AniaR
10-29-2013, 06:07 PM
It's been YEARS since I first had my issue with mertailor and went through my whole ordeal to replace my tail. But I am still getting complaints from people about him, and about other tail makers like fishbutts, and some other big name ones too. It ends up pulling me into drama, as most of the community well knows. People send me all these things because they're afraid to post and see that I'm not. I also get people who have bad business dealings with other tail makers. Maybe they hired them for an aquarium, or were planning to collaborate with them and got screwed over, or simply had an altercation with them outside of the usual online community (in person). SO I wrote something about it on my facebook that I wanted to share because SOME OF YOU ON THE FORUM have been contacting me. Also, I've listed tips for ANYONE who is having ANY issue with ANY TAILMAKER that might help. Maybe on that end of things, we can brainstorm things people can do to empower them, and turn it into it's own FAQ. ANyway.. here's my post...
Hey folks I want to address something here, and it's directed to people who buy mermaid tails. A lot of people who buy from other tail makers, often emails me if they are unhappy with their tails. I can't tell you how to fix a mermaid tail, or how to get your tail maker to fix it for you. A lot of people complain to me about being harassed by their tail maker and feel like they can't publicly review the product. (And believe it or not, I am NOT talking about only one specific tail maker) I get emails, PMs here, notes and comments on DA, and youtube. I still get them. Several a month. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR YOU besides voice my opinion if you happen to post your story somewhere. Here's what I suggest to you.
1) First things first. No one can bully you into submission. You have a right to post your experience, just be aware that some people will attack. You have to prepare yourself for that and not take it personally. Once in a while customers ARE trying to scam someone, and the community needs to call that out. But more often than not a tail maker is overworked and understaffed so errors happen. Posting about your story is the best way to validate what you went through, get support and ideas from others, and it may put pressure on the tail maker to resolve things.
2) If you have paid 2-5k for a tail, and you feel you meet the qualifications for a refund.... you should consider getting a lawyer. In past with some tail makers, the only thing that has worked is public pressure + lawyers.
3) If you haven't already, TALK TO YOUR TAIL MAKER to work things out. Don't just run to me before even talking to them. I am not a tail maker, I don't work for tail makers. I can't talk to them on your behalf. You need to!
4) DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Document all your communications and transactions with the person. You'll need that for legal purposes. (both if you want a refund and or if they're harassing you)
5) If you paid for a tail and did not receive it and it seems like you never will, file with your credit card, file with paypal, and check out the mermaid forum because there are a group of people preparing to do class action.
Remember, YOU DON'T OWE THEM ANYTHING. You've paid for a product and if it falls apart instantly, can't be used at all, or is totally different from what you ordered you have a RIGHT to do something about it. You don't owe them your silence. Many people tell me "I don't want them to harass me." well, that's what the police are for and the BBB. That being said, make sure your expectations for the product are accurate, that you've done everything correctly on your end, and that you have indeed voiced your concern to the tail maker.
I know it's very SCARY to address these issues. We have a small community, and people are afraid of not ever being able to get a good tail, or issues affecting their potential career. BUT IF PEOPLE DON'T STAND UP AND DO SOMETHING it KEEPS HAPPENING. Some of the issues happening here are the same ones from years ago, the people just change.
Finally, I want to say, DON'T TELL ME THINGS UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED FOR ME TO POST IT PUBLICLY. It causes a lot of stress for me if people tell me all these issues, show me all their proof, expect me to defend them, and then never allow me to show what I know. It has cost me friendships because I always fight for someone when I believe they're being truly bullied and taken advantage of and then last minute the people involved wont let me follow through to show evidence of all the claims because they'd rather I get the heat instead of them. I get these emails constantly and they're very upsetting to me because I went through it myself- and I think people pull on me that way. . But if you're going to ask me for help, from now on, you better be prepared to post about it to or let me post it with your proof. It's just unfair to ask anything else of me at my own expense. Thanks.
Hey folks I want to address something here, and it's directed to people who buy mermaid tails. A lot of people who buy from other tail makers, often emails me if they are unhappy with their tails. I can't tell you how to fix a mermaid tail, or how to get your tail maker to fix it for you. A lot of people complain to me about being harassed by their tail maker and feel like they can't publicly review the product. (And believe it or not, I am NOT talking about only one specific tail maker) I get emails, PMs here, notes and comments on DA, and youtube. I still get them. Several a month. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR YOU besides voice my opinion if you happen to post your story somewhere. Here's what I suggest to you.
1) First things first. No one can bully you into submission. You have a right to post your experience, just be aware that some people will attack. You have to prepare yourself for that and not take it personally. Once in a while customers ARE trying to scam someone, and the community needs to call that out. But more often than not a tail maker is overworked and understaffed so errors happen. Posting about your story is the best way to validate what you went through, get support and ideas from others, and it may put pressure on the tail maker to resolve things.
2) If you have paid 2-5k for a tail, and you feel you meet the qualifications for a refund.... you should consider getting a lawyer. In past with some tail makers, the only thing that has worked is public pressure + lawyers.
3) If you haven't already, TALK TO YOUR TAIL MAKER to work things out. Don't just run to me before even talking to them. I am not a tail maker, I don't work for tail makers. I can't talk to them on your behalf. You need to!
4) DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Document all your communications and transactions with the person. You'll need that for legal purposes. (both if you want a refund and or if they're harassing you)
5) If you paid for a tail and did not receive it and it seems like you never will, file with your credit card, file with paypal, and check out the mermaid forum because there are a group of people preparing to do class action.
Remember, YOU DON'T OWE THEM ANYTHING. You've paid for a product and if it falls apart instantly, can't be used at all, or is totally different from what you ordered you have a RIGHT to do something about it. You don't owe them your silence. Many people tell me "I don't want them to harass me." well, that's what the police are for and the BBB. That being said, make sure your expectations for the product are accurate, that you've done everything correctly on your end, and that you have indeed voiced your concern to the tail maker.
I know it's very SCARY to address these issues. We have a small community, and people are afraid of not ever being able to get a good tail, or issues affecting their potential career. BUT IF PEOPLE DON'T STAND UP AND DO SOMETHING it KEEPS HAPPENING. Some of the issues happening here are the same ones from years ago, the people just change.
Finally, I want to say, DON'T TELL ME THINGS UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED FOR ME TO POST IT PUBLICLY. It causes a lot of stress for me if people tell me all these issues, show me all their proof, expect me to defend them, and then never allow me to show what I know. It has cost me friendships because I always fight for someone when I believe they're being truly bullied and taken advantage of and then last minute the people involved wont let me follow through to show evidence of all the claims because they'd rather I get the heat instead of them. I get these emails constantly and they're very upsetting to me because I went through it myself- and I think people pull on me that way. . But if you're going to ask me for help, from now on, you better be prepared to post about it to or let me post it with your proof. It's just unfair to ask anything else of me at my own expense. Thanks.