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I have never ever said she didn't know how to take care of it...? I have not blamed her for anything? I agreed her tail was not well made and I hope there is a way to fix it, and all I did was agree with Kelly when she said she had a good experience.
Does this need to move over to the Drama Bubble thread? I mean, we get the point that some have had wonderful experiences with their tails from Merrowfins and are happy customers but there are also those who have not had such a good experience. As said earlier the best thing to do is post your honest review with photos for Merrowfins in the tailmaker reviews section so that people can see both the good and bad reviews and make up their mind.
Hi MoMo, the basics now have texture on them since I suggested I would prefer that before I had him fly down with our orders.
I'm happy you like the The purple, green, and teal tail! That is actually going to be our final product for our paint jobs on or "trainer tails" which is Merrowfins his "basic tails" that can be purchased.
If you ever have any questions about it or wanna see how it swims I can keep in contact with you.
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Also Cataleya if you'd like to ask me about some come pointers or ways I fixed a few tails id like to help. I repainted mine and I would love to help in any way can.
I once had an issue with a tail being too small and I know how awful it feels when you need a tail for your mermaid business and it can't be used :(
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Vanora and Kelly,
Both of your attitudes throughout this entire thread have been extremely dismissive toward anyone who has a different viewpoint than you do. You can't do that and then act all innocent and pretend to have no idea what we're talking about that. You've stated you both had good experiences and that's fine. No one is disagreeing with you there. We all agree you had every right to say how happy you were with your tails. However, you then both proceeded to repeat, again and again, what you had already said AND very strongly implied that your good experiences outweigh anyone else's bad experiences and/or that because you own Merrowfins tails, you know everything there is to know and the girl who got the crappy tail must somehow be mistaken or have just had her expectations set too high. Are you freaking kidding me? That is ALL that either of you have been contributing to this thread. Are you telling me you really can't see that, even though it has been pointed out to you by multiple people in a variety of different ways?
Vanora, you said "The mermaid who has the tail on the other forum has a basic tail which stretches only so far because it's not all silicone, it's a thin layer of silicone attached to fabric. So the tail can stretch as far as the fabric allows. I agree those seams are quite terrible but it might cause it's too tight on her and the material is loosening causing stress. And the sizing issue is a hard one to deal with. I had that with my first silicone tail from Mertailor, I know how painful that is. That's why I drove 20+hours from CT to FL to visit Matt so he could measure me himself. There's always the chance the sizing won't be spot on when ordering online. That goes with anything. Even buying a dress online. Might not fit the way you want it and it's better to try it on in stores." This is DISMISSIVE AND CONDESCENDING and implies that the fit issue couldn't possibly have been Matty's fault so therefore it must have been Cataleya's, for not driving all the way to Florida to get sized in person, or for assuming that a custom-made item would shockingly FIT THE MEASUREMENTS PROVIDED TO THE TAILMAKER. If she provided all the measurements Matty asked for and the tail still fits her terribly, that would be Matty's fault entirely. And also, I can assure you, that if the tail had been properly made, even if it was way too tight, the seams wouldn't be splitting like that. How do I know? BECAUSE I HAVE DONE IT MYSELF. It's not rocket science. Seriously, it's not that freaking hard. If Matty can't even figure out how to make durable seams that don't split open the first time they're stretched, he shouldn't even be making tails. I have zero respect for workmanship that shoddy and I don't feel the slightest bit bad about saying so. There IS NO REASON for a tail to be that poorly made. And honestly, I would be mortified if I ever made something that looked half that terrible. If I were him, I would never have let that tail see the light of day. I sure as hell wouldn't be defending it.
AND HERE'S THE THING: the fact that he's put out a tail THIS bad and hasn't already apologized profusely for the mistake and offered to fix it for free (as any halfway decent tailmaker would), just goes to show that it wasn't a mistake. He made that tail thinking it was a pretty good tail! That does not inspire confidence! I would be ASTOUNDED if it were an isolated incident, and if there's a chance that Matty will produce more tails like that in the future, people deserve to know about it so they don't waste their money.
Vanora and Kelly, the tone of your posts continually suggests that you really just want to defend Matty no matter what and you don't care what anyone else says/aren't listening/don't understand/can't read. So, which is it?
Actually that isn't what's happening at all. I personally just contacted the woman who is having issues with her tail to help assist with maybe finding a way to help guide her in fixing the issue.
I think what your doing is being rude for no reason and making this a personal issue which its not.
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Maybe you should focus on helping people and making mermaiding and owning tails a good experience rather than trying to personally attacking people. I don't know your name.... But I think your being extremely childish on your responses and how this isn't about focusing on issues away or towards our views on this topic
Maybe I should ask you, do you own a Merrowfins tail? You seem to be involved in this thread.
I think that you are being rather rude for no reason. We all agree her tail needs fixing. And that hopefully find a way to fix it. Thats it.
The thing is Kelly, this whole debacle started with a couple of people attempting to help a customer who got a tail that was not as advertised. There was no personal attacking going on. There was no issue until mention of the poor quality tail was made in this thread. To be completely fair, it was not until you and Vanora stepped in to say that Theobromine, Moongazer, and others shouldn't be so opinionated about Merrowfins that we had an issue. Members of mernetwork are allowed to state their opinions in the open forums even if they do not personally own a tail by a specific tail maker. The only place you HAVE to have a tail/item in order to state an opinion is in the REVIEW section.Quote:
Originally Posted by kellygracee
I will ask that everyone please step away from this thread for a while to calm down. I don't believe there is anymore that needs to be said THIS VERY MOMENT, so please take some time to cool off or I will temporarily lock the thread. Thank you everyone.
If you have issues that you believe are not being addressed, please private message me.
It seems I may have to explain a few things more directly in this thread that I spoke about in the other thread already (the one I linked to that set off this firestorm) so people can get a better idea of what's going on that has tipped me off to Matty's shady behaviour.
I think we can all agree that art theft is bad, and image theft is bad. They are also illegal but very difficult to police. Many of us in the community are hypersensitive to art and image theft, as it has happened to so many of us so many times. A week or two ago, one of my friends sent me the link to this photo on the Merrowfins facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MerrowFins/...type=3&theater
It is a close-up monochrome photo of a pinecone with the caption "Who's ready for a new scale pattern???? :) I know I am! But the new scale pattern will be an exclusive scale pattern for the most realistic tails!" There was no photographer credited, and the caption seems to imply that this is an actual scale pattern made by Matty. Several comments left on the photo demonstrated that people did actually believe it was a picture of an actual Merrowfins creation, and Matty hadn't given any clarifications or said anything to disabuse anyone of that notion. This immediately set off alarm bells in my head, so I did a reverse image search and found the original photo on the photographer's Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/28225102@N05/6298441686/ My husband is a nature photographer and has a Flickr Pro account, so I had him check it out for me and he confirmed that anyone using that photo would need direct permission from the photographer. He also sent the photographer a message to let him know someone was using the image, apparently without his permission. I then left a polite comment on the picture, not accusing him of anything but linking to the original image *just in case* he wasn't aware he needed to credit it, and giving him a chance to rectify the situation before anything got out of hand.
Nothing at all happened for several days, until last night when the original photographer left a comment on the photo:
Attachment 37431
Since then, both my comment and the photographer's comment have been removed, and still no mention of photographer credit or any sort of clarification whatsoever.
This is not innocent behaviour. Matty was given a chance to fix the error without being accused of theft, but instead of doing the right thing, he's chosen to delete the evidence and ignore it. He's taking credit for someone else's work and lying by omission. This is not acceptable in any situation and the fact that I noticed it means I feel obligated to point it out. If I didn't, I would be just as guilty for keeping silent. Coupled with the fact that he just sold someone a tail that he claimed was made from Dragonskin when it was very clearly not, I feel that this guy is very untrustworthy (even though he has been given a massive second chance by the community after everything he was involved in with Mertailor stuff). I don't want to see anyone else get burned by him. And I reeeeeeeally don't think there is any reasonable explanation or excuse for his behaviour!
Edit: the pinecone photo is on his Instagram as well, also uncredited. https://www.instagram.com/p/BGJL6A3T...matthewquijano
The photographer commented telling him to remove the photo. All he's done is deleted that comment along with several others mentioning it's a pine cone. He's then claimed he responded to the photographer and offered to credit him... But there's still no credit and the photo hasn't been removed, despite the photographer saying he would report it otherwise. And he's saying he's being harassed...
You're right, that's not innocent by any stretch of the imagination. Posting that pic the way he did was deliberately misleading and therefore dishonest. And as for deleting the photographers request to remove the photo and then claiming he's responded and offered to credit... Without any credit appearing... Where do you even begin??
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I'm really glad I'm not the only one noticing this. It's unbelievable. Thank you to everyone else who has spoken up so far.
At first I was hesitant to publicize my worry just in case it was unfounded. I haven't received my Merrowfins tail yet. It was ordered Oct. 31st, but I do understand silicone tails take some time to make. The design called for specific details as this to look like a dolphin tail. Of course, I'm getting antsy. He emailed photos some months back, but I haven't gotten an email recently. Should I be concerned? His earlier emails showed photos of the fluke tail. Looked like a wood carving. He was talking about it having been poured and molded and the anatomic details put in. That was several months ago.
The last time I emailed and got a reply back was May 3rd. It's not that long ago. I emailed for an update on June 14th. No reply yet. These are the photos he sent way back in Nov 10th.
Jan 12, he was finishing up the sculpture. By Feb 19, the fluke had been molded and body was poured. He was about to work on the mono fin. In March, I sent over pigment colors. Then in May 3rd, I asked if he could attach the dorsal fin. No photos except these two above sent Nov. 10.
Looks like the photographer has finally been credited. I can't help but wonder if the photographer did change his mind and give permission. Sadly I doubt it.
Oh well - things like this make me glad I'm able to make my own tail. I only hope everyone who has ordered a tail actually gets what they're expecting.
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*doesn't care if she catches hell and once again gets the "Raina is so mean" facebook statuses for saying it like it is. **
Vanora are you really going to go there again? Last time someone complained about Merrowfins you threw a fit, got Eden involved, and the next thing we knew there were multiple callout posts on FB, and ‘someone’ had tried to spam bot take down mernetwork.
Don’t you remember how hurt and disappointed you were when you had your bad mertailor experience? How everyone here supported you, rallied for you, and empowered you? The reality is, not everyone’s going to have a great time with your tail maker, and you just need to learn to deal with it. I don’t like seeing bad things about Raven. But when someone posts legit concerns or complaints, I can sometimes give context but I never tell them they’re wrong or give them grief, or shame them. (mind you, waiting a long time for a tail isn’t the same as getting one you can’t use) cuz guess what? Shit happens. I make it worse for Raven if I stick my nose in, something I had to learn the hard way.
The fact of the matter is, to both Vanora and Kelly Grace, this is the whole dang point of mernetwork. To be able to talk about this stuff, and post reviews, so people can make INFORMED choices. The best thing you can do if you support someone, is give them a fair review, not argue with everyone who doesn’t. That just makes you, and the tail maker, look bad. Linking to another place on the forum for people to find information is literally the whole point on the dang forum. Don’t give someone shit for saying “hey you can find reviews here”, they absolutely do not need to be customers, to point out where you can find info on mernetwork. It really seems like you're trying to deflect to try and justify not liking one post.
Now Vanora, even though you were really rude to a lot of people about merrowfins previously, I see those SAME PEOPLE clearly gave you a second chance and congratulated you on your new tail. If you find it too hard to see stuff you disagree with, self regulate, and don't read it.
I'm really sorry I saw your email but I have just been too busy. Pretty much everything you see in this thread is all I can offer on experiences with merrowfins. I have never worked with him and unlikely to ever do so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dolphin Man
Attachment 37436Attachment 37437
After this I was blocked from commenting any further (and my comments were once again deleted) but I was able to watch this glorious exchange unfold:
Attachment 37438Attachment 37439Attachment 37440Attachment 37441Attachment 37442Attachment 37443Attachment 37444
Oh dear...
I don't know why he didn't just remove the photo when the photographer asked...
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...460fe1ba9f.jpg
... instead of deleting that comment, along with all other references to the original image... Then blocking anyone who had mentioned it (I've been blocked for my comments too, one of which you can see in Theo's screen caps. The other was simply replying to another persons comment saying nothing more than 'it's a pine cone'... Only a guilty conscious would consider that harassment!) and continuing to delete comments while claiming to have contacted the photographer and be waiting on his name(?!?) so he can finally credit the photo.
Really?? Come on...
I've got to say, though, the fact that the image was stolen isn't what bothers me most. It's the fact that he posted the photo as if it were his own work, and didn't correct those who thought it was until a good few people had called him out. That's deliberately misleading and dishonest.
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The pinecone photo does remind me a lot of his other scales, so I see why it would seem like his own work. Saying that Google didn't provide the credits to the photographer isn't a good excuse. When I find an image using Google I click to view the page the image is from and ta da you can then find who took the photo and contact them to ask if you can use their photo.
At the end of last year I became the Editor of a magazine. I have used several photos from people off of Flickr WITH THEIR PERMISSION. It is so very easy to ask people for permission to use their photo. It is also very easy to credit them.
So I think I'm blocked now 😂😂
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THIS.Quote:
Originally Posted by LouLouBelle
This too. It took me less than a minute to reverse image search that pine cone photo and find the photographer's Flickr. Matty was either blatantly lying or lacking enough brain cells to rub together.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Alea
Also, Momo, you are my hero right now.
The one thing that still really bugs me that no one has been able to figure out.....WHY IS HE USING A PINECONE AS THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS "MOST REALISTIC" SCALES????????????????????
In case you missed what I said in the other thread about pinecone scales on fish, the ONLY time a fish ever has pinecone scales is when it has dropsy and is about to die. Google it if you don't believe me. Gross.
Oh also, something else that should be pointed out: Matty, that's not how copyright works. Just adding the photographer's name to the post doesn't give you permission to use the photo. You need EXPLICIT PERMISSION FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO USE THE PHOTO. Perhaps he's gotten that permission privately by now, but I'm not positive that he has, and the edit he made to the photo caption sounded more like a whiny five-year-old bowing to peer pressure than a professional actually giving proper credit.
Attachment 37446
Thank you for the tea girls, it was quite enjoyable to read so far
https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6gbe...UAjC/giphy.gif
As for Matthew..
http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/media...1/original.gif
http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/0964955c...6e7fd288f3.gif
Purely out of interest... Is there anyone else who can't wait to see what the new scale design looks like now?
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Well I don't think he'd be so lax about not giving credit if it was HIS photos. How do you think he'd react if I took a photo of his, posted it here and went "working on something new! So excited! :D" Pretty sure he'd rage and say how dare I take his photo. "But Matt! It's just inspiration Matt! I didn't claim it was mine Matt! I got it off goggle and google didn't provide me with a name Matt!" that's basically what happened here.
Just as long as it doesn't look like this! BLEH
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...id=37448&stc=1
(source)
I'm understanding where both sides have valid points now that I've gone and read through a lot of other threads regarding the tail issue and people having issues stated above.
I completely understand where everyone is coming from.
I actually reached out to the lady with the tail issue and am trying to see if I can help assist in any way seeing how I choose to make a statement a few days ago. I hope I can help her or maybe offer to even buy her old tail. I've bought a few bad tail experiences off other mermaids and hope she just gets something nice, she likes and feels comfterble in and can continue in her business.
Sorry if I happened to come off in any way rude or maybe passionate about my own personal experiences. I do hope everyone gets a good final product and/ or can fix the issues they are experiencing
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....he still hasn't credited the photographer on that picture on his Instagram page. I know he's aware that he SHOULD because he deleted my comment linking to the original. Is it really that difficult for this guy to be honest? Seriously.
U shouldn't be tho on a business page other possible buyers of his product to see someone blocked doesn't really look good. I know if I would block someone on my page I would get hacked from everyone else on the page for itQuote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Momo
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I am very grateful for your help can't wait to do touch ups with the pigments :)Quote:
Originally Posted by kellygracee
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Cataleya
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So this:
Attachment 37472
Led to this:
Attachment 37473
Which thankfully an awesome friend screencapped just seconds before the whole thing got deleted. Now the photo is gone from both the Merrowfins Facebook and Instagram pages, but I think it's already too late for Matty to pretend that he has any integrity. He's shown his true colors pretty unequivocally now. He's a liar and a thief as well as a terrible businessman and artist. I don't feel the slightest bit bad about saying so because it was his own actions and words that got him into this situation. He did it to himself.
....the only thing I am still confused about is why the heck he was even using a photo of a pinecone as a stand-in for fish scales in the first place.
I usually try to be pretty unbiased and partial about these sorts of things, but wow. There's no hiding the fact that Matty stole a photo, lied about it, was busted, tried to cover his traces, and then tried to pin the lack of credit on the artist. To say 'bad form' is an understatement. Not to say anything about the poor quality tail.
And I must agree about the scale design. Why would you want your tail to look like you have dropsy?
This whole thing is a mess. A part of me hopes Matty will turn around, but I, personally, finished giving him chances a long time ago.
Deleting the photographers original request to remove the image and then lying about getting permission was pretty stupid...
Sad, and infuriating at the same time.
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Actually, I forgot. There's one more photo I found on his Facebook timeline that I think is for my tail, but that's the third and only other photo I've seen. It's likely the underside with two slits a male dolphin would have. Attachment 37481
Are they making you a tail like mertailor's tail for the adult entertainer ?
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