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Thread: Buyer beware - Purple Mermaid Studios

  1. #1

    Buyer beware - Purple Mermaid Studios

    I Commissioned a Mermaid Tail from Purple Mermaid Studios on September 7th 2018. I received it January 25th 2019 and it was not up to par as per their advertisements. I mailed the maker my own mono fin to be put into the tail. I just don't know what to do with this thing. It's not usable, and looks absolutely awful. for $400+ dollars I feel super cheated. I wish I could have gotten a refund or at least an acknowledgement of her mistakes.

    I tried to go through PayPal, but since it is under "Custom" product, they cannot side with me even though they acknowledge all the issues with both the product and the seller. Is there any other ways to get a refund? The "shop" will not respond to me. I am out of work all summer from this disaster, as well as missing out on having my mermaid tail which i've been looking forward to a long time.





    The Tail is currently unusable to me and I will list all the issues below:

    - Sloppy work : The tail looks very rushed with globs of Silicone and seams all over it. Not all scales are even or straight.


    - The fin/fluke is not centred and features a Black seam all around it which is very messy and was not brought to attention pre-purchase. It was also cut in a very jagged edge across the sides for a very unfinished look.


    -The fit. I had my measurements taken twice. once by a professional seamstress and once at home to ensure it would be a perfect fit. The tail is a bit large in the waist, too tight at the knee, and wrinkles at the foot.


    - The "V" shape I requested be cut into the waistline was not done.


    - There is 3 separate spots of RED paint or dirt that was made into the tail (under the silicone)


    - The thread on the side seams are beginning to stretch and pull out on the left side only. they are ready to snap which would make the entire tail come undone. The threads used were also not a color match and can be easily seen on the outline. (white on left, black on right)

    - The shipping package was not well taped, and was busted open on top

    - Seller communication. It was poor throughout, but as soon as I received my tail it's been radio silence, until she answered ignoring all of the above, and saying she should have looked over her employees work before it was sent out shifting all blame (which still doesn't fix anything)


    I don't believe the work I received is professional or up to standard. It looks very rushed even though it had a long wait time (after the advertised 1 month production). This is not something I can use. I am now out of both a tail, and the money I paid for it.


    I am extremely disappointed in this tail.


    https://photos.app.goo.gl/c6BfGapJTJJT1DhS9 (link to google photo album)


    ----

    After being told she would give me a refund, she now has me blocked, so I assume I am just out of the money and a tail. I can provide screenshots of any of our convo on request.
    DO NOT COMMISION PURPLE MERMAID STUDIOS.


  2. #2
    Wow that sucks

  3. #3
    I just wish she would stand by her word and send me a refund like she said she would instead of blocking me. Definitely no way to run a business if you can't communicate to your customers.
    I wish I had a tail but i'm out that and the money to purchase a new one. Can't believe how sloppy this tail was when I opened it up after waiting so long

    Rachael, If you're reading these, please unblock me and refund me like you said you would months ago.

  4. #4
    Bless you that's horrible. You give someone your hard earned money only for it to be a waste on a tail that quite clearly cannot be swam in due to health and safety, and just the fact that it is so shoddy it's just too much for works.

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  5. #5
    Junior Member Pod of Texas SkyeRibbon's Avatar
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    I think I accidentally deleted my post lol

    Ok so 1) How do you expect to get a refund on a tail you sold off? You cant honestly expect to get your money back AND keep the product. That's not how refunds work.

    2) That black seam is on all of her hybrids. She doesn't try to hide it, and all it takes is a quick look through her gallery.

    3) She does free resizing. I bought a tail from her as well and lost about 20 pounds before the tail got to me. She offered to pay for shipping to make sure that the tail fit me.

    Why were you expecting high end quality from an indie artist? Did you not look through her work beforehand? You paid 400$ and expected 2k worth of art.

    Also she blocked you because of your horrible attitude and how hard you berated her. Nobody wants to interact with someone who says their work belongs in the garbage.

  6. #6
    I don't like getting involved in drama, I am so appalled that I can't help but speak up.

    First of all, the seams and thread are able to be seen on her pictures and product reviews dating back at least three years, including the pictures and videos I have posted of my tail.
    Second, her methods produce organic shapes and uneven textures, which is what I love about my tail - it looks more realistic - nature isn't perfect.
    Third, you sold this tail and still tried to make PM send you a refund - that's actually fraud.
    Fourth, I wonder if your screenshots would show the abusive language you used towards her. Even if you think someone let you down, you still have to treat them with respect.

    Furthermore, if you put all your eggs in one basket for this being your summer "job", why did you not commission a tail from an older shop that's better established? It seems to me like you tried to cut corners / cost and are now trying to blame PM because you didn't do your product research. I've used my PM tail for parades, birthday parties, public appearances, and modeling and I've never heard any complaints from my kids, clients, or photographers.

    Why don't you just use one of your other tails for the summer and move on? You sold it and got money back, and you've left a review. That's all you can do without it becoming harassment.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Pod of The South Slim's Avatar
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    Mermaid Russet has a point. As much as I want to stay away from drama, I hate seeing this posted on multiple threads. Please EnviousMello keep your posts of the same topic on the same thread so not everyone is spam with multiple posts that says the same thing.

    Quote Originally Posted by EnviousMello View Post
    I am beyond upset at Purple Mermaid Studios. I have been shown nothing but unprofessionalism in this exchange. I have been told I would get a refund, and I have not received it, but have been blocked by her.
    Not having this tail has put me out of an ENTIRE season of work. I figured i'd sell it to another mer for practise fixing it up (I charged the cost of packing it up and shipping from Canada) and nothing more.

    DO NOT COMMISSION PURPLE MERMAID STUDIOS. BUYER BEWARE.
    I’m still curious on how someone can get a refund (or call it a refund) if she was to give the money back. You no longer have no product to return. On a business perspective, what even footing can even come from this? I felt sorry for you until you put her full name on the internet. In the mermaid community, a person privacy on their real name is everything. My friend lost her money to Nim and didn’t even get the tail. My friend lost way more money than you did so I know where you are coming from. I also left the community for a year because of another person. Just relax is all I’m asking.


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    When you make the impossible become possible, that when the magic happens!

    Survivor of cyberbullies

  8. #8
    henlo it's me mermaid yuki and im just here to say that I had a similar experience buying a tail but i don't remember who it was from it was a silicon tail for 50 quid (good deal I know) but they did a rubbish job on it for some reason and apparently it took a while to do a custom job when I tried to get my money back they told me "we can't give you a return on a tail if you already sold it" and "please stop screaming ma'am" wtf (what the frick) basically all im saying is don't buy from swimtails

  9. #9
    Sorry couldn't reply faster, work full time so just seeing these now - Yes I have sold the tail - I sold it for the cost of shipping from Canada to the USA and the packing materials. I have not made a profit from this tail, I have sold it to her as she wanted it as a practise piece as she is learning to repair tails. this leaves me more out of pocket.
    second, If she would have offered to fix (or even acknowledge) her mistakes, I would have forgiven her, and worked alongside her to fix the issues, but she shifted blame, and ignored everything I had said.
    third, I specifically wanted a hybrid tail. not full silicone, and definitely not fabric. this tail was meant to be "land only". I wanted it lighter than a silicone one (for travel ease) which is why i went with this shop. I was unable to find any others around that offered hybrids, and shipped to Canada.

    fourth, I was nothing but kind to her in the beginning. this situation has made me want to scrap the entire mermaid idea, and run far away from the community at hand. I just wish she would have spoken and communicated with me. I also wanted to send it back, but was not given that option though I offered more than once as I did not want to keep it in my house.
    firth, like I've stated, I could not find any other hybrid tail shops that ship to me after my months of research.
    sixth, That black seam is what disappoints me the most, and I definitely couldn't see it on the photos i viewed as they were all top down photos. I noticed she has an issue with the mono fins she uses being super visible though, so to combat that I had sent her my own which had worked but again, the black seam was still there.

    If I was in her position, I would do literally everything in my power to make sure my customers were happy with my work. I would want work that I could have pride in.
    In the other thread, I can see that she is capable of making great tails. but she did not make my tail (she said so herself), which is not being very transparent with a customer as I thought that she was the one I was commissioning.
    Also, can anyone explain the red paint? I can post our entire convo here if you would like to see. I don't want anyone else to experience the disappointment that I have with this situation. Thats why I would like to spread the word. It doesn't really matter to me how much these products cost. I would still feel the same way.
    Sorry about the jumbled mess of text and typos.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Pod of The South Slim's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by EnviousMello View Post
    If I was in her position, I would do literally everything in my power to make sure my customers were happy with my work. I would want work that I could have pride in.
    In the other thread, I can see that she is capable of making great tails. but she did not make my tail (she said so herself), which is not being very transparent with a customer as I thought that she was the one I was commissioning.
    Also, can anyone explain the red paint? I can post our entire convo here if you would like to see. I don't want anyone else to experience the disappointment that I have with this situation. Thats why I would like to spread the word. It doesn't really matter to me how much these products cost. I would still feel the same way.
    Sorry about the jumbled mess of text and typos.
    I'm just really confused. Mainly because of this:

    Quote Originally Posted by EnviousMello View Post
    I'll update here when/if I get the refund
    From everyone point of view, she publicly offer though she couldn't give a time frame. Your immediate response of was in doubt if it would or not. Other has mention that the seams are visible on all the tail. A quick peak on instagram, I could even see it on one of the tail. If she refunds you, you will make a profit because you sold the tail imo. If the money earn was used to ship, that was your decision even if it was for a noble cause. She no longer has the tail if a refund was to happen to possible earn some of that money back. Her only outcome is someone still will talk bad, still a bad review, and no chance for a small business to reduce her lost. The average business with a mistake at that point just chucks it up as a lost if they can't earn back from selling a used refunded product. So please what outcome are you expecting? With future post, please use the original thread that the issue occurred in.
    When you make the impossible become possible, that when the magic happens!

    Survivor of cyberbullies

  11. #11
    how would I have made a profit? I paid for the tail, bought a mono fin, paid to shipped it to her, paid the duty fee at the door. then when __ wanted it, I bought a box, paid for shipping from canada (if you are unfamiliar, it is very expensive to ship even small items in the same city let alone another country).
    I also do not have/use instagram. not my thing. If I messed up on a scale like this, i would send a refund as soon as I possibly could, and communicate with the buyer on how I could improve, and move forward as a business.
    but I still didn't get a tail at her as she said her friend/employee made it which i didn't know which upsets me. that's something that I would have liked to know could happen before making a purchase. It also would have been nice to be directed to her etsy to purchase.
    an apology or acknowledgment of my concerns would have been nice from her as well.
    I am not familiar with this site and the way it's organized, so I apologize if I didn't use the correct posts/threads/sections

  12. #12
    What Slim is saying is that if you sold the tail AND received a refund, PM is out the money for the tail, and you made a profit because you sold it for $ AND would get your money back from PM. Even if you don't have an Instagram, you can still view business accounts. And you made a profile here, where I have pictures / reviews of PM - and her Etsy is linked on her Facebook.

    The bottom line is that you got the tail, and you got what you paid for. Hybrid tails have seams because they are neoprene based, and as a tailmaker who has made neoprene, silicone, and hybrid tails, I know there's almost no way around it. If you were really putting all your eggs in this basket for a summer job, you should've jumped for a better established tailmaker. The most important thing as a consumer is to do your research before purchasing, because all of your complaints are addressed or visible on her business pages (eg the uneven silicone, by-hand paint jobs etc).

    And, again, as Slim said, giving out someone's full name on the internet is unacceptable and invites harassment. We have a known list of merverts that target people, esp young women in the community and respecting each other's privacy is a cornerstone of this community. If you really don't see that you owe PM Studios' owner an apology for releasing their private information, then you're right - you should scrap this idea and try something else. That's NOT what this community is about, and regardless of whether or not you feel let down, you still have to respect people's privacy and respect other mers. For a lot of us, it's a passion first and foremost, not a side-job that's worth harassing people over. You paid $400 for $400 worth of art - and quite honestly most of her tails are more valuable than that - mine has held up for 3 years. I would definitely recommend checking out other tailmakers should you decide to continue, and doing thorough research this time to make sure you know exactly what you'll be getting.

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