UNBOXING of Mertailor Silicone Tail

[Merley]

I love MCR. Or I did before they came out with their last album. It sounded so different, so unlike them. Anywho I normally don't participate in these threads for many reasons:

a. It just fuels the drama
b. The outcome normally doesn't affect me either way
c. I don't know anyone personally, so see b.
d. I just came here to learn about the business/hobby of mermaiding and to make friends

HOWEVER, there are a few things about this certain situation I don't understand. Like if your (Krystal) goal was to scam the Mertender as you apparently have with other tailmakers, why bother posting this here, or a review at all? Why pull Eric's name further through the mud; how does that benefit you? You apparently got what you wanted, a high quality tail at a severely discounted price, and you still had the option of reselling it on ebay and Eric wouldn't have ever known, nor would anyone else for that matter if you hadn't complained about it here. So, why go through all the effort of discrediting tailmakers who already have enough legitimate complaints if you still accomplished what you wanted regardless? As for being 'disappointed' with people on these forums, I see this kind of reaction a lot and I personally don't understand it. Unless you know this girl irl (in real life), what makes you a moral authority to say you're disappointed? By the looks of her in those pictures, she's a grown adult who obviously chooses to act this way, so why waste your time or pity on someone who obviously doesn't care. Not a stab at you or Anything Cascada, just a question. I'm only disappointed in the fact it's getting harder and harder these days to figure out whose telling the truth and what's just a lie. This is terrible for both tailmakers and customers and makes it more difficult to make a decision on where to buy.

[Miyu]

Sadly, MCR recently broke up I had a teenage angst day LOL. Yeah their new album was different; they all got married and had kids, so they got happy haha.

Waikiki Mermaid: Your d) is pretty much why I came here as well. I don't understand the need to start drama in the first place.

I do appreciate hearing from both sides, though.

[Kae]

We're like Mer-detectives! I think I've seen enough evidence to make an educated decision.

I'm siding with the Mertailor. I know he's done a lot of bad things, but I believe he's trying to get better and is doing his best. This whole thing from krystal's side is all very fishy and lacking hard facts and proof. Meanwhile, the Mertailor posted a professional response with receipts and email snippets.

I'm actually sort of glad this is all out in the open, I will be a tailmaker in the next couple years, and now I know to be careful.

[Theta]

LOL Erie, we should totally make a school drama mix tape... though for me, those years were High School, haha! The most drama I have ever been in (outside of relationships, yeesh) is on these forums, actually, but that's what happens when you join forums, I suppose (hence why this is my first forum since H.S., LOL).

I love MCR. Or I did before they came out with their last album. It sounded so different, so unlike them. Anywho I normally don't participate in these threads for many reasons:

a. It just fuels the drama
b. The outcome normally doesn't affect me either way
c. I don't know anyone personally, so see b.
d. I just came here to learn about the business/hobby of mermaiding and to make friends

HOWEVER, there are a few things about this certain situation I don't understand. Like if your (Krystal) goal was to scam the Mertender as you apparently have with other tailmakers, why bother posting this here, or a review at all? Why pull Eric's name further through the mud; how does that benefit you? You apparently got what you wanted, a high quality tail at a severely discounted price, and you still had the option of reselling it on ebay and Eric wouldn't have ever known, nor would anyone else for that matter if you hadn't complained about it here. So, why go through all the effort of discrediting tailmakers who already have enough legitimate complaints if you still accomplished what you wanted regardless? As for being 'disappointed' with people on these forums, I see this kind of reaction a lot and I personally don't understand it. Unless you know this girl irl (in real life), what makes you a moral authority to say you're disappointed? By the looks of her in those pictures, she's a grown adult who obviously chooses to act this way, so why waste your time or pity on someone who obviously doesn't care. Not a stab at you or Anything Cascada, just a question. I'm only disappointed in the fact it's getting harder and harder these days to figure out whose telling the truth and what's just a lie. This is terrible for both tailmakers and customers and makes it more difficult to make a decision on where to buy.

Forum reputations are important around here because when all is said and done, this is a small community where a lot of money gets tossed around. We have to trust each other for tail reviews, which influence where large sums of money are spent. Did you see ask the people at the start of this thread who were getting mad at Eric? That kind of thing can cost him thousands of dollars, and it was unwarranted. Plus, there have been issues before with reselling tails that got bad reviews on this site for full price. People got hosed. Everyone around here functions on the honor system; if you lie about tails or tail makers you're just screwing people over. If everyone starts doing that then the community breaks down. That's why reputations are important in this forum.

[Merman Arion]

Man, I go for a swim, and when I get back, I find the excrement has come into violent contact with the rotary oscillator!

The same. I was sleeping through the night (it's 6:30am in France) and my phone just kept rigging and vibrating because i subscribed to MerNetwork threads, including this one. I get back and i see that a lot has happened without me. Way to go to wake me up and give me a shock. Now, i'm completely awake.
Honestly, i'm speechless about what i'm learning from everyone here, coming forward to share their thoughts. I'm changing my opinion about Eric and from now on, i will do my best to keep a neutral choice of words. That's all i will be saying.

[Miyu]

nirix5: I suppose that's a rather constructive way of thinking about why we still read these types of things! I do actually appreciate threads like this, so I can see different angles. I used to think that Mertailor was totally 100% stuck up and that I would never buy from him. I've come to the conclusion that occasionally I do like his tails (some of the really gorgeous, unique ones, like the tail that was originally posted about), and that perhaps in the future, when I have the means, maybe I'll end up with a product of his.

And really, the tail in this thread is gorgeous, I'm sure whoever bought it is going to be extremely happy with it It's so dark and beautiful, I'd love a tail like that!

[Mermaid Syrena]

As for being 'disappointed' with people on these forums, I see this kind of reaction a lot and I personally don't understand it. Unless you know this girl irl (in real life), what makes you a moral authority to say you're disappointed? By the looks of her in those pictures, she's a grown adult who obviously chooses to act this way, so why waste your time or pity on someone who obviously doesn't care. Not a stab at you or Anything Cascada, just a question. I'm only disappointed in the fact it's getting harder and harder these days to figure out whose telling the truth and what's just a lie. This is terrible for both tailmakers and customers and makes it more difficult to make a decision on where to buy.

Actually, I completely understand how people would be disappointed EVEN if they don't know Krystal in RL. Knowing the person in RL is irrelevant. Just because something occurs in cyberspace doesn't mean that it's not going to affect you in RL, and it certainly doesn't mean you don't get the right to feel certain ways about certain situations. I personally think it's valid to feel disappointed, if one does- because this is about the mer-community. Yes, we have our little differences of opinions- but on the whole, the mer-community is founded on trust and respect. Mers are so supportive of each other, because they feel the other person would have their back as well, if they needed it. So when something like this crops up, that blows a big hole in the foundation. People who had been on one side lending a listening ear and sympathising feel like they've been unfairly used.

Just because mermaids are creatures of fantasy doesn't mean our feelings are make-believe, haha.

That being said- I agree that people shouldn't try to come across as high and mighty moral authorities. The way we should be responding is as concerned, disappointed, gently probing sisters and brothers.

[AnnaAbyss]

Haha I come back and it's soldddd D: xD Haha oh well. Nevermind... ~Flies away~

[ShyMer]

I think it would be wise to stay cautious of the mertailor, but it is nice to see him try to help someone out.

[Blondie]

I'm disappointed a mer on the Mernetwork would do this.

We're all rather classy mers who are above doing that. Or so I hoped we were.

[Merman Arion]

I'm disappointed a mer on the Mernetwork would do this.

We're all rather classy mers who are above doing that. Or so I hoped we were.

Gotta looooove Monday...

it's time to call for the big bulldozer of drama, isn't it?

[Mermaid Citrine]

Agree 100%. This is not petty drama to entertain people. This is about people repeatedly lying and potentially hurting others by false statements that can impact someones' business as well as properly informing others in the community about doing business with someone.

"Forum reputations are important around here because when all is said and done, this is a small community where a lot of money gets tossed around. We have to trust each other for tail reviews, which influence where large sums of money are spent. Did you see ask the people at the start of this thread who were getting mad at Eric? That kind of thing can cost him thousands of dollars, and it was unwarranted. Plus, there have been issues before with reselling tails that got bad reviews on this site for full price. People got hosed. Everyone around here functions on the honor system; if you lie about tails or tail makers you're just screwing people over. If everyone starts doing that then the community breaks down. That's why reputations are important in this forum."

[Echidna]

I have known master manipulators and pathological liars before and your lies will always catch up to you.

So have I.
The post quoting what a liar is was very tell-tale; Eric was NOT defensive, he was very rational and calm. In his place, I would have been livid.
It's dumb to repeatedly pull scams off in a small and tight-knit community.

I don't think you will find many people commiserating you the next time you try.
Hope this will be the last time you can scam someone else.

I expect her to make a new forum alt presently...

[Nausicaa]

Forum reputations are important around here because when all is said and done, this is a small community where a lot of money gets tossed around. We have to trust each other for tail reviews, which influence where large sums of money are spent. Did you see ask the people at the start of this thread who were getting mad at Eric? That kind of thing can cost him thousands of dollars, and it was unwarranted. Plus, there have been issues before with reselling tails that got bad reviews on this site for full price. People got hosed. Everyone around here functions on the honor system; if you lie about tails or tail makers you're just screwing people over. If everyone starts doing that then the community breaks down. That's why reputations are important in this forum.

I ABSOLUTELY agree!

In all honesty, I think that we can understand that this site is more or less a "gateway" to the mer-community and is most likely the only place that potential customers can find reviews on all of the different tail makers on the web, other than their own individual sites, therefor we should try to take pride in being an unbiased source of information about them and their artwork.

Even if someone isn't interested in joining this forum, it is either the first or second choice on ANY search engine when one types in something like "mertailor review" or "merbella studios tail review" so whether everyone likes it or not we are the most consulted authority online, so though it's easy for us all to just point the finger at tail makers and say "oh what a jerk, always starting drama etc. I'll never buy from them blah blah blah" IT DOES MATTER TO THEM. a bad review on this site could potentially cost an artist thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

I can 100% understand why Mr. Ducharme is upset and I really respect him for posting all of the facts and defending himself. So while I do agree that this should eventually be moved to the drama thread, we certainly shouldn't write of the situation so easily, because this kind of thing is a big deal! Especially when the claims made by a member of the site can be proven to be false. I'm not trying to make mountains out of mole-hills here, but this is the kind of thing that could lead to a lawsuit against the site itself as well as individual members of the forum for making false claims and really doing detrimental damage to a business that's run almost purely on reputation, and I don't think ANYONE wants that.

[AniaR]

wow, I go to the hospital and you all have so much going on and for once I'm not involved in the drama!!! lol

I just want to say, I have had similar opinions of Krystal as Citrine said, because I had been told things from many other people (remember that whole insider information thing). When there was the drama a while back about the article being published with her claiming she made the tails and no credit, I commented on it in the forum because I read the article and that's what I got from it. THere was a bunch of drama and I was called a liar blah blah blah when anyone could pick up the article and see it for themselves. This was the pattern I had been seeing from the start (the buying and reselling tails for markup), and when this drama here started with the tail I decided to just be neutral as much as I could because it seemed clear from my notorious round of drama in january that people didn't want anyone "outside" to say anything. But I'm really glad people have spoken up finally, and that everyone else is seeing what a few of us saw months ago. Because this has been my genuine concern with this. And while, I have no personal connection to the situation, I still feel like incidents like this reflect the whole mercommunity and end up causing problems for everyone, and I think it's IMPORTANT they get spoken about. To me, Drama would be if everyone was posting here "haha Krystal/mertailor sucks" or something of the like, discussion of an event that happened and trying to figure out the truth shouldn't be considered 'drama'.

As to my own two cents about this, Metailor is on my shit list right now for his two faced emailing scheme he pulled on me, but even I have to say it looks to me (and did from the start) that the tail was exactly as had been ordered. At a discount no less. Even I can't argue against that, and I'm pretty biased against Eric. My only criticism of the tail is that you can see the monofin (or is it two fins?) right through the fluke, and I wouldn't spend 2k+on a tail where you can see that.

As far as Krystal goes, I don't know what the deal is here. We can only speculate and speculate since it's very clear we aren't getting all the evidence and truth from BOTH sides. Neither sides has the reputation for telling the truth, so how do you really know? I am glad people are finally noticing the pattern, but having been on the receiving end of community back lash I do feel sorry for Krystal and I hope she's able to figure this all out. If there's anything I've learned from my own drama trials, it's that you gotta compromise. You don't need to change everything about yourself but it's good to learn from the community and perhaps change how you DO things.

[PearlieMae]

Brava, Raina!

[MermaidSaku]

And i know about all that already xD i just saw that he was doing alot better and was thinking about getting my most expensive tail from him. lol

[Mermaid_Dominique]

This thread taught me that I need to look at both sides of a story before I jump to conclusions.

and well said Raina!

[Mermaid Cascada]

To answer the question: Im disapointed because I took the time to reply to this thread when it was first posted. I'm pretty sure i was the first one to reply. I was truly sorry for Krystal. But then all this new info comes to light and I feel like an idiot for feeling sorry in the first place. It's not just me who's disapointed in Krystal. It's like saying I broke my leg. And then someone says "I hope u feel better!" And then... Wait a second I didn't break my leg and I lied to you! And you fell for it! Know what I mean? Oh and p.s. I hope you feel better Raina.

[Mermaid Julz]

I retract my former statement here in this thread..... and then selling it for such a profit.... and dodging questions... As for the veteran thing... i really don't know if you are or not, but any vet I know would answer questions asked them without hesitation.(including myself). Krystal, sorry, but i think what you did was F.U.B.A.R. ! Being that you got the discount you did, then you should of sold it for no more than you paid for it if you were truly dissatisfied with it. That would of been the right thing to do. As for Eric, my thoughts will be changing a bit....