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https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/978069.html WHO: FruitSuit Creations / ClemFox WHERE: https://twitter.com/FruitSuits (Business account) https://twitter.com/ClemFox_ (Creator account) WHAT: Fullsuit Fursuit commission ($3,605.00) WHEN: March 2017 - Initial communication April 2017 - Contract signed, project paid in full June 2017 - First notice project was running behind June 2017 - Notice commission would not be completed on time July - November 2017 - Further notice of commission delay EXPLAIN: In early 2017, I saw the first piece of this artist's work and was very impressed. After a few short conversations, we agreed on an expedited commission at a greatly increased price. Several close friends had vouched for her work by this point and many conversations and assurances were given that the expected completion time of Anthrocon 2017 would be totally doable. [Contract w/ completion date: https://i.imgur.com/ViRLy6Q.png https://i.imgur.com/jGIIjQW.png For some context, a previous Beware I had written led to the rushed circumstance. This is a suit I've been trying to have made since 2014. The original artist has since completely given up responsibility for the project. Explaining this situation, plus the premium price, is part of why the deal was agreed upon with such a deadline. My first concern came by way of being told she incurs a 5% convenience fee for using PayPal, something I had believed was against ToS. Given the sum of money already being spent here (again, 3600 dollars) I thought charging anything else was a little excessive. Needless to say, I went along with it and completely paid off that balance. After that time, I actually received regular updates, she streamed and showcased the work to me frequently, I actually believed I might really be getting this done! [Convenience fee: https://i.imgur.com/QPyzgyK.png [WIP: https://i.imgur.com/XxVDjoM.jpg [WIP: https://i.imgur.com/KfAhsyZ.jpg In early June I received the first communication that things would be suffering a delay. She complained of issues with drug interactions, stating her mood was too poor to be able to work. From this point onward, I only got one more follow up progress report on the suit. She continued to tell me about her diminished mental state and how she was unable to perform even basic, everyday functions. Come Anthrocon, I'm informed the suit would not be completed on time, but she would work tirelessly to get it done as quickly as can be. After July, she runs into a family health issue that takes several more months away from her projects, leading to the most recent updates in November where she has informed me she's suffered a shoulder injury and is, again, unable to perform even simple, daily tasks. [First issues: https://i.imgur.com/pLMAq9P.jpg [Second issues: https://i.imgur.com/BUgF7I8.jpg [Third issues: https://i.imgur.com/foAO9pU.jpg [Forth issues: https://i.imgur.com/8x7IlQb.jpg PROOF: Payment in full: https://i.imgur.com/rfZG0a1.jpg Contract Agreement: https://i.imgur.com/ViRLy6Q.png This has been a difficult thing to do. Given the issues with health and family she has communicated to me, I gave every bit of leniency I could before writing this and even still feed bad doing so--I even offered to waive the money I was to be refunded for not completing it in a timely manner. But excuse after excuse, something this artist seems to have a history with, has once more led me to believe this is another project I should not expect to see completed and certainly not for the added expense. EDIT: Original post updated to include a screen of the second page of the contract ( https://i.imgur.com/jGIIjQW.png ). The refund outlined here was indirectly referenced in the "First issue" link under explain, leading to its accidental omission.

Undelivered Commission I do realize I have been waiting for 6 and a half years for this suit. I have been trying to be understanding and patient with Clementine about this commission. However, after this long of a time period, her lack of communication, her every changing replies, and numerous excuses I have decided to move forward with this post. Below is a timeline of the communication between myself and Clementine and also her boyfriend the CFO. Back in November 2013 Clementine was having a black Friday (artistic freedom with limits) sale and I decided to buy it. (I believe the original post was on furbuy, but not 100% sure) The commission was for a full suit for $1280, with a deposit of $576 I sent the deposit to her with a money order within a few days (because if i pay with PayPal I need to add 5% according to her TOS....which is a violation of PayPal, however that's not what I'm concerned about) I was under the impression from her ad on furbuy that I would pay the rest once it was completed, so I waited. April 22 2014, I receive an email asking about the rest of the payment, and I replied that I thought I was supposed to pay when it was done and before it shipped. September 13 2014 (yes 5 months later) I receive another email telling me she does not work on anything until the payment is in full. This is when the excuses start, her first reason is work is super slow until they sell their house. We go back and forth for a little bit about paying and I send her money orders in early October for the balance ($704) All during October 2014 she sketches up some designs and sends them over to me and we decide on one Mid October she tells me she hasn't received the money orders and I end up having to call and get them stopped and reversed which took quite a while. During November 2014 I had a huge expense (over $5500) and told her I had to hold off paying the rest until it got sorted out. We went back and forth on emails for a little bit and that's the time she started getting disrespectful to me saying how she has bills that are way past due. She ends up getting angry with me and tells me she may cancel my commission and it is on hold "indefinitely" she also tells me that she has used my whole deposit to buy materials. I ask for a refund at this point, and she tells me that there is no refunds and the deposit is non refundable ( I also would like to point out she has not asked me to sign any contract at this point) She ends up blocking me on facebook in December, so I am no longer able to message her. She instead has her boyfriend (the CFO of her company) emails me and says he will conduct business with me from this point forward. December 24th The CFO tells me that I need to make the remaining checks payable to him personally, and I refuse. I told him that my business is not with him it is with Clementine and i will make the checks payable to either her or make them out to fruitsuit creations. He then tells me I can make them payable to Clementine. December 29th 2014 I sign a contract for the remaining balance Since the contract was signed I mailed the payments as follows Jan 15th 2015 mailed $200 ($100 plus $100 credit) - it was received on Jan 21st -- see below for paid in full email Feb 23rd 2015 mailed $100 - it was received on Feb 28th -- see below for paid in full email March I had a few extra bills and had to use the $100 credit from Jan -- see below for paid in full email April 14th 2015 mailed $200 - received on April 19th -- see below for paid in full email May 1st 2015 mailed $204 (the balance) - received on May 8th 2015 (paid in full) and was told I was moved to the "working queue" Clementine sends a newsletter out 4 months later with her working queue and I am not on it, on the list is 2 heads, one partial, 3 on hold (with the commission names). She tells me there was some confusion and she will update it. She does not. October 14 2016 (yes a year later) She tells me she is finishing up 2 heads and I'm a few spots down the line. Jan 13 2017 she tells me there are six in front of me, 2 of which are just heads **April 2017 more excuses that she has several breakdowns a week and it's hard to concentrate and work on commissions. April of 2017 is when something odd happens.....there is another person commissioning her for a rush suit, I'm not sure if I can mention names, so I won't but there is another artist beware about Clementine from this person. The odd thing is that they paid for this nearly 2 years after mine was paid off, but she was sending WIP pics to this person and I have yet to even be told my true place in line. April 2017 she tells me my place is "one less then last time I told you" **July 2017 more excuses of bad side effects from medication, mobile and cognitive Impairment, horribly depressed , separation anxiety, hysterical crying spells 3-5 times a day [Verified by staff. Lots of medical information.] July 8th 2017 she tells me "i believe there are 3 or 4 in front of you" **September 2017 more excuses of her injuring her shoulder September 2017 She gets mad at me for asking where I am in line saying that I've been waiting for a long time, she tells me that there are people waiting longer, and I signed a contract that has no completion dates. Dec 11th 2018 (another year later) she tells me "trying to get this done so I can move on" **January 2019 more excuses of her cat being sick, and not having a place to live with her workshop May 29th 2019 after 100 excuses from her I am told "Thank you so much for your incredible patience! I do wholeheartedly promise that I will make your wait worth it!" **August 2019 more excuses of her Mom being sick (not posting conversation due to her privacy on her mothers health issues) Dec 15th 2019 after more excuses I am told "I really can't thank you enough for your patience.. and I promise I will go above and beyond to make it up to you, and everyone else I've let down.." May 16th 2020 After asking about my place in line yet again, I am told "i believe you are 6th in line."....I then send her screenshots from 3 years prior of her telling me that there are 3 or 4 in front of me. she tells me she must be looking at the wrong copy and will get back to me. _________________________________________________________________ I feel that I have been beyond patient with her, I can be sympathetic to what people are going through, or if they have things happen in their life that they need to just stop for a little bit (which she did have a few which I did not include in here due to the privacy of her family) However, with whatever you are going though mentally or physically and still traveling to many conventions and fursuiting while injured instead of working on your obligations, or even keeping me informed about anything that is going on in 6 and a half years, doesn't seem like a good way to conduct business. Waiting 6.5 YEARS from ordering or 5 years from it being paid in full with her story ever changing about where I am in her line, and excuse after excuse, (which I found another post with the same issues) has gotten me to this point of frustration where I feel I need to let others know. Especially since she has taken other commissions AFTER mine and has worked on them before mine. Clementine has shown me that she doesn't seem interested in working on my suit by not letting me know anything about it, and the things she has told me she contradicts herself many times. For example, about what she has bought for my suit (she tells me she didn't buy anything, then she tells me she has the fur from a previous project, then she tells me she used all my deposit for supplies) another example is my place in line. I'm not quite sure if there is any bookkeeping in where she works on things, but she doesn't seem organized at all about what she is working on. There should be an exact answer to that question, I am not sure why I can't get a straight answer from her on that. She has not posted any updates on her working queue or anything of that sort in a few years, so I am not even sure she has one. I had asked a few times early on for a refund which was refused, I even had said if she is unable to work on it at all that's fine, I can just get a refund and either do it myself or get it elsewhere, I have asked for a transfer to another person and that was refused, she seems to be banking on the contract saying is does not have any completion dates, however that doesn't give anyone the right to take money and not deliver a product ever, and I think 6 and a half years is way beyond the time limit to wait for something like this. I feel that I have been very lenient with her and tried to compromise but her excuse after excuse has led me to make this post. Along with her lack of communication in her work order. In the 6.5 years there has been a ton of emails and messages so I couldn't put them all so forgive me for such a long post. Please think twice before commissioning anyone, and feel free to reach out to those who have commissioned a person in the past to ask about their experiences. I was willing in the past to work with her in the past on this problem asking her what she needs from me in order to get her working on projects, (I even sent her a link to an industrial sewing machine for a good price because she was complaining about her needing a new one), but her lack of communication and concern about this commission has led me to believe that she does not intend to provide me with a product. I am however still willing to accept a refund and turn this post to resolved, if she is willing to refund my payments.