A very dissatisfied mermaid and allow me to tell you why!

[Mermaid Ariaella]

So okay I thought I would share this. Let me give you a little back story. I mermaid at my Renaissance festival and have been performing for years as a mermaid performer. I ordered a tail from FishButts because they were in my price range and I didn't have time to make my own (which I always have made my own! and know exaccctly how long it takes to let the product cure!) I had a show I had to dive at during a halloween event at our aquarium in Oklahoma, the tail didn't quite fit right and the latex she used didn't cure long enough and it literally fell off in the tank.. mind you she told me that she hadn't even started my tail 3 days prior... Then puts it together and ships it in a day...NOT how you make a tail... .I was pissed. I was also taking this tail to WDW to dive and to do a vow renewal with my husband and because of that, I didn't get to do either. I got to dive but didn't get to use the tail. Didn't get to do the vow renewal either because of her mistake! This was such a pain in the butt and I was crushed because this is something I HAD PAID FOR BOTH for my trip AND for personal use...REALLY disapointed! So I emailed her and told her how unhappy I was with the situation and I apparently wasn't the only person who had that same problem. Her excuse was a "bad batch of latex" and said if I paid her $100.00 she would do a dragonskin tail to make up for all the problems. Okay first of all, I'm glad she offered to fix it...but as a business person myself...If I made such a grave mistake in my execution of product, it wouldn't be up to the customer to PAY for the mess up!!! BUT, I did. I paid the extra $100.00 to have the tail done in the dragonskin to fix her mistake. She was really good about communicating with me about the issue at hand and I told her the colors I wanted because what she had done before was pretty but it just didn't look right in the water. I wanted Ivory and gold and it was ivory and it looked like it had dirt on it...not really gold. But I digress...

So yes I had emailed her with descriptions and what I wanted, and she had sent me an email saying that I would have my tail by Dec 1st...date came and went...no email stating she couldn't complete the tail...no email at ALL....I told her I needed it for Christmas because I was going to use the new tail for Christmas cards...She said she would get it to me before Christmas for sure no problem......Christmas came and went...No tail...No EMAIL...NOTHING...ZIP ZILCH NOTHING!!!! By then I am extremely pissed off. Then I get an email on Jan 8th saying that she is 2 weeks behind on processing. Its not even a personal email, its a mass email sent out to all of her contacts....Again...NOT happy.....So I had sent her a couple of messages regarding a deadline that I am trying to meet for a national publication as well as a program for our upcoming spring festival...SO then I get this email....

Message regarding my tail:
Stephanie has informed me that she is sending out ALL her Christmas/late/backordered tails in february she's currently catching up on orders,. She will email you when she has a photo of your tail and I know you've been very patient which her and she appreciates that considering January hasnt' been the best month for her at all. She will make sure you get your tail as soon as shes done!! :) Rose

My response:
Thats fine thank you Rose. I am trying to get information regarding an ETA because I have a professional photoshoot set up for my company and am needing it no later than the 20th of Feb. It is imparitive that I have it by then because our photos have to be taken, edited and submitted for a large publication by the 28th. I am just needing to know that I am going to have it by then. I understand how busy she has been and how life can throw you curve balls and I'm sure I'm not the only person who has waited 12 weeks for product but it is very important that I have this as it is for my business and have committed to this shoot and gig MONTHS ago. I sort of expected it in January because of the time frame that I have been waiting. I just need a confirmation that I will have my tail by the due date or unfortuantely I am going to ask that I have my money returned and I will return the previously damaged tail as well and request that I be reimbursed for that as well. I hate to sound like I am upset but I have a bunch of executives climbing down my back because I have had to push back deadlines because of a lack of product.
LF

I absolutely hate this because it gives such a bad impression of working with artists. A bad batch of latex? I'm sorry but this doesn't fly, if this was the case and you mixed the latex incorrectly or if it was just faulty, you would simply do a new batch and cast a new tail. But instead they recommended another product and had you pay for an upgrade. So here's what I think. They tried to enter the market with a lower priced product and latex. They did not test their product. They found out after they sold it that there were major problems. So they had to regroup and chose something well known and more expensive. Bummer, doing it correctly means they should have sold the tails for higher. Maybe they will just offer it as an upgrade to all the unhappy clients. Meanwhile they've never used this stuff before. Time to experiment, this time we will test it. Uh oh, it means everyone that bought it is going to have to wait until they are sure it will work, don't want to have the same thing happen again. Oh and by the time they figure out why other people charge so much more, they will have lost all their business with a reputation of bad products. Better get it together guys, some things you should not DIY without experience. There's a reason why there are so few mermaid tail builders. It's requires a high level of experience, knowledge, and skill. You don't just wake up and decide you are going to make tails out of your backyard. ou know which companies are professional if they back their products when they find out there is a problem. I'd like to say I've made everything perfect, but there are times when we've made mistakes. I find that most artists/companies do not react as they should. If I make a mistake, or something doesn't work out, I am available immediately to try to solve the problem and replace the product to the customer's satisfaction. I am very particular when it comes to my reputation, and unless the customer is downright trying to wiggle a discount for no real reason or get their product for free, I am right there to fix the wrong. Having experience as I do, they definately goofed and instead of standing up to fix the situation immediately, they are running from the confrontation. Not everyone deals with confrontation well, many run and hide. And although we want to run and hide when something goes wrong, if you want to be in business long you have to be able to face problems head on and even though you dread picking up the phone, you must do it. With the lag time they are giving me, it sounds like they are not only avoiding the confrontation, but it's possible they don't know how to fix the problem. They may say so, because they really don't want to give a refund. Recalling a product is expensive and they may be too inexperienced to be able to do that, may have spent all the money and don't have it. Meanwhile they are trying to figure it out so they don't have to do that. AND whats worse is that she's STILL taking orders ontop of the lag she has from her PRE christmas orders. HELL my tail was ordered in SEPTEMBER!!!!!!!!!! Thats what is really making me upset is the sheer fact that I have had a tail on "order" now since September since she has failed to deliver an adequate product.

I am getting ready to request that I have not only the original tail refunded because I literally had the dang thing in the water less than 10 minutes and it fell apart and now I'll have to wait 14 to 16 weeks now for a tail that I needed a month ago!!!! I am at a stand still because I have to have this new tail by the 20th of Feb for a shoot and if I cancel the order then I literally don't have another option but use an old product and however I might be okay with it sort of, when you've worked this hard on everything ELSE to go with what was supposed to be delivered adequately, remaking everything is not an option for me right now. Not with being a full time student and a full time mommy AND business owner. So I have two options...wait on the product and pray to God that its correct...or request the $600.00 refund that I am due for both the original flawed product PLUS the upgrade. And if I cannot get either of these in adequate time, I am prepared to seek legal action but that is a last resort but needless to say, I am NOT a happy Fish Butts client and I am apparently not the only one. I have a few other friends who haven't had to wait near as long but have had nothing but slack and excuses.

Needless to say I'm not happy.

[Whisper]

Thank you for posting your experience with this company. I have been looking at different tail makers, that make full silicone tails. I have read many posts on here regarding FishButts and her continual delay and non-response to contact attempts. This for me is very concerning, as she is one I was looking at for a full silicone tail.

Though I do have a hard time understanding why there is such a price gap between their full silicone tails and the other tail makers full silicone tails.

Whisper

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Not too sure on that. I honestly would spend the money on someone like MerBellas or FlipTails or someone who has been in the industry for quite some time. Someone who knows exactly what they are doing. You're going to pay...but its going to be worth it. I wish now that I had done the same. :-(

[MermaidAlaina]

Ok all this is starting to freak me out a bit because I ordered a tail from her in November and have been trying to contact her for an update....but nothing! I ordered this tail for what I thought was PLENTY of time to have for my trip to Hawaii in May. I also wanted to have it in time to sew sequins on it before the trip (as I plan to do a photo shoot in it while there) Since I can not get her to contact me, I do not know what I should do. I don't even know if she has started on the tail! If I was to ask for a refund now, I would still have time to order one from another tail-maker. But again, I can't get her to respond to my emails and do not know if my tail has been started. What should I do? $300 not exactly pocket change for me and I would need the refund before placing another tail order with someone else! I am starting to be very concerned here!

[Mermaid Momo]

I think you should ask for the refund and get a tail by another maker. Once people start to request refunds and express their displeasure in the service and or product they have received then maybe Fish butts will see that they need a more organized way of doing business and maybe even closing orders until they are caught up on other orders like nerveless and flip tails do. They open a few slots and as they complete those tails, they open up the now empty slots.

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Very disconcerning as we are all in the same boat together! :-( Its kind of a headache!! She used to be really good about communicating with her customers but the minute you stop communicating when customers have PAID YOU, thats when things get hairy. She isn't communicating personally with the customers. Especially the ones she's made upset. If that were me and my business, I would be doing everything in my power to make sure dissatisfied customers were handled correctly and that product was flawless otherwise those customers are going to have awful things to say about me and my company. Word travels FAST and I know that these Merforums are the bread and butter of people trying to find a reputable tail maker. I know many people who have ordered from her and haven't had ANY problems. Then there have been myself and some other people I've talked with in other communities that I'm apart of and they have had similar communication issues as well as tail issues. I don't know if you should cancel your order or not, but the more I look at her FB posts and stuff about "taking on new orders" ontop of what she already has backed up...Its like she doesn't even care about the ones she's still working on or not even began working on.

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Draggerz, I'm about to do just that. I am giving her til the end of the week to reply with an apporpriate email regarding my tail order because I sent the above email yesterday, and no response yet her assistant is supposed to be emailing people and is posting on FB about how many slots are opening up for their new orders and blah blah blah! Honestly, why doesn't she worry about the people who are going to be making her a good reputation and quit worrying about making money hand over fist. If I get a crap tail from her this second go round IF I dont ask for a refund and it comes back a mess you can bet your fishbutts I will be suing for damages!!! This is RIDICULOUS!

[AniaR]

I'm really sorry you went through all this :( I hope it all gets sorted out soon. I went through a similar process with my mertailor tail, and eventually just gave up and went with someone new. I know Stevi, I know Raven, I know Eric, I know Jesse, and several new up and coming tail makers. I think I see a pattern in everyone that they all reached a snag where there were too many orders, or some issue with materials (shortage, quality, etc.) and I think how the tail makers each deal with that snag determine their business. I know Jesse plowed his way through his holidays to get orders out, Raven too. Now she takes limited orders. I think many of us were concerned when Stevi decided to offer the sale. We don't want to see her crash and burn like others have.

I think people jump into tail making too fast sometimes. They haven't actually made many tails, tested them, or sometimes even swam in them. People perceive a market so they want to jump right in. I think it makes for hard lessons for everyone, both the tail makers and the clients. on that same end, lots of newbies judge the oldies, until they wind up in the same situation despite all their preaching they never will.

I hope it all works out for you in the best way possible!

[Ashe]

Dang, I'm really sorry this happened to you, Ariaella! And to everyone else who has been having issues :( My friend has been having similar issues, she ordered a partial silicone tail back in December sale, and she has barely gotten any feedback. What sucks is that the poor girl's mom payed EXTRA to have it done by Christmas so she would have a present to open and Stevi said that she could totally have it done and shipped out by then, but nope, nothing :( Hopefully some fins or something will be added to the tail to make up for what happened. I'm rethinking getting a FishButts tail myself. Deciding i'm just gonna wait another year so Stevi can get back up on her feet (I know she's been through a lot) and then order a tail when I know I can get something I'm truly happy with :)

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Thanks Raina and Kalani. I completely understand having personal issues and know that can delay some of the processing. I respect that trust me I do. I am extremely discouraged that she has said she's had some "personal issues" now twice since I've ordered. If you're having issue and you're running a business you either need to communicate and tell the customers what is going on in a timely manner, or shut down production until a later date. I don't want to sound like I'm uncompassionate but, if she's got an assistant or a team of people who are supposed to be helping her, why aren't they doing their job?! Its just really upsetting that people just think they can become overnight tail maker sensations. It doesn't work like this people! GAH! I don't know what in the world is going on with my tail...I hope she remembers that she offered me to have a silicone tail...I hope she hasn't forgotten the colors...I hope that it doesn't FALL APART!!!! For the love of GOD, I shouldn't be having to wish these things. If you're going to be a repuatable tail maker, then be one... GRR...I'm all about supporting new artists but honestly, I'm losing faith.

[New York Mermaid]

Stevi is making a very important announcement coming up. Especially aimed at those who have late tails.

[Whisper]

"Hi everyone, I know some of you have waited entirely too long for your tails and I do apologize but due to recent events beyond my control, I am having to move. I have several orders that are over due and I am sincerely sorry but due to what I'm going through in my personal life I really could use just a bit more patience from all of you. I'm in a bad situation but already on the way to a better one. Please understand why I can't give you more details but I assure you all the late tail orders are in the works and will be finished and shipped within the next couple weeks. I have had help step in and things are getting done. Please understand this is a very rough time for me and I would really really be beyond grateful for just a tad more patience from you guys. And please remember, due to my tails being sold so close to cost, there can be No Refunds for any reason. I appreciate all of you and you will receive the tails you ordered. My friend Rose will be handling emails and questions but please remember she is already dealing with a sea of them, so please go easy on her. I greatly appreciate your understanding through this, it means the world to me.Hi everyone, I know some of you have waited entirely too long for your tails and I do apologize but due to recent events beyond my control, I am having to move. I have several orders that are over due and I am sincerely sorry but due to what I'm going through in my personal life I really could use just a bit more patience from all of you. I'm in a bad situation but already on the way to a better one. Please understand why I can't give you more details but I assure you all the late tail orders are in the works and will be finished and shipped within the next couple weeks. I have had help step in and things are getting done. Please understand this is a very rough time for me and I would really really be beyond grateful for just a tad more patience from you guys. And please remember, due to my tails being sold so close to cost, there can be No Refunds for any reason. I appreciate all of you and you will receive the tails you ordered. My friend Rose will be handling emails and questions but please remember she is already dealing with a sea of them, so please go easy on her. I greatly appreciate your understanding through this, it means the world to me."
This is from Fishbutt's Facebook page. As someone who was looking at this tail maker as one that was in the running for me to purchase a full silicone tail from, I must say, I have GREAT reservation about purchasing from her. I was going thru threads here before I joined and have noticed an on-going theme with this maker.

I know that personal life happens, I am self-employed as well. But this seems as though it has gotten greatly out of control. Now she says, No Refunds for any reason - That does not at all seem right or fair. Especially since it seems that many of the delays are her own doing. What about those people that paid RUSH fees to have their tail expedited? Then you add in sale after sale, when previous orders have not been filled. That is just bad business.

I am sorry to say, but after reading many comments, both here and on Facebook, I do not feel that this tail maker is able to produce what is asked, nor are they reliable.

Mermaid Ariaelle - I do hope that you are able to resolve this. Unfortunately, I feel that the only way to do that may indeed be in a court of law. I do wish you the best on this.

[Mermaid Melusinah]

Just read the announcement... :/ That's REALLY unsettling. She's refusing to give refunds? I am a business owner myself... And I NEVER deny refunds, no matter what.... That is just the way things are supposed to be. If you can't provide the product, you shouldnt really have a right to the money... To me that just says bad ethics... I'm not attacking, but just saying that this only makes me concerned for Stevi more then anything. :/ I really hope that you ladies get this all sorted out... sorry to say that I know that I won't be ordering one from her. I have been scammed in the past and the fear of that always lingers over me... which is a shame cause it seemed like she was going to be able to offer a decent tail to lower budget mers like me....

[Blondie]

I feel really guilty for saying this but, I'm so glad I ordered my tail back early last year. I could not put up with the business if I ordered a tail when you guys did :\

I feel so bad for saying this because I do love Stevi. She is a nice woman and has a good heart but, there's a time where you just got to work and put your past behind you. My boss ALWAYS tells us, no matter WHAT is going on in your life, you come to work with a smile and leave it outside. Your problems don't exist when you go to work. I really think that motto needs to apply to Stevi. Life is tough and we know she's having problems, but it doesn't make up for the tails you promised to make people. People have PAID you to make these tails. That is their money and in my eyes, if you're going to keep delaying a product like this it's almost like stealing.

Why she took tail orders? I don't know. I said in the last thread that she should have waited till she moved before she took these orders. I really really hope that when she does move, she hires some assistants or gets some friends to help her out. The tail making business is a rough and time consuming career. I think it would help her out a lot if she would have s couple extra pairs of hands helping her make tails. It would sure speed up things.

I'm so so so sorry you had to deal with this. That's just incredibly frustrating. I truly hope that Stevi gets her stuff together and buckles down these tails.

[AniaR]

She's refusing to give refunds?

This is standard in the tail making world. Very rarely will any tail maker give refunds for several reasons: the tails are made to fit a specific person's measurements and can be very hard to resell, it prevents people from buying the tail, using it for an event or photoshoot and returning the tail for their money back instead of paying a rental fee. Again, this is standard. And has been standard, since Thom Shouse first started selling tails. Also, the issue of tail makers fixing something and sending it back is also on the fence. Some tail makers will do it, some wont. People need to have the correct expectation when they order a tail. You should know tailmakers don't usually offer refunds if you're considering buying. You should research materials and tail types before buying so you know alex plus is cheaper but falls apart.

I'm not defending Stevi. I don't think I can give you any excuses. I will say, she's been posting non stop for months on her FB page giving people updates about her situation and how fast she's getting caught up etc. She sends out mass emails, and gets Rose to help too. The only reason I am pointing this out, is because I think it's unfair to judge her over communication and her non-refund rule. She communicates more than the majority of tail makers, and the more time she has to spend communicating, the less time she spends catching up on tails. I am not a tail maker, but I can easily sit for an entire day wading through emails just to find the actual legit ones.

That being said,
I just ask that people recognize, that practically every well known tail maker has experienced what Stevi is going through TO SOME DEGREE. It practically ruined mertailor, and took him a year to get things right. But he did it. The fact of the matter is, nothing can be done to change the past. Mistakes are made, and hopefully lessons are learned. People don't put themselves in a hole like this on purpose, and as we've all ready demonstrated- Stevi's not exactly getting rich off of tails here. It's an extreme amount of expectation and pressure to live up to.

I get annoyed with BS comments like "I'll never buy from so-and-so." you know why? Because In all my years being an extremely active member on this site, it never seems to be the case. I watch people who swore up and down they'd never buy from a tail maker and then turn around and do it. I've seen people on this forum openly bash certain tail makers all over here, and on FB, and then the second that person gets OUT of their rut, they're quick to suck up to them. Honestly, I get tired of it. It's a cycle on repeat, non stop. The crap people have said about Raven, in horrible aggressive ways, and then slunk back to her when they saw the quality of her tails blows my mind.

So here's what I'm going to say: If you've ordered a tail, and you're upset, you have every right to be upset. Hopefully, you're going to get it figured out. I waited half a year for my silicone tail, and I'd do it all over again if it means Raven could deal with all the personal stuff she had to deal with at the time, and still make me a good product. I paid a lot of money. It wasn't easy. I had all the same fears you did. I talked to people to express my fears, went long times without contact from her. But look at me now? It worked out for me in the end. I can't guarantee that for you, but I think it's a big possibility. Here's a person who basically got ran over by life, and had the common sense to ask for help from a friend to get things going. Do I think all the decisions were smart? No. Is it being handled the right way? I don't know, it seems like a lot of people aren't willing to give it a chance to be handled the right way. Ariaelle, I don't direct this at you, this is just my general frustration with how the community responds to this stuff. I think you have every right to be upset and post...

but How about everyone else, who hasn't actually ordered a fishbutts tail, stop fuelling drama. Stop going on and on about how you'd run your business. Some of us older members on the website are honestly getting really tired of it. We vent a lot about the "know it all attitude" and the "entitlement" attitude that seems to run rampant on here. You'd do this, you wouldn't do that blah blah well guess what, if you're not IN the situation, you don't know what you'd do. "I would only take on limited orders, I'd never let myself get overwhelmed" -> says someone who's not a tail maker, or someone who's a tail maker with no business yet. Talk to me when you become a tail maker, or actually get some orders. No matter how prepared people are for their business, LIFE and SHIT happens. The difference is, when you are an independent business, there is no extra stash of cash, there's no extra person, there's no department to take the fall. Work doesn't get put on hold because family members die, partners leave us, and we end up seriously ill. You could have all of 3 tail orders and find them impossible to do when shit like that happens. Or you know, the weather gets unpredictably cold and your materials wont cure. I'M NOT GIVING EXCUSES I'm just asking that people step off their high horses. If you're not going to buy from someone, then DON'T. At this point in the game, you have a lot of people you can choose from. If someone chooses to buy from fishbutts despite all this, that's their prerogative. It's not like Stevi is having posts removed on the forum, hounding past customers who are upset and harassing them, and deleting any trace of a bad review here. No, she's owning up, and doing everything she can in this moment to make things better. It's not like she ever lied about her materials. You get what you pay for. So can you all stop judging like every freaking situation with a tail maker is exactly like adam martyn- the guy who took people's money and never ever gave a tail? Because... it's NOT. The game has changed quite a bit from two years ago when people had bad experiences and we can to create a totally brand new website to be able to talk about it without posts being taken down. And honestly, certain people in this thread, only post negative stuff about fishbutts. They have few posts, and when they do posts, it's always to back up a criticism. If the only reason you're on this forum is to bash someone else, perhaps look at yourself before you start pointing fingers.

Honestly, I am disappointed in the whole thing. I'm disappointed that things got this bad for Stevi that people are now upset. I'm disappointed for the clients who have been waiting for tails for months because I 100% know that pain. I'm disappointed that members on mernetwork are PMing each other to tell each other off over their differences of opinions on the matter (I know it's happening, because everyone's telling me about it when it does!) I'm rally disappointed that people are unfriending each other on FB over something that genuinely does NOT affect them. If someone is an upset customer, especially in this situation, they're allowed to be upset. It's totally fine to validate them as well. But people are using this stuff "behind the scenes" as an excuse to treat each other like absolute shit. It's exhausting.

If this whole situation or past situations has made you think you wont buy from that person in the future, then fine. But get off your soap box and stop using it as an excuse to put yourself in the middle of something that you aren't even in, and use it to basically throw hate at other people.

/end rant

[New York Mermaid]

Wait a minute she's been doing great sending out tails and such but because of cyber monday and personal life pulled her back suddenly its a scam?. All tailmakers make personal issues or get backordered due to supplies and such. No one's perfect the reason she's not offering refund is because the moment you make the payment she uses the payment for certain supplies such as buying the monofin. She doesnt keep those on hand, she orders them to your size.

And some people who are backed ordered is due to the delay on the oceanika merfin. And then a bad batch of silicone which she unfortunately learned the hard way. I know what's going on, But She asked me not to bring up whats going on in her personal life. I can honestly say with everything thats going on she went as far as telling me, the stress makes her feel like she might need to do something low to refund people and quit making tails because she hates making people upset. I've pushed her hard to not give up and to continue on. From what I know once she moves she will have help in tailmaking and get tails done faster along with get the late orders out..

[MerEmma]

Well said, Raina.

[AniaR]

I don't wanna sound like a bitch when I say this, and I don't want tail makers to take personal offence. But honestly. People want the most professional tail for the cheapest price and it's just not going to happen. If you're aiming for tails in this budget, expect them to be cheaply made. I dont say "cheaply" as a dig, I literally mean, the cheapest version of materials. We had the "mertailor saga" on meryuku, where a lot of stuff came out of the wood work, and there were a lot of issues. It made it difficult for clients and tail makers from that point on. Every tail maker is under a huge amount of pressure not to make any of those mistakes, and do everything the right way that people thought he did the wrong way. On the client end, it's made over zealous clients with unrealistic expectations of the tail making process, materials, or costs. I'm not suggesting Ariaella is this way, and I hope you realize Ariaella that this is not directed at you, I'm simply using it as a platform since I see examples of this stuff in the replies. Clients end up acting like using a flamethrower to light a candle. It's overkill. A lot of us older members get caught in the middle. I can't tell you how many dozens of emails I get EVERY SINGLE DAY from people who didn't have the correct expectations about their tail, and somehow think I can act on their behalf to fix it or make it right- from all of the tail makers. It's not even just emails, it gets spammed on my FB page, on my youtube, everywhere I go. It's the whole reason I started the "what to expect when you get a tail" thread.

In this case, Stevi never made it a secret that she used Alex plus for a long time. And there was plenty of information on mernetwork about how bad alex plus was. But people decided to order from her anyway. Even though tail makers who have been around longer weren't able to make the material work. I saw Raven's alex plus tails in person. She works wonders, but at the end of the day, even she couldn't get around the issues of alex plus. There is responsibility on Stevi, yes, no doubt about it. But customers need to take accountability for doing their homework before they invest in an expensive purchase. I have had many people come to me about other tail maker, I told them my experience because they asked, and recommended they go with someone else. They didn't, because they wanted something cheap, then came back to me months later telling me I was right.

Point being for those of you who are considering buying ANY tail, know what to expect so you can have accurate expectations, and the tail lives up to what you want it to be able to do. If you want to be a professional mermaid, I strongly suggest, you buy a professional tail. A cheap recreational tail, will simply not hold up.

[EnidDarkWater]

Sorry to see this happening to everyone especially when alot of you seem to have events planned and gigs to do that depend on scheduled deliveries. I personally would be very very livid at some one pushing it back and back and back. As some one who does custom order stuff I can say the second ANYTHING goes wrong you let your clients know,especially if it involves scheduling getting thrown off. So in the land of buisness if it isnt in her shop policies that there are no refunds you should be able to get one and also if you paid with paypal you can very easily file a paypal dispute. Good luck guys.

[Blondie]

I didn't mean it that way :\ I didn't literally mean she was stealing from people. She's not!

I was just saying that if you promise a product and they give you money for it. You should do you absolute best to get them that product asap. The longer you draw it out (And I'm talking like 4 months) That just feels... Wrong to me. It's like holding someone's money hostage. I know Stevi would never ever EVER steal! I never in my right mind would think she would! I just was trying to make an example. It feels like stealing when people do not have the product they were promised, and the fact that it is months late. I feel like some people are like "Jeez if I knew it was going to take THAT long I wouldn't of bought a tail" you know? People like to get what they paid for....

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Okay, let me explain this. I don't want to make anyone upset but I have every right to be pissed off and demanding a refund. When I originally placed my order, I knew EXACTLY what I was ordering. I knew it was an alex tail...I've made a few myself. I know that they aren't made for extended amounts of prolonged water time. I understand this completely however I have made tails with Alex and never had the problems I had with the tail I received. The DAY that it shipped out...she emailed me and said it was STILL curing...she packaged it wet and sent it to me...I got it here and it still was tacky and wet...I had to lay it out the day before in a warm environment to even PRAY that it would work. I got to site the next day and everything seemed okay. Got in the water and it literally came apart, the latex just shelffed off like it was dead skin in 6 to 9 inch patches! THATS why I'm upset. I understand why tailmakers don't offer refunds...I completely understand that however this wasn't a case of resizing or color changing or that I just didn't LIKE it. THe product was flawed...faulty...it came apart. Don't sell me an IPhone that doesn't work that's supposed to brand new from the store!!! Its the same thing. It should have been an exchange...instead I PAID for a PARTIAL silicone... yes a PARTIAL...when now she's offering for less than what I have paid into her a FULL silicone tail for her "sale". THAT is why I am upset. I am in every legal right to persue this in a court of law if I decide to go that route. I don't want to do that though. I expect a timely response to my email and I expect a product delievered or a refund issued. I'm not pissed at Stevi because trust me, I know she's under a LOT of stress going on right now. I own a business as well...I do custom commissions as a home business as well...but you can't crank out mass produced items over night. Honestly, what she is doing is digging herself into a grave. She needs to quit taking orders to focus on her home life. That would be the smart thing to do. My tail isn't back ordered because of the Oceanika fin either...I still have the original effed up tail with my oceanika fin...there is NO excuse why I shouldn't have this product hanging on my stand right now other than the fact that she's overwhelemed with whatever she's got going on. I'm sorry she's going through a tough time right now but this isn't preschool...she's in a big pond with much bigger fish. It would be in her best interests to take some time to gather herself and get back on her feet as needed. I respect her for all that she has done and is trying to do but she's just making matters worse by not communicating effectively with her customers.

[Mermaid Dottie]

I can understand how frustrated people must be getting with the Constant delays from Fish Butts, But I can tell you that the product is worth the price. I just wish I could go to Colorado and help her with them. I'm actually considering different ways I could aid her, but nothing solid, yet.
It's sad that she's having problems getting all the tails out. I wish she would just slow it down and take only 5 orders at a time. that would make things so much easier on everyone. Then, maybe when she gets back on her feet, She could get a little more help with the construction process.
Until she gets to that point, I think she's going to keep struggling.
I would like to point out, however, that she is doing things to the best of her ability, and even the best of the best can get overwhelmed and bogged down by mistakes they've made.
Just because she needs more help than she is able to acquire does not make her a bad person.

[Mermaid Ariaella]

I did write a very firm email to Rose a few moments ago and I'm hoping I get some sort of turn around. It was brought to my attention that Stevi is down with a sickness right now. I'm not trying to sound like a witch at all...I never accused Stevi of stealing money from anyone. Honestly, she came highly recommended by several people. That is why I went with her. I understand that life throws your curve balls...I know it does...Hell I've got a few myself I'm trying to deal with right now. We all have things going on in our lives that can cause slip ups and hiccups in our lives and in businesses. I'm not blaming her for anything that has happened to her, I am honestly praying for her that she has the strength to get through all of this mess. Her heart is in the right place, I just think life has dealt her a hand that she can't fight back with right now. I don't want anyone to think that what I was trying to do was to get people to not buy from her because that's not it at all. I genuinely believe that people make mistakes and that there are issues beyond human control. Please don't let my situation sway you in any way shape or form. There have been lots of people who have ordered from her that are happy. Just because my situation poses a major problem, doesn't mean that it will happen to you. I really hope that my situation will be settled and I can move on from this. My situation stems from possibly losing a contract and other parts of my business will be affected by it as well...A business that makes me a years salary in one month! So I have a lot more on the line to lose than just being without a tail... I'll be without a house and be without food on my table if I lose my contract! I'm a little frusterated with the situation at hand but this situation is between Stevi and myself. It shouldn't affect anyones outlook on their tail orders or future ordering from her! I just wanted to get that out there. I'm not trying to be malicious in any of this. This is supposed to be a forum and a place to be able to express your opinions about the community including vendors and that is what I was doing. Entitled to my opinions and my feelings. We are a community and in the end of it all, we should be helping her in any way that we can. I hope things work out for her and hope that my situation is resovled as quickly as possible.

[AniaR]

Okay, let me explain this. I don't want to make anyone upset but I have every right to be pissed off and demanding a refund. When I originally placed my order, I knew EXACTLY what I was ordering. I knew it was an alex tail...I've made a few myself. I know that they aren't made for extended amounts of prolonged water time. I understand this completely however I have made tails with Alex and never had the problems I had with the tail I received. The DAY that it shipped out...she emailed me and said it was STILL curing...she packaged it wet and sent it to me...I got it here and it still was tacky and wet...I had to lay it out the day before in a warm environment to even PRAY that it would work. I got to site the next day and everything seemed okay. Got in the water and it literally came apart, the latex just shelffed off like it was dead skin in 6 to 9 inch patches! THATS why I'm upset. I understand why tailmakers don't offer refunds...I completely understand that however this wasn't a case of resizing or color changing or that I just didn't LIKE it. THe product was flawed...faulty...it came apart. Don't sell me an IPhone that doesn't work that's supposed to brand new from the store!!! Its the same thing. It should have been an exchange...instead I PAID for a PARTIAL silicone... yes a PARTIAL...when now she's offering for less than what I have paid into her a FULL silicone tail for her "sale". THAT is why I am upset. I am in every legal right to persue this in a court of law if I decide to go that route. I don't want to do that though. I expect a timely response to my email and I expect a product delievered or a refund issued. I'm not pissed at Stevi because trust me, I know she's under a LOT of stress going on right now. I own a business as well...I do custom commissions as a home business as well...but you can't crank out mass produced items over night. Honestly, what she is doing is digging herself into a grave. She needs to quit taking orders to focus on her home life. That would be the smart thing to do. My tail isn't back ordered because of the Oceanika fin either...I still have the original effed up tail with my oceanika fin...there is NO excuse why I shouldn't have this product hanging on my stand right now other than the fact that she's overwhelemed with whatever she's got going on. I'm sorry she's going through a tough time right now but this isn't preschool...she's in a big pond with much bigger fish. It would be in her best interests to take some time to gather herself and get back on her feet as needed. I respect her for all that she has done and is trying to do but she's just making matters worse by not communicating effectively with her customers.

I think you're totally valid and justified in your complaint and all your points you make. I hope you get a resolution soon and it works out well for both of you. :( I wasn't trying to discredit anything you said, because I could tell just from what you wrote there wasn't exactly anything different you could have done on your end. I just used the opportunity to point out another perspective. Like I said in my original post: it's no excuse. I can't defend the situation or her choices. You are perfectly reasonable in your frustration and whatever action you choose to take.

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Nobody here is accusing her of being a bad person and where you might have gotten that I'm not sure. I'm not trying to cause any sort of uproar or drama and I'm not even sure why anyone would go and do that. Wasn't me! I honestly have spent most of my day working on homework or hanging out with my husband and daughter. I don't have time for drama. So please don't think that I am trying to cut her down or make people think she's a horrible person because she can't get orders out. I agree that she needs to take a step back. She's WAY overwhelmed and she's bitten off more than she can chew of the mermaid fruit. Start slow...grow...baby steps...That is one reason why I haven't started making tails and selling them because I know my product is good but I'm not about to start mass marketing myself. Eric had that problem and he lost a LOT of customers because of crap product... Talk about some serious wait time...a very good friend of mine bought 1 tail from him....literally took 10 months to get it! So...yeah definatley not in that boat! But honestly, people just need to quit jumping to conclusions. This is between me and Stevi and we will get it all worked out. I don't have anything against her nor do I hold any hostility towards her. That's not what this is about. This was simply a place for me to rant about why I'm pissed off about the product that was supposed to have been delievered after a faulty one was supplied. That is ALL this was ever about.

[AniaR]

I did write a very firm email to Rose a few moments ago and I'm hoping I get some sort of turn around. It was brought to my attention that Stevi is down with a sickness right now. I'm not trying to sound like a witch at all...I never accused Stevi of stealing money from anyone. Honestly, she came highly recommended by several people. That is why I went with her. I understand that life throws your curve balls...I know it does...Hell I've got a few myself I'm trying to deal with right now. We all have things going on in our lives that can cause slip ups and hiccups in our lives and in businesses. I'm not blaming her for anything that has happened to her, I am honestly praying for her that she has the strength to get through all of this mess. Her heart is in the right place, I just think life has dealt her a hand that she can't fight back with right now. I don't want anyone to think that what I was trying to do was to get people to not buy from her because that's not it at all. I genuinely believe that people make mistakes and that there are issues beyond human control. Please don't let my situation sway you in any way shape or form. There have been lots of people who have ordered from her that are happy. Just because my situation poses a major problem, doesn't mean that it will happen to you. I really hope that my situation will be settled and I can move on from this. My situation stems from possibly losing a contract and other parts of my business will be affected by it as well...A business that makes me a years salary in one month! So I have a lot more on the line to lose than just being without a tail... I'll be without a house and be without food on my table if I lose my contract! I'm a little frusterated with the situation at hand but this situation is between Stevi and myself. It shouldn't affect anyones outlook on their tail orders or future ordering from her! I just wanted to get that out there. I'm not trying to be malicious in any of this. This is supposed to be a forum and a place to be able to express your opinions about the community including vendors and that is what I was doing. Entitled to my opinions and my feelings. We are a community and in the end of it all, we should be helping her in any way that we can. I hope things work out for her and hope that my situation is resovled as quickly as possible.

I kind of want to give you all the awards for this post :) I actually just searched and searched google to try and find a funny gif but this is all I've got

http://business-sa.com/assets/Xpress/Issue%2073:%20May%202011/award.gif

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Email back from Rose I JUST got literally!Lauren,

I can fully understand your concern which is upsetting, and you have every right to be upset. I spoke to Stevi she said if you want she will upgade your tail (since you already paid) to a full silicone if you want, but instead of the oceanika there will be a finis wave and as she said before if you can hold on just a bit longer she can have it to you sometime in february - No more delays!! (since she finally will be able to have someone help her finish tails.)Since she's currently in the process of packing and moving shes just trying to get that out of the way so she can focus on tails.

Are you willing to have the wave instead of the oceanika?

Please let me know asap!!

Rose

[Mermaid Summer]

Okay, let me explain this. I don't want to make anyone upset but I have every right to be pissed off and demanding a refund. When I originally placed my order, I knew EXACTLY what I was ordering. I knew it was an alex tail...I've made a few myself. I know that they aren't made for extended amounts of prolonged water time. I understand this completely however I have made tails with Alex and never had the problems I had with the tail I received. The DAY that it shipped out...she emailed me and said it was STILL curing...she packaged it wet and sent it to me...I got it here and it still was tacky and wet...I had to lay it out the day before in a warm environment to even PRAY that it would work. I got to site the next day and everything seemed okay. Got in the water and it literally came apart, the latex just shelffed off like it was dead skin in 6 to 9 inch patches! THATS why I'm upset. I understand why tailmakers don't offer refunds...I completely understand that however this wasn't a case of resizing or color changing or that I just didn't LIKE it. THe product was flawed...faulty...it came apart. Don't sell me an IPhone that doesn't work that's supposed to brand new from the store!!! Its the same thing. It should have been an exchange...instead I PAID for a PARTIAL silicone... yes a PARTIAL...when now she's offering for less than what I have paid into her a FULL silicone tail for her "sale". THAT is why I am upset. I am in every legal right to persue this in a court of law if I decide to go that route. I don't want to do that though. I expect a timely response to my email and I expect a product delievered or a refund issued. I'm not pissed at Stevi because trust me, I know she's under a LOT of stress going on right now. I own a business as well...I do custom commissions as a home business as well...but you can't crank out mass produced items over night. Honestly, what she is doing is digging herself into a grave. She needs to quit taking orders to focus on her home life. That would be the smart thing to do. My tail isn't back ordered because of the Oceanika fin either...I still have the original effed up tail with my oceanika fin...there is NO excuse why I shouldn't have this product hanging on my stand right now other than the fact that she's overwhelemed with whatever she's got going on. I'm sorry she's going through a tough time right now but this isn't preschool...she's in a big pond with much bigger fish. It would be in her best interests to take some time to gather herself and get back on her feet as needed. I respect her for all that she has done and is trying to do but she's just making matters worse by not communicating effectively with her customers.

Is it the festival in April? Just wondering.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Yes thankyou. Back on topic, ariaella, are you going to take up the offer?

[Mermaid Summer]

Also I keep seeing that you're really to take legal action and there is a minor issue. If you look at her websites, it said no refund and the store I work at has the same policy. From what I've been explained to explain is that once the consumer gets the product and use it, we can't take it back because when we check it, it wasn't faulty. Not a lawyer or anything but I am just saying what my store does.

[MermaidAlaina]

I actually just received an email from Stevi a couple hours ago! Thank goodness! It makes me feel so much better knowing that she hasn't forgotten about me. She said I should have my tail by the 3rd week in Feburary...which suits me fine :) I'm just going to pray that she doesn't run into any more problems or set-backs!

[New York Mermaid]

Being her assistant, for whatever i said I didint mean to "fly off the handle like that" I really do appologize if i upset anyone on this thread. I know you guys have angry moments, concerns, what have you, its just i wish i could disclose whats happening. Life can be so tough at times and i see reasons why you can be upset. I just want to let you guys all know. I hope we can put this away and swim on...

[AniaR]

She did :) Hello all! (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?4190-Hello-all%21&p=56350#post56350) With all these drama threads filling up the What's New? box, It was easily lost :P

My mistake ;)

Back to the original topic,

I was talking with another tailmaker on FB and they brought up a good point. Monofins can't be returned once they're cut or glued into something. Silicone or latex can't be returned once it's poured even if it turns out to be a bad batch. All things tail makers have to address and figure out solutions to

[Prince Calypso]

UGH! more drama.
i understand where everybody is coming from with there complaints. yes its annoying and irritating as hell to order something from someone and to be put off not once but a few times. it literally pisses you off i understand.
But i understand stevi's point of view as well. my mom use to be a seamstress a really great one actually, she'd make costumes and stuff and prom dresses and stuff like that. She would offer dresses for cheaper than they were sold in stores and she did it cause she genually enjoyed making the dresses. But she would get swamped and fall a bit behind and people would get a little ugly about it

I can understand that stevi is going through some things and honestly I feel like she should just take a break. stop making tails cause people are gonna run her ragged.
i get that people want what they ordered but i think we should all try to be a little bit more compassionate. Stevi got swamped and had a few personal issues to deal with and it's hard to get through things like that when people TURN ON YOU AT THE DROP OF A DAMN DIME!
i honestly believe we are gonna end up running off an aspiring talent if we can't just bring ourselves to be patent and compassionate.


an another thing, I though we were all adults here, why is everyone so easily offended its childish

[SeaGlass Siren]

We resolved it prince ;) no worriee ok laa?

[AniaR]

yeah all the posts got moved by the sparkly new drama bull dozer :D :bulldozer:

[Ayla of Duluth]

:headdesk::bulldozer::headdesk::group hug::soap box: OHMYGOD WHAT DID I FIND?! :D

[Mermaid Ariaella]

In regards to taking her up on the offer, yes. I am going to do this as it will cause a lot less drama and stress in both of our lives. I'm glad it has been resolved. In terms of being able to take legal action, I had legal right to do as I wished with the situation that presented itself. It was a unique situation that undoubtly was a mistake in the production. Like I mentioned before, you don't expect to buy something new at a store and it not work. They would either offer you an exchange or a refund. I stated before that I know that you cannot return a tail or ask for a refund for a tail based up on the "customization" that this product is. But there in lies a issue...a faulty...broken...not working. It was put in the water for less than 5 minutes and it completely fell apart. It shouldn't have even got to this point but it has been resolved now. Its been prioritized and it will be to me soonish which is all I can ask for. @ Raina, Alexandria texted me and was like...You broke Mernetwork!!! I didn't understand until she said it had turned into a drama fest on the board. I like the drama bulldozer!! Welll said!

[Ashe]

Hold on... :thumbs up: :clap: :jester: :O_o: :anger explode: :sad eyes: These must all be new! IT'S GLORIOUS!!!!

Sorry about being so off topic, we need a Smilie thread.

[SeaGlass Siren]

yeah all the posts got moved by the sparkly new drama bull dozer :D :bulldozer:
i made a new drama bull dozer ;) it's in the drama thread for everyone to see now.

[Mermaid Ariaella]

You guys crack me up!!!!! I have to use that phrase drama dozer in my classroom lol yay teaching high schoolers

[Mermaid Dottie]

I'm glad that your issue has been resolved, and I'm really glad you're getting one of her full silicone tails. I really love seeing them in the water. <3
Will you post pictures of it once you've received it?

[Mermaid Ariaella]

Most definitely! Can't wait to see it myself.

[ShyMer]

ariaella- I'm just curious. You said in a previous post that you have made a few Alex tails yourself, so I assume you know what it looks like when the material is not cured. If the tail was not cured completely when it arrived, why did you take it out into water the next day? I thought Alex takes a very long time to fully cure, especially when applied to fabric as thickly as it often does for a tail. Also I forget if you said previously, but did Stevi say anything about the product being wet? just trying to put a few pieces together.

[halesloveswhales]

ariaella- I'm just curious. You said in a previous post that you have made a few Alex tails yourself, so I assume you know what it looks like when the material is not cured. If the tail was not cured completely when it arrived, why did you take it out into water the next day? I thought Alex takes a very long time to fully cure, especially when applied to fabric as thickly as it often does for a tail. Also I forget if you said previously, but did Stevi say anything about the product being wet? just trying to put a few pieces together.
Hey ShyMer. When I got my tail from Stevi, you couldn't tell that the latex hadn't cured all the way. It was only when I spent a couple hours in the water that I noticed the latex turning white (It kind of looked like glue. You can tell from some of the pictures I've posted) instead of staying clear. All I did to finish curing it was stick it out in the sun and heat for the day, and it was all better. So I understand how Ariaella may have not know that it wasn't cured all the way. I hope this much helps!

[Thalassa]

I'll tell you, every time I swim in my latex tail for a longish time it turns white and "un-cures." I took it out, I've "cured" it for quite a while (even to a month) and it still un-cures. I had the understanding that this is a common problem with Alex tails...I thought I saw a thread about it, can anyone confirm?

[ShyMer]

iI have heard that they'll come uncured, it's the chunks peeling off that I'm mostly curious about. seems different from what I typically hear about.

[Thalassa]

Oh, I see. Well, mine always come uncured but it has yet to lose a chunk. Then again, I'm always SUPER careful not to scrape it against anything when it's white. I've also known people who've had chunks come off, but I don't know if it's a curing issue or because they scraped it on something when it was uncured. *shrug*

[Winged Mermaid]

Yes, ALEX tails uncure and turn white when in water for long periods of time. They will do that every time if they are in the water for long enough. They will even do that if you leave them wet and don't air them out properly. Over time the stuff degrades and it becomes weak, which is when it starts crumbling and coming off. It's one of many faults with them. People were arguing that ALEX is safe once cured, so it's fine to use on tails. But if it turns white and essentially uncures in the water, I really can't see how that is safe. Especially if you are in a pool of water not open water. You can see how against the material I am by all the disclaimers and information I've posted on it since the days of MerYuku. It's a controversial material for sure, but people use it anyway.

[AniaR]

yup, that's what happened to my Alex tail and what happened to Raven's Alex tails too, it's why she took her tutorial for making alex tails down. She didn't want to endorse a product that wasn't safe or fell apart.

[seagirls626]

Ugh. I know where your coming from. I ordered my tail October-beginning of November. It was a Christmas present and I thought that two months would be plenty of time to have a latex tail ready and shipped for Christmas. Now, I live in Switzerland, and I went back to the U.S to spend Christmas with my Grandparents and other relatives. Everything was going great with Stevi, she would respond to my emails and everything. But after cyber monday, she would take weeks to respond. I was in the U.S and Christmas was coming up. Stevi sent me an email saying that my tail was ready and that it would be shipped that following weekend. I told my mom and she was somewhat relieved. The weekend had past, and nothing came up. No email, no updates, not tail, nothing. Two weeks later, I sent her an email asking her what was up. Nothing. No response for days. Christmas came and past, and still no tail. My mom got upset because I didn't get my big present in time for Christmas. We finally got an update a couple days after Christmas saying that she's sorry, and that she'll be shipping some tails out that week, and then she'd ship out my tail after, blah blah blah, etc... My mom then sent her an email complaining that we ordered my tail in OCTOBER and it was the beginning of JANUARY and I still hadn't gotten it. She said that we should be getting my tail shipped out with the first batch. We would be leaving the U.S January 8th and I needed my tail before then because having things shipped to Switzerland is REALLY expensive. She responded very nicely saying that we were absolutely right and that she would ship it out Wednesday (it was Monday). Wednesday passed, and we got no email. FINALLY the day before we were supposed to leave, I got it. I do have to say, I couldn't be happier with it. It's really amazing.

I'm really sorry that you had this experience. Stevi seems like a wonderful person, but I think that she takes more than she can handle. I'm also very surprised that she's having a sale now for full silicone tails when she hasn't even finished the late Christmas/cyber monday orders!