Attention Chris Howes

[KBA]

I counted once about three months and it was around 25 to 28 projects he agreed to do, don't know how many he took money for.

To be honest I really don’t think he’s intentionally ripping people here.
He’ll mostly post in a day or so with an apology… like he did a few weeks back with the Star Trek heads. And most everyone in this thread will forgive him and say “No sweat Chris, glad your back.” And this thread will be deleted.

So, Why doesn’t someone call the Duck people and tell them what he’s been doing here…I’ll bet he’ll take their calls.

This type of treatment is enough for me. I'm only dealing with customizers who take partial payment at first, or the total sum later. I've had absolutely no problems doing it that way.

 

[EVILFACE]

I counted once about three months and it was around 25 to 28 projects he agreed to do, don't know how many he took money for.

To be honest I really don’t think he’s intentionally ripping people here.
He’ll mostly post in a day or so with an apology… like he did a few weeks back with the Star Trek heads. And most everyone in this thread will forgive him and say “No sweat Chris, glad your back.” And this thread will be deleted.

So, Why doesn’t someone call the Duck people and tell them what he’s been doing here…I’ll bet he’ll take their calls.

You are 100% correct!!

 

[Spenser]

At least one person who contacted me has been in touch with law enforcement in Chris's hometown for non-delivery of goods. I bet that guy feels ripped off..

I would say he does… it’s good to see someone is taking action!

And I didn't say he hadn't ripped anyone off, Just that I don't think he started out to do that.

I think we are beyond that. I don't think anything but hard deadlines, mailed packages and current progress photos for every project should be accepted.

I really hope so because I thought for sure this sort of thread was going to happen just before the Star Trek update. I hope all of you who are adamant now don’t cave later.

 

[Studio49]

I wasn't adamant when I started this thread. I thought for sure he would post and all would be well again. Then I started hearing stories about how he was still not delivering stuff from a year ago, and Joker heads were not being delivered. That is inexcusable.

Now I am sitting here trying to convince myself I am not angry. But I am. And with each passing hour I ratchet up the level of information Chris is going to have to post before I feel secure that he is not ripping us off. Right now, I won't accept anything less than a hard deadline, and progress photos of everything he has done for Maximus. I also want a delivery confirmation for the House head and cane set within 5 business days. If he can offer them for sale on eBay, he can send mine within the next week.

If he can't deliver the above, I want a full refund within ten business days. If that can't be delivered, I file the small claims case and start planning a trip to Cincinnati.

It is absolutely ridiculous anyone should have to ask for this stuff. I really hope in the future custom artists are held to a high standard on this forum. I am not pre-paying in full for anything in the future. This is hurting all custom artists, and not just Chris.

 

[ProgMatinee]

same boat. didn't come into this thread thinking I was totally S.O.L. but I'm pretty convinced I'll never see my River sculpt nor a refund. I don't even feel like taking a number, my $35 is nothing compared to the total owed.

anyway, I don't even need progress shots. That seems like his MO. Show progress shots of enough items that you can justify preselling more products...but don't close any of the orders....WTF? Its really hard to fathom why unpainted items of products that looked complete are not being sent. Probably never bothered to create a mold.

 

[KingGrayskull]

Though I am upset too, I still do believe in the good. I do not think Chris will cheat on us but I do have the opinion that this non-contact-behaviour isnt the right way. I am pretty sure Chris will come back soon or later and either finish all his projects or give us a refund. Call me naive but I really do believe in a good ending.

Nevertheless we should all learn from this issue for future projects.

Did anybody recognize that there wasnt any banana in this thread yet?

 

[captdan]

As I stated in an earlier post, I was giving the guy the benefit of the doubt but to wait over a year for something that was supposedly already sculpted and before he started doing all these commission is unsatisfactory.

Then as soon as I started demanding a refund all communication ended.

I own 2 screen printing shops and I have paid employees overtime to get 400-500 shirt orders done overnight. If I ran my business like he does I would be standing in a soup line somewhere in short order......

Not to mention the sucking feeling of being ripped off......

Just not cool anyway you look at it......

 

[LordAzrael]

lMO, wouldn't be better to do a deposit than askin money before the project has started???

I mean, paying for a headsculpt before it is finished, would probably give the sculptor a less of a desire to sculpt it since he/she already got the money.

The wonderfully talented Z does this - I've subscribed to about a half dozen of his projects and he is about to ship out his 2nd & 3rd Freaks commissions (Punisher has already shipped, Clive Owen and Jigsaw are shipping in the next week or two).

The best part about the deposit is that it allows you to jump on board to many projects and allows the sculpter comfort that he has enough interest. Z is also pretty good with allowing time for extra payment where he finished the project early - I needed an extra week and a half to pay for my 3 clive owen sculpts and he has done it.

To be honest though I think a large part of the problem is people like Chris being TOO nice. Artistic types often also hate conflict - they don't want to say no I'm too busy, and then take too much on. I've stated before I think there are too many commissions on going - Chris obviously took too much work on and there is some responsibility on his part - but he wasn't out asking for the work - PEOPLE HERE KEPT PRESSURING HIM TO TAKE IT ON. Some of the chronic commission thread starters need to take at least some of the responsibility. I mean - if you commission someone who has 20 odd commissions on the go (and that was public information), don't expect it to fall out anytime soon even. I think more custom artists need to close their order lists earlier. Because of their dislike of conflict, they tend to also take a "head in the sand" or just plow into the work without realising that it will take them a substantial amount of time to actually wrap it up, and that a bit of communication would take most of the pressure off.

Also with Chris, whilst you could pay in full upfront - he has always stated that he will advise before casting starts and you can still pay then and get the pre-casting discount. I've held off paying him for most of the items I'd want from him and only pay when he's closing off pre-casting. I think I've only paid for my Cameron & House heads even though I want Dexter & Maximus.

People also need to keep in mind that for most if not all of the artists here taking work this is done in their spare time, and in most cases the prices reflect that - the trade off being it will take time (and sometimes alot of time). I have dealt with most of the customisers here on the board for items and it is the rare one that turns something around in under a month, most taking 6 - 12 months. Z is one of those, but I suspect as his work becomes more popular then his timeframes will blow out too - good artists become a victim of their own success as has been seen time and time again with DarkArtist, Les, Soverign Studios, Small Studios etc. They are all great guys, and will deliver the product, but I think people underestimate the sheer volume of work they get asked to undertake on our behalf. I don't think there is any chance of Chris ripping anyone off - he like alot of people has many other competiting priorities.

That said, the ebay thing is a bit disappointing to see.

Just my thoughts on some it.

 

[Spenser]

This is hurting all custom artists, and not just Chris.

And this is why I’ve been posting… you’re 100% correct!

So…Is it unreasonable to ask all custom sellers and sculptors etc. (anyone who takes money for a project) to agree on a set rule for payments like 10% of the cost just to show intent or something like that? I’m not sure what everyone would be alright with. But some rule.

Oh and by the way Chris is still listed as available in the “Artist Availability and Reference links for customizers” stuck thread…maybe that should be changed?

 

[Studio49]

Then as soon as I started demanding a refund all communication ended.

And the crappy thing is, not many have requested a refund yet, and we still get the same treatment.

I think it's safe to say nobody is going to be sending Chris more money at this point. Product needs to be shipped, and threads need to be updated. That is what he should worry about now.

 

[OSA]

Sorry to hear guys. Really surprised things haven't been running smooth with Chris, since he has added a lot of input into this forum and 1/6 community.

Hopefully things come out good.

 

[the vampire with soul]

hey can paypal do anything about this if he realy is ^^^^^king us over??
he was a good guy maybe just got in over his head.

 

[Studio49]

The wonderfully talented Z does this - I've subscribed to about a half dozen of his projects and he is about to ship out his 2nd & 3rd Freaks commissions (Punisher has already shipped, Clive Owen and Jigsaw are shipping in the next week or two).

The best part about the deposit is that it allows you to jump on board to many projects and allows the sculpter comfort that he has enough interest. Z is also pretty good with allowing time for extra payment where he finished the project early - I needed an extra week and a half to pay for my 3 clive owen sculpts and he has done it.

To be honest though I think a large part of the problem is people like Chris being TOO nice. Artistic types often also hate conflict - they don't want to say no I'm too busy, and then take too much on. I've stated before I think there are too many commissions on going - Chris obviously took too much work on and there is some responsibility on his part - but he wasn't out asking for the work - PEOPLE HERE KEPT PRESSURING HIM TO TAKE IT ON. Some of the chronic commission thread starters need to take at least some of the responsibility. I mean - if you commission someone who has 20 odd commissions on the go (and that was public information), don't expect it to fall out anytime soon even. I think more custom artists need to close their order lists earlier. Because of their dislike of conflict, they tend to also take a "head in the sand" or just plow into the work without realising that it will take them a substantial amount of time to actually wrap it up, and that a bit of communication would take most of the pressure off.

Also with Chris, whilst you could pay in full upfront - he has always stated that he will advise before casting starts and you can still pay then and get the pre-casting discount. I've held off paying him for most of the items I'd want from him and only pay when he's closing off pre-casting. I think I've only paid for my Cameron & House heads even though I want Dexter & Maximus.

People also need to keep in mind that for most if not all of the artists here taking work this is done in their spare time, and in most cases the prices reflect that - the trade off being it will take time (and sometimes alot of time). I have dealt with most of the customisers here on the board for items and it is the rare one that turns something around in under a month, most taking 6 - 12 months. Z is one of those, but I suspect as his work becomes more popular then his timeframes will blow out too - good artists become a victim of their own success as has been seen time and time again with DarkArtist, Les, Soverign Studios, Small Studios etc. They are all great guys, and will deliver the product, but I think people underestimate the sheer volume of work they get asked to undertake on our behalf. I don't think there is any chance of Chris ripping anyone off - he like alot of people has many other competiting priorities.

That said, the ebay thing is a bit disappointing to see.

Just my thoughts on some it.

I thought the same exact way when I started this thread. But how do you explain CaptDan's situation? Or the people who haven't received Joker heads yet? Those sculpts are done, and Chris still can't find time to cast and ship those goods? Come on.

Look at what other customizers are doing in their threads. They post about once a week, and even if they have nothing new to show, they are honest about it. I would much rather have Chris post once a week saying "sorry, I have not made any progress on this head yet," than to have him not say anything at all. If he can't do something as simple as that, he should refund and start over, sculpting first and then selling.

Unfortunately, in my experience in the Maximus thread, Chris posts claiming to have multiple pieces started or nearing completion. He even volunteered several times to post photos of the work, and nothing ever came of it.

 

[die]

I am only into him for Maximus and House, but that is still over $200. I feel really bad for him if this keeps going the way it is going. I have received some very troubling PM's from some members since I started this thread, and it is not looking good.

I know what you mean, I rec'd some similar emails a while back.

I would love to see people get their stuff. Maybe, Chris can drop some of the newer stuff & just refund peoples cash then finish up & ship all of the older stuff with lots of buyers.

He said he had already started the Dexter Morgan head but never posted any WIP pics. I really wish one of the other talented sculptors here would pick up the Dexter sculpt as a group comission.

 

[siquisiri]

What a fu--in shame. I though it was odd to see these on ebay and his pre-orders still waiting. Russian Spammers?? Got to admit its original.

 

[kl241]

I think every customizer should offer a refund, especially when you are talking over $50 or more. My friends and I have been waiting for some things for over 2 years. I understand it is from an artist personally but if you want to do good business then they should implement that policy. Or take 1/3 up front, 1/3 when pictures are proven it is done and a 1/3 when it is ready to ship. It is like paying for all your sideshow pre-orders up front and we all know if that happened, sideshow would probably be out of business.

 

[Ultramanimator]

I just sent him a message via ebay telling him about how serious the situation is getting. Hopefully he'll respond.

 

[ProgMatinee]

maybe Obama should appoint a Customizing Czar.

 

[Spartan Rex]

maybe Obama should appoint a Customizing Czar.

Zing!!
Comedy gold

 

[Spenser]

Russian Spammers?? Got to admit its original.