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Commissioned Bubbles at BLFC 2018 for a Colored Badge. I paid at the convention in cash. They emailed back very quickly to confirm the commission and get references. (They CC'ed everyone who had gotten a commission at the con). Their Trello was updated with a sketch of the badge. I didn't hear back from them though, and in November I sent a follow up message. They replied the badge was completed and being shipped out. Their Trello still only shows the sketch and I have no proof of its completion. I also did not get any tracking number or shipment details. I gave my address at the convention, but just to be sure, In December I sent my address once more. In January I sent a follow up. I also messaged them on Telegram - it is still not read. Finally in January I CC'ed everyone asking if they had heard from the artist. The artist also replied. I replied I'm happy to wait. Then in February I asked for an update. And then finally in February I asked for a refund. At this point it is not looking like I'll get either the commission or the Refund. This artist is not communicative, lied about the status of the badge and the shipping, missed multiple deadlines, and in all failed to deliver.

*Due do me deleting the conversation on Twitter, I do not have my messages to the artist.* On Nov. 9th 2018, I commissioned this artist for a $60-65 slot, including paypal tax, I was charged $70. I didnt care at the time so I accepted and waited for my commission. About a month went by and I asked if any progress was made, they said no, but would start up after the holidays. I accepted their statement and continued to wait. 1-going-on-2 months later I asked again, no reply, I believe I asked more than once if any progress was made, which I got no reply. So I decided to reach out to my bank and PayPal. When I sent out that claim I finally got a reply, about their dog passing, which NO UPDATE POST was made about this on their picarto, trello, twitter, and telegram chats, not even on their relationship partner’s social media. Its been going on three months with just one complaint about making a claim to paypal and my bank (which was closed so now I cannot make another claim to get my money back) and its about to hit four months, and I still havent gotten a sketch.

I wanted to commission this guy for a custom 3d modell of a character. He did work on many interesting pieces before, just view his 3d gallary for proof. So i wrote to him on Discord that i was interested in getting a commission from him. It started out pretty casual. I told him what i was looking for. It went pretty much good until payment as we quickly came to the terms on what i wanted. I think the last picture says a lot about my patients at that point. Its been 1 year since i commissioned him and i still had not gotten anything besides wips, also most of them only because i keeped bugging. This was my first 3d thing i wanted to get and i usually commission 2d stuff and wanted to try something new. I feel betrayed and scammed by now. There is no way paypal could assist me as the transaction was already from last year and they only gurantee you for 6 months. if i had known that i would have presured him with pulling my money back, but i never was such a person so i gave him time and casually ask from time to time. By this day i have written him on Twitter, Deviantart and as you can tell countless times on discord. But maybe posting a beware here could help my soul to find some peace at least.

I bought a reference sheet from an artist, and King21 traced it to fill orders and sell them as original pieces. My reference sheetThe reference sheet they sold the first personThe reference sheet they sold the second personProof that they actually uploaded it, meaning that someone had bought the art from them. (paid $$$). On Patreon, too (1) On Patreon, too (2) On Patreon, too (3) Patreon post 1 Patreon post 2 Proof that it's almost a carbon copy: Superimpose (front)Superimpose (back) Superimpose (second sheet) I put them on top of each other and decreased the opacity. Surely you'd agree that they traced my bought work, right? Sure, they changed some proportions like the ears, hand/paw, eyes, etc but that's very easy to do as an artist once you have the base. Hell, I could do it, and I have zero experience in art.While they aren't scamming me directly, I feel like they're scamming other people who are expecting original works, so that should be enough?

At the beginning of 2018 I took Codeine up on a deal. She was to do me a couple's sketch page with flat colour for a grand total of $200. As of now, it is still ongoing and I have two basic sketches (not-coloured) which was shown to me at the end of April 2018. (I'll come back to this later.) Proof of Purchases From the initial purchasing of the commission to the first sketch update, I always had difficulty communicating with her, whether it was due to no replies on Discord or her emails. This is a long running trend that is still happening today. She has said multiple times that she has personal issues going on, some to do with mental health and some to do with money. I have tried my best to be cordial and to respect the time she may take as I can understand is can be difficult. But even after a year there really has been no progress on my end all the while she still accepts more and more commissions without ever really seeing them be uploaded. (Of course, these people may have very well gotten their work done, but Codeine told me something herself which makes me doubt that.) Large and Unmoving Backlog She told me once that she had a backlog of near 100 people but only works on those that continue to pester her (like myself). Obviously at the time of hearing it, I thought it was a little peculiar and borderline scam-like but I tried to stay positive and said at least it lets her focus down on 'urgent' ones and such. I'm fully aware I could considered mean or inconsiderate to go back on my word of not outing her, but at this stage I feel like I want to get the word out. With all the hubbub of Jailbird working up a backlog and constantly taking more made me think of it, and if I can stop people from falling into this pit like me, then good. From the horse's mouth the artist has a fairly dodgy work ethic / professionalism since it seems a lot of people's money has sunk into the void. Potential Attempts at using my wallet more I would take this one with a grain of salt, but it also showcases the long periods of time I would often have to wait for any kind of communication. She once drew to my attention an adopt for a character going and she started out by saying how much they liked drawing my character, and if I were to buy this adopt for her, I'd get a steady flow of art with them together. To her credit she said it was quite a selfish ask and didn't seem bothered by me declining. However it was followed by a particularly long period of time without any word from her after having finally just been in regular contact with her. Her initial proposition on Jan 17th. A period of time without contact from the 17th of Jan to the 20th of Feb. (Now, I personally feel this was because she failed to get the character out of me BUT I am happy to be proven wrong and to state that as more my opinion than anything else.) This further shows poor communication on her end, creating a frustrating time on my end. Combinations As time went on, I foolishly continued buying smaller things from her which also were never completed HOWEVER she did offer to combine them into the price of the sketch page. With everything said and done, she dropped a few patreon rewards and sketch slots I purchased completely in order to put more detail into the page. This included a piece of work that she left as flat colours instead of finishing, saying that would go into the page as well. We ended up basically having her owe me the same full sketch page but fully coloured, fully shaded instead of just flats like we originally settled upon. (Which I was happy to accept, of course.) Recent Endeavours and Attempting Refunds Lately I've been asking her for refunds on the page. Since its been so long since I've had an update, and trying to get into contact with her was a trial within itself, I started talking more about simply putting it to rest and getting me my money back. There are many things I'm still due from her but have stated I'm perfectly happy to just focus on the very original $200 and forget about the extras added on and the little sketches I bought on the side. Just the other day she responded and tried to say that the amount of work she's already done is worth $260. Even though she had this to say about the original. This was the picture in question that I asked for price on. This image, flat coloured would be worth $200 in her own words, that we settled upon and I paid. Compare that with what she had managed to do for me in one evening that she is saying is worth $260. We since moved to Twitter to speak, since I generally found better success getting her there, and I could see whether she read my messages or not. She said it was worth $260 because she has apparently done more work on it since (That I have not seen so I haven't been able to even approve it.) though I can't help but imagine she will quickly draw something up or colour a part of it to show me when she next gets back into contact with me. (Which to be honest, if she does then fine. I won't want money back for work that has been done, that's the whole point.) But as it stands, that's all I have to show for my money. Conclusion and where I am now 4 days ago Codeine explained to me she was away from home for personal reasons and assured me she'd be away for 3 days max and would be home to talk with me further about all of this. Obviously, she has not but has read a post I sent to her earlier today. (Still past the 3 day limit she set.) I have essentially been left on read at this point in time. The blue tick means someone has seen your post. Grey is the opposite. These were from today. 8 hours ago and 52 minutes ago respectively. I ultimately didn't want to make this as I hoped we could come to an agreement and I could let it all go. But after constant delays to periods of time she comes up with herself, I promised to myself I would write this up and be done with it if she failed to meet the next deadline. (Yesterday.) Even if my own issue never gets resolved I hope this might at least make a few more people aware that it might be best to steer clear from this one until her backlog seems to be more under control.

Before I begin, let me reinstate that I wish no ill will or harm towards DaskerLizard or their business. I am simply posting my experience about my time with Dasker so that others my avoid the negative experience that I have had. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I contacted Dasker/BlueFoxFursuits the morning of June 16th, 2016 via email asking if it was okay for me to order being 17 (turning 18 within the next few weeks) and what their payment plans looked like. I was responded to 4 days later with both my questions answered. Given the okay to order, I then submitted a application via their google docs quote form. I was responded to almost immediately with the approximate due date and how much my suit (which was/will be a partial) would cost. I responded back within a few minutes saying I would like to go ahead and reserve my spot within their queue. After a few hiccups, (me paying in the wrong currency), I finally had paid off my deposit and had a reserved slot for May 2017. I paid £190 ( $287.16 ). A few emails from me about what furs they will use for my suit were exchanged so I could order a bodysuit to match with no problems. I have since received my bodysuit from another maker. The real problems started when it finally reached the due date for my commission. I was struggling for with money due to unforeseen car problems, so I emailed them on the 15th of May, 2017 and asked for an update on when I would be up so I could prepare on when I needed to pay/how much to put aside. They replied telling me they had to "do a lot of shifting around in my queue due to confuzzled suits overrunning" and how they had injured their back moving fur supply boxes and that they will be "starting up the queue again towards the end of june when I'm back from confuzzled, and also back from visiting family for a late birthday meetup". I was both upset and relieved on how I would have time to save up further and put aside my money problems, but also a little sad considering they had taken more con crunch commissions and put them ahead of other preexisting commissions. The next time I contacted Dasker was 5 months (October 9th, 2017) past the given completion date of end of June 2017. I simply stated how I had not received an email from the regarding my commission and how the queue was looking/when I would be up. I was then informed unknowingly that I had been once more pushed back to February of 2018. At this point I was rather upset, so I did not reply. I emailed them ONCE MORE on July 21st, 2018 (another 5 months after the due date they had given me had past), asking what the wait time is looking like since my slot had been missed once more. They responded a week later on July 28th, 2018 saying they had moved and had eurofurence deadlines to focus on. Again, putting convention crunch commissions ahead of regular commissions. I was told that I would have my commission and "all older orders out by jan-feb next year". Again, moved another year back. I did not reply. After waiting so long, I then took it upon myself to contact Dasker one more time on January 8th, 2019. They replied saying that it "should be february". Seeing as it was the beginning of the month, I was VERY excited to finally get around to getting my suit. That is until as of late. On February 17th, I contacted Dasker after finding out that they had once more opened for more commissions. This has had me extremely worried that my commission from 2016 would be pushed back once more to make room for other, newer orders. I asked them if there was a problem with my character and asked that if they did not like the character given, that they would tell me and refund me my deposit instead of pushing me back over and over. They then confessed to me that I am not the only person who has been waiting since 2016 for their suit and that I should have my suit by March. I was upset by this information considering how I am 1) not the only one going through such an experience and 2) my slot had once again been pushed back. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To reiterate, I am a very patient person. I from the above evidence, it is obvious I have only emailed one to two times a year asking for updates, often waiting months after the date I was told to contact them. To put it into perspective, I ordered when I was 17 years of age, I am now not too far off from turning 21. I have given Dasker the benefit of the doubt one too many times, and I can say that I am very unhappy and disappointed with my experience so far. I only paid the deposit needed to reserve my spot, but I have had the rest of the money needed within my Paypal for up to 2 years now. They do not email/contact commissioners when they come upon hard times, leaving one to basically chase them to get a vague answer on when your commission will be started. Dasker seems like a nice person, they not once seemed rude and often replied in a very professional manner. However, it seems their queue is VERY disorganized and unprofessional. At the moment of writing this, I still do not know what spot I am in their queue and do not recommend working with DaskerLizard/BlueFoxFursuits. I will update further when/if I receive what I have paid for or if anything else unfolds. If you see any inconsistencies within my writing, please let me know and I will fix them!

July 4 2018 Tolwulf posts an advertisement on a unofficial Anthrocon Telegram page for badges to be completed and picked up on Friday, July 6 2018 Following this advertisement, I replied asking for a badge upon landing at the airport in Pittsburgh. Payment email had been sent, and they received the amount of 30 USD. An invite link was provided to a group chat where progress on the badges would be delivered to those who commissioned him. July 7-8, 2018 An update on badge progress was requested. He replies that it will be completed by Sunday at the latest. July 9, 2018 No progress had been made in regards to the badge. In a face-to-face conversation, he mentions the badges will be shipped out post-con. This was later confirmed in the aforementioned group chat. August 7, 2018 TolWulf sends some messages explaining how he's been busy and is currently working on the badges. I reply back. There was no reply for several more weeks. October 15, 2018 The artist reiterates that he's busy, and adds that line work has been done for the badge. I ask for WIP pics to see if there is any truth to this statement. November 2, 2018 After asking once again for an update, and mentioning the possibility of requesting a refund, TolWulf replies once again, and no WIP has been provided, claiming they are currently busy with other work. I inquire about a potential deadline. November 28, 2018 Following a brief conversation regarding MFF, TolWulf replies saying he currently has completed the badge and mailed it and the other incomplete badges to the Hyatt (no idea why he did this). He says he will send pics of the completed work upon arrival to the hotel. He continues by saying he will ship the badge from MFF. I mention I will send him my Canadian home address when I see the completed badge. January 15 2018 No updates have been given. I give a final warning. As of today (February 16. 2019), the message has still been left unread. To sum all of this up, there has been a lack of prompt communication with the artist. If at any point there was a reply, TolWulf would continuously claim that work had been done, but not provide any evidence to show for it. A dispute has been filed with PayPal, but was instantly denied, given the claim was made 180 days past the transaction date, leaving me short of a refund and no foreseeable badge in sight. I will post any updates when and if I hear back from the artist.

**THIS BEWARE CONTAINS NSFW CONTENT** Commissioning Lenex I have commissioned Lenex in the past and was very happy with his work. His work is high quality and he’s very reasonably priced. I bought my slot in May of 2017, Lenex was very fast responding to my emails and after I paid Lenex told me the slot was mine. Proof of Lenex confirming my slot: https://i.gyazo.com/8146060f8528ebf0b5d6b23f0c4b3777.png Proof me paying Lenex: https://i.gyazo.com/b8870641506f235efbda00f96d828201.png No Contact and few FA updates. After this...Uploads on Lenex’s FA began to slow to a crawl. I would see maybe one finished commission a month posted. This was often backlog from 2016. The only updates I ever saw from Lenex were him often opening his queue again. Explaining he needed rent, understandable. But after taking another bulk of comic commissions, Lenex would seemingly vanish for another month. He did this every month. Open the queue, vanish, open the queue vanish. And so on. This behaviour started to concern me, but I tried to stay positive. One of Lenex’s last major updates was him asking if anybody would be willing to ‘float’ their commission. This meant they would be willing to wait an undisclosed amount of time for their product. I opted for this, as I felt sorry for Lenex’s heavy workload beginning to get on top of him. I'm afraid I've no proof of this beyond an email I sent to Lenex confirming I am willing to wait. At one point, Lenex even asked some people to opt for refunds rather than getting their work. He admits both will be timely processes though. Lenex taking on more commissions via journals every month: https://i.gyazo.com/9959aaf4e22c36efa121511417e829ea.png Lenex asking people to be refunded instead.: https://i.gyazo.com/7f8fa0b5aab76a24c961aaab0634c0c0.png My email to Lenexwants: https://i.gyazo.com/72dd9e553fb0b9f6412b5d0bfc8ba864.png Lenex cancels all Commissions In June of 2018 Lenex posted an update informing everybody he would be transforming all commissions into artistic freedom, or receive a refund. This was due to Lenex no longer wishing to draw graphic artwork featuring non consensual acts. This upset many people who expressed their frustration at this sudden change. Nobody had been given any notice nor would their old commissions from 2016/17 be honoured despite being commissioned before this sudden change of ToS. At this point I was tempted to get a refund. Even though my commission would not be affected by this new change of ToS as it did not contain noncon/gore. I decided against this as judging by the few updates Lenex posted to FA were money worries, I felt a refund would be more tedious than waiting for my product. I filled in lenex’s new commission form and sent my email. I was put back into his queue. After this update, Lenex ceased to post all together. Lenex's new commission form (warning: contains NSFW imagery and mentions of fetish): http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27543789/ Lenex apologises and retracts his new rule. 3 Months ago, after 5 months of further silence on his FA. Lenex posted a journal apologising for his lack of organisation and handling of commissions. Lenex at this point had responded to a note I had sent him asking for a previous commission to be removed for personal reasons. This was the first time Lenex had spoken to me since first buying the slot in 2017. Lenex disabled comments on this journal admitting in the journal he didn't wish to get any kind of backlash. A link to the journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8933648/ (in case of deletion, a screencap) https://i.gyazo.com/e143de4d13d211b43d5eec992b3aaf4d.png I cannot provide proof of the note as the account I noted Lenex on is disabled and I've since lost my credentials to it I'm afraid. If Ican break into it I will post it if mods deem it relevant. No contact still On 20/1/2019 I sent Lenex an email asking for an ATA on my two year standing commission. As of 12/2/2019 I have still had no response from him. My email to Lenex: https://i.gyazo.com/c50b3b3eaa404ff98ff8467b62af06ea.png Final comments I feel saddened it has come to this as I have been a fan of Lenex’s work since 2014. I do not like writing complaints. I feel I've been more than patient with Lenex but now I feel myself and many of Lenex’s customers have simply been used as loans to pay for rent and put onto uncertain waiting lists with no communication and now Lenex has taken on far too much to handle. While I do feel for Lenex who clearly has had some hardships the last year or so, the complete lack of communication between both myself and all his other custom has pushed me to write this as a warning for anybody interested in this kind of artwork.

I didn't really want to post a beware, but after 8 months, I've come to hate the piece I got, and remember how horribly I was treated when I asked for a refund regarding it. So, here it goes. Also if I leave anything out, my web browser ate my first typing of this post due to a misclick, so I shall attempt to properly add all the information once again. So back in June I saw the artist hosting a YCH, and given prior business transactions went by smoothly and with great turnaround times, I quickly grabbed a slot. NSFW YCH: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/27646358/ Proof of Payment: https://prnt.sc/mjumqe So payment was sent, and then began the wait time. Eventually after some time had passed without a WIP, I poked the artist asking if they had started one, and if not, I wanted a refund. This was after 2 months without a single update. When I did so, I was soon met with a rather rude, defensive approach and the artist claiming they did "no refunds" and that I should have known given it was in their ToS (mind you not once during any of the prior transactions did the artist provide their ToS, and had I known this was a part of it, I would have never commissioned them). They also blamed personal matters for the delay, and blamed my lack of knowing they were away (apparently they made a journal which I didn't see/missed in the mess of 200+ other journal notifications) as the reason for the delay. The artist also claims I had been pestering them since I got the art for updates, which is a blatant lie. I had asked for an ETA for the completion of the artwork, seen here: The next time I asked where I was listed in their que, which was 1 month later: Finally I asked for a WiP after 2 months without a single update and if one wasn't provided, that I wanted a refund (I cannot find if I told them if I didn't get one I'd open a PayPal claim), this is where the hostility happened: The one thing that should have been my red flag was that first they said they hadn't started, then suddenly they had a WiP to show once I asked for a refund. I was provided the WiP, asked for updates, and approved the WiPs then after: Eventually I got my art, but not in the professional manner I should have gotten it Unknown to me, the artist finished the art, uploaded it, and I went a week or longer without knowing. The only way I found out it was even done is when I saw the uploaded finished piece in my submission notifications. The artist failed to note me the link, and I had to ask for the finished file to be sent to me: Now 8 months down the road, I'm looking at the piece, and finding compared to other artwork done by the artist of the same style, my piece is lacking. it clearly was rushed, the quality is poor, and the more I look at the piece, the more I come to find myself wishing I had just pushed the refund via a PayPal claim and not accepted such a terrible finished product. This is what I received: NSFW: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/28596438/ I should have posted a beware back when this first happened, but given I got my art, I didn't think it would be approved. Back then too I was just glad to have even gotten the piece. However, I'm wanting to now warn others of this artist and their means of conducting business. I just want to warn people of my experience with this artist, in hopes that no one else ends up treated like I was or in the same situation I am in now.

Incident 1: November 2016 In November 2016 I commissioned Graviilean for a fullbody traditional piece (digital copy only - the physical copy was for her school Portfolio). Around January 2017 I sent a note requesting an update. Graviilean apologized and offered a free sketch, explaining that she forgot to scan the original before mailing it. I asked for updates on either piece around every 3 months - until October 2017 when Graviilean asked me to accept a refund for the order, stating she had never done the extra sketch and didn't know if she would get back the portfolio. Incident 1 Proof: https://sta.sh/2kna8yk4e4i?edit=1 Incident 2: March 22, 2018 I ordered a fullbody digital commission and paid $70. On June 14, 2018 I received a notice of a refund (no other contact from the artist until this point). The artist did comment with a reason afterwards (illness/emergency). Incident 2 Proof: https://sta.sh/26b16j5xup8?edit=1 Incident 3 and 4: July 5, 2018 and September 13, 2018 I ordered a fullbody digital commission and paid $70. For those wondering, I tried again because I decided to chalk up the first two experiences as bad luck and bad timing respectively. I had also messaged her prior to ordering to be sure she would actually do the commission. At the time of ordering, Graviilean stated it would take about 3 weeks due to character complexity. I had no problem with the wait. I received a rough pose sketch on July 26. While waiting, Graviilean opened some headshot sketch commissions and I ordreed 2 ($40) because it seemed she was getting through them quickly. In October, Graviilean posted some journals explaining that she could not work on anything digitally** and needed to raise $2,000 for a new tablet and refunding old commissions. I was upset so I commented, and I will make no excuses for my rude tone at that time. Graviilean assured me that my commissions would be done by the end of October. November 4, 2018, after Graviilean ignored my notes requesting an update, I posted a PSA about her continuing poor performance, including proof of her opening commissions to refund older commissions she never did, along with posting statuses for new commissions/asking to raise large ($400+) amounts between the commission journals. Two days after posting the PSA, Graviilean found out and messaged me "How will I sell commissions to refund you now?" I offered her another solution, to draw my commissions traditionally (she claimed to have broken her tablet). November 18, 2018 I offered (requested) that Graviilean finish my commissions traditionally since digital was out of the question. I informed her I would file a chargeback December 31st if I had not received either the art or a refund. December 30, 2018 (a day early due to a family trip for New Years, where I would be without internet access) I opened the chargeback. Graviilean left a final status message stating she was abandoning her account and encouraging those who could to chargeback, as she had no interest in dealing with it. She refused to communicate with me through Paypal and forced me to wait the full length of time for Paypal to close the case. ** Special note - during my PSA updates, it was brought to my attention that Graviilean had a side account Graviinator (DA) and Facebook where she was posting digital art during the months she stated she had no way to draw digitally, along with opening commissions through that account. Proof of this - https://sta.sh/2twj39et8et?edit=1 Incident 3 and 4 Proof: https://sta.sh/2s2oveupup9?edit=1 Graviilean Status and Journal Posts (offering comms to refund comms) Proof: https://sta.sh/2z1vtwgq09d?edit=1 Graviilean final "Go ahead and chargeback" status: https://www.deviantart.com/graviilean/status/15992687 Summary / End Notes: Beginning in November 2016, I have attempted to commission Graviilean (DA) 4 times. My orders have been "done but lost", refunded due to "illness/emergency", and finally just simply not finished. I had to file a chargeback as Graviilean would not give me specific dates for the refund on my final 2 orders ($70 fullbody and $40 for 2 busts). In a final Status update on DA, Graviilean stated she was abandoning the name/account permanently and would move on to "better things". She stated those that could, should file a chargeback. She has moved accounts to https://miau124.deviantart.com (DA) / MiaU (FB) / MiaMatsuno (Twitter) (WARNING: NSFW Twitter account) and opened up new commissions and posted digital artwork (during the time she stated she could not use her tablet) MiaU / Graviilean + Graviilean final status- Proof: https://sta.sh/0dvuzxgi1kp https://sta.sh/01798pttiofh (In case it is unclear from her art style, several of the "fake screenshots" are posted on her Graviinator (DA) side account and now on MiaU124, along with the same character name and bio)

So Let me start out by saying this could likely be cause for a full beware. But I actually quite like this artist, and as this is the first time i've ever had problems with them (I've commissioned them in the past) I decided to go with a caution. Back on January 16th 2018, I commissioned them after they posted [this post], showing discounted commissions. they noted me, saying they didnt want it to be public but they'd let me buy one even though at the time I didn't have enough. at the time I had 13$, but I eventually got more and could pay them 18. they were fine with this, because I was a repeat customer of theirs. I paid them the next day. On Febuary 15th, I asked how it was going since it had been a month. They replied, saying life was stressful and shit. And I was totally cool with that, I understand what thats like. On March 28th, they messaged me asking for a new ref since they lost the old one, saying they were starting the commission. I was cool with this, and provided them with a new reference. Then, lastly, on April 30th 2018 I messaged them informing them me and my, at the time, Fiance had actually broken up and I'd like the art to be of something different if they hadn't started already. They didnt reply. As of today, they have not contacted me since, they haven't been active on Furaffinity since March, and most of their other social medias are completely dead with no activity or are deactivated. I'd really like this resolved, not just for my art or for a refund, but to see if they're ok. Since i've commissioned them before and they were fine, I don't feel a full beware is necessary. But definitely be a bit cautious if they're still active anywhere and you happen to of commissioned them. Our entire note history is below. The only thing crossed out is their email, as it's not publicly accessible on their page.

On the 18th of October, 2018 I commissioned morvin for a flat colored icon/headshot, gave them my character and paid on the same day. On the 3rd of November, I asked for an update and then contacted morvin again on the 5th to give a redirect link to my character. Please note that my original question for an upate went kind of ignored by them. On the 3rd of December, I asked for another update and got a traditional sketch WIP on the same day which I promptly approved. On the 29th of December I asked for another update, voicing my displeasure about the long wait time and minimal communication, which was responded to on the same day, telling me to wait as they (assumingly) had quite a queue on their hands. On the 10th January, I gave them a deadline of 2 weeks to deliver the art, again voicing my displeasure and distrust in them. They responded on the 14th with their own deadline and asked me to wait until the 25th which I agreed to. On the 27th, I told them that the 25th had passed and I gave them a quite lenghty message, asking them to refund me until the end of the week. I recieved my refund in a quietly manner on the same day (27th January). I'm posting this caution/beware as it was kinda stressful dealing with them, though I wish the best for them to better their customer communication and queue management for the future~

Since watching Dirt-chomp on FA I've purchased 6 busts for $10 each prior to this debacle and everything has been great. The quality of the work and timely manner had me coming back to purchase a YCH and a discount couples bust in July 2013. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10891605/ http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4868235/#cid:34960083 Month by month passed and I didn't bother reminding her until march 14th the next year. No reply. Tried her DA account at the same time. No reply. Tumblr account. No reply. At this point I simply gave up until I found her twitter and twitch handle. Joined a stream and at the mention of my name she shut the stream down. Someone sent me a link to her tumblr account and once again, no reply. At this point I gave up until I found their twitter and twitch handle. Found her streaming in twitch and tried talking to her there but the moment I mentioned my name she shut the stream down. I also messaged her on twitch. I found her on Instagram and posted on her latest submission that I've been trying to get in contact with her and at this point, I was pretty darn frustrated being 5 years and $105 usd out of pocket so I threatened to take it to artist beware. Needless to say she deleted my comments. While waiting for my art she has been actively taking in commissions from other people and doing works for them as you can see on twitter and Instagram as well as tumblr for some older stuff. As a last ditch effort I also contacted the studio where she works at. PROOF: Commission Information - https://sta.sh/010z0b33vpqp Commission Paid - https://sta.sh/0yeocs0c87w Inquiries - https://sta.sh/0a8iwa1kj4c Found Her! - https://sta.sh/0141luzy1qdw (The video has since been taken down) More Inquiries - https://sta.sh/0bigzy2kcm3 https://sta.sh/016efysynm8w (Tumblr stuff has been wiped)

Christmas was coming around and due to financial troubles, Chesta wanted to take emergency commissions to earn a bit of cash to spend on her three children. Proof of commission: https://sta.sh/024qbp1cjo2s Proof of purchase: https://sta.sh/011ldghfgpgk https://sta.sh/01wplj8ap2b3 She did have a lot on her plate, so I didn't worry about it. However, she has a Trello and didn’t update it often, so if anything, I was a bit nervous that she forgot about me. But a simple reminder should do. I noted her in April 2018 (forgot the original day, sorry) and asked if I could get my name on the Trello and was giving her a gentle poke in that direction. Sadly, no reply. I tried again, copy paste the original note on June 2018. Still no reply. Getting a little nervous, I wrote out another note on July 12th 2018, asking about my commission and expressing my understanding of the hardships she’s facing. However, I did mention, since it has been 6 months since the original commission was paid for, I was debating to get a refund. I was practically begging for her to reply to my notes. She did...telling me that I wasn’t forgotten and she doesn’t update her Trello enough to be reliable. Proof of unopened notes: https://sta.sh/0rx20svjd58 Proof of reply: https://sta.sh/0cqypc2a1f6 It wasn’t until November 2018 where I was knuckling down on this. I want my art and she’s not delivering. Not even WIPs or personal updates to me. Her situation is getting worse and she’s constantly taking on more and more work. I gave her another note, trying to get her to be honest with me. I wanted to help her. I was trying to be good and understanding because of my own experiences. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Proof of conversation: https://sta.sh/0urchox90qe (1) https://sta.sh/0x1byin29n2 (2) 5 days after this conversation (11/13), she wrote a PSA about explaining her actions (please note the comments are disabled). Sadly, she only refunded a handful of people (questionable) because she “is already working on the other commissions”. I was not refunded, because she claimed that she was working on my commission...but still no WIPs to defend herself. [Cut by mods. The journal is really personal. It should be noted that very personal information is being shared to clients who have been waiting for commissions.] The end of November, she gave out her email to everyone because she disabled her notes since they got too overwhelming. Proof of journal: https://sta.sh/0d2xvgeg56f I emailed her, laying down the line because I was losing my patience. More or less, I said, “Art or refund.” She pleaded with me to wait a week because she would finish my commission within that time frame. Allowing her one last chance, I agreed. It was November 30th 2018. The completed time would be December 7th 2018. Proof of email: https://sta.sh/013d1a9hxz8s (1) https://sta.sh/01954getkwvv (2) https://sta.sh/01yutosn7v2e (3) It’s been one month since that email. It’s now the New Year and I emailed her one last time, demanding the art or I will inform Paypal of fraud. She is telling me that she has it...but must wait until she gets home. Not since she got her internet back up (which was apparently on the 7th of January), she’s been radio silent on my commission. Yesterday, she posted only one commission; a more recent commission that she took on a month or so ago. I’ve had enough of this waiting game and pulled out the big guns. I filed a dispute with my bank on January, 9th 2019. Hopefully, I’ll get good news. Proof of email: https://sta.sh/02fzg9vaz8ds (1) https://sta.sh/0100d5wwgzxl (2) Proof of bank dispute message: https://sta.sh/01foihsglonb ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It’s been a month since I’ve heard back from the bank, still left in the dark. So far, nothing. Chesta finally got some motivation to do some commission work and is actually posting again. She then did note me, asking for “certain” details on my OCs Proof of notes (NSFW!!): https://sta.sh/0cr9d1o5n36 However, despite this, I’m still posting this Artist Beware. If I FINALLY obtain the commission, I will update this Beware and say, “It is finished” and call it resolved. Edit update by Celestina: Chesta's response. https://sta.sh/0e408suwx31 Edit 2 update by Celestina: My bank got back to me two days ago, unable to help without "contacting the merchant". After today's journal, I know she will not take kindly to any pressuring for either commissions or money. She did make a new journal today...but more or less, it's another copy/paste job of pity, saying far more personal stuff and how she's sorry that she's slow and disappeared and "should be coming back soon." https://sta.sh/01icefwqiixy

Feb 22 2016 Nycket uploaded the babyshower YCH, they said they lowered the price to $60 because no one was interested in buying it before at a higher price. Feb 23 2016 I commented letting them know I was interested but I was going to wait in case anyone else wanted the the spot. Feb 24 2016 I bought slot #2 for $60 in the babyshower YCH, paid that same day. Jan 07 2017 I had not been given any updates on the YCH since I had bought it, except for seeing it being worked on once in stream. This Trello card was the last documented update on the babyshower YCH. My character is lined and colored (the one sitting on the floor.) ~ May 2017 Nycket posted a submission opening traditional bust commissions (If I remember correctly, they couldn't work on digital images because they couldn't find their computer cord after a move.) I responded with interest. They were a bit slow to respond but later we agreed on a digital bust since they finally got their new computer cord. (No screenshots of the comments on the submission as it was deleted later.) May 08-09 2017 I sent a note with my references for the 2nd commission, then sent payment of $20. Jun 05 2017 I noticed that the submission where we discussed my 2nd commission was gone, and checking their Trello(linked on their FA profile at the time), I realized it was also not listed there. So I sent a note asking about it. They responded quickly saying they haven't forgotten. They removed the Trello link off their FA profile right after(without telling me they did or why), which raised my suspicion. Jun 20 2017 Nycket made a journal titled "READ IF YOU HAVE A COMMISSION, TRADE, OR COLLAB FROM ME" saying that they've fallen behind on keeping track of things. They said they were going to update their list and to let them know if they owed us anything. I commented with what they owed me. Again this behavior was making me feel a bit uneasy about working with them. Jul 26-27 2017 [The follow item has been removed by moderation staff. It is inappropriate for Artists Beware given it's personal sensitive information taken from a locked account.] Jul 29 2017 They were back on FA and I noted them telling them I filed a dispute and that some of their recent actions and lack of communication had really made me regret buying a second commission from them, considering how long I was still waiting for the YCH. They responded saying that anxiety was why they don't communicate, why they deleted the submission where I ordered the 2nd commission and why they removed the link to their Trello and apologized for everything. I tried to be as encouraging as possible and offered my full support as long as they were willing to work to get things done and to communicate more. [Cap removed by moderation staff because it is more personal general chat.] Aug 01 2017 I had let them know what my telegram was so if they wanted to talk, they could. They contacted me on Aug. 1st. and said they appreciated me reaching out, and said they'd talk to me later. This was the only time they initiated conversation with me. (I don't believe Nycket ever went on telegram again, so at the time of screenshotting this, their account just says 'Deleted Account' as Telegram auto deletes inactive accounts after a time.) Aug 16 2017 They never did talk to me again. I sent a note saying I was escalating my dispute to a claim (at this point I was tired of waiting still with no updates on either commission and having to contact them for updates instead of the other way around, and I was running out of time on my dispute and I did not have enough confidence in Nycket to complete anything in the time remaining) They responded saying they couldn't issue a refund because of their paypal being in the negatives and her job not giving her enough hours. This was the last time I personally heard from Nycket. I eventually did get a chargeback for the 2nd commission on August 25, 2017 (see previous paypal screenshot). Absolutely no word from Nycket on that though. 2018 They were posting journals up until late March in 2018. No updates on any commissions in that time. Absolutely no update about anything anywhere after March. Jan 16 2019 I sent an email to try to regain contact, but they never responded. Jan 23 2019 Left some shouts on Nyckets profile officially asking for a refund for the babyshower YCH since I never had asked about the possibility of one before they disappeared. Since they already did the work on my character but did not complete the image, I asked for $30 back instead of the full $60. Still no response from Nycket. TL;DR: I bought a YCH slot in early 2016 and then a bust commissions in May 2017. Never got an update on either of them, and neither was ever completed. Got a chargeback for the bust commission but still no update on the YCH spot. Nycket then disappeared and nobody has heard from them since. All in all, Nycket just never communicated and I was always being left in the dark with no updates or WIPs or anything. Lack of communication was the biggest problem for me, looking back on this there were more excuses than actual updates, if there were any at all. They never let me know about the progress on things, I just happened upon them in stream or if I went looking.

Quote request sent on December 1st, 2015. Artist/Fursuit Maker, Stormy, Replied March 22nd, 2016 with final price broken down for each part. First payment sent via PayPal and received by Stormy on March 23rd, 2016. Payments completed via PayPal. Final payment completed on September 15th, 2016 . Work was delayed on June 11th, 2016 due to an animal with an illness. Her entire queue received a message with estimated completion dates on April 26th, 2016, which was supposed to be the upcoming Anthrocon. Work was again delayed on October 6th, 2016 due to a wedding. Contact was requested on January 18th, 2017 and a response was sent from Stormy to me on January 19th, 2017. Update on her personal life was sent to her clients [including myself] on January 20th, 2017. In this email she put what she has done on each project in order of what is done and where everyone is in her queue. Mine, Soleil, had not been casted. On April 13th, 2017 we all received an email saying she is selling premades for completion in July 2017. She also noted Soleil will be completed by the end of April 2017. Email was sent to her clients to join an Angels Nest Fursuits telegram chat on April 23rd, 2017, with the link provided. Shortly after it sent, it no longer worked. I emailed her on July 19th, 2017 to see a WIP or any progress to see if materials had even been purchased. I received a reply the same day, stating she is still working on her first two clients, and working on purchasing/replenishing materials. On July 20th, 2017, I sent Stormy a formal request for a full refund as she had broken her own ToS which I was respectful and professional. The same day, she sent me a reply. She stopped replying to my emails, so I contacted her on Instagram on August 21st, 2017, since I noticed she was active. She claimed she was “warned” about me and was very unprofessional in a lengthy conversation via chat on Instagram. Explanation in depth: In an effort to gain some understanding, I attempted to fix the issue by contacting her regularly to keep with updates, yet she refused to work with me at all. Once I noticed a pattern of similar life updates, but not any fursuit or art related updates, and the removal of her Trello and the Telegram chat, I grew increasingly concerned. I also noticed how she had posted she would be making premades to sell at Anthrocon and MFF. I also grew increasingly concerned since she told us all about her declining mental health and physical health, but after a time of over one year, nothing had changed. I tried to reach out to her as a friend and client but was later met with hostility as I emailed her regularly. I also noticed she obtained two new dogs after her puppy had passed away. I sent her my deepest condolences and gave her time to heal. She also posted on her Instagram how she will now dedicate her time to making a dog training channel on YouTube. After I saw this post, I was very upset. She has clients who have paid her a lot of money to work on custom fursuits/partials. In a series of messages via Instagram, she said some very hateful words and I never once went into all caps, never once did I throw an insult nor a curse word. I even praised her for taking care of herself. Yet all I was met with was hatred and insults and swearing. Since that day, not much has been done and I have not heard a peep. As far as we know, no one has received anything from Stormy/Angels Nest Fursuits. I am both shocked and gravely concerned for all parties involved.

When I saw cheap commish from this journal, I send money: By that point he hasn't show any WIP, so there was birthday gift pic, from free request to pay for quick progress: But then again, no WIP again, then again post journal about commish: and I send the payment, just for quick progress again: Unfortunately, in order to keep track, I ask the same question, almost everyday: One thing he mention that he has life issue, I get it, but he ignores commish and draw his own instead.

In February of 2018 I posted a tweet asking if any artists were open for commissions. I was contacted via DM by Shroomyeen (who sent me their prices). After looking at their art I agreed to purchase a $15 flat colour commission: Proof of payment: (The commission itself was $15, but I tipped $10 plus extra to cover Paypal fees - this is why the amount sent is $26.06) I began noticing some red flags not long after sending payment. Shroomyeen would constantly take on new work without finishing owed commissions first. This made me uncomfortable, but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt as they seemed to be going through a tough time financially. In September of 2018, I finally asked for an update. Shroomyeen told me they'd simply forgotten to share the WIP sketch and would send it when they "got home": That was the last time I heard from them. I've sent a few more DMs since then and have even resorted to publicly tagging them once or twice with no luck. Despite being very active on Twitter, I've yet to receive a response from them. They appear to be ignoring me. Please note that I mistakenly asked for A $20 refund in the second DM. The commission was only $15, I tipped $10. I don't mind letting them keep that money since it was my decision to tip, but I'd like to get my $15 back. Around this time, Shroomyeen switched Twitter accounts (@Lildogmeat). I wouldn't have even realised if one of our mutual followers hadn't retweeted something from their alt. I sent them a message on January 17th giving them one final chance to provide either proof that they're working on my commission or a refund, or I'd be contacting Paypal to get a refund. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of Paypal's 180-day window for filing disputes, so I'm no longer eligible for a refund. By writing this beware, I'm hoping to save others from making the same mistakes as me! Please be wary if you decide to commission Shroomyeen/Lildogmeat. They seem to have a history of doing this to their customers which is a shame as they're a very talented artist. If they refund my money or complete the artwork, I'll consider this resolved, but I don't think they intend to do either.

hyndrim (hyndrim) wrote in artists_beware, @ 2019-01-22 09:10 Subject: Beware: Werewolf-kun Where: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/werewolf-kun/ https://twitter.com/werewolfkun https://werewolf-kun.tumblr.com/ When: August 10 2018 Proof: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/55ckejsexz3sspt/AADNpTopkcnP3rc-ijEk8b1Ma?dl=0 Explain: While at Furrydelphia I was looking to grab a new badge while waiting in line for the dealer's den to open up one person in front of me recommended Werewolf-kun to do the badge, after looking at what everyone else had to offer I grabbed a full body badge from them. The next day, me and the person I'm rooming with went into the dealer's den again just to look around and the artist noticed me and said the badge would get done by Sunday which I honestly was exacting based on the last I gotten. Skipping to the last day and about 30mins until the den was closed, I saw them nearly packed up and asked what's going on with the badge. Artist said their laminator broke, would have to finish it at home and would put in a few stickers and/or buttons as compensation for the extra wait. In hindsight I should have just asked for it as is and could have it laminated myself. Little over a week later (August 19th.) the artist got in touch with me on telegram stating they been working like crazy since they got back from the con, didn't think to much of it since my job was doing the same thing. Told me they would have it shipped out starting that Wednesday. Was able to get a hold of the artist on December 18th however things that where said didn't line up with things mentioned at the con or what little was said on telegram along with the last I checked the school holiday break only lasted till the new year. At this point giving them five weeks to get the badge done when they said they could have it done by Sunday at the con, failing to ship it out the first time and should have said the badge got damaged when/if it happened. If I didn't pay in cash I would have called my credit card company and forced a refund awhile ago.

Tank (the owner of JuicySuits) and I originally started talking about my fursuit commission on January 10, 2018, with a quote of $2,300 for the fursuit and a deadline of July 4, 2018 (Anthrocon). https://i.imgur.com/WU14QwD.jpg I made the full payment on January 30, 2018, with progress on the suit starting in March. https://i.imgur.com/5uNF9Rp.jpg Tank told me there was a digital sculpt underway, but I never received any screenshots or proof of this. https://i.imgur.com/azGafKb.jpg Duct Tape Dummy was requested on March 25, and she received it on April 2. https://i.imgur.com/4DoJqcQ.jpg My first and only work in progress picture I received was sent on June 10. It was the buckram painting for the eyes. https://i.imgur.com/TxsHLm5.jpg On July 3 – the day before Anthrocon and the deadline – I find out via Twitter that Tank will not be attending the convention. I have to bring up the elephant in the room about the unfinished suit and she apologizes, but confirms that it will not be done in time. https://i.imgur.com/rcEGhZ1.jpg We make a rough deadline of 1-2 months from that point in time, for pickup. That would put the deadline at August or September. https://i.imgur.com/6CObsH5.jpg I hear nothing from her until September 11, when I am informed that not only has no additional work been started on my suit, but that I’ve been actually bumped back in the queue. Please note, my original deadline was two months earlier, and she’s putting other people ahead of me. https://i.imgur.com/aOUO6Ax.jpg I request a refund on September 11 because I am uncomfortable with the two missed deadlines and lack of communication. On September 20, Tank promises to send me every payment made by the person replacing my spot in the queue. https://i.imgur.com/cCfCkQe.jpg On October 9, Tank tells me that she can’t pay me because the new commissioner has missed their payments. However, she offers to take out a loan to pay me back in full ASAP. https://i.imgur.com/g4SFAls.jpg Tank tells me that her loan is almost paid off on November 9, which means she should be able to get a new loan and pay me back soon. https://i.imgur.com/Uld9Tjw.jpg On December 18, I demand progress on the refund. She replies on December 19, telling me that she should be able to pay off her loan soon, but she can get money together for some payment before the end of the month. https://i.imgur.com/SqOVshU.jpg January 1 hits, and Tank tells me the loan is paid off and she can get a new loan to refund me, though it will take three days to process. https://i.imgur.com/v6SYS14.jpg On January 11, she writes me a message, saying that her new loan was declined, and she will not be able to refund me in one large sum. I agree to payment plans of $200 biweekly, as I feel like there’s not much more I can do, and she promises that the first payment will come through on January 18. https://i.imgur.com/oTCAiHQ.jpg It's January 18, and I’ve heard nothing from her. I messaged her, asking for an update, but received no response. I have tried giving her multiple deadlines, either for the suit or a refund, all of which she has missed over the timeframe of a year. At this point, I just want my money back as soon as possible.

Mar. 23rd, 2012 at 4:16 PM huttsercoyote WHO: Kwallie on FA and DA WHERE: www.furaffinity.net/user/kwallie and http://kwallie.deviantart.com/ and Facebook WHAT: Digital commission of HTTYD artwork featuring fursona. Paid $20 USD on February 12, 2012. http://tinypic.com/r/11hc9rb/5 WHEN: Communication began on February 8, 2012. Payment sent through Paypal on February 12, 2012 and received on February 16, 2012. No word has been spoken since time of clearance, and no notes have been sent. Has been active on Facebook since time of purchase. PROOF: http://tinypic.com/r/14lpjb6/5 Fur Affinity notes. http://tinypic.com/r/15ecmqs/5 Deviant Art note (unopened). http://tinypic.com/r/71k861/5 Facebook profile (updated). http://tinypic.com/r/23rlkqd/5 Personal Facebook messages. EXPLAIN: I commissioned 'Kwallie' back early February about commissioning a digital flat color commission featuring my fursona, Huttser Coyote, in a scene from How To Train Your Dragon. Kwallie was eager to accept the commission, and $20 was sent to her Paypal and received on February 16, 2012. Upon payment, I asked her to have it done within the following week (week of Feb. 16-23). After the note had been sent on FA, I received no further word from her, both on FA and DA. No notes were opened on either site. Since she provided her real name, I found her Facebook and politely asked for updates on my commission, since there was no communication on either site, and her Facebook is active (see updated Facebook). To this date, I have received no communication from her at all, and she continues to update her Facebook status and page frequently.

Mar. 23rd, 2012 at 6:26 PM ryuusin WHO: insomniacovrlrd Where: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/insomniacovrlrd/ what: digital art When: april 2010 - present Proof: full conversation from me first commissioning him http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9035/note2b.png image showing the notes from the start from 2 years ago http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6991/note3.png Note sent a year later with no reply http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2808/note4.png recent notes sent to him still yellow meaning hes not looked at them http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/7752/note5.png Paypal confirmation of payment to him 2 years ago http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/3567/paypalub.png Explain: started 2 years ago, i commissioned a picture from him and payed the same day consisting of a 2 character image at $50. he took many commissions so i know it would take a while. months went by and he put out few actual commissions from others. 1 year has gone by and no update and even still few commissions were coming out but many of his own works and projects. 1 1/2 year he makes a journal about if he has forgotten any commissions to leave a comment. i have and he replayed that he would start on it. that was the last i heard from him. 2 year that journal gets deleted and he starts opening more slots. i try to contact him but he never reply and doesn't even open my shouts or FA notes. they are still yellow on my screen. present, tried contacting him through various means through messengers. still no reply on any of them. i may be very patent, but this is ridiculous and rude.

Mar. 16th, 2012 at 12:47 PM keshimeg WHO: Vani/Vanimute/Vanillakitsune aka Stripesandteeth/Ash WHERE: VanillaKitsune.deviantart.com (now deactivated) also Vanimute@DA Vani@FA Stripesandteeth@Tumblr WHAT: Digital chibi, Digital Portrait WHEN: August 6th 2009 up until 20th December 2011 PROOF: Proof of payment http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/ashpayment-1.jpg Original commission request was made on her Vanillakitsune DA account which has now been deactivated. I have placed screencaps of what conversation I could get, they are in the explanation. EXPLAIN: I have been a customer wronged by Vani/Ash. At one point I thought we were on a very good level, enough to say we were sort of friends. While my situation has a better ending than most as I received a refund in the end, I will share it. I've wanted to share it for a long time but always felt the need to tip-toe around her feelings and her fans. I'm done hiding though, because her behaviour is not on. I was happy with my outcome, despite having to fight for it for so long. However, after seeing her open more commissions, well, that angered me! I feel upset and sorry for the people who are still waiting, and those new commissioners who have no idea. I commissioned Ash on August 5th, 2009, this was on her VanillaKitsune DA account. She was wanting to save up for some ragdoll cats. Her art was an inspiration and I think this was around the time we were acquaintances. I ordered a chibi ($15) and a digital portrait ($50). I am a very trusting person and I really wanted to help. Full payment of $65 was sent upfront, I was extremely excited! Here is the payment proof http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/ashpayment-1.jpg A few months passed and I finally received a my chibi. It wasn't the highest quality of art (pencil sketch coloured in) but I still did enjoy it, hey I got art for one of my biggest inspirations, yipee! Here is the chibi commission http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/Art%20for%20me/Kyle/Kyle_Commish_by_Vanimute.jpg At this point I was pretty confident I will get my digital portrait soon. I waited.. and waited. Ash has changed accounts to Vanimute on DA so I found her there and watched her. I continued to see her upload new art (none being commissions) but still I waited patiently! I take commissions myself and understand that sometimes you don't have the right inspiration. I also kept into account she was in college. A while passed and I discovered she was active on FA under the name Vani, not only uploading personal art but.. taking more commissions? I made an account on FA just to follow her and wait, still very patiently though! It came to the point where she was continuously opening commissions, until finally making a journal about her to-do list/queue. The one we know ever so well http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1953643/ My commission is a year and a half overdue at this point, you would think I would be at the top of the list? I am all the way down the bottom! At this point I was done patiently and silently waiting. I voiced my feelings, albeit in the open but I think I had the right to. You can find the conversation here http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2014394/#cid:16534744 I generally like to be a kind person and give everyone the benefit of the doubt, even after being told it was my responsibility to keep in touch with her. Also if you read her reply, it is full of excuses (valid or not) and not one apology to me (I ended up being the one apologising?). As a commissioner myself I feel it is my responsibility to let my commissioners know if there will be a delay, also at least have the decency to own up to your mistake, have some humility and apologise?? So after feeling like the bad guy, I noted her on FA, here is a print screen. Note how I am still very understanding! http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/Ash1.jpg Well, that note was never read. I couldn't understand? I was told to note her! I waited months for a reply, it still says in my outbox that it has not been read. So I sent another one, this time I did not sugar coat my feelings. I was done, this was unacceptable. She still had $50 of my money and not one apology. Here is the note http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm46/keshikins/stuff/Ash2.jpg After this on not being read, I discovered I have to email her school account? Awesome! So far we have gone from Vanillakitsune@DA, Vanimute@da, Vani@FA (all of which have been abandoned) and now her school email. I sent the same message to her but via email. To my surprise I got a reply. I got an apology, we worked out what I wanted. I gave her 5 different characters to choose from. All different species and levels of fun in hopes this would be helpful. In these emails I reverted back to being kind and understanding, hoping to not upset her. I understood she was stressed and made a mistake and honestly didn't want to ruin any chances of receiving my art. This was the 7th/8th of June 2011. I received an update 2 weeks later, with some sketches. Awesome, it looked like we were getting somewhere. I replied saying I liked them, thanked her and hoped for her to continue. 2 months I waited, and sent her an email wondering what was going on. I didn't receive a reply. This is getting quite long, I promise it ends soon! I then discovered her on TUMBLR. We are so far away from commissioning her on Vanillakitsune. Tumblr has an ask system so some months after the email I sent, I sent an ask about it. I don't have records of what was sent, but I expressed my unhappiness again and stated this was unfair. I was told since I found it unfair I would get a refund. If I remember correctly a few weeks passed and I had to send her an ask again! This time the reply I got was her paypal email, telling me to send her an invoice for the refund and that she would have it by the end of the week. I sent it on the 6th of December. I received the refund 2 weeks later, on the 20th of December, 2011. I commissioned her on the 5th of August, 2009. I am happy I got a refund, although it took a look of persistence. I remained nice and understanding the majority of the time. Forgave her constantly and chased her around the internet. While I finally got my money back, so many others are not this lucky! More of us need to share our stories. People need to know that commissioning Ash is a bad idea. We need to stop being scared of her fans and hurting her feelings. She may have nice art and be popular, but not saying anything in public seems to be allowing this behaviour. She has run away with hundreds (maybe thousands?) of dollars, and continues to do nothing to right her wrongs but rather make it worse! Hopefully one day this will end. I hope that she can change her ways, own up and make up for her mistakes and complete any overdue art/refund people. It will take some time but she has dug this hole and continues to to this very day! You can only be supportive and forgiving for so long before enough is enough.

Mar. 13th, 2012 at 9:23 AM ariakitty WHO: Vani/Vanimute/Vanilla Kitsune WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/vani/ WHAT: Two icon commissions, cost $24 (The total was actually $25.03 because she requested that I cover the paypal fees. I sent $26 just so the number would be even. I am aware that you're not supposed to pay extra to cover the fees but at the time I didn't know this.) WHEN: Payment sent March 21, 2010 Proof of payment. PROOF: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1284224/ Journal where commissions were offered. (March 21, 2010) EXPLAIN: I commissioned Vani for two icons in March 2010. In the journal she does state that she wouldn't be getting to these specific commissions until May. So I did not expect to see anything until the summer/fall of that year. There was really no concise list of her current commission queue, but in the journal where she offered these commissions she made it seem like she didn't have that many to do. Around December 2010 she posted her commission queue: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/1953643 I kicked myself when I saw how massive her queue was, had I known she owed that many commissions I wouldn’t have commissioned her in the first place. A year goes by and I figure it's time to contact her and inquire about the status of my commission. I tried to contact her through FA on June 28, 2011. The note was never read. So on September 19 I sent her an email, I never received a reply. (I can provide screens of the email and the note but I wasn't sure if that was necessary.) Her tumblr is active and she has a new DA page with new art posted: http://stripesandteeth.tumblr.com/ http://maplemutesandtea.tumblr.com/ (not as active) http://www.stripes-and-teeth.deviantart.com/ I don't really know how much of it is commission work and how much is personal work. I didn't start to worry until I saw a question that she answered on her tumblr about why she left DA and FA. On September 23 I sent her a note through her maplemutesandtea tumblr and I did receive a reply. I responded back telling her I'd be happy to wait for the art as long as communication between us was good. Needless to say, I did not get a response to my second note. (I would provide proof of that but tumblr doesn't keep a record of sent 'asks'.) February, 29 I decided to try to contact her again through tumblr. I forgot to take a screen of it before I sent it off. But I had asked her how things were going and if she needed refs. I figured after almost 2 years she probably didn't have my character refs anymore. She has not responded to that note. On March 11 she posted to her tumblr offering more commissions. I’m a little disappointed. She has a queue of 50+ commissions that she hasn’t made good on, yet she’s taking on more work. I'm glad to see that she won't accept payment until the commission is finished but... What about the rest of us? Vani is a talented artist and I really hate to see her dig herself into such a deep hole. I didn't want to make an A_B entry about anyone, let alone Vani. She took on more work than she could handle and I know she's very stressed about it. But I wish she would communicate with me. I am patient and I am willing to wait quite a while as long as the artist stays in touch. I sincerely hope this can be marked as resolved someday.

Mar. 9th, 2012 at 2:02 AM heathermasanon I need a little bit of etiquette advice. Over a year ago I commissioned an artist on Gaia for a painted, full body couple piece. I paid half ($80) upon the delivery of a rough sketch, with the agreement that I would pay the other half after she got the flat colours for the second character down, and have only received one completed part of the commission (one character, the other still in a sketch state. I was never asked to send the second half of the payment during my correspondence with her). Since then I have not been able to get in contact with the artist, despite numerous attempts on my part. They've clearly been around, and are using the completed part of my commission as an art example, stating that it's a finished commission. They're even using it as an icon for their deviantart account. Now, I've long since given up on attempting to get in contact with the artist, since it's fully clear they're ignoring me and I don't know what else I can do, but my question is this: Since I technically paid for this half finished commission (her price for one painted full body was $80), and since she's using it as an example for further commissions, do I have the right to use the image? It just feels really weird to me. It can stand alone as a single character piece, but I know it isn't, and it technically wasn't what I commissioned her for. I do like what has been finished, and would like to include it in my art references for the character. I just feel like it might be weird. :/ [edit] So at the advice of commenters, here is the full beware. WHO chatelain (Gaia)/chambrae (deviantart) WHAT A full-body painted piece of my two characters WHEN February 20, 2011 - Present PROOF Paypal receipt (I was wrong, it was $85... her current prices are listed at $80.) Her art shop, where she is clearly displaying the image as both an art example and a link-back button. When I sent the first payment/received the prelimenary sketch What I've received so far The last contact I have had with her. DeviantArt note I sent her, with proof that she has read it but has not responded. Unfortunately, Gaia seems to have deleted my sent folder (I don't use it very much, haha), so I don't have any proof of any other messages I have sent her. She has also posted a dA journal, updated her Gaia shop, and even finished another commission in the mean time. I would just like either the other have of my commission or the commission closed. Any correspondance at all would be welcome, really... I sent her an e-mail notifying her I would be posting about her here, and also mentioned that once we have resolved the issue I'll mark it as such.