My tail from Aurore la sirène

[Yulia]

Wow....that is super thin.

It's hard to measure, but it's about 0.0295 inches thick.

[Sherielle]

I am so sorry this happened! I hope you are able to salvage the tail and use it soon.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Yulia I am so sorry for you how awful to finally get a tail and then have it fall to pieces.
The tail skin itself still looks nice - could you put your wave in there instead?

I know it's a lot of effort but if you think you can manage it, this could become a lovely fix-er-upper tail. I've bought things in the past (dresses, accessories, etc) that weren't very well made, but I fixed them myself and added my own flair and now they're prettier than they were when I got them and I feel good knowing I put so much love into making them usable.

I hope you can make this work for you!

[Yulia]

Thank you all!
The wave might fit, I'll have to sand it down a bit in the middle first, and figure out a good way to close the fluke. Good thing I live 3mins from a Hardware store.

[Raayvhen]

If I remember correctly, she used caulk to make your tail? I would definitely try using caulk to seal the fluke.

[Yulia]

Yep, it's clear and opaque caulk.
I'll just have to sandwich the monofin inside there with caulk, and then put something heavy on it and let it set, right?

[Pascal21M]

Why she is using caulk??

[Yulia]

Why she is using caulk??

Because it's cheap. I didn't know when I bought it.

[Raayvhen]

Yep. I would highly suggest trying to find the same type that she used.

[Mermaid Riia]

Oh my gosh... :O I just recently found you, Yulia, from instagram and thought then when stalking through your pictures that man your tail looks actually very very good, but now I'm just super mega sorry to hear this...

Could E600 be used for gluing the fluke? I have used it for tops and it holds up great so far

[Yulia]

The hardest part probably is were the siliconefluke is attached to the latex scales. Before it was sewed, but the stitches came loose almost immediately.
Also with the ridges in the Wave, it risks to be really thick, since I can't incorporate them into the fluke.
This is a nightmare.

[Mermaid Fenicia]

Try a Triton, no ridge on that monofin

[Mermaid Kelda]

Have you stuck the wave in there to see if it looks too thick?

[Yulia]

Yeah, I tried after I made the video. Since what was there before was almost paperthin, it's quite the difference, but it could work.

[Raayvhen]

Maybe slightly sand down the ridges?

[Mermaid Kelda]

I do think I remember someone sanding down the ridges entirely - I don't remember whether it worked or not, though! It would definitely compromise the power, but I wouldn't think it would break. If you mainly want something in there to help it keep its shape, maybe it would be okay.

Or, maybe just a slight reduction, as Raayvhen says, would be enough to make it look good!

[Yulia]

Tried to push it in again to see more exactly it would be too big. If the footpockets aren't to wide, ( I'll have to stick my legs in it and try it on) I think the ridges could be hideable
if I gunk out all the thick caulk in there, because it takes up so much space.

[Merley]

Threads like this really make me mad. It reminds me of my Mermaids R Us experience. I believe any tail over $500 should definitely come with a real monofin. Shoddy quality aside, I'd at least call her out on that. As for purchasing tails I've learned these things: 1. Do your research. Yes, we all want our dream tails now. But I guarantee anyone who promises you a high quality tail in a couple of months isn't telling the truth. True quality takes time. 2. Don't invest any amount of money, whether it's small on the scale of silicone tail prices or not. 3. You get what you pay for. In my experience anything under $2,000 won't get you the quality realistic mermaid tail that you're looking for. I'd be surprised if you could find one for $1,000. A couple people make them for that price, but not many. I know Mermaid Citrine makes latex tails for $700. I've seen her's in person and the quality is much higher than the tail you're describing.

As for your current situation, I'd contact the seller about getting a full refund. You shouldn't have to pay for her shoddy workmanship. That tail should have lasted more than two swims. And the seller should take responsibility for her work, especially something like a mermaid tail that is custom and hand made. Your tail should have been more durable and had a lifespan within reason of materials, use and quality. This was not the case.

Ask for the refund. If she refuses, there's nothing you can really do unless you bought through PayPal. If you did, open a case against her. Seriously, don't feel bad. She sold you a shoddy tail so she could pocket your money. Even if she's not particularly skilled as a tail maker, there's no excuse for that poor quality of materials and lack of a real monofin.

At worst you lose your money. It sucks, believe me I know. And yeah, I had to explain to my parents and virtually everyone I knew my tail was a bust and I lost $700. But the next time I went for my dream tail, I saved and waited and got all the extras.

So, my advice would be, having been in a similar position, either a. Fix it yourself and try to make it work if you like your tail that much, or b. contact the seller about getting a refund and send the tail back if need be. Then put your refund towards saving for a high quality silicone tail from one of the few trusted companies: I.e. Finfolk, Merbellas, Mertailor (if you're a gambler), Mermaid Jessica, Sirenalia or a handful of other small time, but reputable members on this site.

We all make mistakes, and sure maybe some of them could have been avoided, but the best thing to do is learn from what's happened and move on. I'm devastated for you. But tails come at a price. So save your money for your dream tail which will surely be expensive and a long wait or look into making one yourself. Those are your best options. Best of luck <3

[Mermaid Wesley]

I sent you a message <3


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[Yulia]

This is hopefully going to be my last big mistake with tails... I want to clarify that I didn't expect a highend tail for this price, though I also didn't expect it to last for two swims only.
It was dumb of me to trust her as much as I did, just because she'd made many tails. I was to timid and didn't want to make her mad about questioning her work.