Updated:
I received the final picture today! They got back to me last night (maybe they have eyes here and noticed this post?) the work is finished in full and does indeed look wonderful. I still stand by my warning to be wary of long unexplained absences if you commission them. I will deem this thread now closed.
Original -----
I never wanted to make one of these threads, but here we are...
Many months ago, I purchased a commission from BelWindmillsInc on facebook.
I paid in full upfront, as they appeared to have a good following and have published commissions for people (on this site included) in the past. Their art is legit and the reviews were good, so I was put at ease when communicating with them.
Unfortunately after payment, their communication (or lack of) is close to nonexistent.
I have waited patiently for many months, with only one update after some prodding. They said they have many commissions in the works, so they haven't had much time to work on it. (Which is understandable, as I've got bad time management and usually take on more than I can chew at one given time as well, and in this regard i'm probably too sympathetic). I am more than willing to wait my turn and am not someone who ever demands a deadline, however I expect to be communicated with, and especially so, since I've already paid in full, which was not a cheap sum for me either.
At this point, I feel like I'm being deliberately ignored by this artist and I'm not sure what else to do other than warn others of their behavior.
Bel has not responded to any of my messages since the update and quite frankly I am not expecting to hear from them again at the rate this is going.
There is still a sliver of 'hope' inside me, that perhaps they will get back to me one day, and in which case I will update this thread with the information, but as of right now, I cannot in good conscience recommend this artist to anyone, and would warn you not to commission them as well, despite the beautiful art they produce and what the previous reviews say. :(
You should file a claim to get a refund, if you're able to.
This really doesn't offer up any information to us as to how long this has been going on for, only your contact to get them to show you a WIP.
There might be a chance you can get a refund via Paypal if you contact them?
I was given the one update picture, and it was so lovely, which is why I'm hesitant to ask paypal to refund the whole thing, but without getting a response from the artist it's difficult to negotiate what amount I should be getting a refund, since they already did some of the work? I've never had to deal with this situation before, only when the artist has never drawn me anything yet, I've been able to get a refund. But I'm not sure what to do other than wait and hope in this situation, because I have gotten a small portion of the work- its just not finished.
Also I added more pictures of the convo, I must have closed the tab before they finished uploading >.<
it was last year October 2nd when we started.
I really hope that there's a reasonable explanation, perhaps they've taken ill or are needing some personal time or something? I haven't been able to find them online at all anywhere else but facebook. I wanted to make this thread so people are cautious, because I think this behavior is not acceptable for someone buying a service from you. However, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but in case they are truly intentionally ignoring me, I've made this thread so others can see it.
aaawhyme
You can open up the claim and do the negotiations through there, at the very least you are entitled to a partial refund.
While there's some progress on the piece, the fact that it hasn't been finished and you haven't been delivered a product which was agreed upon, and unfortunately, if you continue to wait, you'll be out both the money AND the art, leaving you far more in the hole than you should be :(
It falls on to Bel to keep you in the loop if something is up and there's gonna be a delay in the process.
If Bel returns, and you re-open communications, you can renegotiate the completion of the piece, but to let it go on when you have a month left to appeal the transaction would be ill-advised.
okay thank you for the advice! I'll open up a claim for paypal and see what happens from there! Maybe Bel will get a notification from paypal and remember me and it will make them jump into action or something? Who knows! this whole situation is awkward :/
anyway, thank you for the council! I appreciate it!
aaawhyme
Hopefully they follow through if they reappear after they see the claim.
Situations like this are dicey but not impossible to navigate, so your alert post was definitely eye-opening!
I will say though, if for whatever reason, Bel asks you to close the claim after you open it, do not do that! If you close a claim prematurely on a transaction, you cannot re-open it should the communication with the artist fall through again, and then you're out of options entirely. This is something that I've seen a lot of well-meaning commissioners fall for when they get back in touch with an artist who says they'll do the work if the claim is closed @[email protected];
Like Rikki said, do not close the claim until you have received the full product! Paypal favours buyers in digital good transactions, so you can pretty much count on a refund (or even a partial refund I believe) if bel is unable to finish their part. Besides, you can always send the payment back if bel ends up producing the finished commission after Paypal closes the case. Good luck!