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Thread: SeaVixen's MerNation tail production experience and review!

  1. #1

    SeaVixen's MerNation tail production experience and review!

    I give MerNation 100+ stars in quality, customer service, communication, and speed! I highly recommend them for your tail making needs. They made my tail exactly the way I envisioned it. Erin texts almost everyday during the production and asks you questions and sends pictures. When I texted, she
    responded very fast! I began speaking with them back in March 2014 and they were very quick to answer back and were very nice. They definitely don't ignore you if you're not ready to order yet. They respond to everyone whether or not you're ready to order or have the money yet. You can never contact them too soon....everyone is equally important and valuable! I contacted them primarily through Facebook Messenger but emailed some too. In the beginning I spoke with Lauren and sometimes it was Erin speaking to me. During my tail production, Lauren was out of town so it was Erin who texted me.

    My extra fins were all completely custom and they hit the nail on the head as far as texture, size, and shape. I have to admit I'm very picky and particular about certain things but they nailed how I wanted them to look! They showed me early on a dorsal they worked on similar to how I wanted mine just so I could approve but there were a few things I changed. Even though it was closer to what I wanted, I still changed the texture and the thickness and the shape slightly. They didn't mind the changes and don't make you feel like you aren't allowed to change things. They accept all criticism and use that as a growing experience to improve their skills.

    My tail was the first tail to get heel fins. For their first time creating heel fins, they did an amazing job! They had made one set but last minute I sent them another design I liked too and they decided those looked better with my design and dorsal so they scrapped the original design and redid them using the other design I threw at them lol. I felt bad because I didn't know they already made the first set. I didn't have a paint scheme for my heel fins and had them get creative and they wowed me! They decided to make the dorsal and heel fins match paint but to make them go with the pec fins they added a feature from the paint scheme of the pec fins to tie them together. They painted my pec fins differently than my sketch but so glad they did because my sketch made my pec fins look like candy corn lol. I guess they thought the same thing lolol!

    They sprayed on a thin layer of silicone over the paint to seal it but they can't spray it too thick because silicone doesn't dry completely clear when thick so it would have altered the paint. I can't even see the thin layer however so it is invisible the way they do it. My seam looks amazing and is virtually invisible! During the paint step of the production, I discovered that I sent them the wrong colors for 2 colors on my tail (the outer dark color of the body, and the purple on the fluke) On paper it looked fine but on the tail it looked wrong and when they sent pictures I noticed the dark color on the body looked brownish which in person it did and they went ahead and informed me the purple on my fluke looked way too grape. Before I could send them a picture of the "wine"color I was looking for to replace the brownish color they already selected another color and repainted over the brown and grape colors to correct it. I sent the picture and described it as a wine color and right after I sent it; Erin sent me the updated pictures to see what I thought of the new color and she said "I literally just told Mike the new color looks more wine!" I swear they are mind readers!!!!! They nailed the colors. The colors look different in person than on camera so trust them when they say it looks the way you want.

    I ordered a top as well. I sent them a bra and got a $20 discount. I let them design my top as far as paint. I asked for more silicone coverage over my stomach and cleavage and they did fabulous! Erin sent a picture modeling my top so I could see how long it is and show the cleavage coverage. They did a wonderful job on the paint and it looked amazing once finished!

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    They are extremely fast in producing the tail! Even though it was so close to Christmas they got a head start on my tail so I wouldn't have to wait until after Christmas for them to start on mine.

    • On December 15th I made my duct tape dummy and wrote the check dated December 23rd because I was paranoid it would get lost in the mail and I wanted to make sure I had time to cancel it if they didn't get it.

    • I shipped the dummy UPS Ground Commercial on December 16th. It cost $15.

    • They received it December 18th and sent a picture to show me they had it lol.

    • They jump started on a few things and I got picture updates December 21st.

    • They sent picture updates on December 22nd.

    • I got another surprise picture update I didn't expect on December 25th of my top.

    • They officially started on my tail full time and sent more picture updates December 27th.

    • They sent more picture updates December 29th and worked until midnight texting me periodically.

    • They began painting my tail and sent many many color confirmations/update pictures all day as they painted (this was the day the paint issue happened
    and had to be fixed) December 30th.

    • They finished painting and sent more picture updates December 31st. Yes they worked on new years eve all the way until they had to get ready for their gig that night.

    • They finished final touches and added clear coat. Final finished product pictures were sent January 2nd.

    • They sent pictures of the box all packed and shipped it out via USPS on January 3rd. Shipping was $90 from Florida to Texas and they send an invoice via PayPal after they ship it. It was scheduled to arrive Monday January 5th. They put insurance on it and the box weighed 40 pounds.

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    • The box arrived a day late on January 6th (USPS fault) and I was forced to sign for it. Mernation requested no signature be required. One side of the box had been ripped open and the mail people poorly threw on priority mail packing tape all over the torn area very sloppy. They still left a gaping hole in one corner though. The black bags that MerNation put the tail in were no longer on the tail. One was still in the box but it was wadded up in a ball stuffed in there while the other was completely missing. The tail had been thrown back in the box without care. When I took out the tail I discovered the mail people tore my dorsal in 5 spots. Luckily they weren't really bad. Actually since my dorsal was thicker than the average dorsal and they used a "harder" silicone for my dorsal and heel fins, that helped prevent the tears from being worse than they were. My tail was the first tail to use harder silicone for the dorsal and heel fins to help them stand slightly on their own. I texted Erin about this incident and sent pictures of the damaged box and damaged dorsal. Mike went to the post office to file a claim and have some words with these people about this and also filed one online. This is not MerNations fault at all. They shipped the tail in perfect condition and had it protected in the box. The mail took it upon themselves to rip it out of the box and destroyed MerNations hard work! Had they not taken it out of the box, it would have been just fine.

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    My top was in a separate clear bag. When I opened it; I fell in love with my top! It was perfect and the length was perfect and perfect coverage! I loved everything about it. There were two more items wrapped in tissue paper too. I opened one and they were surprise scale bracers! They were so adorable. Unfortunately they were too small and made my hand turn blue but I still loved them!!! They didn't know what my wrist size was so they had to guess to keep it a surprise. The second tissue wrapped surprise was the gap wrap!!! I had mentioned I might get one later if I need it and they were so generous to throw it in there free for me. These guys are amazing! I couldn't believe it. They are the most amazing generous people ever! I've seen others get surprises as well and it's always different so you never know what you'll get even though I didn't expect anything at all! It feels like Christmas!

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    I love these guys to death. They are super nice and treat your tail like one of their own so you're in good hands! You are not just a customer to them. You become friends and part of the family! Erin is always there when you have questions. Mike is wonderful to speak to as well. He's so nice! He's a perfectionist while making your tail so he makes sure it's perfect! He involves you in every step of the way! You can be rest assured everything will be perfect if you go with MerNation!

    To get the tail on, Erin said to use watered down hair conditioner to lube your legs. They use smooth on dragon skin platinum cure silicone. I will tell you silicone sticks to everything including skin and especially clothing! You definitely need to lubricate! I got a yoga mat to put the tail on to prevent things from sticking and to prevent damage. It is Very heavy!!! I struggle to carry it and it's so awkward so it makes it harder to carry too so I suggest using a wagon of some sort padded with towels or something to transport it if you're weak like me lol. If you have a mertender, unless he can lift several hundred pounds, I suggest several mertenders to carry you. If you have weak ankles like me you'll need someone to hold your fluke up for you as you're carried or the fluke will bend your ankles down and it will Hurt!

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    Mike and Erin were both speaking to me about the mail delivery issue and were so sweet about it. Both told me they would be sending me some silicone to fix my dorsal and will send instructions. I received silicone free of charge quickly within 11 days of receiving my tail to repair my dorsal. These guys are awesome!

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    January 22nd I received a letter in the mail from USPS about the claim Mike made on my tail. It instructed me to take the damaged item and the box along with any other contents to a post office (the main post office in your town btw) to be inspected within 30 days. It also said if items are not damaged claim will be denied so keep that in mind. Don't repair damaged items if you claim insurance until they inspect it and you receive the check. January 26 I had the tail inspected and it was confirmed that USPS tore my dorsal and damaged the box. February 13 MerNation received a letter from USPS stating they wanted proof of purchase from me (the canceled check) within 30 days because they didn't believe I paid as much as I did for it. Then the same day (Feb 13) they received a letter saying the claim was denied. Mernation was like "This is unacceptable!" and filed an appeal and included the canceled check they requested and I had to resend the insurance inspection form because USPS claimed they didn't get it "of course I expected them to pull that bogus stunt". I resent a Copy (keep plenty of copies of inspection form and letters sent to you because they'll pull this "we didn't get it" crap) certified so they couldn't say they didn't get it again. I sent Erin the proof they got it so she could use that in the appeal too. Be sure to send the inspection form YOURSELF after making copies and send it certified the first time! If the post office sends it then you won't have copies and you'll lose the claim guaranteed! I sent a letter to them along with the second copy of the inspection form and I was quick to inform them I have plenty of copies and I also have a video of me unboxing the tail if they would like to see that so they don't blame me for the damages. If your box is jacked up when you get it Do An Unboxing Video!!!! Mernation and I never gave up this fight with USPS for damaging my tail even though it wasn't
    Mernation's fault it happened and they could have easily told me it wasn't their concern and left me to battle alone but they hung in there with me and helped me get my compensation. I'm not just a "customer" to them. I am their friend and part of their merfamily and they went above and beyond what an average company would do. They knew I deserved to get the tail in the condition it left their hands in but USPS screwed that up for me and they made sure USPS owned up to their mistake and made it right! USPS fought us for months but they finally paid the insurance money March 20. I love these guys so much and only confirms how glad I was I went with them! As I examine my tail I have noticed it is not easy to tear that dorsal and it is very strong so some real force was put upon it to tear it like that. I'm glad its as thick and strong as it is or the damages would have been worse! Mernation has proven their loyalty and has shown the love they have for every person they work with when making tails. It doesn't stop when they finish your tail. Out of all the tails they have made and shipped out, mine was the only one to have USPS damages so its unlikely it'll happen to you but I included all these tips that helped me for anyone else just in case anyone else ever faces a USPS insurance claim on any type of package not just tails. I HIGHLY recommend mernation to anyone and you can be rest assured you won't be disappointed!

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    For those who hasn't seen my unboxing video:
    https://youtu.be/LANiG6IIjQk
    Last edited by SeaVixen; 03-28-2015 at 01:08 AM.
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mermaid Kelda's Avatar
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    Fantastic review! Thanks for including so much detail. I'm so glad USPS finally owned up and paid.

    Just thought I'd let you know though, your line breaks make the review very awkward to read on mobile!

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Kelda View Post
    Fantastic review! Thanks for including so much detail. I'm so glad USPS finally owned up and paid.

    Just thought I'd let you know though, your line breaks make the review very awkward to read on mobile!
    I didn't put line breaks in it and they don't show up on the computer. I went through on mobile and fixed them. Don't know how they got there in the first place. I wanted to include everything so everyone knows how awesome they really are! They just don't get enough credit for how amazing they are! I loved every moment of my experience and not once did they disappoint me!!!
    Last edited by SeaVixen; 03-28-2015 at 12:59 AM.
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  4. #4
    Member Chesapeake Pod Tom Cardwell's Avatar
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    Got my tail last week from MerNation. Gotta do my review. Everything Seavixen said here is spot one, awesome tail maker. I call mine the pink beast, it's heavy but swims great.

  5. #5
    This seriously makes me want to eat a strawberry and cream ice cream, that's horrible SeaVixen *razz* *Looks at tail with dreamy strawberry and cream eyes*
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Cardwell View Post
    Got my tail last week from MerNation. Gotta do my review. Everything Seavixen said here is spot one, awesome tail maker. I call mine the pink beast, it's heavy but swims great.
    Gotta love the pink tails!! They have to be sported. I don't know what to call mine. I knew I had to have a pink tail though! It's just my color. Love the breast cancer tat!
    Live your dreams and don't let anyone snatch it away from you!
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  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by auroraspirit View Post
    This seriously makes me want to eat a strawberry and cream ice cream, that's horrible SeaVixen *razz* *Looks at tail with dreamy strawberry and cream eyes*
    Yep it is pretty delish! I love it
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  8. #8
    Senior Member Pod of Cali Meronica's Avatar
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    I'm very proud of you and Mernation for following up with USPS and not letting them pull that crap. I have had many issues with them (including my current lazy mailwoman who can't be bothered to drop off packages that require walking to the door, so I end up chasing her truck down the street, usually in my pajamas...).

    I remember seeing your tail when they first posted it on Facebook. I loooove the shape and paint job of the fluke and the heel fins.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    Member Chesapeake Pod Tom Cardwell's Avatar
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    I was looking for this post in tailmakers reviews, can it be copied over there? Want to my review soon.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Cardwell View Post
    I was looking for this post in tailmakers reviews, can it be copied over there? Want to my review soon.
    It doesn't give the option to post in the review section so I posted here. The admins have to put it there I guess
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  11. #11
    Senior Member Pod of Oceania Mer-Crazy's Avatar
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    Did you click the "write your own" review button up the top? I mean yes the admins have to approve it, to make sure tail makers don't artificially boost their scores (I believe they caught people doing it for Mertailor last year) but I don't see why you wouldn't be able to when I was able to at least access the 'write a review on Mernation'

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  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Mermaid Selene View Post
    Did you click the "write your own" review button up the top? I mean yes the admins have to approve it, to make sure tail makers don't artificially boost their scores (I believe they caught people doing it for Mertailor last year) but I don't see why you wouldn't be able to when I was able to at least access the 'write a review on Mernation'

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    I'm on mobile
    Live your dreams and don't let anyone snatch it away from you!
    Check out my Facebook Page, Instagram, and YouTube!
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    https://www.youtube.com/user/MsSeaMaiden1

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