me back 'in a few weeks', she had stopped replying. i figured, you know, she has things going on, i'm fine with waiting. until i discovered she's been active on both of her tumblrs and on anipan, uploading art and... ignoring me possibly? i've had issues before on waiting for a while for art (it was a commissioned design), as have my other friends who have commissioned her. she is somewhat slow when she's not motivated, which is understandable.. but i assume if she's using these sites, she probably actively checks her email, a listed contact on her fa page?? so why am i not getting a reply while she's on other sites?? so.. at this point, i don't know. i really would like my refund without these redundant excuses popping up- $12 isn't that hard to make with her skills. i shouldn't have to have waited 5 months, playing tag over email for weeks. EDIT #1: since it took this post so long to be approved, i have to mention i sent ribbun a message over tumblr a few days before posting here which she replied to... and then i replied to her. no refunds still, after giving her our emails within that day. so then i sent this message, screencapped it on tumblr in case she doesn't reply/get to it or whatever and we have yet to see any money in our paypal accounts from her. so, yeah, i guess i'll have to continue playing the waiting game.

Sep. 9th, 2012 1:24 PM sbneko I really hate having to post here. I have a bit of anxiety issues and was hoping to just let this go, but many of my friends said it's really something that needs to be shared. I actually wasn't sure if it's even worth a beware, so I asked for the mods opinions first, to make sure I wasn't posting wrongly. WHO: They have two accounts on FA, lil-ariin and ariin WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/lil-ariin/ http://www.furaffinity.net/user/ariin/ WHAT: A digital piece, full colour, two characters and a background. WHEN: First payed on July 29th, finished completely on September 1st PROOF: Commission info he sent me http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin1.png Payment sent http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin2.png Giving his friend permission to approve progress http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin3.png Explaining that I can only work with one person, since he gave his friend permission for approvals http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin4.png Sending the friend the sketch http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking2.png Approving the sketch with a minor change needed http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking3.png Contacting about how I was having trouble and giving different options http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking4.png Bit of a misunderstanding and just explaining what's going on. http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking5.png http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking6.png http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking7.png Got out of that funk and was able to ink it and sent it for a approval, both approving http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking8.png http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking9.png Sent finished piece http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/viking10.png Ariin now contacts me, no word from the friend. http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin5.png We start discussing things http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin6.png http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin7.png http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do%20not%20Delete/ariin8.png >> I misread what he had said here, my fault! I thought he was upset that only his character didn't have a visible diaper, not that he wanted visble diapers on the ground. http://oi49.tinypic.com/10efryu.jpg http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin10.png http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc453/sbneko/Do not Delete/ariin11.png EXPLAIN: I'd like to state right away that I did do a few mistakes. I personally have always shown progress approvals, both the sketch and inks, this is to make sure that if I do forget anything, it can be fixed right away. When something is my own mistake and something small enough, I'll gladly fix it after the fact. Otherwise though, big things do really need to be asked in the sketch or ink stage. But this varies from person to person. Ariin commissioned me for a picture. As I had others ahead of him, it took a bit of time before I could get to the sketch and make sure to send updates on that. On August 9th, I sent the sketch for approval. On the 16th I sent a reminder of approval. I no longer have the email, but may be able to find it by digging, but his friend, the other character in the image, messaged me to ask about the sketch, Ariin had left for vacation withought mentioning so. I personally cannot work with more then one person, as when I've done it before one would ask for changes, then the other and contradict themselves, because of that I work with one person who is responsible to comunicate for both parties. In the end, Ariin contacted me, approved the sketch and gave permission for his friend to approve stages instead as he wasn't going to be back yet from vacation. During this time, I had a really difficult time continuing on with the image. It's a bit difficult to understand if you're not an artist I think, but sometimes things just don't seem to turn out right and feel a bit awkward. I didn't want to give a bad picture or make them wait too long, so I gave different options and asked if it'd be ok. They went with re-sketching the same idea. After taking a break though I got out of that funk and was able to continue on with inking no problem and sent it off for approval. I realize this is most likely a big fault on my end and should have asked if they wanted me to continue or go with the re-sketch. I hadn't thought of it as I was already working on it and they did very much seem to like the sketch. The friend said they both approved. I continued on and finished the commission. That's when Ariin contacted me. The screenshots have all the info for that. In the end, I felt much too stressed to continue with it and refunded the background fee for things I had missed and couldn't fix and a bit extra for good faith. I would like to say though that his friend was a great joy to work with and talked to me calmly, he seems like a really nice guy that just got caught up in the middle. He messaged me to tell me he did like the picture a lot.