Search the Community

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/990259.html WHO: exitoricanqueen/exitoricanbean WHERE: https://exitoricanqueen.deviantart.com/, https://exitoricanbean.deviantart.com/ WHAT: animated icon WHEN: initial conversation and payment: october 11th, 2017. asked for an update march 12th 2018. pinged their alt account exitoricanbean march 20th. offered to take a refund march 29th. noted about previous messages + request to refund april 3rd. noted again about previous note april 11th. EXPLAIN: i commissioned them october 11th for an animated pixel icon. they responded to my request approving my commission and letting me know they set up the widget for me to pay (initial conversation - https://sta.sh/012cq1844cnp) (proof of payment - https://sta.sh/01voj3nv3v84) because i had seen the vast amount of people asking before me, and as an animator myself i knew an icon of the sort would take time, i wasnt very concerned about the wait for a while. around january/february i wondered about it but didn’t think much. however, what i noted was that if they were working on all of the commissions owed before me, surely around this time mine should be done. and i watch both their main and side accounts on da, and i could see this wasnt the case. a lot of their recent art is either gift art or art for themself. i figured if they had such a big backlog, they shouldnt be doing much else besides their commissions. i questioned them about it here (https://sta.sh/02huower20g) and i received no response. after i commented they changed their taglines to say they were "slow and dead", and they stopped posting for a few days. however, i glanced at their favorites and noticed that while they werent posting, they were still online, because one of their recent favorites was posted after the supposed hiatus. i asked another commissioner about them and learned that they seem to have become overwhelmed by the workload they have. its hard for me to feel bad for them, as they shouldnt have taken 34 commissions in one day (this isnt an exaggeration, i started a chart to see just how much work they had and how much money they owe and here it is https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DIvkpo3SrVCKU_2vps8yA3v39Yu62vjwB2BUzjhHcyE/edit?usp=sharing), and while it would be uncomfortable to have to admit to having little to no progress on my commission, id greatly prefer it to being blatantly ignored like this. i know im not the only one dealing with this issue with them. im asking for a refund tonight but i dont expect a response, and judging from the other commissioners experience, i doubt ill get my money back even if i do get a response. ive never done something like this before, i hope i didnt do anything wrong here i just want it to be known that exitoricanqueen seems to have a lack of communication and lack of priority for owed art. update: this was orginally written march 29th. it is now april 11th, and i have asked about a refund 3 times now, on the 29th (https://sta.sh/0286sl77e5xj), 3rd (https://sta.sh/01deygrow1lu), and today, the 11th (https://sta.sh/063uojq9adm). i have received no response despite exitoricanbean being clearly active, posting art and talking on their page. in my sent folder the note is shown to be unread, which means that it was either set to be that way or they just never bothered to read it in the first place. all screencaps here: https://sta.sh/2c1yt75xddh update: finished the backlog chart. this is (almost, at least everything i could find on their commissions journal) every commission they have taken from october 1st 2017 onwards, and the costs, and which are finished or not https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DIvkpo3SrVCKU_2vps8yA3v39Yu62vjwB2BUzjhHcyE/edit?usp=sharing update 2: on april 20th i noted them again here (https://sta.sh/01bf6t8a9xyz). after a week of silence exitorican began posting again on both their main and alt accounts, but have still continued to blatantly ignore me. im running out of hope for this because it truly seems like they just dont care about what theyve done. all of my notes are unread (https://sta.sh/0iuwhutaa11). i have contacted this person 6 times now and there is no logical explanation for them to have not seen my messages. they are ignoring me and i genuinely dont know what to do. im considering noting again and telling them ill post this to my deviantart if they dont respond but at this point im losing hope.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/987286.html WHO: Athena(TheJackal), ScribblyTees WHERE: Vancoufur 2017 WHAT: Pearl/Bead Badge WHEN: March 10th 2017 in the Dealers Den. EXPLAIN: I spoke to Athena at her booth while she was still setting things up. She had a BUNCH of pearl/bead badges on display including one from a popofur I thought was the most amazing pearl/bead badge I set my eyes on. I told her I simply must have one and she was extremely helpful and happy to help. I gave her all my details and I sent her the appropriate amount she asked for both the badge AND shipping. She told me right then on the spot she would have it done by MAY of the same year guaranteed. So here I am, a FULL YEAR later and haven't got even one image of at least a part of it done. I had her on telegram since the day I walked out of that DDen and I've messaged her many times asking for updates and I was always either told some story (Whether you choose to believe it or not isn't my problem, she had AMPLE time prior to that shit) or I was simply ignored. (The classic two checkmarks but no response) So here I am, finally making this post because any normal individual would. At this point I don't even care if I get it anymore. PROOF: http://furchee.com/files/athena/telegramchatlog.jpg & http://furchee.com/files/athena/paypalpayment.jpg EDIT: 18/07/2018 So after a couple days of backs and forths, we came to an understanding (or at least I thought we did) and things seemed to be coming together until yet another disappointment ocurred. I wrote Athena and actually got some progress. I'll attach an image of the badge she did in fact put together but never actually sent. She claimed she was going to melt it and send it at some point at the end of March and yet nothing seemed to have happened. At this point I do not care if she sends it in the mail or not. I do not understand why even after the conversation we had why this would still be an ongoing issue. It seems I lost nothing but valuable time and more importantly the 160 big ones I gave her. Oh and yes, I did see the twitter post on March 31st showing my badge apparently ready to ship. Sorry babe, it doesn't take almost 4 months to send or receive it. PROOF: Badges: http://furchee.com/files/athena/badge.jpg & http://furchee.com/files/athena/badge2.jpg Chat: http://furchee.com/files/athena/idgaf_edit.jpg

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/982743.html Who: CrystalUniicorn Where: https://crystaluniicorn.deviantart.com/ What: Custom Draft Horse Stallion Lineart/ base When: Commissioned on August 11th 2016 EXPLAIN: I commissioned Crystal on August 11th 2016 for a Draft horse base because she and I had talked about lineart custom previously via comments on one of her submissions, she explained a custom lineart would be 15$ and I agreed, explained what I wanted and left it at that. I didn't note her about it afterward because I trusted her to finish her list of commissions in a timely manner, she was very kind and professional. Around mid September she posted a journal stating she'd be catching up on commissions and posting them soon but after one batch of horse adoptables she disappeared. I posted a Lost contact and never received any info other than a locked instagram which I found out she doesn't use anymore, she hasn't responded to commissioners even when she came back to deviantart for a month. I've sent her a note which has gone unresponded to. Proof: (Tried to make these as big as possible) Original Note; https://imgur.com/IpUTNvJ PoP; https://i.imgur.com/Mx6R9ew.png Journal Mentioned; https://i.imgur.com/l8sa5L5.png Unread note status; https://i.imgur.com/104QthE.png Unread note contents; https://i.imgur.com/vhoV9X6.png Not really sure what to do at this point. EDIT/ 1/29/18; Sent an email to the last known email / email I paid through paypal to see if by chance she'll answer me, highly doubt it due to people saying she's ignored them but I'll cross my fingers. EDIT: 2/18/18; My email and note have still not been answered and from what I can tell she's still avoiding deviantart even though a commission widget is still on her page ( can be seen here; https://i.imgur.com/PghBT4r.png ). I'm sick of this tbh EDIT: 7/9/18; She's made a full return and has been posting, albeit infrequently, but still hasn't posted commissions/ given refunds from what I've seen. She HAS posted p2u (pay to use) bases/ linearts and persona reference sheets though which leads me to wonder... but I digress. I sent her a note 3 days ago as seen here: https://i.imgur.com/wq79Unh.png it's been read but not replied to. (Contents of said note: https://i.imgur.com/TZykIzK.png )

WHO: Astropaws on FurAffinity WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/astropaws/ WHAT: I purchased one of these badges. It is a traditional badge that was $25 USD. WHEN: I purchased the badge in January 2017 and recieved an update via note on April 8th, 2017 saying that it would be mailed shortly. EXPLAIN: I purchased this traditional badge from Astropaws in January 2017. I asked if it could be completed for March as I was going to a convention. He said he was sorry he missed the deadline (not a big deal to me, I said if it was possible but no worries if it couldn't be completed) and provided me with an updated image to approve which I did. I really want my commission and I do not mind waiting a long time, as long as there are updates. PROOF: Under Cut *The bottom of this first note is cut as my email is my entire first and last name. I basically said here is my email and he sent me the invoice which I paid. Unfortunately I did not keep the invoice information. Update in April, 2017 Last image: I sent a note on August 31st asking for an update. He hasn't read it yet.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/964292.html WHO: Soy-una-puta WHERE: http://soy-una-puta.deviantart.com ORIGINAL POST: http://soy-una-puta.deviantart.com/art/YCH-couple-unlimited-slots-OPEN-639057637 WHAT: Digital Couple WHEN: October 10, 2016 to Dec 7, 2016 to June 20, 2017 to Current EXPLAIN: I commissioned this artist back in October for a YCH couple, to which things started out a little rough because English is their second language, which was fine. We were able to come to an understanding and an agreement of what I wanted done, and they sent me their PayPal email and I sent payment. ( Screenshot 1) (My username on Deviantart is Nigou.) I hadn’t heard anything from them so in December I asked for an update to which they told me they were working on and were having a lot of life problems. Totally cool, it was only two months since they accepted my commission no big. (Screenshot 2) Now we fast forward to June, which is the first time since December they’ve responded to me. They now are saying they lost all the files because their computer crashed and they won’t be able to finish my commission and they won’t be able to refund my money. I wasn’t allowed to request a refund because they had no money. (Screenshot 3) Now at this point I am getting increasingly upset, because it had nine months since I commissioned them, and seven months since I last heard from them, so I demanded either the commission or my refund. (Screenshot 4) After that they sent me another message saying they don’t draw females, even though that was the same characters I sent a year ago. (Screenshot 5) If you refer back to the original post they draw both MxM and MxF. Then they sent yet another message stating they would refund me in point, and I responded saying I didn’t want point, I wanted the cash that I had sent. (Screenshot 6) Then they told me they couldn’t send money on PayPal because I ‘blocked them’ and they no longer had PayPal and kept insisting on Point. (Screenshot 7 & 8) And that brings me to the most recent exchange. I basically told them I would dispute the transaction on PayPal because it wasn’t fair they kept dodging my request of a refund. They basically told me I was irrational for not thinking about what they are going through in life and why they can’t refund me. (Screenshot 9) And now I get the joy of dealing with their friends telling me I am a horrible customer everything else because I don’t want to accept points. (Screenshot 10) I don’t use points as a way to commission so it wouldn’t be a fair refund. UPDATE : So they messaged me again on a different account this time, basically giving me an excuse for why their friends came after me, also telling me why they no longer draw women, despite accepting my commission last year. (Screenshot 11) And their solution is a refund of points, not my cash. The journal they refer to is one I posted on dA, per the advice of a few people there. UPDATE TWO : So I just recevied a refund some a different paypal email adress, so I suppose this has been resolved, but I am rather disapointed they lied to be about not having paypal. All of this could have been avoided. (Screenshot 12) In under no circumstance would I reconmend doing business with them, but I did receive my refund after a few grueling days of arguing with this person. Anyway, this is long winded, and I am sorry but after all of this here I am posting my first AB because I am so frustrated. I apologize in advance if this is messy or not the proper way to post, but I don't want anyway to have to go through what I went through. I would also love advice in how I should continue to approach this artist. PROOF: 1. http://imgur.com/tw9RvTv 2. http://imgur.com/yquWSwa 3. http://imgur.com/5SGyQJQ 4. http://imgur.com/U3vy5Zr 5. http://imgur.com/u8Pi6TU 6. http://imgur.com/gWwLhlM 7. http://imgur.com/a/ZOqo8 8. http://imgur.com/WY53ZaH 9. http://imgur.com/f5JXZ5j 10. http://imgur.com/LkzKIAN 11. http://imgur.com/iZPbYNV 12. http://imgur.com/a/sah6V Current Mood:uncomfortable

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/952036.html WHO: kij3k WHERE: http://kij3k.deviantart.com WHAT: 4 flat colored full body images WHEN: payment was sent june 12th 2016 http://i.imgur.com/kzZdMOg.png EXPLAIN: I commissioned this person to draw 4 images in june as shown above. I changed the characters june 28th since they had not gotten any work done http://i.imgur.com/i5QUHp4.png In july they said that since they took so long theyd like to shade them, which i responded with this http://i.imgur.com/eIS7sIB.png and that day they got the first one done http://i.imgur.com/iBpTChf.png The trouble started not long after when they said their computer died and they'd have to take a hiatus http://i.imgur.com/Qebo8tr.png so i decided to ask about my commission and if i would get a refund. I was told that id have to wait http://i.imgur.com/2WwmgT9.png They returned in september and got a lot of work done but still did not get to mine. In november I sent them a note asking why and got this as a response http://i.imgur.com/F0RYYpg.png once i gave them the references it didnt take them very long to finish another one of mine http://i.imgur.com/WAwaJev.png as you could see here http://i.imgur.com/q6FElBE.png there was a misunderstanding, i mixed up notes and thought that i had paid for shading instead of them offering it for free. I let it go pretty fast, and only found the original notes with what i commissioned later on. Only a few days later they posted this http://i.imgur.com/ZkNHgwX.png though they did not link me to it, i found it on my own while checking their gallery. I figured everything was going well but then realized i hadnt heard from them for a month. I left them a comment here asking http://i.imgur.com/lq7230B.png and they redirected me to their journal here http://i.imgur.com/5z3xoDc.png They have a comment on their page saying not to ask about it http://i.imgur.com/krjHDcy.png A big reason as to why I'm making this beware is because I noticed them taking on more work despite owing me art for about 10 months as you can see here http://i.imgur.com/q5BSvAD.png and here http://i.imgur.com/H925fgn.png PROOF: everything should be posted above in order. UPDATE: they posted a journal in response here http://i.imgur.com/rdIc85q.png UPDATE2: I reached out again via note and i gave them the references again. hopefully it works out now. UPDATE3: I got one of them. not resolved yet but progress. http://kij3k.deviantart.com/art/good-habits-677623981 im unable to post screencaps at the moment sorry UPDATE4: Last one was completed this is resolved http://kij3k.deviantart.com/art/cant-feel-my-eyes-680473035

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/948168.html WHO: Dao on IMVU/DauxyCheeks on FA/Xashy on DA WHERE: This took place through Facebook through her personal profile. This is her IMVU account, the products were to be made and delivered through IMVU. IMVU for Dao My IMVU account, where the products were supposed to be delivered WHAT: This was for a custom furset for IMVU. Custom AdSkin, kini, ears, tail, hands, feet products. I sent her my reference and all of the mesh links she would need for the set. She said $30 was fine, I sent her $32. (As I normally send a couple of dollars more to cover fees) Here are the screenshots of our conversation that took place via Facebook. Dao1, Dao2, Dao3, Dao4 WHEN: I first contacted her December 5th of 2016, December 6th I canceled my order and was blocked, December 7th I filed a claim with PayPal, December 15th I received the email saying she provided tracking information and the case was closed, December 17th first appeal denied, the last email I received by from PayPal was March 23rd of 2017 saying that my second appeal complete with screenshots of my IMVU account was denied. PROOF: PayPal Case, First Appeal, Second Appeal, Blocked FB, Friends Only on IMVU, MY IMVU INV - SEARCHED, IMVU STAFF CONFIRMED NOTHING WAS SENT FROM DAO EXPLAIN: Well I posted an ad in one of the furry Facebook groups asking if anyone would be up to making a furset for me on IMVU. Dao (Facebook name omitted for privacy) messaged me via Facebook messenger and I sent her the mesh links and the cash for what I wanted. I had a personal emergency come up and needed to cancel. I felt bad for having to cancel, but I thought since she stated she had another set to finish before she got to mine maybe it would not be too bad. To my surprise, she tells me she finished the skin and already submitted it to the IMVU catalog without even showing me first. I was a little confused by that but decided if she could just show me proof/show me the skin then I would let her keep a portion for her work/time. That's when things got odd because she told me I was really putting her in a bind and that PayPal was where she paid her bills? I did not find that to be appropriate or relevant but it was right after she said she would "get that processed" for me that she blocked me. I tried typing out a response and I got the little pop-up message telling me "this person is not receiving message from you at this time". I honestly took that as a big red flag and consulted with my friends and family on what I should do/did. I waited a day for the refund/reversal and then just went to PayPal to make a claim. It was going to be a dispute but at the time since she had me blocked I thought a claim would be best. I waited until the 15th, that's when I got an email back from PayPal telling me the case had been closed because the seller (Dao) had provided tracking info and confirmed I received my merchandise. I was confused and very frustrated, it was a digital product I ordered. How could they have taken tracking info from her and say it's confirmed when I have proof showing I have nothing in my account from her? I decided to call again and appeal my case. It was shot down almost immediately, on the 17th they had denied my first appeal stating that the seller had provided "compelling information" for my case in their favor. In truth, I gave up for awhile. I figured she just won and I was never getting anything back. I just got ripped off for $32 for nothing. Then a few days ago I had to file a dispute for a totally different issue and the supervisor I spoke with said I should send more screenshots and appeal again. I didn't even know that was an option but I figured I might as well. After another hour or so on the phone the supervisor told me she would contact me directly. Well, that never happened and some representative named "Bob" sent me an email yesterday telling me my screenshots did not prove anything. So I guess I'm just posting this here in hopes to either have this resolved or at the very least share my experience with you guys/potential customers of hers.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/925839.html EDIT 11/2/2016: Received both sketches in the mail this past Monday as well as one of the WIPs that was not chosen to be completed. With a lot of poking and prodding, I can happily say this entry is now resolved. EDIT 10/22/2016: Received the second sketch this week! They actually ended up redoing the WIP of the second, doing two different versions which was super cool http://sta.sh/01937bqah6te http://sta.sh/0t3usskymsy (and will be getting the wips sent to me along with the finished sketches). So here's the finished product! http://sta.sh/0vujuwdnoqh It turned out absolutely fantastic, and I honestly couldn't be happier with the result. I was also told that the sketches would be shipped out sometime this week. Waking up today, I got notified that both sketches and all the WIPs have been shipped and was provided with a tracking number. Once I post another update receiving the sketches, I'll ask for this post to be marked as resolved. - EDIT 10/7/2016: I'm assuming the artist knew about the dispute automatically closing on the 4th if it was not issued to a claim. So in spite of that, they did complete one sketch on Monday ( http://sta.sh/017w66edr8e2 ). I have to say, it turned out really beautiful, and makes me super pumped to see how the next one turns out too. They added a bit of extra detail to it too, to make up for all this trouble, which was nice, although since then I have not heard anything back about the second one. Not only that but I only received a photo of the sketch..no high res scan (though I wasnt expecting one as I did pay for the physical copies to be mailed to me as well). I don't know..I'll send another message asking for an update this weekend..but I'm really hoping they don't decide to just..ditch now, considering the dispute is now closed and I can never reopen it again if I don't receive the second sketch or the physical copies of both. We'll see...but I'll continue to keep you all posted. - EDIT 9/14/2016: Issued a dispute over PayPal. Artist immediately contacted me via Twitter and has agreed upon a completion date, that being towards the end of the month. (https://www.dropbox.com/s/if8mxpaqzt3horm/Screen%20Shot%202016-09-14%20at%206.47.48%20PM.png?dl=0 ) If I do not receive an update, refund, or the artwork itself, I will be getting PayPal involved by filing a claim. - EDIT 9/12/2016: Added some examples of what the finished sketches SHOULD look like to dropbox! WHO: Vani / AshKetchumSays WHERE: Twitter WHAT: Traditional Portrat Sketches ($86.50USD Total) WHEN: Initial Conversation: Began June 4th 2016 Payment Agreed Upon & Sent: June 14th 2016 Received first pass/WIP of commission: June 25th 2016 Signs of Trouble Began: July 21st 2016 PROOF: All messages are through twitter, stamped with appropriate dates, PayPal info as well-> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oeaqa7f60h04n7k/AAAwREd1IFwb0rshXCNV3uPEa?dl=0 What my finished commission SHOULD look like -> https://www.dropbox.com/s/yypupu1d604gljn/Ck7aZUzUUAE2odg.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/084xnnkgzv0optk/CkH1H4HUUAEEWTv.jpg?dl=0 Explain: First of all, I am an artist myself who does freelancing, and normally I wouldn't make reports on other artists as I am a very reasonable person when commissioning other artists as I understand how stressful the process can be and how long it can take. But anyway! Always been a fan of Vani's work, and seeing that they were offering sketches for a good price got me super excited to finally order something featuring my characters. June: Communication started off really well! I knew they were taking a lot of commissions, so I honestly wasn't worried about how long they'd take, as I am a very patient person. An agreement for the final paymet was made, and commission progress began. Within a couple weeks, I received WIPs. They DEFINITELY didn't seem as good as her previous sketched portraits she was doing..I could tell they were likely feeling burnt out, but I didn't bother judging too hard as they are just WIPs. Still looking forward to the final pieces. July: Towards the end of June she gave me a good long update about how they'll be busy prepping to sell at a convention, therefore making a delay on the sketches. Completely fine with that, as I had seen the roughs so I knew they'd get done in no time..or so I thought. Sent in an update of a reference for one of my characters...no response whatsoever, even though they were/are on twitter quite frequently. If you check their twitter account, this was also around the time their troubles rose and they began taking on more commissions, creating adoptables and selling them, trying to earn more money and moving old commissions, including mine, back in their queue. August: Tried contacting them again for an update. Finally got a response; a lengthy one at that, which I honestly don't care about. I just want to know a time estimate for completion. This was when their housing troubles and whatever else were brought to me personally, though I already sort of knew about based on their twitter posts. I come back rather short, as my frustration began kicking in, knowing they clearly have time to work on my commissions, but is yet, focusing on others, new orders at that, in order to make quick money. I bring up the option of a refund (partial, considering they did have WIPs completed), because at this point I'm doubting itll ever get done and I'd rather give my money to an artist more reliable and professional, despite how talented Vani is. No means for refund at given time, so we agree that the following week she'll have them done, and once again, I remain patient with them. September: At this point I'm just fed up and frustrated. Way past the date we agreed for completion, so I ask for a refund. Comes back saying they're completely unable to, yet, oh look! In one of the screenshots I provide, they just received money from a recent auction, but yet, still can't refund me my portion of payment for the pieces I commissioned from them (no idea how much the Auto Buy went for in the auction, clearly a lot more then the previous bid though). At this point I stop replying. I'm not getting my money back, my art will not be completed. If it's done, it'll be a miracle, but for now, I HIGHLY recommend NOT commissioning this artist until they smarten up, sorts out their financial situations and develop a better professional attitude when doing business with clients such as myself. I've spoke with other friends who have commissioned them and they're also waiting on art from them (though at a much longer wait period than myself) and they're equally frustrated. I'm just completely disappointed in this whole situation, and definitely don't want others going through this with her as well. I'm fine waiting long periods of time for art, but when I see her posting more art, adoptables, commissioning openings, etc, its like a big slap in the face to those still waiting on art from them.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/910500.html Included are links to screenshots of the journals etc in case of deletion. WHO: soaru@dA (old account) / hatchimi@dA (new account/formerly Dollrot) WHERE: http://soaru.deviantart.com/ http://hatchimi.deviantart.com/ WHAT: Digital art - Pixel icons x4 - $40 total (+paypal fees) (92 total icons owed to others on her to do list) WHEN: Soaru had claimed to have been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in early May 2014. We were all very understanding of her situation and that there would be delays with her commissions. ( https://i.gyazo.com/2d18a1584409cebc7fd6d15f3f87241e.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Carpal-Tunnel-Diagnosis-453965909 ) and then another notice to commissioners: ( https://i.gyazo.com/cda7fca79f835063a19bd737fd96fc10.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Attention-commissioners-454227201 ) I first noted soaru about the icon commissions on July 17th, 2014, then the agreement was made and I sent the payment the same day. (see screenshots in ‘proof’) Soaru had then made a journal on July 26th 2014 to state that she had unlimited pixel slots open for the summer ( https://i.gyazo.com/ff5ccf459452bb685191edc39e486352.png Journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/work-work-work-470968786 ) Unlimited slots never being a promising sign, but I am a patient person, and didn’t think much of it at the time. A few more updates regarding soaru’s recovery and commission progress were posted between August 2014 until August 2015 (I will get into these in my explanation below). The final update on August 25th 2015 was about her recovery and any updates for commissioners, and since then the account has been dead. PROOF: commission note paypal transaction EXPLAIN: As stated above, soaru had been diagnosed with Carpal tunnel syndrome. She posted a journal about it on May 14th, 2014 and continued updates on her situation. When soaru had opened commissions, I sent her a note expressing my interest, and the agreement was made on July 17th. I sent the payment the same day. On July 26th 2014, soaru posted a new journal stating that she had unlimited pixel slots open for the summer, ( https://i.gyazo.com/ff5ccf459452bb685191edc39e486352.png Journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/work-work-work-470968786 ). I didn’t think much of this at the time. On August 20th 2014, Soaru posted a commission update ( https://i.gyazo.com/1b08df12e524cd8658c41b2a8160a8c6.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Commission-update-476955835 ), stating that she was working very hard on completing her commissions right now. She asks for our patience due to work and having to take breaks because of her carpal tunnel. I was in no rush for my commissions and only wished for her recovery, as I really couldn’t imagine how awful it must be to suffer from carpal tunnel as an artist.. She adds “I did not forget about your commission, don’t worry.” The next update was on October 6th 2014. Soaru states that commissions are now closed for a good year or so. She tells us that she is very busy with work, so commission progress is moving very slowly, and apologises for the wait. I can appreciate that she is going through hard times, so a few months isn’t much to wait given her situation. “I will not update you on how your commission if coming along because there are too many of you to note. I assure you I WILL complete the commission as soon as possible. So please be patient with me. You will receive your commission when you get it.” And no, I have no idea as to when you will receive it, and for that I'd like to apologize. I also won't be providing any refunds. You will get what you paid for.” I’m a patient person and I could appreciate that taking unlimited slots as there would be a lot of people on her to do list, but looking back now, not receiving any kind of progress report on how your commission is coming along is a pretty bad sign as well as stating that you have “no idea when a commissioner will receive their commission.” But again I was willing to wait and a few months wasn’t anything to complain about given her life situation. (https://i.gyazo.com/83b4d48b277187c21701d02963b5f5f7.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Commissioners-PLEASE-READ-486724217 ) Between October 2014 and February 2015, there was no real update on soaru’s commission progress or her condition. Apart from posting a journal in December asking if her commissioners would mind if she used her new base for their commissions or not. (I requested to stick to the original base I had ordered as it fit my characters better). ( https://i.gyazo.com/934a152cd6297a6082aef184dc9e00f3.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Question-for-people-who-have-commissioned-me-498366584 ), though you could hardly call this an update. Finally on February 10th, 2015, soaru posts her public to-do list and an apology for the delay with her commissions. (https://i.gyazo.com/67931c13a0edf8575e38623994e9681c.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/TO-DO-LIST-UPDATED-PLEASE-READ-THIS-OMG-512941211 ) On this list there are a total of 96 commissions yet to be completed. At the time, I simply thought she’s stated many times she is working hard to get these done so over the course of months hopefully her list will get shorter and shorter, and she will get through these and can look past this tough time in her life. The next and major life update was posted on July 13th 2015: ( https://i.gyazo.com/8e096687c3b8c8bc92baef371ba68a41.png https://i.gyazo.com/7e8bc4738ff1ea001597797b8e525eec.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Life-Update-ADDED-546016180 [screenshot & link to updates journal linked at the bottom: https://i.gyazo.com/12e87e334c506d2f8477ef92f83e50d7.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/updates-447349674]). Soaru talks about how she realizes how unhappy a lot of her commissioners are with her services, her surgery and the date being under negotiation, and that she has been going through recovery. “I'd like to assure ALL MY COMMISSIONERS that I am not running away with your money. I WOULD LOVE to provide refunds to all of you, I cannot stress that enough. But I simply do not have the funds to do so. I know I've already asked you all to be very patient with me, and some of you have and I'm very grateful for that. I do not expect everyone to be understanding of my situation financially/mentally/physically, but you WILL receive your commission.” Her last update and sign of any activity on her account was on August 25th 2015. ( https://i.gyazo.com/0153602488fb599d70ff0bb7bad6a9fa.png journal link: http://soaru.deviantart.com/journal/Recovery-Update-556158826 ) A promising recovery update stating that soaru’s wounds are healing well, she still experiences some pain but it should disappear soon. She says she should be able to start commissions mid-September. She says she’ll be sure to post a journal update, as well as join.me streams of commission work, and finally that “You will also be provided with WIP's of your pixel so you know I'm actually doing your commission.” I cannot speak for everyone on her list but I have not received any kind of work in progress shots from soaru. Since then, soaru had provided no updates about surgery dates, delays, or any kind of work in progress to assure people that she was indeed trying to work on these commissions as she had been stating for the last year. Many of the comments on her page and in her journals talk about the lack of any kind of update given the situation and the wait for all of her commissioners. Soaru is even ignoring notes and comments from her clients. Many of the comments urged her to think about trying to refund even just a few commissioners to lessen her workload and to just resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Soaru also states that once her recovery is over she will be working her hardest to finish all of her commissions in response to another comment. I tried to note her back in January: ( https://i.gyazo.com/cf393ed24d2d8fe08285099283e79359.png ) to ask about changing characters since it has been so long that I had forgotten who I had even requested, but there has been no response. However, in my sent notes it is marked as read. Around late February, a friend and I (who is also on soaru’s to do list) came across a deviantart account named dollrot, but recently changed to hatchimi. At the time there was no evidence that hatchimi and soaru are the same individual, however we did find her art style to bear very close similarities to soaru’s. For some time we just kept an eye out since there wasn’t much posted to hatchimi’s gallery at the time and it could just be a similar style. Here is a comparison we compiled of all the similarities we found (style wise) : http://orig03.deviantart.net/d537/f/2016/154/f/1/comparisons_by_theangelofmemories-da4ubbh.png Over the course of the last few months we’ve tried to gather as much evidence as we can that links hatchimi and soaru as the same person. A few things we noticed: Her icon style is in the same style as her old one (they’re not made from the same base, but the way the eyes are pixeled have the same technique done on them, plus they almost overlap in terms of head placement over body) She still uses bases extremely frequently and they all have their toes pointing inwards with their hands by their sides with closed fingers. A similar technique with the way she shades her noses, and the highlights in the character’s eyes Handwriting comparison http://orig02.deviantart.net/06b4/f/2016/166/2/f/handwritting_by_royal_jelliefish-da6ck3m.png The first semi-concrete proof comes in the form of a work in progress shot from soaru, and something I noticed when I popped in to one of hatchimi’s picarto streams a few weeks ago. This is Soaru's wip screenshot with her file location atop the SAI window. notice the "C:/users/mew/desktop/file/cootiewootie.psd" Now, look at the location on this screenshot taken from Hatchimi's picarto stream. Same user name and location as to where the file is saved. "C:/users/mew/desktop/file/BASEA.psd" Along with the similarities of their style, noticing that they share the same user name and have the habit to save on the desktop is too much of a coincidence. Now, the evidence we have found that positively links soaru and hatchimi as the same person was something I noticed when hatchimi posted her artvsartist meme. She has since taken it down but you can still view it via google cache here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://hatchimi.deviantart.com/art/artvsartiste-611370644 screenshot: https://i.gyazo.com/ad467bb0d3af2f1e4794c2464916a57f.jpg A while back soaru had posted a self portrait to her deviantart, and looking at the two images it’s hard to think they’re two different people. Please note the same piercings and gauge in her ear as well as the facial similarity. http://fav.me/d8hcuq8 screenshot: https://i.gyazo.com/090fdf9f9535898df2d0febda19d16d6.png A friend had found soaru’s old paypal/email address through the icon commission transaction. Hatchimi’s current paypal does not contain personal information linking her to soaru, but with some digging with the ‘soaru’ email address, we have discovered it is used for her instagram account that has been up since 2012 and is still active: https://i.gyazo.com/b536e315ee2473202d9842807a0a1561.png When lined up side by side from the image from the artvsartist meme: https://i.gyazo.com/09f0a7f2270ec47712465a1e29420878.png The name that appears in the transaction for the payment to soaru from 2 years ago also matches the name on the instagram account if there is still any doubt that they are the same person. The evidence collected in this case was through a group effort from her dissatisfied customers I have reached out to. **Edit : 17/06/2016 We have posted jorunals on deviantart revealing our findings and to spread the word. my friends (who has been in contact with hatchimi to send her the beware post and to see if the situation could still be privately resolved) : http://royal-jelliefish.deviantart.com/journal/ARTIST-BEWARE-Soaru-Hatchimi-615658826 Hatchimi has also posted a journal with her defenses and some evidence of a conversation between herself and soaru through email, as well as a note she sent inquiring about commissions to soaru. http://hatchimi.deviantart.com/journal/Harassment-soaru-drama-615813488 Someone picked up that there is a tab open in this screenshot for 'msn canada' it isn't by any means concrete but it could confirm her location, and this could be another piece of evidence that links another similarity between them. http://orig06.deviantart.net/ce3f/f/2016/165/e/a/ccb568bad3054274b7fe6f00b4a87a34_by_hatchimi-da6aqen.png anoher edit: a user found a page in the waybackmachine that has her country listed as canada: http://web.archive.org/web/20151024030234/http://dollrot.deviantart.com/ So we can prove that she and soaru share the same location. A big question for me in all of this is that why now of all times would she choose to reveal this screenshot of her noting soaru about asking about commissions? Surely its a strong piece of evidence to support that the two are different people, so why wouldn't she send it to us sooner rather than this much later? http://img10.deviantart.net/289a/i/2016/168/6/a/proof1_by_hatchimi-da6mxv6.png (screenshot in case of deletion: https://i.gyazo.com/f95a0191f17fd6a7aa8e13112f34e47b.png ) At first it looks fairly normal, but someone commenting on the beware journal checked their old notes from before they changed their username, ane the previous username shows up in older notes, not the new on since hatchimi was formerly Dollrot until earlier this year, why does it say "Hatchimi said the following" and not "Dollrot said the following"..? Another commenter then claimed that it is possible to run a test on images which will tell you if the image has been edited, and the screenshot came up as edited in photoshop, so this tells us that the note screenshot is fake. Here are the websites one can use to detect a doctored image: http://fotoforensics.com/ http://imageedited.com/ Hatchimi is still denying that she and soaru are the same person, despite all of these new revelations, I will continue to update as more light is shed.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/879111.html WHO: captainhanni WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/captainhanni/ WHAT: It was the “Ramen Beast YCH” they posted on FA here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16721082/ The finished artwork was to be fully rendered/painted in their usual style. I won the auction and paid the $80 via Paypal. WHEN: The auction was won on June 3rd and the payment was sent the same day. PROOF: http://i.imgur.com/ouX6wPS.png - Payment http://i.imgur.com/NNs5pET.jpg - Details for YCH http://i.imgur.com/eKt59EJ.png - June to September progress asking emails http://i.imgur.com/9wuH3zs.png - Progress screenshot http://i.imgur.com/mp79bTr.png - Unread FA note http://i.imgur.com/DeOe3ZX.png - October 24th email EXPLAIN: I was the highest bidder and won the auction for $80 dollars. I provided the details by email and sent the payment the same day. On June 8th they emailed me a completed headshot I commissioned before this one and left a note saying that the YCH shouldn’t take too much longer. On July 10th I sent a follow up email asking for an update on it. CaptainHanni responded to on July 29th saying that they’ve had a hard time drawing lately. Completely understandable and not a big deal. Attached to the email was also a progress screenshot. September 26 rolls around and I still haven’t received the completed art. I sent another email asking if they could try to squeeze me to the top of their priority list. They’ve been posting art on Tumblr and I was hoping they could find some time to finish my YCH. Didn’t get a response. I sent a note to them on FA on October 14th basically repeating what I mentioned in the email. That has never been read. Finally, I sent one last email on October 24th asking them if they want to finish or give a partial refund for the art, and you could probably guess that they never responded to that either. I would put a claim through paypal but some work was already done. If they would just respond to my email we could work out a partial refund... or they could just, you know, finish it.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/871926.html Below is the account of my experiences with Miikywhiskers/Aoifhe/Catslaps/412009074/Chisey/Nhyau/LiIIian/qewtie/Kiri-ty/Cattits. Here are the following Usernames I know of she has/may use as of now: http://nhyau.deviantart.com/ http://miikywhiskers.deviantart.com/ http://liiiian.deviantart.com/ http://412009074.deviantart.com/ http://www.furaffinity.net/user/qewti/ http://kiri-ty.tumblr.com/ http://thunderpoon.deviantart.com/ http://www.furaffinity.net/user/cuffedkitty/ http://www.furaffinity.net/user/aoifhe/ On the date of February 4th 2015, I payed Chisey/Miikywhiskers, 80$ Some of which went to a character being payed off, a sketch, and the remaining 30$ went to a design commission. On the date of April 28th 2015 I asked if I could have my design drawn as such - http://nhyau.deviantart.com/art/kiri-ref-wip-529636970 (You can still see my comments in the bottom if she hasn't gone as far as to hide them - if so I provide a screen shot below. http://orig10.deviantart.net/8948/f/2015/237/f/4/ca35e316d6f4e6ef3baaf46f010e38bf_by_avomeir-d975xm1.png for another 15$ she said it would normally be twenty, so I met in the middle and sent 18$, later sending another 2$ to make 20$. Proof of all payments - http://orig00.deviantart.net/cf47/f/2015/245/4/0/90aa95d1099f1246b4a6dc1f9284c381_by_avomeir_d979q2_by_avomeir-d986cwd.png http://orig11.deviantart.net/8855/f/2015/245/3/4/0dff8c50761d75bc7abc529040e8ed3d_by_avomeir_d979q7_by_avomeir-d986cwi.png http://orig11.deviantart.net/d84b/f/2015/245/1/a/9562d25ae5902a2922d8cd4a19be3f7b_by_avomeir-d986eh1.png I waited paitently for four months, trying to understand whatever she may be going through I then asked about the satus of my commission, wondering if she had forgotten. Proof- http://orig02.deviantart.net/1c76/f/2015/238/c/0/eaaa5c04b3fa02c3eaa7203bc97aef62_by_avomeir-d979qq5.png She said she would try to get to it that day. That did not happen, and she spent the next two months taking on more ych's and doing various personal projects. I waited two more months. During which she said she wasn't going to do design commissions anymore and we could either change it for a substitute or a refund. I payed for a design. I didn't want anything else, I also didn't want a refund because she had already spent my money and there was no telling how long it would take for her to return it to me.(The journal this conversation took place on has since been removed, else I'd provide proper screenshots.) After a small dispute, and discussion she agreed to do my design. I received my design finally on August 12th 2015. http://orig02.deviantart.net/e4b9/f/2015/238/a/8/c8fd4a3fd61f0c37983d62961e32cfe6_by_avomeir-d979qqj.png This design is lovely, however not what I asked for. This design is on the waitress base, not the lines I requested and paid for. Seeing this I asked if I myself, or her could fix it. She had previously proclaimed to be profoundly busy throughout the past few months, so I assumed with what she had been saying, I would do so. She responded with "yeah sure doll :3" Sure to which?? Her or me doing it? Confused I followed up asking if I was going to do it. I waited 10 days, no response. So I used the lines above and placed the design on it. She went off on me, for drawing on something I paid for anyway. She wasn't going to create whole new lines for me, she was going to edit the current ones I picked out as a reference. So why it was such a big deal I'm not entirely sure. She is very point blank with her commissions, she doesn't go out of her way to make them better than what someone paid for. Conversation: http://orig04.deviantart.net/b760/f/2015/238/2/d/bf84322875a61109ed0856c3cebe39ea_by_avomeir-d979t2s.png At this time I had paid 50$ for another art piece by her upon which the design dispute happened she said she would refund me. The design dispute took place on August 22nd 2015. Proof of other commission- http://orig02.deviantart.net/b93a/f/2015/245/6/a/b3b878ffd8cffa02c56786f0da3d34e9_by_avomeir-d986g1t.png I noted her setting up a deadline for this refund on August 25, 2015. I gave her a month from when she said she would refund (which was the 22nd) me before I would attempt to charge back the money. However, unfortunately after looking into it, I can only charge back through my bank within 30 days of the transaction, and paypal will not dispute digital goods. Therefore my only means to have my money returned is her giving it back, seeing as she has not responded or been very compliant I do not foresee a refund at all. It is now the 23rd and I still have not received a refund. Proof of refund statement: http://orig07.deviantart.net/b8e8/f/2015/266/c/1/__by_avomeir-d9anskm.png Deadline: http://orig10.deviantart.net/4108/f/2015/246/b/3/f50bcfba820216e9e7907ebe6382edbd_by_avomeir-d98a356.png Proof she saw my message and knew about my deadline: http://orig00.deviantart.net/604e/f/2015/266/0/1/image_by_avomeir-d9amo2o.jpg I say "Atleast my, 50$" Because I sent this message - http://orig08.deviantart.net/133b/f/2015/238/9/d/4970feddd17d3be2579b44a9897bc5f0_by_avomeir-d97a6px.png Asking if I could also be returned my 20$ for not having my design drawn properly, however this was not required seeing as I had received atleast some of my good purchased. I wasn't going to demand for a refund of that 20$ Overall, it has been difficult to work with her. She does not cooperate with her customers, and will take entirely too long on your commission, coming up with plenty of excuses as to why it's not done. Please take this is a warning to all of those thinking of purchasing from her. Until she gets her act together and stops procrastinating and not having money to refund if needed, do not purchase anything from her. It is in Your best interest.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/846117.html This is my very first artist's beware post. I was really hoping it would not come to this, but I want to resolve this issue as soon as possible and warn others before they make the same mistake I did. WHO: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/deerpuke/ (This artist has ad placements on FurAffinity.net) WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6486298/ WHAT: A digital piece of artwork, described as a "song commission" http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6486298/ for $25 USD. (Detailed info below) WHEN: The commission was ordered and paid for on February 8th of 2015. There was no further communication until March 5th of 2015, when I noted them inquiring about my commission status. There was no reply. On March 10th of 2015 I had requested a refund. Two days later, on March 12th of 2015, they replied telling me that they could not refund me because they had done too much work on the commission. Three days later I had replied asking when they think they will be done with the piece, the next day they estimated about a week due to their tablet screen not working. I replied the same day asking to see the work they had done so far. They replied the next day with this http://gyazo.com/f6540a2235c5cc75698b606e5d49c2c8. They noted me again three hours later with an updated version here http://gyazo.com/bc50bd9f483dcfef5fda50788bd18a9a. I was extremely happy with how it was turning out, and thought that they had done so much work in 3 hours, the wait should not be that long to receive my finished piece. I was wrong. It has been a month since I have sent my reply note and I have heard nothing. Since the day I commissioned this artist, they have uploaded 35 submissions on FA. 4 commissions (1 of which was commissioned after me, that I know of, and another was the WIP of my commission), 3 auctions, 5 personals, 6 YCH's, and 17 adoptables. They have clearly been able to draw and upload art during this time. It is irritating to me to see someone I commissioned post this much artwork, yet not communicate with me what is going on until I ask for a refund, and fail to finish my commission that I requested a little over 2 months ago. PROOF: Proof of commission being ordered on February 8th, 2015: http://orig12.deviantart.net/a576/f/2015/103/d/3/1_by_riaburr-d8pn8x5.png Proof of money sent on February 8th, 2015: http://orig12.deviantart.net/7a08/f/2015/103/d/1/3_by_riaburr-d8pn8x0.png Proof of notes sent between us and dates: http://orig07.deviantart.net/6d20/f/2015/102/3/3/2_by_riaburr-d8pgokr.png EXPLAIN: I am very irritated at this point. I have made it clear that I do not appreciate the lack of communication. I have asked for a refund, which they refused to give me. I tried to refund through paypal itself, but I had sent the money as a gift because I did not want DeerPuke to have any of the money taken through paypal tax, big mistake that was. I request that I am either refunded the full amount of $25 USD back to my payapl account, or I am given the full piece of artwork, by the end of this month. The item has been delivered, and the beware is being reposted as resolved.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/823202.html WHO: Recca_sen_li WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/reccasenli WHAT: He commissioned a digital two-character commission. WHEN: Started March 28, 2014. Ended January 24th. EXPLAIN: First, I want to say that I own my mistakes. Around the time this commission initiated my husband was in and out of the hospital (until October) and having multiple surgeries which left me as the main provider of our house on top of having to cover his hospital bills. I took on too much work and managed to over-burden myself (a mistake which I have been rectifying by focusing on my oldest queued commissions and only taking one new slot per every 2-3 finished off of my queue). First set of notes about the commission: http://i.imgur.com/cQvsTEg.png Today I noticed I got a few new watchers, which usually happens when I upload something or one of my commissioners has. So I checked my most recent posted pictures to see who uploaded something, and saw that it was him. I went to his page and saw this: http://i.imgur.com/nG1B24T.png Screenshot is cropped, here's the actual link (NSFW) (he also hid my comment saying that I did tell him I could refund him): http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15648598/ I was slightly hurt and upset by this, I've been working extremely hard to fix my past mistakes (I've cleared at least 20 backlogged things off my queue in just the last few weeks) and I had offered to give him a refund if he didn't want to wait. Both times he said he would rather have the art (and I acknowledged I would rather do the art because I liked the characters involved). Notes from him about a refund: http://i.imgur.com/AF5S7lj.png (the apology referred to is because he left a very rude comment on one of my journals and I told him to note me about a refund.) My husband was still in and out of the hospital at this time, and so I ended up sidetracked (again, I admit this is a good deal my fault). Email about a refund, and apparently him keeping tabs on what I have uploaded and blatantly lieing (I have NOT done any commission streams since once nearly two years ago, proof: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10601957/ this was the ONLY time) and never any PWYW streams, and I only held ONE free art contest that was around the same time, right before my husband was hospitalized). He also made the statement that he wanted the art AND a refund, which was when I heavily considered refunding him regardless because that got under my skin but the art was already inked and half colored by that point. http://i.imgur.com/xWs1NcH.png http://i.imgur.com/gjby1XC.png I had finished the commission about two days later (as he was next in my list for catching up). I would just like to say, again, that I know that a big part of this is my fault and I am owning my mistakes and trying to make things right. But I found his behavior underhanded and unprofessional. (Screenshots have been fixed, I hope this is the right way to post OTL.)

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/786204.html WHO: TheForgottenFriends WHERE: http://theforgottenfriends.deviantart.com http://instagram.com/pinkerton_design http://theforgottenfriends.weebly.com/ WHAT: art doll custom I found this artist last year and understandably fell in love with their artwork. I inquired about a commission and he responded with that hes open for commissions and advised me on the total for the request I had in mind. He quoted me for $300. That is a big chunk of change in one go so we came to an agreement for a payment plan. I commissioned him Oct 2013 and finished paying middle of December 2013 and didn't expect work to get started till well after the holidays. He reassured me that because it was a simple request that it should get done pretty fast. This artist has had me wait for almost 8 months now and has shown me NO evidence that my commission is getting done or worked on. I would drop a note once every month or so as to not come off as being pushy since great artwork does take time. However, being strung along like this is what is prompting me to warn other people about commissioning this artist. I've submitted a montage of our conversations. Its really straight forward but his stalling and seemingly unwillingness to even provide me with any photos of work being accomplished in order to gain my trust is what has me unsettled on top of being told things like it'll be done in a couple weeks or it'll be shipped next week (implying its completed?) I kick myself for not screen capping his Facebook page when I decided to dig at his other sites in the hopes of seeing any progress photos of my artwork as he seldom updates his Deviantart. Upon my discovery, found a user on his FB page leave a very upset comment wondering why the artist hasn't responded to their emails and request for a refund and warn other people from commissioning him. This is why I'm more concerned on my behalf as I do not feel I am the only person having issues. Sta.sh link http://sta.sh/015i2aqplklo As of 05AUG14, two days after the artist read my last note, they have not started to issue my refund nor responded to my note in any way. I have since gotten in touch with my bank as promised as I'm well beyond my 45 day window with PayPal. I had hoped to never need to post an Artist Beware article but I am not willing to allow other people to fall into this position with this artist when it comes to their hard earned money. Current Mood:worried

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/783939.html WHO: Shizimiru on DA / Comico on FA WHERE: http://shizimiru.deviantart.com/ WHAT: I actually have a LOT of stuff on Shizi, but I'm still waiting on a couple screenshots from friends before I post a full...bio? On her, so the main focus of this AB is on MY character. The Character in question: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9912995/ I bought this guy from Shizimiru back in February of 2013, he was a part of her species, the Shimiren. He originally started out as an egg in an adopt auction ( what his egg looked like can be seen in the right-hand corner of the linked reference above) and I won him. I was sent and Invoice from Shizimiru to pay for him after I won him, in which I payed the invoice. Around May of the same year, I found out that Shizimiru is a big-time scam artist and wanted nothing else to do with her. Out of spite, she has tried to re-sell this character I bought from her several times over, refusing to admit that I payed for him even after showing evidence of the payment. As far as I know, its been resold at least twice and she is currently trying to again. WHEN: February 9th 2013- Now PROOF: Screenshots of the payment/invoice: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1qspcf4oxerklgv/Bhanu Payment 1 point 2.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/6spqbz9cnml9lhu/Bhanu Payment 2 point 2.png?dl=0 (if for whatever reason you think these screenshots are forged, I will be more than glad to do a screen-share or a stream to prove otherwise, just send me a note on my DA: Silverwindstar) Screenshots of her Reselling or Trying to Resell him: 12/7/2013: https://www.dropbox.com/s/frybnxba5fvhome/bhanu_reupload_shizi_by_crazylovecat-d6x48v9.png?dl=0 12/7/2013: https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7umhrj09li3muz/bhanu_shizi_screencap_by_crazylovecat-d6x3s42.png?dl=0 (this is a different upload. she uploaded it several times in the same day for some reason?) At some point after that she resold him to Emberfoxy1 on DA Link: http://fav.me/d72myo4 Screenshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wcw7qabprljk0f4/bhanu reuploaded by emberfoxy1.PNG?dl=0 Screenshot of All of the Shimiren from the egg batch: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sa8231nteg0lzbm/shimiren_screencap_by_crazylovecat-d6x3t53.png?dl=0 (she doesn't have permission to upload these but has anyways. As far as I know she hasn't tried to resell the others but I wouldn't put it past her.) Link of her currently trying to sell him (current date: 7/21/2014): Link: http://fav.me/d7ro8hu (EDIT: she changed the submission file to something else) Screenshots: https://www.dropbox.com/s/r1b1gmpvm81o4e1/bhanu reupload 2014 1.PNG?dl=0 (I had to zoom out so you could see the whole thing) https://www.dropbox.com/s/f7635stcprwvx19/bhanu reupload 2014 2.PNG?dl=0 (I zoomed back in so you can read what it says.) P.S.: Crazylovecat is my old DA name EDIT: she uploaded it again and disabled the comments (Date: 7/30/2014): Link: http://shizimiru.deviantart.com/art/Electric-Shimiren-FOR-SALE-471967515 Screenshots: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o38jpus4rgaehs2/bhanureupload73014_by_silverwindstar-d7t186g.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/yz3ee2daa5ho12h/bhanureupload73014_description_by_silverwindstar-d7t18el.png?dl=0 (zoomed in for the text here) Funny thing is, she refuses to admit I ever payed for him, yet she was willing to buy a commission from someone of our characters together?: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10392334/ You can obviously see her commenting on it and showing no sign that I had done something wrong. :I EXPLAIN: Sooo...I can't get DA to take anything down since I'm not the original artist of Bhanu's reference sheet. I talked to Kingneroche (aka Ibee) but it seems DA isn't really taking it seriously :< I sadly had the Admin Realitysquared work on my ticket and he responded very rudely and called the ticket 'resolved' when it most certainly isn't. Oh well, I've been working on redesigning Bhanu anyways, so that is that. I've given up on trying to resolve this with reason so I'm just going to move on and forget. However, I wanted to make an AB anyways to at least warn people not to buy this if you see it. Umm...if I think anything needs to be added I'll get to it later. Its late and just writing this has gotten my heart-rate up so I need to call it quits for now. EDIT IMPORTANT: I noticed some of you were commenting on her account. DON'T. Calling her out and leaving insults is not going to help the situation. If you want to warn people, then link them to this AB but don't go and start raising a mess on her account, its immature and your not making yourselves look any better by doing that. So PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON HER ACCOUNT.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/781503.html Edit 8/3/2014: Can an admin mark this as resolved? I had to contact someone else but I finally got my refund back from Glider. WHO: glider/utusmi/rychuu WHERE: www.furaffinity.net/user/glider WHAT: An adoptable from the journal here. http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5404751/ Despite my name not being on the list, I have a note http://tinyurl.com/jvzvkyq saying that I will be placed on the list as I had asked for a reserved slot. WHEN: January 11th, 2014 - Now PROOF/EXPLAIN: The furaffinity user Glider ( furaffinity.net/user/glider ) opened for adoptable customs early in January of this year. I paid my funds http://tinyurl.com/mdcx32u towards buying one http://tinyurl.com/k4lx5jd and have patiently waited for 6 months to see some sort of work being done. After two weeks of posting the initial adoptables journal, Glider posted a journal saying she’d need an extension for getting adoptables finished. http://tinyurl.com/lhzrgfw I left her a comment on her FurAffinity page early in June, asking if she had worked on anything. I also sent a note, but it has gone entirely unread http://tinyurl.com/k9nepup . Today I find out that she has disabled access to her FurAffinity page http://tinyurl.com/mhhclh8 but is still active on her tumblr, posting sketches and reblogging things often (not going to share the link unless someone thinks it's necessary as it seems to be a personal tumblr). I don't necessarily want a refund, but I would really like the product I paid for, as I've wanted a Longthing for an incredibly long while, ahaha! I know she's been busy with school so I laid off and didn't say anything, as at the time it was the 'big part' of college work and I knew she'd be busy with it. Some of her tumblr posts also tell what she's been doing with her school work so I've been lenient after reading she does clinicals and whatnot, but 6 months and 'deactivating' her FurAffinity has really... ruffled my feathers. Like I said, I don't really want a refund, but getting my finished product would be absolutely wonderful. ♥ I sent her a fanmail on Tumblr shortly after I learned I could. I haven't heard anything from her anywhere and her Tumblr has remained inactive since I've posted this. I have since sent her an invoice for my money to be returned. Never again will I do business with her. 7/23/2014 edit; Hopefully one last edit because this is absolutely aggravating. I sent an invoice to her via paypal to hopefully get my money back. I haven't heard or seen heads or tails of her in any amount of time since I've posted this, and her tumblr (myouna.tumblr.com) still remains inactive. If I don't get a refund, I'll be contacting paypal for a refund.

Hello there! So a few months ago me and a friend of mine where commissioning a few people in the Artist Ally at Texas Furry Fiesta On the Saturday We went to DAQs booth as we both liked his vintage style. I ordered an inked traditional piece with one character which came out to $50 USD I paid with cash at his both as he had a sign taped next to the price list stating "cash only please" I paid cash and went about my day. The con went well and after I got emails from all the other artists I commissioned except him, I waited a bit longer and still no response, I got a bit suspicious and worried as all the other artists I commission where finished and sent me completed works, all of these where digital and DAQ was traditional which was a bit more odd as I should have been done around the same time if not a bit earlier. I messaged my friend as well to see if they had gotten any response back from him in regards to their piece and they where coming up empty handed as well. I decided to contact one of the emails that where listed to see if I was queued or he at least knows about my commission but that did not work as well. (I'd like to note as well the friend I was with also did the same thing to no response.) I waited a bit longer and still got no response from both email and other forms of communication. At this point I went with a last ditch effort and contacted the head organiser of the artist ally to see if they might have a different email then the one I was provided, they where kind enough to help me and sent an email on my behalf to the one they had on file, and they to came up empty handed as they never got a repose back when they sent the email out on May 20th. At this point I was getting more worried, a few people mentioned to me that what if someone was impersonating him at the convention and informed me to make a public tweet on the matter to clear things up I did so as well on June 7th and have still not gotten a repose back. However during so I did find a comment on Furaffinity from another artist in the artist alley saying he will be making the trip with DAQ as he will be picking him up from a bus station in Texas. As of writing this on June 20th There has been no response from either of the avenues I or other parties have reached out to him on. I am not to sure what to do, and I am wondering if the convention has some kind of Claus or protocol for this where I am able to get my money back, if not it would be a shame to not get some form of recoupment and I hope this artist will be further banned from participating in TFF And now some photos Here is a photo of the price list on his booth, I got the inked version, to the left you can see a bit of the cash only sign, no receipt was given as well Here is the email I sent out to DAQ, just a simple hey just checking in email And here is the email exchange with the head of the TFF artist alley. (big thanks to them for helping) Furaffinity posts confirming he was in attendance there And lastly my public tweet seeing if I can reach out to him that way. Ironically I found his Twitter when he liked a piece I commissioned at TFF, his Twitter is still active as well And that is currently it, so far I have had no responses in awhile and I am hoping something a bit more public will be able to help out but idk. Hopefully this beware is alright and have a good day!

In October 2017, I commissioned Juicysuits for a full plantigrade suit (suit's name is Terror) for $2200. When I did, I was given a soft deadline of around 2-3 months. I paid via down payment, and sort payment plan. I sent my DTD, and the process started, or so I thought. At this point, there were around 8 partial suits in front of me. Over the next few months, I asked about the deadlines, and it kept getting pushed back. Here's some examples from 2019, and she still hadn't started my suit. Note: The "3 suits needing to be done ASAP was untrue. There were still 6 suits ahead of me. The queue was NEVER cleared. She promised me that she'd start making smaller parts of my suit. Never happened. The only thing I got was a 3d printed bas that was used for all big cat suits. It could've been for anyone else, however. I also want to note that she spent my fursuit money on other things. There's two ways I know this. One, she, in the middle of a long queue already, posted this on her twitter for more money: Finally, after THREE YEARS, I threw in the towel. No progress at all, and she was finishing suits at a speed of two partials per year. At this rate, I'd be 23 or so by the time Terror would be done (I was 18 when I ordered, I'm 21 now). She told me that there could be a payment plan, but I got my lawyer Aunt involved, and I got all my money back. So beware of Juicysuits. DO NOT commission her, she will spend all of your money and then finish your suit in 6 years or so. I recommend you commission her when her business practices improve, which I hope is after she completes the remaining suits in her queue. She was as nice as she could be, but her business practices are extremely lacking. I never got Terror, nothing at all. I'm almost too scared to commission anyone else out of fear of repeating the same process.

The artist messaged me on Twitter after I made a post looking for paws and a tail to commission. I explained to the artist it was going to be a complicated build but they didn't seem concerned. We talked about details and agreed to a price. They said they could get started right away. I asked for a TOS and photos of previous work. They sent a TOS vis Google docs and pictures of other suits. They asked I send payment via PayPal friends and family (i didnt know the difference and thought i was helping as it reduced fees). As I am new to this I didn't know the signs of what to look for so I sent over payment. The next day I decided I also wanted feet paws. So we discussed that as well. So I sent over a second payment for them. I am now in the hole $1020. They do not have a website, a trello, or any other legitimate business profile, they are using a stolen profile picture and the pictures of the suits they have sent were bogus and not their creations. They have changed their Twitter handle from HD suitz to rldhh. They have since stopped communicating. BEWARE.

original: https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/655973.html WHO: Sweetnightmare - Operator of Business Scixzor - Husband and Business partner. He handles customer service tickets when silver is "overwhelmed" WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/sweetnightmare WHAT: A partial fursuit originally to be finished on Dec 25th as the deadline. (Later extended, as will explain.) WHEN: Aug 2012 - Feb 2013 Proof/Explain: - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4344146/ - FurAffinity Admins asked to take down the journal, here is a screenshot of it. http://imgur.com/EowoH5R I commissioned sweetnightmare in Aug of 2012 to create a fursuit of my fursona Inukaza. I paid up front, later upgrading to a full suit. When I first commissioned her, I made a request to be updated by photo every month. At first, she was willing, and sent updates. October was the last update I received. Afterwords, every half-month I would ask for a photo update, to which she would respond that they did not have a camera to take the update with. Contrary to that fact, they were still able to upload pictures with a camera that they acquired, yet still were able to come up with a excuse to not give progress photos. Oh wait. That's because they were hiding the fact that there was no process. Well, to make this factual, reasonable process. Today, Feb 15th, 2013, 5 months, 20 days from the day I ordered the product, I received a box full of supplies. To clarify, I asked her to send me the supplies, because it was getting absurd about how long I was waiting. The due date for this project was in December. What did I receive? What does almost 6 months of progress look like? 1. A few yards of black and brown fur. Not enough for full suit, maybe not even enough brown to create the rest of the partial. Once I check with the amazing person who might be finishing this suit for me, I'll update this. ( http://i.imgur.com/6JzTZRY.png ) 2. Foam Base ( http://imgur.com/a/Elifk ) <--- Actual photo. 2.A. Here is a progress photo she sent from Oct. 2012. Please compare. ( http://i.imgur.com/vNIAGZv.jpg) 3. White and Black sculpey, for teeth and mouth. 4. Slippers. (I can't tell where she got them from, decent.) 5. Foam for eyes, mouth, ears. 6. Cut-outs for paws. Not sewn in. 7. Some thread. (Here's her actual list of what she said she was sending me. She sent what she said she would. http://i.imgur.com/BYI5sNo.png). What's not included? 1. Polyfill, she said there was no room in the box to put it. I beg to differ, I personally could have fit it in there. However, I won't argue it, as it could be said to have been done to not crush the head base. 2. Foam for foot paws. At this point, it would have been nice to still offer a refund for those supplies or buy a bigger box, I was paying for shipping either way. 3. Completed fursuit. Seriously. (By this I mean it in a sarcastic way, I know I asked for the materials, however, I was led to be aware up until she told me what was in the package that the tail, footpaws, and more of the handpaws were done. So, recap. I got a foam base, and supplies to make a fursuit. Meaning, tail wasn't even started to be worked on. Handpaws only partially done, and head....well, you can see with the photos from above. You might be asking, why did I deal with this? She apparently has had tons of issues thought out the past few years. I want to, and I actually do, believe her. Of course, shit happens, sometimes you have to deal with what's thrown at you. Bad anxiety, home issues, relationship issues. (She her journals on her page to confirm and read up on the nature of it and make your own opinions). I felt bad, and I went along with it. However, throughout my contacts with her, I was constantly led to believe that this project would be done sooner. Here's some documentation. 10/03/2012: I asked what I can expect to be done by the next monthly update. ( http://i.imgur.com/SsuCNb9.png ) 10/23/2012: I asked how many commissions are ahead of mine, to get a gauge on how many she has. Just a FYI, at this point she has started selling her services every other week. She still is selling fursuits at this point. ( http://i.imgur.com/JNQxy7h.png ) 10/29/2012: I was discussing upgrading to a full suit. I asked for a photo update for the month of November now, she said her cam was being derpy. ( http://i.imgur.com/J5xCdVT.png ) 11/05/2012: I asked her about a time frame to expect the photos. She mistakenly confused it for asking when the suit was done, and clarified her deadline. As well as promising to get my photo update. ( http://imgur.com/a/8qU6N ) 11/29/2012: I am getting really ticked at this point. I tell her that even though I'm her friend, it's stupid that this is becoming impossible to get updates. Her husband comes over on her skype to explain the situation. I made her aware that if she can not deliver updates, do not promise them. ( http://imgur.com/a/PhiZo ) This same day, she says she needs more time on the suit. ( http://imgur.com/QlqCQ3N ). 12/13/2012: Asked for a photo update. Never came. ( http://i.imgur.com/1E5IKad.png ). 12/26/2012: I asked for a update. No response. ( http://i.imgur.com/7LVnZha.png ). 1/02/2013: She offered a refund at this point when I confronted her about the updates, but with no sight of when I'd get it. At this point, I've heard stories from past commissioners who have stated that when they asked for a refund they didn't receive it til half a year later. I opted to keep on going with it. ( http://imgur.com/1CZcSfR ) This is where the lies start kicking in. She lied about the progress the suit was in. She states the tail and feet are done. Neither of which were started in reality. And the hand paws were further progressed than what they were in reality. ( http://i.imgur.com/6vahOk4.png ). 1/03/2013: Apparently there is now four suits in front of me. Remember back in Oct. 2012 when there were only three that were almost done? ( http://i.imgur.com/GphSFXV.png ). Late Jan/ Early Feb: She moved to a new house, as you can see by reading her new journals. Obviously and understandably, suit making was not the first thing on her mind. At this point I'm getting tired of asking for updates. 2/02/2013: I asked for another update. She said there were more suits in front of mine. Others were rushed orders. No shit, really, mine is a rush order by now. It's 2 months overdue at this point. ( http://i.imgur.com/VLESINJ.png ) She requested me to send all updates to her husband, scixzor scixzor. All updates, notes, requests that I sent to him were read, and ignored. By ignored, I mean he did not send a response, including those that deliberately requested him to reply. ( http://i.imgur.com/68oVAog.png ) 2/05/2013: I asked her to just send me supplies for unfinished suit so I could finish it myself. I am still under the impression that everything is pretty much done. She still says that it would be done and shipped by the end of Feb, the absolute final due date. ( http://i.imgur.com/K33TUGA.png ) 2/06/2013: She sends a message saying she wants to send me the unfinished suit. ( http://i.imgur.com/JfsoxgJ.png ) I asked her to write a detailed invoice telling what she has done, and what needs to be done. Mostly for the reason of making this journal. It was a way for her to defend herself and for things to be factual to back up my claims. She didn't send it, saying she forgot. ( http://imgur.com/QcoJAL6 ) 2/08/2013: Items sent via UPS. I paid shipping. ( http://i.imgur.com/6Hw6ekt.png ). 2/15/2013: I received items, here is a video of me opening it and going though it. Please excuse the bad lighting, out lights our out in that area of our apartment. Also, NSFW language. This was the first time I saw those items. I was pissed. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMP5FpmFoKA ) OVERALL: I feel I was scammed. She's not a reliable fursuit maker. I HIGHLY DO NOT recommend commissioning her. If you have already done so, make your own choice. If you want to take this to heart, I would make the choice to cancel your order. If you want more proof, send me a note with your questions and I'll be happy to provide you with more information. Additional Information: I canceled the commissioned after a financial hardship on 1/21/13, I asked to have it reinstated on 1/27/13. ( http://imgur.com/a/E3jbu ) She was completely fine with it, not giving me any reason to believe this was a issue. The original deadline was Dec 25th. Second deadline was Feb 1st. Third Deadline was March 1st. Each time extended because I asked if she needed more time, thinking she was almost done. ( http://imgur.com/a/1ANhI ) I said I wanted to take the stress off her and take the items. I still thought that the Tail, hand paws, and foot paws were completely done, and the head was ready to foam until after this happen when she clarified what would she be sending me.( http://i.imgur.com/baidQSA.png ) Aftermath of the journal: I received several messages asking for me to take down my review, I refused. She wanted to fix this by letting me return the materials I asked for and finishing it faster. However, the entire reason I asked for the materials, legitimately, was to send them to another suit maker to use them. There is no way this can be fixed, as this is a complaint about customer service and not the fact that I expected a completed suit when I asked for the materials. There was a strong smell of smoke on the suit, I didn't think much of it. However, it turns out the person I sent the materials to finish my suit is actually allergic, so take that to heed.

On November 24th 2019 at 11:33 pm EST I messaged Moki on Furry Amino, asking if they were willing to trade a Protogen Head (later head and Hand paws) for my Mini Partial Monster Dog suit (now referred to as Pound Cake). At 11:53 pm EST Moki responded and asked for pictures, very quickly declaring they “really love him” and accepted the trade. This sparked a quick succession of messages, us both gathering addresses, proof of ownership, and further information on each other’s suits. While I told them of my worry of having suits stolen, as I had problems with Pound Cake when I traded for him, Moki quelled my fears and we agreed to send both suits out at the same time the next day on November 25th 2019. We continued to chat, an open friendly conversation about different suits and the tracking numbers were exchanged. They found a problem with the tracking number I sent and I very quickly fixed it, it was a simple type-o on my end, but when I started raising concerns about the number they sent me, I was ghosted for many days. The suit was due to arrive on Dec. 6th, it of course never came. They once again calmed me down by reminding me it was around the holidays so packages get a bit wonky. Around this time Pound Cake arrived at their Customs. It was supposedly around 100 Usd to get it out of customs. They claimed to not have the money, then suddenly came into the money when their dad lent them some, and then suddenly was unable to afford it again. At the time I didn’t connect the dots but now I am fully aware this is the point where they stole my suit. At this point it was December 12th and the Protogen I traded for was still sitting in the post office because they “wouldn’t accept my address” After many days of back and forths they went on Vacation, promising to send it when they get back. In the messages below I contacted them On Dec. 23rd, a Monday, and then waited until the 28th to contact again. Through this whole time I was ghosted. They finally contacted me in early January (I have lost those screenshots) and asked to stop the trade. I agreed, thinking that Pound Cake was still in Customs. They told me that the suit would be sent back before the first week of February when no one picked it up. It is currently March when I am writing this beware. During the time of trying to get in touch with Moki, also known as HTT Creations on other sites like facebook, instagram, DA, FA, and patreon, I posted Warnings on their Furry Amino, and wonone got back with me. They gave me Moki’s insta, where they proclaimed to not know me, never traded suits with me, and then blocked me. I then messaged them on every site I could find them on, all listed above, to no avail. I even got in touch with Pound Cakes maker, and had them help me. During this time of trying to talk with them for the first time in months, I found out that they had already traded the Protogen suit, I am unsure if this was before or after our trade agreement but it it appears to have be either During or before our agreement since the suit they traded for has been on their social medias for a while. Leading me to believe they started the trade with me without having the suit. Below is the conversation between me and Moki on Furry Amino, ranging from November 24th, to February 24th when I finally stopped messaging them since they ghosted me for so long. That was the last I heard from them on Furry Amino. On March 3rd I got a message from someone (who wishes to remain unknown) and they gave me Moki”s Instagram. Below are the screenshots of the Instagram messaged between Myself and Moki/ HTT Creations on Instagram. Things may get a bit confusing since these messages were happening at the same time as I talked with Unknown. After clarifying who I was I was promptly Blocked. I continued to try and get in touch with them through all their social media to no avail, even contacting Pound Cake’s maker who also helped me message them, SourAppleSuits on Instagram was left on read and ignored. TLDR: Moki Coyoti/ HTT Creations agreed to trade their protogen suit with my Monster Dog suit named Pound Cake on Nov.24th 2019. They cut all contact after 3 months and I was told they would send him back. I never got my suit. March 3rd rolled around and I was contacted by Unknown with their instagram (known as htt_creations) and when I tried to message them they blocked me. I also found out they have already traded the Protogen suit for another suit before/during our ongoing trade. I am still blocked and have gotten no response. Thank you so much for reading, below is the last pictures I have of Pound Cake. He is currently somewhere in Ontario Canada. If seen, Report it as stolen to the local police and contact me On Twitter @Buttercream243, or by email [email protected]. A reward of an Artistic Liberty mini partial will be given to whoever finds and returns the suit.

Hello. Sorry for the mistakes, I'm using a translator. The commissioner, whom I will call Chi here (according to his furaffinity profile), has not fully paid for my services as an artist. In early March 2022, Chi wanted to order a commission, but then changed his mind and bought two YCHs at auction (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46350007/ and https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46350081/). Chi had bought YCHs before and paid for them through PayPal and had no problems. I live in Russia, so since March I started accepting payment through Boosty. We started chatting with Chi on March 15, 2022 via Notes Furaffinity. Total value for YCHs: 240$. Chi had difficulty paying, so we often contacted Boosty support and rescheduled the payment day. I made the mistake of starting to draw before payment, thinking everything would be fine and the payment issue would be resolved quickly. The first YCH was published and given to Chi on March 19, 2022 (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46414100/), and the second YCH on March 30, 2022 (https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46554556/). We were in touch all the time. By then the payment had not been completed. Chi was also in the process of getting a new payment card (or something like that), but in the end that didn't help to make the payment on Boosty either. On June 21, 2022, after a month of silence, I wrote again. It was decided to switch to Telegram for faster messaging. However, we don't added to each other's contacts at time - it seems Chi was very busy in real life, and I didn't want to bother him too often, thinking it was in Chi's interest to pay for my work. On August 8, 2022, I wrote to him at Furaffinity, asking him to answer me within a week or I would have to write a beware post about him. He replied the same day, we exchanged contacts and started chatting in Telegram. Tried some ways, we picked up a donation service. Chi managed to send me $5. I said there would be no problem with big payments. He later sent me another $20. I also asked him not to send me too small amounts because of the high service tax. In general, we have chatted rarely since that time because of the difficulties in Chi's life. I could wait weeks for an answer. On November 21, 2022, I received another $20 from Chi with Boosty. Afterwards, Chi promised to add a tip for the inconvenience. It wasn't necessary, though... On November 30, 2022, Chi sent me $100. I wrote to Chi on March 16, 2023, since I had not received any messages from him before that. I read the empty promises of payment again. I also notified about me on April 1 and 20, but these messages were not read. It must be said that Chi posts new artworks almost daily to his galleries or writes journals on Furaffinity. Also found commissions from other artists for Chi (including Russian speakers on Boosty). So far, $145 of the $240 for the two YCHs has been paid. I'm not sure I'll see the remaining amount at all, so I'm writing this post in order to speak out about this kind of experience with this commissioner. I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties in his life, but I also feel cheated. I drew YCHs for Chi before payment, thinking it would make happy. My mistake was trusting and being too soft as an artist. Be careful and value your time.

PLEASE NOTE: In any screen cap dated after April 4th 2019 I had moved and there is now a 5 hour time zone difference between she and I. (this means that it may seem like I am messaging very early, but for her it is 5 hours ahead of my time stamp.) I was directed to Tamsin (Tammy) via a friend from whom I was purchasing a fursuit head. I had wanted to commission matching hands/tail/arm sleeves in time for Confuzzled. Tammy and I discussed prices and materials and I agreed to pay once I got paid. (The total was 130 GBP which is about $160 USD). I paid promptly upon getting my pay check: After I sent the payment there was apparently a hold up in paypal where they wouldn't release the money to her until I marked the item as shipped with no tracking needed. I was concerned but did as she asked since I had no reason not to trust her. She specifically stated that she needed the money released so she could order the materials quicker. I had some issues come up and ended up not being able to go to CFZ (Confuzzled). Due to this I expressed that I did not need them finished by the con deadline. I was still under the impression that she had already ordered the materials because that was why she needed me to promptly release the funds into her account. After the con passed I didn't hear from her, so contacted her in order to set up a deadline. She expressed that it was a bit hard to do the deadline I suggested because of work/school. I tried to compromise and just prioritize the most important parts first. By June 14th I was starting to feel a bit ignored, as I would see them online and they would check my messages and not respond. The friend who had originally sent me to them (Cas as mentioned in screen shots) mentioned that there were some issues between the two of them at CFZ, and I became afraid that she wasn't communicating with me because of my friendship with Cas, as I had been told that she was answering other messages. I admit that my behavior was a bit pushy in these screen shots, but I have been burnt several times by fursuit builders and was feeling anxious. We agree here on a Halloween deadline and I express that I will make a new ref with the updates I had previously discussed. I make sure to mention that I absolutely must see some sort of work started in July, since they said they would probably start mid July, due to my paypal protection window. I am still fine with the Halloween completion deadline, but just need to see some sort of progress, or materials to show the project is in the works. They express they are stressed due to personal issues. Concerned that this commission is adding onto their stress, I offer to just take a refund in parts if they are no longer interested or have the motivation/time to work on the parts. At this point she starts to seem a bit aggressive, so I inquire as to her having purchased the materials in case we need to work out her shipping them to me and subtracting the cost of shipping/materials from a refund. I was told by our mutual friend that she didn't actually buy the materials, and so I requested pictures from her in order to just prove that she had bought the items needed, as that was the whole reason she asked me to release the funds, so that she could more swiftly buy the materials. At this point she makes excuses one after another on why she can't provide pictures. I give her a deadline on when I must see materials. I agree to a Wednesday deadline to see the materials that week and reiterate that she said she needed the funds to order materials promptly. At this point SHE offers the refund and expresses when her paydays are. I feel this was done because she had never bought the materials and knew she couldn't provide proof in the time frame requested. At this point I feel I am being scammed and lied to, so I agree to the refund and offer her the option of half and half payments on the 27th of each month. I leave her alone for the rest of the month until the 27th where I then message her and remind her of my email. I see her active all day and get no answer while our mutual friend confirms that she's been answering their messages. They finally respond and claim they were working and then go silent again. I get a bit snippy and let them know that I will just file a dispute if I don't get the half payment on the promised day. She finally makes time to attempt to pay me and then gets upset about paypal fees based on currency differences. I try to remedy this by adding GBP to my paypal options, but it still charges a fee, which I tell her I will cover. She sends the first half of the refund, I confirm I got it and then leave her alone until July 25th, where I just send a reminder of the email for the refund. After contacting on the 25th of July 2019, Tamsin expresses that she needs a bit of an extension on the payment time because she is at a con. I thank her for letting me know and leave her alone until the day that SHE set as the new payment day for the final half of the refund. I decided to send an invoice for the remainder to see if that would keep her from having to pay a fee on her end. She claims she can't pay and cancels the invoice. I express that I am not really wanting to wait longer, as I already extended the deadline to Monday (which was the day SHE asked for). I give in and ask her to give me a definite deadline on when she can pay. She ignores me and I wait till the next day (July 30th ) to message her again asking for a definite deadline again. She says she couldn't pay because she had bills. I express that I am unwilling to wait another month because I feel at this point she is jerking me around. (Our mutual has expressed that she' had been spending money on frivolous things, so I felt I was being jerked around and scammed.) She makes a snippy comment about "not relying on her as a source of income" and it really rubbed me the wrong way. I got extremely upset and rather argumentative, as I felt that her statement was in direct contrast to her own behavior, (taking my money and spending it at an event while not even purchasing my materials). Our conversation deteriorated quickly. She continues to claim she bought fur but cannot provide any proof (pictures, receipts, tracking on shipments, etc), and completely twists the situation to paint herself in a better light. (Claiming I wanted a refund because I was broke, when she was the one who chose a refund over just providing proof of the materials that she swears she has bought.) At this point I feel that I am being jerked around and that she has no intention of paying me at all, so I decide to take things to Paypal and open a dispute. I know due to me changing email addresses between payment to refund, that it will dispute for the full amount paid. My intention was to simply send her back the half she had refunded previously once Paypal handled the transaction if she was unwilling to work something out. She proceeds to completely go ballistic once the claim puts a hold on her account. She claims she was going to pay me aft 8 because she was waiting on our mutual friend to pay her for something. This is information that she NEVER once brought up until I filed a claim. She in fact explicitly stated that she didn't know when she'd be able to pay. I initially refuse to cancel the claim because I don't trust her at this point and know that she is a liar. I attempt to make arrangements for the mutual friend to just pay me directly but he can't, as he is doing a bank transfer to her instead of paypal. They claim they will send the money as soon as I cancel the claim and their account comes out of the negative. I make the mistake of trusting them because I am not out to hurt someone, just want what is owed me. Big mistake. I cancel the claim and she ghosts me completely. I send a couple of reminders and get nothing. Cas (the mutual) confirms later in the week that they already paid her, and I still am getting nothing from her, either messages or money. I decide to try to be nice and just leave her alone except to send a reminder on the 16th asking if I will get pair, then left her alone for the rest of August until the 27th and message her again to see if I can get this finished. As of now she has read the messages and still refuses to respond. She has been active on her Instagram (selling adopts primarily), but has failed to answer or send the money. In summary, she is a liar, a scammer, and a thief and I hope that no one else ever has to deal with her or falls for her lies. The below screen caps show her publicly available information / social media accounts so that hopefully others can avoid her.

On September 30, 2019, I was made aware of a special auction Mischief Makers was holding on Dealer’s Den. The auction was for a summer 2020 completion commission slot. Tweet Link Archived Tweet The promised deadline was the catalyst for my bid on this auction. At the time of the bid, I was not made aware that Mischief Makers had a queue going back years. I had a positive experience commissioning them in 2016, so I expected this commission would be another positive experience. PLEASE NOTE: Mischief Makers (or Dealer’s Den) has removed the auction listing, so I cannot screencap it. It now leads to an error page. On September 30th, I sent my design to them for approval, and the design was approved. I won the auction for $7,100, as shown in my Dealer’s Den history here: I informed Mischief Makers of my auction win on October 12, 2019: I received my invoice from Mischief Makers, and sent the payment shortly after: I did not receive any communication from Mischief Makers from October 2019 through April 2020. Concerned about my commission’s deadline, given the summer deadline advertised in the auction, I reached out to Mischief Makers on April 1, 2020: When I did not receive a response from Mischief Makers, I followed up on April 7, 2020 and asked them when I should send my DTD. At this point I became aware that the auction page was removed either by Mischief Makers or by Dealer’s Den. I did not receive a response to my email. I contacted Mischief Makers via Telegram. I sent a message on April 5th that was unanswered. My message from April 8th was answered: In this message, Mischief Makers informed me they would improve their communication. I decided I would be patient sometime longer. Fast forward to July 2020, I sent Mischief Makers some follow up messages via Telegram, asking about the start date to my commission. My messages from July 13 and July 20 were not answered. I started looking around on Twitter to see if anyone else was having trouble with Mischief Makers, and came across numerous people indicating that Mischief Makers was ghosting them on commissions that were years old. After some callouts from other customers, Mischief Makers posted a Tweet on July 27th acknowledging their poor communication and committing to fixing it. Link to Tweet Link to Archived Tweet I sent an email to Mischief Makers after reading this post on July 27, 2020, in which I expressed that I was not willing to wait for them to finish their years long queue to get to my commission, as the commission was advertised with a specific deadline, and I bidded accordingly: I also sent this same message via Telegram: I did not receive a response to either message. I followed up on August 18, asking for a chance to discuss the commission. This message was not responded to either. On August 22nd, there were numerous customers discussing Mischief Maker’s lack of communication and lack of commission progress or updates within in the Mischief Makers Telegram Chat. One customer noted that Mischief Makers had a queue of 28 suits, with a number of other customers not present on the queue. At this point, an individual named Keitel came forward and asked that customers direct their inquiries toward them. This message was placed in the Mischief Makers telegram chat: On August 29th, I contacted Keitel per these instructions: I did not receive a response from Mischief Makers, so I followed up with Keitel on September 1st: I continued to not receive any communication from Mischief Makers, so I followed up with Keitel on September 8th again. At this point, I was informed that my suit was delayed, but that I should get my suit by the end of the year, and that it would be worked on alongside other suits. I found this reasonable, and hoped for the best. Fast forward to December 2020, and I hadn’t heard from Keitel or Mischief Makers regarding my suit. Given the new promised deadline, I became concerned and contacted Keitel on December 2nd asking for an update, and when I should send my DTD. On December 7th, I still had not heard from Mischief Makers, so I followed up with Keitel again: On December 8th, Keitel responded to me and said that Mischief Makers hadn’t responded to them yet. On December 13th, I informed Keitel that Mischief Makers still hadn’t contacted me. Keitel informed me that Mischief Makers had not contacted them either. At this point I informed Keitel that if the suit wasn’t complete by the end of the year, I would expect a refund. On December 14, I followed up with Keitel and informed them that Mischief Makers still had not responded. On December 15th, Mischief Makers finally reached out to me. The message I received from Mischief Makers was as follows (along with an indication that Keitel seems to no longer be involved with communication): I informed Mischief Makers that I was happy to give them more time if I could get consistent communication and a reasonable frequency for updates. I asked them when they expect the suit would be completed. As of December 21st, today, Mischief Makers has not answered my question despite having viewed it. I sent this message today: At this point, I am sad to express that I do not trust Mischief Makers will provide me the consistent communication or updates as I have requested. My willingness to accept a later deadline is contingent on trusting my fursuit maker will not ghost me and will continue to provide updates, even if the progress is slow. The silence has spoken. At this point, to resolve this situation, I would like a refund of $7100.

In April 2021, KidRhinoBoy opened for commissions. A friend of mine and I decided we would get a commission from him. I messaged him on Twitter (seen below) about availability and pricing. We exchanged a few messages regarding prices and what exactly my friend and I would get. We chose to get a single, colored picture from him. Each of us paid $80 to KidRhinoBoy. (I do not have a receipt for my friend but I do have mine). Initially it was going to be a three person picture, but the third person dropped out due to financial reasons. Figures 1-14 PayPal Receipt on my end shown in Figure 15 In late October 2021 I messaged KidRhinoBoy again, discussing a change to the drawing. I thought this would be alright since he hadn't started the drawing yet. Figures 16-17 It should be noted that at this point, KidRhinoBoy had opened and accepted a new round of comissions in late December 2021 / early January 2022. At this point I was starting to think that perhaps my commission had been forgotten about, hence my message about two weeks after he closed. Around this time I also told a friend what was going on. This friend had KidRhinoBoy's Telegram information and relayed what I had said to him. KidRhinoBoy then reached out to me on January 14th. He told me at this time that the sketch would be started some time in the next week or two (Last two weeks of January 2022) Figures 18-20 I would also occasionally reach out to him about his art, not looking for any updates, but just because I thought what he was putting out looked good. In April he messaged me again asking about my commission. He said he would sketch it soon. (It was not made clear to me what soon meant in this case, however) Figures 21-22 In June I reached out again asking to see if there was any update from his end. This time he said he would get me a sketch the next day. Three days after he asks me about the idea again. (To be clear, I did not delete or make invisible any of my messages in Telegram, so I was a little confused why he was asking again) Figure 23 I sent him a reply a little over 4 hours later, but at the time of writing it does not appear that he has read my messages. Figures 24-25 In hindsight it probably wasn't a great idea to change the art idea when I did. I know he also runs his own restaurant/cafe and suits a lot where he lives, so he's certainly busy. I understand that no one can do all things all at once. I'm not sure what to think about the various times I was promised a sketch, perhaps he's tried and wasn't happy with the results, but I genuinely don't know. Figures 26-27 Fig 1: Fig 2: Fig 3: Fig 4: Fig 5: Fig 6: Fig 7: (Blanked out to hide artist's name) Fig 8: Fig 9: Fig 10: Fig 11: Fig 12: Fig 13: Fig 14: Fig 15: Fig 16: Fig 17: Fig 18: Fig 19: Fig 20: Fig 21: Fig 22: Fig 23: I sent him a reply a little over 4 hours later, but at the time of writing it does not appear that he has read my messages. Fig 24 and 25: Fig 26: Fig 27: