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View Full Version : *Sigh* Mermaidsrus Again



Merley
10-23-2013, 08:55 PM
Hello Fellow Mers,

Some of you from over the summer should remember my experience with Mermaidsrus. If you're unfamiliar, you can find it here (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5908-Tail-Falling-Apart). Well I'm so disheartened by the final result I can't bear to post pictures now. I'll upload some later after putting it on and seeing how it swims. Let's just say I'm definitely looking forward to my Merbella's tail now, more so than ever before (I didn't even think that was possible).

So, I finally got my Mermaidsrus tail back...three months after I originally purchased it. She claims to have spent 80+ hours on it but it sure as hell doesn't look that way. I actually liked my original tail that was falling apart better :/ This time around the fluke is bigger, with a bigger heavier monofin. She made it out of a thin neoprene instead of neoprin, which is good, but that's where the pros end. Cons: The front looks alright enough, not great, not good, but alright. The scales are visible, but they end too soon and the fluke comes up too high. The back is a disaster. It's such a light layer of silicone you can barely make out the scales at all, which are square...I am not a fan of the square scales. At all. The scales actually disappear in some place, it's just flat silicone. It looks like she just tossed it down when it was still wet and it flattened out. She sent me a 'free' tail bag for my troubles and a headband. But she packaged my tail so poorly the headband broke in shipment.

Overall, my experience with Mermaidsrus was unpleasant. It was long, tedious, aggravating and I am still unsatisfied. Despite her seemingly good prices, she does not produce quality work and you will hear a lot of sob stories to excuse it. The only thing I really got out of my purchase is the tail bag, which fits the tail folded over, fluke first and unzips at both sides. Pretty ingenious. About $100 or so on her website, but I would have just bought the bag if I had known this would be the result.

Grade: F-/-5 Stars

-Aesthetically unappealing
-NONFUNCTIONAL
-NO MONOFIN
-Sloppy scale work
-Buttload of time, money and aggravation

Would never buy from again. SEVERELY disappointed. See further posts from me for pictures.

AniaR
10-23-2013, 09:08 PM
be sure to use the review system and leave a review. So sorry you've had this experience :(

Mermaid Harmony
10-23-2013, 09:46 PM
:-( Bummer sauce. We'll see how the tail swims tomorrow I suppose.

PearlieMae
10-23-2013, 11:20 PM
Oh damn, I'm so sorry to hear it. :(

SIF
10-23-2013, 11:45 PM
I'm so sorry... That sounds like it would be frustrating. Do they do refunds of any kind for dissatisfied custoMers?

ShyMer
10-23-2013, 11:56 PM
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that still couldn't give you a good product. That's gotta be really upsetting :( did they just modify your old one or did they make a completely new one?

Merley
10-25-2013, 10:11 PM
She made me a new one, Shymer. But it looks worse than the original one she sent me. It's neoprene instead of neoprin backing so I know it's a different tail. Her scale work is sloppy at best and nearly nonexistant on the back. It looks alright on the front but the back just looks like she gave up. I tried to swim in it the other day and it's impossible. You CAN NOT swim in this tail! Even the shell top she made me is sloppy and doesn't fit right. She used some weird VS bra instead of a bathing suit top. It's one of those that has removable straps to become strapless, which I personally think is pretty worthless for swimming, but she didn't even glue the shells to the bra properly and it's all lopsided and fits weird.

AniaR
10-25-2013, 11:29 PM
:( :( uggggh laaaaame

Winged Mermaid
10-26-2013, 12:11 AM
That suck so much :( I'm so sorry Waikiki.

Merley
11-07-2013, 11:12 PM
Alright, so Coradion and I decided to do some investigating and we finally got around to cutting the fluke of my tail open and seeing what kind of monofin was inside. What we found shocked and disgusted us. Turns out she didn't use a monofin at all. She sewed together two pieces of a thin cardboard-like material and glued a generic foot pocket to it, that is so big it's even loose on Coradion's feet. So, not only is the monofin not real or usable, the foot pockets are sized RIDICULOUSLY HUGE and are too big for male feet. I also took some pictures for you guys of the front/back of the tail, the scale detailing on each side (or lack thereof) and some of the stuff she sent me, you can see it here (http://postimg.org/gallery/678x3hg2/65c903eb/). I forgot to take one of the shell top I got from her before I ripped the shells off, which had been POORLY GLUED ON TO A BRA; it didn't fit correctly because of her careless gluing. The tail itself is aesthetically unappealing and nonfunctional. As you can see in the pictures, the fluke was made of at least an inch thick's worth of silicone and glue, and sealed shut with that sad excuse of a monofin inside. It's no wonder I couldn't move. Her seams are horrendous, the silicone itself messy and chunks easily rip off. Some scales are more defined than others and the 'good' side (I'd consider that the front) has extra pieces of silicone that need to be trimmed from the scales you can actually see. In other places, the back especially, the scales are flat or disappear completely. This is the worst thing I could have ever gotten for my money. I hope those of you that just ordered don't get screwed like I did. I'm posting the images on postimage since the site won't let me reisize them and there are so many.

drucilla
11-07-2013, 11:31 PM
I am so sorry it ended up that way for you, tails are so expensive as it and I'msure getting two in a row messed up must be really frustrating. I sincerely hope you are able to work something out with that company, some sort of refund or exchange (though from the sound of it a refund would probably be best). I offer you my deepest condolences, and wish you all the luck in the world.
-D

Ashe
11-07-2013, 11:46 PM
Ouch, sorry about that :( But hey, now you have your MerBella tail to look forward to!!

ShyMer
11-08-2013, 12:02 AM
Yikes! That's one scary photo album :/ cardboard like material you say? It looks really odd... for as much as you paid I would have expected a real monofin at least. That thing is not a monofin.

PearlieMae
11-08-2013, 12:02 AM
OMG! What a piece of shit!

You better get a full refund!

Merley
11-08-2013, 12:27 AM
I got the second tail in the first place because she wouldn't give me a refund. Looks like I'm stuck with it. But yeah, beware. I wouldn't even take the chance on Sandy and her 'business'. It is odd, Shymer. Like Coradion said to me, you should not be able to sew your monofin. It should be made of rubber, fiberglass or something equally strong. Very true, Kalani. I'm so excited for my tail, but I haven't been able to lose weight like I wanted. :/ I feel too fat for such a beautiful tail Raven will undoubtedly create.

AniaR
11-08-2013, 07:43 AM
Omg Thats awful

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Merley
11-08-2013, 08:11 AM
15668
Forgot to post this. My tail was shipped in this moded Lowes box. The 'free' headband came broken because of it. Not that it was very nice in the first place. At least I'll have a tail bag for my Merbella tail when I finally get it. It came with this giant black splotch stain on the back, but hey; it works. I recommend getting the tail bag for mers in need of something to transport their tail. It's a great idea though I'd be hard pressed to give her any other kind of business. Glad she gave me he bag, though it doesn't make up for a nonfunctional tail. A tail bag of similar design might be easy enough for the sew savvy mer.

MerEmma
11-08-2013, 08:56 AM
I'm so sorry you have to deal with this...it really sucks. Be sure to leave a review in the official system if you haven't already and maybe nobody else will have to get scammed like you were. The tail really sucks. :\

Mermaid Octavia
11-08-2013, 10:17 AM
Jeez... I am so sorry this happened to you and I hope some kind of action can be taken against Sandy for this terrible workmanship. That tail is so sad.

Jessica
11-08-2013, 12:58 PM
I'm so sorry that she gave you such an inferior product than what she advertises. The tails on her website are 100 times better than the two tails you received. Just curious....which tail was worse...the first or second?

this is just me bring mean...well downright evil....but if I got screwed over that badly I would take all of the terrible pictures of the tail and post it for sale on eBay. I would list it and describe it as "worn once!" "Brand new condition!" "Cardboard like monofin!" "Sloppy scales! It looks like a great white shark chewed you up and spit you out!" " Totally unswimmable, but looks great on land if you like a "natural" got run over and almost killed by a boat propeller mermaid look!" "Would make a great half-dead zombie mermaid costume!" "Kids will love playing doctor for the mermaid and bandaging all the mermaid's tail boo-boos!"

If being reasonable with mermaids r us doesn't get you anywhere....maybe public humiliation will. I've seen her tails on eBay before so it might just be the kick in the ass needed to get your money back. You never know....I don't know what it would cost to list it....but if it was me I think it would be worth it just for the satisfaction!

I know...its a pretty awful, evil suggestion....well really awful...(I'm not normally an evil person, but this just really makes me mad!)....but you have to admit, it's fun to think about even if you never do it! ;)

PearlieMae
11-08-2013, 01:05 PM
:lol ^: JESSICA IS MY HERO!

Merman Arion
11-08-2013, 02:37 PM
I'm so sorry that she gave you such an inferior product than what she advertises. The tails on her website are 100 times better than the two tails you received. Just curious....which tail was worse...the first or second?

this is just me bring mean...well downright evil....but if I got screwed over that badly I would take all of the terrible pictures of the tail and post it for sale on eBay. I would list it and describe it as "worn once!" "Brand new condition!" "Cardboard like monofin!" "Sloppy scales! It looks like a great white shark chewed you up and spit you out!" " Totally unswimmable, but looks great on land if you like a "natural" got run over and almost killed by a boat propeller mermaid look!" "Would make a great half-dead zombie mermaid costume!" "Kids will love playing doctor for the mermaid and bandaging all the mermaid's tail boo-boos!"

If being reasonable with mermaids r us doesn't get you anywhere....maybe public humiliation will. I've seen her tails on eBay before so it might just be the kick in the ass needed to get your money back. You never know....I don't know what it would cost to list it....but if it was me I think it would be worth it just for the satisfaction!

I know...its a pretty awful, evil suggestion....well really awful...(I'm not normally an evil person, but this just really makes me mad!)....but you have to admit, it's fun to think about even if you never do it! ;)

Jessica is my evil twin :swoon:

http://31.media.tumblr.com/1d9be66c0f3d9547c43e8f2e685eee58/tumblr_mt93orsoOF1rtrewco1_500.gif

AniaR
11-08-2013, 03:00 PM
Give bad feedback on eBay for sure. I am so mad for you. Grrr I'm busy this weekend but I'll try and think of something to help.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Jessica
11-08-2013, 03:46 PM
Jessica is my evil twin :swoon:

http://31.media.tumblr.com/1d9be66c0f3d9547c43e8f2e685eee58/tumblr_mt93orsoOF1rtrewco1_500.gif

oui! :mermaid kiss:

I'm glad I'm not the only one with an evil mind!

deepblue
11-08-2013, 03:58 PM
I just Googled Mermaids R Us to see the images of her tails. I was glad to see that the 4th and 5th results are both leading here to the forum. The 5th is right to this thread, which is great for anyone who is thinking about purchasing from such a fraud.

Incidentally, MRU has a Pinterest board. You could post a few of the pics of what you received to Pinterest, mentioning the company would mean it would come up on searches. Telling the story there also could put pressure on her, and possibly, hopefully warn others away.

http://www.pinterest.com/MermaidsRus/

Seatan
11-08-2013, 04:49 PM
LMAO, Jessica you rock. i say do it.

Merley
11-08-2013, 04:56 PM
Bahaha, Jessica if I were back in high school I might consider it. But I think I'm going to take the route of just exposing her work to potential customers. I don't expect to ever get a refund at this point. I did post my images to her fb page with a sarcastic post. If you guys could go and like it, that might help. It's the first one under Ashley Indescript under posts by others https://www.facebook.com/mertails Also going to use DeepBlue's idea and link to her pinterest.

Merman Arion
11-08-2013, 05:13 PM
Bahaha, Jessica if I were back in high school I might consider it. But I think I'm going to take the route of just exposing her work to potential customers. I don't expect to ever get a refund at this point. I did post my images to her fb page with a sarcastic post. If you guys could go and like it, that might help. It's the first one under Ashley Indescript under posts by others https://www.facebook.com/mertails Also going to use DeepBlue's idea and link to her pinterest.

I just gave you my like. :)

But why not giving them the link of this thread?
What is happening right now is TOTAL BULLSHIT and UNACCEPTABLE. I hate to watch mermaids getting screwed by lousy tailmakers. :gah:

Merley
11-08-2013, 05:21 PM
Thanks, Arion. I went back and linked to this thread.


I'm so sorry that she gave you such an inferior product than what she advertises. The tails on her website are 100 times better than the two tails you received. Just curious....which tail was worse...the first or second?

In response to Jessica's question, the second one was by far worse than the first. I like to believe my first one at least had a little monofin in it. I remember it fit right and the straps actually were adjustable. It was probably some generic rubber monofin. The only thing that bugged me really was that the monofin was blatantly visible since the fluke was so much bigger than the fin. Well, aside from the silicone falling off that is and the seams ripping open...and that it was too big for me. I liked my first tail, it just fell apart days after I got it. The neoprin couldn't hold up.

First tail
----------
-Made of neoprin
-Very light layer of silicone
-Clearly visible scales and the liner
-Messy and strained seams
-Too big
-Swimming was possible

Second tail
-----------
-Made of thin (maybe 1mm) neoprene
-Thicker layer of silicone, but still sloppy scales
-NO MONOFIN
-Messy but reinforced seams
-Too small in the back
-Fluke bubbles up where as my first one didn't
-Swimming IMPOSSIBLE

Fun123joker
11-08-2013, 05:29 PM
pssst jessica would you like to be the new billy maze except you know...telling people the truth

Kae
11-08-2013, 06:02 PM
Oh. My. Gosh!

I'm not even certain I can form a coherent thought with how freaking angry I am!! How DARE she? This tailmaker does not deserve to be in business. I can't believe there is someone evil enough to take something that you know someone had been dreaming of and saving for and making it a shit pile. She must have no heart. How else could someone willingly trample all over someone else's dream and then act like nothing's wrong? ARG!

GOOD tailmakers understand that what they are creating is someone's dream, not just a product. This shouldn't have ever happened to you Waikiki. It's shameful behavior fitting only for a con artist looking for their next scam victim.

*rage*

Jessica
11-08-2013, 06:07 PM
Bahaha, Jessica if I were back in high school I might consider it. But I think I'm going to take the route of just exposing her work to potential customers. I don't expect to ever get a refund at this point. I did post my images to her fb page with a sarcastic post. If you guys could go and like it, that might help. It's the first one under Ashley Indescript under posts by others https://www.facebook.com/mertails Also going to use DeepBlue's idea and link to her pinterest.

well....it's probably best to take the high road! I just couldn't help myself from thinking evil thoughts of revenge! ;)

I can't believe she sent you 2 tails that were that bad. It's just so incredibly dishonest and wrong. Have you considered doing an honest video review and posting it on YouTube? It it might help get the word out that she isn't a reputable tail maker.

Honestly waikiki....I feel so bad for you! :hug: I can't wait to see your merbellas tail....once you get it you will forget all about this disaster of a tail once you have the tail of your dreams!

@fun123joker,
i had to google billy maze....too funny! :)

Coradion
11-08-2013, 06:50 PM
The stuff she made the monofin out of is like a super thin vinyl. I think cardboard would've been thicker. It's so thin it was actually machine sewn together. A real monofin should break a sewing machine if you tried to do that. We're talking part of the monofin was SEWN onto the neoprene.

NerineArcticMermaid
11-08-2013, 11:27 PM
Iwish I had thought about saying this before...

Ive seen hervtails in person before. They ball looked like crap. Mertailors old latex tails looked better in person to me. Sorry you went through that... I know how you feel. Been there connect her...but with different tail maker.

AniaR
11-09-2013, 01:13 AM
ugh this makes me so mad she might as well be fishbutts :/

Merley
11-09-2013, 01:45 AM
What Sandy told eBay, if I sent a text at an inappropriate time it's because she never responded or because I'm six hours behind and get fed up with waiting for her, and finally text her after giving her all day to respond: This is in relation to the transaction you had for the item A Real Mermaid Tail, Swimmable Realistic Silicone Monofin, Weeki Wachee Mermaids - item number xxxxxxxxxxxx. We appreciate you trying to work it out with your seller. The seller lwilde6208 contacted us about you sending her text messages at inconvenient times of the day. While we allow you to send messages about your purchase with your trading partner, we do not encourage you to send messages to them at times when you should think they might be sleeping or busy with their personal activities. If you continue this behavior, we may be forced to flag your account for abusive buyer practices.



She also made it a point that the item was hand/custom made and was not listed to be up for return. I personally advise you to put the item up for sale if you no longer wish to have it. That way, you might even make money out of it. Thank you for choosing eBay as your trading platform.




Thanks,




Darwin N.

Jessica
11-09-2013, 10:20 AM
What Sandy told eBay, if I sent a text at an inappropriate time it's because she never responded or because I'm six hours behind and get fed up with waiting for her, and finally text her after giving her all day to respond: This is in relation to the transaction you had for the item A Real Mermaid Tail, Swimmable Realistic Silicone Monofin, Weeki Wachee Mermaids - item number xxxxxxxxxxxx. We appreciate you trying to work it out with your seller. The seller lwilde6208 contacted us about you sending her text messages at inconvenient times of the day. While we allow you to send messages about your purchase with your trading partner, we do not encourage you to send messages to them at times when you should think they might be sleeping or busy with their personal activities. If you continue this behavior, we may be forced to flag your account for abusive buyer practices.



She also made it a point that the item was hand/custom made and was not listed to be up for return. I personally advise you to put the item up for sale if you no longer wish to have it. That way, you might even make money out of it. Thank you for choosing eBay as your trading platform.




Thanks,




Darwin N.

ABUSIVE BUYER?!!!! Really?! How about abusive and dishonest seller?!! :anger explode::gah::headwall:

Also, no one is going to buy this tail in its current condition....let alone pay more for it! Furthermore, how on earth are you supposed to predict when someone might be busy with personal activities? The sleeping part makes sense, but "personal activities" is beyond vague.

What happened to eBay buyer protection? You obviously received a defective product and deserve a refund. Anyone can see what poor condition this tail is in......even if you had never even seen a tail before you can tell it's falling apart and poorly made.

Jessica
11-09-2013, 10:27 AM
http://ebay.com/coverage/

I know you already contacted eBay, but it really looks like you should be covered based on the info in this link. It even says this:

If you received an item that is not as described, or didn't receive an item at all, the eBay Money Back Guarantee always protects you—even if the seller does not offer returns.
If you received an item that was as described but you changed your mind and do not want it anymore, the eBay Money Back Guarantee does not apply.

so....your item is clearly not as described......eBay should be helping you, not threatening to label you as an "abusive buyer"

i really hope hope you can get this straightened out. I still can't believe that she didn't even put a real monofin in the tail

Merman Arion
11-09-2013, 10:45 AM
ABUSIVE BUYER?!!!! Really?! How about abusive and dishonest seller?!! :anger explode::gah::headwall:

Also, no one is going to buy this tail in its current condition....let alone pay more for it! Furthermore, how on earth are you supposed to predict when someone might be busy with personal activities? The sleeping part makes sense, but "personal activities" is beyond vague.

What happened to eBay buyer protection? You obviously received a defective product and deserve a refund. Anyone can see what poor condition this tail is in......even if you had never even seen a tail before you can tell it's falling apart and poorly made.

I totally agree with Jessica. :mad:

I wonder what would say the Weeki Wachee Mermaids about this... Especially Katarina Dickinson and Kylee Troche who are their models. :rolleyes:

OF course they would get better tails than the average customers since they can give better publicity...
Mmmh.. Oh! Wait a minute! This way of treating people reminds me sadly of someone : "Who-must-not-be-named" :doh:

AniaR
11-09-2013, 11:06 AM
The mermaids R us lady is Kylee's mom.

Merley
11-09-2013, 12:05 PM
They didn't even want to see pictures and most people outside of the community don't know the difference between a good tail and a crappy one. All they know is I wanted a tail and I got one. I should be satisfied and since, as some of you may recall, I ordered back in July eBay can't do much for me. Too much time has passed. She basically guilted me into closing the dispute I filed against her back in the summer and screwed me. That 'monofin' was a big fuck you if I ever did see one. At this point only she can give me a refund, not PayPal, not eBay, her. I know that's not going to happen. Grr, it's just not fair. I didn't even want the replacement tail. I wanted a refund, but the new tail was all she offered and as you can see, it's unusable. I used all my graduation money to pursue a life-long dream; most people only graduate college once, if at all. Now I'm out $540+ and my family thinks my choice to do this is even more stupid. To be clear I'm only getting a Merbella tail because my friend really likes me and threw the bet we had so I could win. I did not and do not have that kind of money lying around to make big purchases. So, I'm lucky in that regard. However, I still don't believe that gives her the right to do this to me. I did nothing wrong. I just wanted to be a mermaid. Shoot, I don't even have a toaster. The only furniture in my apartment is my twin size bed that is constantly commandeered by my dog. My roommate sleeps on an air mattress. We're pretty typical broke college student/grad stereotypes. That was a lot of money she took from me.

deepblue
11-09-2013, 12:34 PM
This is so frustrating to see happening. I'm so sorry for what you're going through.

And as for tail makers who think they can treat clientele like this and get away with it? They do not seem to understand, it's not the mistake that's the problem- they're human, mistakes happen. It is the poor way in which they handle the mistakes. They could be gaining a rep as a stellar company for customer service. All she had to do was make you a new tail that was up to par, and right now you'd be praising her and we'd all be seeing that she's worth working with.

Instead, she pulls this shit.

I, for one, keep connected with as many mer-related things as I can, and when people outside the community ask about tail makers, I always point out that Mertailor isn't to be trusted. And now Mermaids R Us will be included in my 'don't use this tailmaker' recs, too.

Jessica
11-09-2013, 02:42 PM
They didn't even want to see pictures and most people outside of the community don't know the difference between a good tail and a crappy one. All they know is I wanted a tail and I got one. I should be satisfied and since, as some of you may recall, I ordered back in July eBay can't do much for me. Too much time has passed. She basically guilted me into closing the dispute I filed against her back in the summer and screwed me. That 'monofin' was a big fuck you if I ever did see one. At this point only she can give me a refund, not PayPal, not eBay, her. I know that's not going to happen. Grr, it's just not fair. I didn't even want the replacement tail. I wanted a refund, but the new tail was all she offered and as you can see, it's unusable. I used all my graduation money to pursue a life-long dream; most people only graduate college once, if it all. Now I'm out $540+ and my family thinks my choice to do this is even more stupid. To be clear I'm only getting a Merbella tail because my friend really likes me and threw the bet we had so I could win. I did not and do not have that kind of money laying around to make big purchases. So, I'm lucky in that regard. However, I still don't believe that gives her the right to do this to me. I did nothing wrong. I just wanted to be a mermaid. Shoot, I don't even have a toaster. The only furniture in my aparment is my twin size bed that is constantly comandeered by my dog. My roommate sleeps on an air mattress. We're pretty typical broke college student/grad stereotypes. That was a lot of money she took from me.

i think everyone on here gets so mad and frustrated about something like this because a tail is so much more than a product....like you said...it's your life-long dream. (By the way...congrats on graduating! That's an awesome accomplishment! :D)

what she did is beyond wrong on a professional level and honestly it's just hurtful. I can only imagine how disappointed you were both times you opened the box and saw your tail for the first time. It's like destroying someone's dream.

I didn't realize that so much time has passed since you bought the tail. I'm really sorry that you can't get a refund....you really deserve one.

At this point....since you can't get a refund...do you think you can repair the tail? You might be able to put a real monofin like a finis wave in it (you might have to cut it though). It looks pretty bad so I'm not totally sure it would be worth all the trouble....but you might be able to make it swimmable so you can use it until you get your merbellas tail. What kind of silicone is the tail made out of? Caulk?

Raina posted a picture of a girl in a tail recently who repaired her tail (I don't remember who made it) and covered the problem areas with sequins and pearls. The tail looked really beautiful and it really helped cover the problem areas. You would need a lot of sequins, but you might be able to make it pretty and sparkly enough to get some good pictures in. Cartwrights sells some really pretty pink sequins (I love the "iris" ones) that you might be able to use.

Also, ilonka did an amazing sequin job on a tail http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5299-Marissa-s-Alex-plus-tail-makeover&highlight=Marissa anyway, the tail looks unbelievably gorgeous now so there might be hope!

Seatan
11-09-2013, 05:50 PM
Okay, I am going to sound like a bitch for saying the following, but I have worked in customer service and I know the best way to bully people into a refund. Whether you want to take the advice (which is no more than I think she deserves) or be kind and let it go is your opinion. But when it comes to my money spent, I am a hard ass about getting what I promised.

1. Go to every online media outlet she has, every single day, and post complaints and pictures.
2. Go to every single site you can find related to mermaid tails and post complaints and pictures.
3. Call the Better Business Bureau and lodge a complaint. Even if you don't think you can, attempt to do so and let her know you are attempting to do so.
4. Create online communities warning against buying from Mermaids R Us--a Facebook Page, a Tumblr Page, a Twitter Feed, a blog, etc, and continually update it on what she is or is not doing about fixing this.
5. Every time she makes a Facebook post, comment on it talking about your issue. If she deletes it, comment again.
6. On the sites you have made, link every single eBay item she tries to sell and tell people not to buy it.
7. Email well known mermaids with a super polite but informative letter warning them not to purchase tells from her. include links to the pictures and make it super sappy "I want to help this not happen to other mermaids" sweetie so it doesn't look like revenge.
8. Write a review at ripoffreport.com
9. Email her every single time that you do one of these things to let her know that it will not stop until you get your money back.

I know this seems like cyberbullying, but she STOLE your money. And it was A LOT of money. All these things are is fair response to the service you got. Tailmakers should not be able to get away with this. Period. I know if someone had done this to me, I would do all those things and more until they realized that the best way to save themselves future issues is to just give you your money back to shut you up. You received a load of crap. Give her crap back until she returns what is rightfully yours.

Merley
11-09-2013, 06:27 PM
Ebay officially can't do anything for me. Buyer protection my ass. Some bs about them not covering replacement items. So she found a loophole. What she did is just so-so evil! She knew I'd cut it open to see what was inside when I couldn't swim in it and knew I couldn't get a refund or resell it after that. Also, to answer your question Jessica, yes it's caulk. I guess Coradion and I are going to move forward with our plan to fix it up. It seems like making a new one would be less work though...Believe me Seavanna I want to do that. But we'll see how it goes.

Firemaid
11-09-2013, 06:30 PM
Okay, I am going to sound like a bitch for saying the following, but I have worked in customer service and I know the best way to bully people into a refund. Whether you want to take the advice (which is no more than I think she deserves) or be kind and let it go is your opinion. But when it comes to my money spent, I am a hard ass about getting what I promised.

1. Go to every online media outlet she has, every single day, and post complaints and pictures.
2. Go to every single site you can find related to mermaid tails and post complaints and pictures.
3. Call the Better Business Bureau and lodge a complaint. Even if you don't think you can, attempt to do so and let her know you are attempting to do so.
4. Create online communities warning against buying from Mermaids R Us--a Facebook Page, a Tumblr Page, a Twitter Feed, a blog, etc, and continually update it on what she is or is not doing about fixing this.
5. Every time she makes a Facebook post, comment on it talking about your issue. If she deletes it, comment again.
6. On the sites you have made, link every single eBay item she tries to sell and tell people not to buy it.
7. Email well known mermaids with a super polite but informative letter warning them not to purchase tells from her. include links to the pictures and make it super sappy "I want to help this not happen to other mermaids" sweetie so it doesn't look like revenge.
8. Write a review at ripoffreport.com
9. Email her every single time that you do one of these things to let her know that it will not stop until you get your money back.

I know this seems like cyberbullying, but she STOLE your money. And it was A LOT of money. All these things are is fair response to the service you got. Tailmakers should not be able to get away with this. Period. I know if someone had done this to me, I would do all those things and more until they realized that the best way to save themselves future issues is to just give you your money back to shut you up. You received a load of crap. Give her crap back until she returns what is rightfully yours.

This is great advice!

Jessica
11-09-2013, 06:59 PM
Okay, I am going to sound like a bitch for saying the following, but I have worked in customer service and I know the best way to bully people into a refund. Whether you want to take the advice (which is no more than I think she deserves) or be kind and let it go is your opinion. But when it comes to my money spent, I am a hard ass about getting what I promised.

1. Go to every online media outlet she has, every single day, and post complaints and pictures.
2. Go to every single site you can find related to mermaid tails and post complaints and pictures.
3. Call the Better Business Bureau and lodge a complaint. Even if you don't think you can, attempt to do so and let her know you are attempting to do so.
4. Create online communities warning against buying from Mermaids R Us--a Facebook Page, a Tumblr Page, a Twitter Feed, a blog, etc, and continually update it on what she is or is not doing about fixing this.
5. Every time she makes a Facebook post, comment on it talking about your issue. If she deletes it, comment again.
6. On the sites you have made, link every single eBay item she tries to sell and tell people not to buy it.
7. Email well known mermaids with a super polite but informative letter warning them not to purchase tells from her. include links to the pictures and make it super sappy "I want to help this not happen to other mermaids" sweetie so it doesn't look like revenge.
8. Write a review at ripoffreport.com
9. Email her every single time that you do one of these things to let her know that it will not stop until you get your money back.

I know this seems like cyberbullying, but she STOLE your money. And it was A LOT of money. All these things are is fair response to the service you got. Tailmakers should not be able to get away with this. Period. I know if someone had done this to me, I would do all those things and more until they realized that the best way to save themselves future issues is to just give you your money back to shut you up. You received a load of crap. Give her crap back until she returns what is rightfully yours.

^ this is why tail makers should stand behind their products! They might be able to screw people over for awhile, but eventually it will come back to bite them in the ass! :shark:

AniaR
11-09-2013, 07:21 PM
I will say I totally agree with everything here, it just upsets me that when people go through the same or similar thing from mertailor having paid even more, that people don't support them the same way or do these things :(

Mermaids R us, fishbutts, or *any* other tail maker should be prepared for stuff like this if they're going to give out a shit product (or none at all!)

I agree with Jessicas list. You may not be able to do anything else for yourself. But you can warn others. That's why I *still* talk about my bad experiences, because others are still having the same problems and I want people to be aware

Firemaid
11-09-2013, 07:52 PM
I will say I totally agree with everything here, it just upsets me that when people go through the same or similar thing from mertailor having paid even more, that people don't support them the same way or do these things :(


People are afraid of Mertalior. Straight up scared.

I even am a little.

Part of me wants to help. I'm pretty good at customer service wars, and he was really mean to someone I care about, but I don't want his wrath upon me.

I hope I didn't invoke it with this post....

deepblue
11-09-2013, 08:29 PM
Don't let him scare you, that's exactly what he wants. He's probably laughing reading such a thing.

Mermaid Momo
11-09-2013, 10:27 PM
People are afraid of Mertalior. Straight up scared.



I think sometimes people are more afraid of his goonies than of him. He makes one post on his Facebook and all of his goonies are up in arms even if they don't know the whole story. (And most of them know nothing of the community either and sling bad names left and right about the person having no idea what they're talking about.

Personally I don't care if I ever end up on his radar. I don't think I ever will because I'm never buying one of his tails but if I do, I welcome it. His goonies will be running back in waves with their tails tucked between their legs and that's if they return at all.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

AniaR
11-09-2013, 10:33 PM
yeah I didn't mean to turn the conversation, we can talk about that more here: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?6463-Mertailor-tail-for-sale-from-instagram/page6

But yeah, I can't believe Mermaids R us. These tails look nothing like what they did years ago either. ;/

Everyone thinks they can be a tail maker. :/

Merman_Ryan
11-09-2013, 10:53 PM
And another option is about to get marked out for a realistic tail. :P

Merman Arion
11-10-2013, 05:24 AM
^ this is why tail makers should stand behind their products! They might be able to screw people over for awhile, but eventually it will come back to bite them in the ass! :shark:

Can i join you? I want to bite him too :eyebrows:




And another option is about to get marked out for a realistic tail. :P

I second that statement. After this, Iona should delete this shitty business from the "Buying tails" section. Period.

Winged Mermaid
11-10-2013, 06:57 AM
I'm so so sorry this happened to you Waikiki :( The pictures just made my heart break for you. I can't believe ebay was so totally useless :anger explode: I agree with Seavanna's advice. Since she insisted on screwing you over, let lose the hounds. I'd add to that list to make a YouTube video review. There are tons of mermaids on there, and it's a powerful way to share things since you can show video of the tail. Plus, it makes your review easily shareable across social media.

There isn't a thread for Mermaids R Us in the review system. Apparently that needs to change.

Marie-Josie Cayer
11-10-2013, 07:42 AM
Very sorry to hear about such issue. I think best would be that you repair your tail and perhaps if you can report EBay to block and ban this seller from their website, it may help prevent future buyer victims?

Lotus
11-11-2013, 12:44 PM
I totally admit I didn't read lots of this post- but I did see the photo album and..... OMFG. If I were in your shoes, I'd file a complaint in small claims court.... and being the vindictive bitch I am I'd drag her into Judge Judy's court room lol. I'm so terribly sorry you had this awful experience! I personally have always thought her tails look like garbage, and her little mermaid princess daughter annoys the shit out of me. She's never done anything to me or anything like that, hell I don't even know her- it's just her "trailer-trash barbie mermaid" look that makes me want to kick puppies. whoo- I'm feelin feisty today! Sorry for being a dick, guys, but seeing you go thru this just chaps my ass raw.

AniaR
11-11-2013, 12:46 PM
omg could you imagine judge judy on mermaids? lol

Lotus
11-11-2013, 01:10 PM
I CAN imagine- that's what's so appealing about it. I'm pretty sure if Waikiki took that trash tail in there and showed it to the general public, Sherry would get her ass handed to her. Even someone without knowledge about how tails SHOULD be made can recognize totally shitty workmanship.

PearlieMae
11-11-2013, 01:22 PM
Isn't there a consumer advocate reporter at one of the news stations? Here in the NY/NJ area, the ABC affiliate - Channel 7 - had "Ask Asa", and he'd get to bottom of a story like this! And this would be very "sensational"! At least talk to a reporter at a newspaper and see if they can make any headway with getting a refund. That tail is SHIT.

Merley
11-11-2013, 06:46 PM
It get's better! She posted this before she deleted my post on her fb page: "She is Lying ! Have proof and a harassing and slandering customer. This is the 2 nd tail I made for her because she can't stop complaining and gave her over $300.00 of free items !!!!" Proof is in the pictures. And I told you guys everything. I have not received $300 worth of free stuff. She gave me one $95 stained tail bag, which isn't embroidered nicely like the one she sells and a crappy plastic headband worth what $2 at most? That broke in shipment long before it ever got to me. Not sure I ever posted a picture of it, but here it is. Needless to say, I threw that crap out. There was also supposed to be a little starfish on it apparently, but it was so brittle, I found it in pieces at the bottom of the box. 15730

Edit: She just called to YELL at me. This is unreal. Saying I'm slandering her. I don't even--I just don't even.

AniaR
11-11-2013, 07:13 PM
She's harassing you. Make s post with all your photos on tumblr and watch it go viral, and a video. Or if you give me permission I'll turn this thread into a tumblr post.

Mermaid Momo
11-11-2013, 07:49 PM
She's harassing you. Make s post with all your photos on tumblr and watch it go viral, and a video. Or if you give me permission I'll turn this thread into a tumblr post.
yep hit up tumblr. tumblr peeps wont stand for this. (if you do can you post a link so I can reblog it too?)

AniaR
11-11-2013, 07:50 PM
So, I help run the facebook page for mernetwork, and Mermaids R us just sent this message in. I got admin permission to post the conversation here.

15735

Seriously, not impressed. The only tail makers who have pulled this in the past are ones with bad reputations.

Merley
11-11-2013, 08:02 PM
This is just my face at this whole situation o.OOOOOOOOOOOOO

mermaidsrus
11-11-2013, 09:47 PM
Hello Mermaid Community,
I would like to start off by stating that I have never joined this network tillthis year late Oct 2013. Please forgive me if I am not forum savvy, I lovemermaids and mermen very much! I love being an artist and creating a productthat helps people with their mermaid dreams. I would never be cruel ordishonest. I was brought up old school and believe people are good. However, itis hard with our world with so much technology to stay up with all the newestforms, face book, twitter and so forth. I really don't care for drama andrumors or hearsay. But what I can promise you is that I always go above andbeyond any time I work on a product for a customer!!! Please allow me toaddress this issue with Customer Ashley Indescript. Ashley had contacted meabout making a mermaid tail for her. She had ask me to give her a break inprice and do many extras (which I agree to help as I have a big heart andwanted to help her with her mermaid dreams). She was very convincing and I feltbad (she gave me a story about her grandmother passing and this was her inheritancemoney. She also thanked me for listening to her and being a friend. She also went on about her mermaid dream andhow no one believes in her or that she can become a mermaid performer and howher parents were mad at her for buying the mermaid tail. She also stated thather parents and friends thought she was crazy. I tried to be supportive andkind. She enjoyed talking to me and was happy I was helping her with ideas to helpstart up her Mermaid Party Business. She went on to tell me how she hadproblems with her teachers at school, having money issue. How she had hoped toget a career as a journalist. Which I think this is why she is trying so hardto get a story out of this situation, so she can become a journalist. Herparents making her feel bad that she bought a mermaid is so sad. I would likeeveryone to know that I am out way more money than she ever spent on thismermaid tail and top. I have tried to work with this customer and make herhappy. But just a warning to anyone who sells to her I don’t think she will behappy with anything she gets. Ever! L I sent her a silicone pink mermaid tail (thatshe used in the ocean and for a photo shoot) that she then decided after usethat it was not fitting well. She felt SHEhad given me wrong measurements and asked if I could fix the tail. She alsostated that she wanted gold accents after the tail was made. I really cared andwanted to make sure she was happy. Because as you know people LIKE TO TALKABOUT THE BAD! NOT THE GOOD. I mattered that I had a happy customer. So shesent the tail back with a not so nice letter and photos that looked like shemay have enhanced to try and make it look as if there was more wrong than shetold me. Basically she was going through a lot in her life and was beingevicted from an apartment and her boyfriend was breaking up with her. She wasin need of a friend and I was doing my best to listen but I am very busy. Ithink that is where some of her anger is coming from towards me. She wanted meto text her everyday and send photos daily to her. She stated that if I did notdo this she would freak out on me as this is just the type of person she is (her words not mine) I was trying to givethis customer what she wanted. While trying to accommodate her, we had discussedadding a zipper because of her stating she felt she has a larger hip area but thenchanged her mind and told me she would prefer not to have the zipper. Shecomplained about the style of the fin and that she wanted it shaped like a mermaidtail of mine she had seen a photo of the Basic fin ( stating that she did notlike the look of the monofin) So I had to start from scratch and make her a brandnew tail. She had asked for a different Monofin (but could not afford to paymore for a professional fin that cost appx $200) so I told her I would do mybest and make her a custom Monofin that would accommodate the style of fin sherequested. (This MONOFIN WAS NOT MADE OF CARDBOARD AS SHE CLAIMED) It was made with poly/vinyl and covered in a thickfabric to keep the sharp edges from cutting threw the silicon fluke and it hasa “Fins” professional foot pouch that allows you comfort and room to wear diverbooties while swimming. I sent her photos of the progress and each time shewould ask me to add more color or change something on the tail. This made megetting the tail back to her take a little longer because of the constant changes( more gold a different shade of pink ) I also would like to add that I DO NOTUSE NEOPRINE IN ANY OF MY TAILS as she claimed I did ! It is a soft thin linerin the mermaid tail. ( the scale design ) is what she asked for as I had senther the large pattern in her first tail and she said she felt she could see theliner and I told her it would have to be made with a small scale design and sheagreed to that style)
One thing I never claimis to be a tail maker like others. My art work is very affordable and very different!!!!It is not made like others. I cannot control or make any 2 tails exactly thesame as my tails are sculpted silicone. (Where other tail makers sculpt clayand make a mold). I sculpt silicone. INEVER CLAIMED THAT HER TAIL WOULD NOT BE WITHOUT ANY IMPERFECTIONS IN SCALES, ASMY TAILS ARE SCULPTED SILICONE!!! These are art work at affordable prices ifyou think about it BELOW cost ( Monofin $65.00+liner$20 +highend silicone $245.00+ Tint $15 and other items that are not listed and SHIPPING!) I also sent her a free mermaid t-shirt and Isent a free tail bag. (Which I told her was one of my shop bags, but I wantedto be kind and help her out with her new business) I was trying to go above andbeyond to make her happy. However, after sending her this new tail and top witha free headband and tail bag. She never contacted me and told me she again wasunhappy AGAIN !!!! but instead posted itall over Mer Network and face book andnow you all are trying to get this bashing in on pinterest. I feel as if she isBLACKMAILING me and wanting me to pay her off and give her free stuff or shewill slam me all over the internet. Also she stated she would like the 1sttail better and if she would have contacted me I would gladly send that oneback to her but she never told me she wanted that tail instead and I still haveit hanging in the shop and would have been happy to exchange it back out. BUTWAS NEVER GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY!!
I am asking foryour kindness and understanding. I hope you will see both sides and will stopthe cruel comments. Help to make the world a better place and see that there isalways 2 sides to every story. That sometimes no matter what you do. People arenot always happy. I do believe Merbellahas a wonderful HIGHEST END QUAILTY MERMAID TAIL! WOULD LOVE ONE MYSELF! BUT IKNOW SHE CAN NOT SELL THEM FOR $495.00 with the quality design and materialcost she does with her silicone mermaid tails.
PLEASE NOTE * I DO NOT PAINT MY SILICONE MERMAID TAILSTHEY ARE TINTED & MADE WITH A SOFT LINER AND NO 2 TAILS ARE EVER ALIKE.IMPERFECTIONS ARE IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO CONCUR DUE TO SCUPLTING SILICONE!

AniaR
11-11-2013, 10:11 PM
wow that wasn't easy to read.

We all saw the photos, that was a terrible unusable tail, and so was the replacement. You really can't blame any of that on her. The monofin looks like cardboard. The tails are literally falling apart. The second one hasn't even been used. She is more that allowed to be upset with the product, the whole community is in shock at the craftsmenship. If you really stand behind your product it's going to need a whole work over. Because we can literally SEE EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

Also, criticism doesn't mean cruel comments. :/ Her talking about ways to handle the situation is also not blackmail. THAT IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS FORUM. people are allowed to come on here and post about their experiences without fear of tail makers coming after them.

You've already done several suspicious things that make it hard to believe what you're saying. You deleting her comments, the ebay response, and there was the issue earlier this year with you tagging mertailor's stuff and merbellas stuff with "mermaidsrus" all over instagram and facebook.


There really isn't any excuse for those tails. You're trying to split hairs to make excuses for yourself and blame her. but those tails look terrible. Even if they did fit perfectly. They look like they're glued on bubble wrap and look nothing like what we can see looking on the weeki wachee page etc. And there's no excuse for such a shoddy monofin either. If people are paying that much, they should get a real monofin.

Honestly, I feel coming on here with this big rant of blaming her instead of accepting responsibility, or staying silent- just makes it all look worse. She's been documenting the whole thing and with photos from the start. You can't honestly try to pull it on us like she's lying. We can SEE it. :/

Also, it was very underhanded in my opinion to message the forum on fb about this. Your clients are your responsibility. The forum doesn't have any reason to mediate between tail makers and their clients. The forum exists as a way for people to socialize and share their stories.

Jessica
11-11-2013, 11:22 PM
Mermaids R us,

I don't think it appropriate to share personal information about Ashley's life.

I'm sorry you feel that she is being unfair.

As someone who deals with customers on a daily bases, I have found the best way to get rid of someone who is unsatisfied is an immediate and complete refund.

I'm sure if you give her a refund she will leave you alone.

i completely agree...there's never a justifiable reason to share any customer's personal information online without their consent. Most of us didn't even know waikiki's real name. This just isn't a safe thing to do and it shows a complete and utter lack of regard for a young woman's safety.

Furthermore, raina hit the nail on the head....we can see these tails!! They are not as good as the tails on the website!! If mermaidsrus stands behind their product, then a full refund should be offered. These tails were terrible! I can't imagine any tail maker would be willing to put their name on a product that bad.....it's just an embarrassment. The shitty craftsmanship speaks volumes and the personal attack on waikiki is just mermaudsrus grasping at straws and trying to shift the blame instead of accepting responsibility for a poor quality product.

One more thing...my tail has imperfections!! Waikiki's tails were train wrecks! It was my first tail and it wasn't perfect. How the hell is my FIRST tail a hundred times better than either of these two tails? I don't care if it's a different silicone ........you would think that anyone who runs a tailmaking business could do a better job than my first attempt.

:gah:

AniaR
11-11-2013, 11:50 PM
Different silicone = way of saying caulking. Facebook pm continues. Apparently we are making fun of you? -_-

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Merley
11-12-2013, 12:04 AM
Wow. I can't believe you're trying to cyber bully me into silence. Just because I'm a mermaid doesn't mean I don't have my voice! Also, as I mentioned earlier when you called to yell at me, I will not speak to you any more about this. Do not contact me or try to elicit a response by posting elaborate fabrications about my personal life. My lawyer will be in touch with you soon. You can say everything you need to say to him.

mermaidsrus
11-12-2013, 08:13 AM
Mermaids R Us

We would like to apologize for any misunderstanding.

Please note: We have not been personally contacted by this customer for areturn or refund. We care about making a good product. If we would have beencontacted by the customer letting us know there was an issues. We would havetried rectify the problem. As we have tried to accommodate the customer (making 3 tops and 2 tails per her change request) and we sent a free MermaidT-shirt, Headband and Tail Bag.

Can't fix any issues if we are not contacted.

E-mail : info_mermaidsrus@yahoo.com

Merman Arion
11-12-2013, 08:41 AM
Mermaids R Us

We would like to apologize for any misunderstanding.

Please note: We have not been personally contacted by this customer for a return or refund. We care about making a good product. If we would have been contacted by the customer letting us know there was an issues. We would have tried rectify the problem.
Can't fix any issues if we are not contacted.

Interesting. What do you have to say about THIS then?


What Sandy told eBay, if I sent a text at an inappropriate time it's because she never responded or because I'm six hours behind and get fed up with waiting for her, and finally text her after giving her all day to respond: "This is in relation to the transaction you had for the item A Real Mermaid Tail, Swimmable Realistic Silicone Monofin, Weeki Wachee Mermaids - item number xxxxxxxxxxxx. We appreciate you trying to work it out with your seller. The seller lwilde6208 contacted us about you sending her text messages at inconvenient times of the day. While we allow you to send messages about your purchase with your trading partner, we do not encourage you to send messages to them at times when you should think they might be sleeping or busy with their personal activities. If you continue this behavior, we may be forced to flag your account for abusive buyer practices."

http://data2.whicdn.com/images/60796748/large.gif

http://media0.giphy.com/media/mClnbSWndssoM/giphy.gif

mermaidsrus
11-12-2013, 10:41 AM
Interesting. What do you have to say about THIS then?



http://data2.whicdn.com/images/60796748/large.gif

http://media0.giphy.com/media/mClnbSWndssoM/giphy.gif
Again Mermaid r us was not contacted after she received new mermaid tail. What She posted up on this page was a contacted she had from eBay (not from mermaids r us) I think the post even had a eBay representative name listed. Not our name. So again customer had time to contact mermaids r us after new items were sent but chose to contact, eBay and mer network instead of contacting Mermaids R us . (Which is strange seance she had no problem contacting us severely times before tail was shipped )

PearlieMae
11-12-2013, 11:19 AM
Again Mermaid r us was not contacted after she received new mermaid tail. What She posted up on this page was a contacted she had from eBay (not from mermaids r us) I think the post even had a eBay representative name listed. Not our name. So again customer had time to contact mermaids r us after new items were sent but chose to contact, eBay and mer network instead of contacting Mermaids R us . (Which is strange seance she had no problem contacting us severely times before tail was shipped )

It's hard to take this seriously when it seems like you are typing with boxing gloves on.

Mermaid Octavia
11-12-2013, 11:33 AM
I agree with Pearlie - it's very difficult to understand what you're typing when there are so many misspellings.

AniaR
11-12-2013, 05:07 PM
I think for context purposes it's important to remember the very first post:
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5908-Tail-Falling-Apart

This is what she got the very first time
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=13389&stc=1&d=1375928278

and then this was the replacement?
http://postimg.org/gallery/678x3hg2/65c903eb/


I mean, all you have to do is look.

Mermaid Shayna
11-12-2013, 05:12 PM
MermaidsRUs, really? You really shared personal information?
Also, explain the photos Waikki posted. That tail was awful craftsmanship. The scales were sloppy, as she said, and you didn't even give her a real monofin?

Yeah, I think I'll order a Merbellas tail, thank you very much. I want something worth spending money on. I do prefer a hardworking artist to a lying fraud.