Customer Service: I first ordered my Mertailor realistic latex tail on January 6, 2012. I requested an update on my tail and on February 24 Eric told me it would be shipped out by the end of the next week. I was so excited to get my tail. In March I was told that my tail was being “painted and is being completed this week. Should be sent out Friday, March 16, 2012. If not this date, for sure Monday, March 19th 2012.” He said his father just came home from a nursing home so I gave him the benefit of the doubt; family is very important and I completely understood that. I never heard about it being shipped so I sent another e-mail, and was told the monofin was being put in that day and that “That is the LAST part to this whole process.” Another week later I ask for another update, and he says he will get in touch with me the next day (he didn’t). Tired of no response and continuous delays I write him another e-mail April 10th, over 13 weeks since my order. At the time his website said production time takes 5-10 weeks, but I noticed it now says 6-12. In this e-mail I told him I would have to contact the Better Business Bureau if we couldn’t resolve this issue. He responded the same day. He then told me, “I have been waiting to receive a final piece of product to finish your tail, which I now have. The tail will be shipped out by the end of this week.” I was confused what piece he could have been waiting for since he told me March 21 he was putting in the monofin (last part of the process). The tail was not shipped out by the end of the week, so I filed a complaint with the BBB. It finally shipped on April 24th, over 15 weeks after I ordered it.
Tail:
Despite all the problems I had dealing with him, I was still very excited to get my tail. There were some paint splatters and writing on the inside lining of the tail, but I didn’t care because I knew it wouldn’t show.
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At first I was worried about squeezing into it, but I soon discovered the waist and hip areas were a little loose. It didn’t seem too bad at first, at least not dry. As soon as I took it for my first swim, however, I noticed just how baggy it was. I believe that the water filled up my fluke which created drag and slowed me down. I also had to keep pulling it up to keep my butt from showing. I do wear swim bottoms but they tend to ride down with my tail on while swimming. Despite the drag, I found I do swim much faster with the tail than without. Whenever I try to swim without it now I feel like I’m not going anywhere! After only one or two uses I noticed the paint starting to flake off, especially in the heels.
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It is partially my fault for the heels anyway because I did touch the bottom with my feet a couple of times. It still came off too easy though in my opinion. There are also random areas where paint is coming off as well. There are also areas where the paint just looks goopy.
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Speaking of paint, my tail is two different colors. Similar, but not the same. One side is more purple, the other is more blue. I also just noticed the scales aren’t even facing the same way on both sides. One side the scales are more horizontal, and the other side they are more vertical.
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Response: I sent an e-mail to Eric about the paint and sizing issue. He offered to send me some paint but has not contacted me since. He said I could send the tail back to him to resize, or I could find a tailor to do it or do it myself. The shipping will probably cost as much as a tailor would charge, plus I don’t want my tail to be sitting there not getting fixed for however long.
Bottom Line: I still enjoy my tail, and people at my apartment complex seem to think it is pretty cool. Had I known that I would have had all these issues, I might not have purchased this tail. One of the main things that drew me to the Mertailor was the price. Still pricey for me, but I wanted a “realistic tail” that I could afford. Next time I will save up some more money and get a better quality tail and order from someone with much better customer service.
