Chris Howes' Sculptural Creations

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Interesting.

He certainly took money on The Shining commission, which is nowhere to be seen.

What he's saying is that a lot of the "interest" commissions never got beyond that stage, so he didn't take money for them, which is true. But that doesn't really make the situation much better, since there are a lot of people who DID pay for things.
 
Guys, I am not Chris' advocate and have been rather critical about him! But, I have reached him via e-mail and he responds every time I contact him...So, below is the corrspondence we had today (sorry it is lenghty, but there we go - my mail to him starts at the bottom and his reply is first):

On 19 juin 2009, at 17:09, "C. Howes" <[email protected]> wrote:


Ah, you hit on the crux of the matter... the fellow with the statues..... guess who he is, guess what sort of nefarious practice he is involved with?


Noone has seen finished work? That is ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT. There has been finished work, plenty of it in people's hands. You yourself will have some in hand shortly. Is there more to do? YES! Have I told people again and again it takes time? YES! Have I just sent out more heads? YES!


People have absolutely no idea how much work I've put out. They don't know how many custom heads I've sculpted for individuals, how much commercial work I've done. From my point of view it's a very very different story. Facts, as you say....


BTW, many of the head commission threads out there that people set up wanting me to do, I have collected not one single penny on. So, most of the so called "open commissions" are really just wish lists. Let me repeat: I have collected no money on most of the so called open commissions. Only those with a list indicating payment have money involved. Those are the ones I'm going to be completing as I'm honor bound to do so.


And the money, all the money, I've ever made from these group commissions is the equivalent of just a couple of commercial jobs.


If I'm such a criminal why am I bothering talking to you at all? wouldn't it make more sense if I just truly disappeared with my supposed ill gotten gains? But I haven't. Here I am, though, to be honest, I tire of explaining my self. I have way too much work to do.


Again, I'm sorry you are troubled, but you'll have your painted House head shortly. Please reserve your judgement until then.


It would be nice to hear how you like him when he arrives, however. Believe it or not, I do care that people are satisfied. I look forward hearing from you then.





Take Care,
Chris


On Jun 19, 2009, at 10:19 AM, Steve David wrote:


Chris,


It all sounds good and ok but I am afraid that the facts are against you.


Nobody has received anything yet! You put up stuff on ebay and you don't even deliver open commissions. On the OSW board someone listed open commssions and money made on these! This is huge and noone has seen finished work! Another one said that he bought statues from your site in May 08 and is still waiting for 2 of them to arrive!


Read yourself: www.onesixthwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118662&page=4


This looks not good to me.


Steve


Sent from my iPhone




Anybody here, please feel free to argue against this with me...


Instead of more responses from Chris where he promotes his work, reminds us of how these group commissions are of less importance than the big deals he gets from big companies or reminds us of he's gonna get a soda & "go to work" wouldn't it be alot easier to make one new thread, list what's on his worktable & how far along they are?

THREAD TITLE: Headsculpt Updates

House: 100%
Kirk: 5%
Spock: 3%
Dexter: 5%
Trapper John MD: 10%
Booger from Revenge of the Nerds: 25%
Ralph Macchio 17%


How about a new thread with just one photo of his workdesk?


There's soooooo many easy ways to make things a little better for himself, but he chooses to be difficult. :banghead

Again in SteveDavid's email correspondence with Chris, he dodges the question about selling the heads on ebay before they are even delivered to paid customers. Instead, he decides it's best to try to discredit another customer because they are a recaster?
 
What he's saying is that a lot of the "interest" commissions never got beyond that stage, so he didn't take money for them, which is true. But that doesn't really make the situation much better, since there are a lot of people who DID pay for things.

He should post a list of the commissions that he hasn't started on & hasn't taken any money on and just cancel those. It ruins it for the other sculptors on this board as well as the potential customers. Spenser or Z could probably fill some of those requests instead of people being on hold for a sculpt from Chris that they may never see due to his backlog.
 
He needs to post SOMETHING -- that's the main issue here. People were pissed at him in the Star Trek thread because it went for months with no communication from him, and that seems to be standard operating procedure. I wouldn't mind waiting for this stuff if he would just keep us updated. Is it really that hard?
 
I am puzzled myself I must say...don't know what to think to be honest. I can't imagine either that he would respond the he does to me that he is a major scum...

I asked him why he didn't jump in and take position - see below:

Steve,


Actually, you have seen the reason yourself as to why I'm not on there right now repeating myself. I did try and state my case last Friday, I made several statements and the ravening wolves jumped all over me. Shoot first and don't even bother asking questions later! I tried to calm things down, but it just seemed to give the haters more to complain about. Funny thing is, a lot of them have never ordered anything from me. Amazing. Luckily, more reasonable folk did respond positively, but that didn't matter to those who feel they should be outraged.


Which guy are you referring to about the House head? As far as I know he hasn't bothered to get ahold of me personally. Anyway, Right now, I'm bent on providing what I said I would, not providing refunds based on lies and exaggerations. It's the principle of the thing.


I don't intend to waste my time screaming at the top of my lungs on SSF and nobody listening. At this point, I think the only viable option is to let the work speak for itself. As I've grown older I've learned to be patient. Things will eventually work themselves out as people see the rest of the work.


BTW, only a few people who have expressed major concerns, yourself included, have bothered to listen to me about how to get through to me so simply via email. On the other hand, many people who are wholly supportive have gotten through. I've been very grateful for the outpouring of support. Makes me wonder.


I appreciate your support on the forums, but please, if people are piling on you, you have to protect yourself. Their reaction is not based on reason, it's based on needing something to be angry at. And with a few out there encouraging the hatred for their own purposes, reason will be a long time in being restored. Don't let yourself get smeared, too. It isn't much fun, I can tell you!!! :)


As it is, I'm devoting my time and energy to work rather than fighting an impossible war of words. Too much negativity, to much hatred. I have to keep a positive attitude to get the work done that will ultimately prove my critics wrong. I'm having some folks post some updates for me soon. We'll see what happens.


Thank you, once again, for defending me, I do appreciate it, but I fear it's a loosing game for the time being. Later on after I've taken care of a few more projects, perhaps you can post a few "I told you so" messages!

Take Care,
Chris


On Jun 19, 2009, at 11:21 AM, Steve David wrote:


Chris,


What I don't understand from you is why you don't preserve your good reputation on these forums?


I put the mail correspondence we had on the forum in order to calm things down but it didn't help!


Why don't you put a statement out there? Why don't you refund this guy who says he doesn't like ur House sculpt?


I will go back on the forum at SSF and put in word for you; BUT you have to jump in as well. The thread I will writing to refers to your open commissions. Please add there anything you want!


Steve

Sent from my iPhone
 
Which guy are you referring to about the House head? As far as I know he hasn't bothered to get ahold of me personally.

Well that's a load of horse^^^^. I guess I'll go send email number four. I have been sending it to the exact same address that you did. His answers are still very evasive. Makes me madder the more I read it. He's just ignoring us because he wants to. And yes, it is the principle of it- the principle that he's not keeping his promise. :banghead

He's "cherry picking" who he responds to, and spinning his answers as hard as a politician. Every reply he makes it out that he is being attacked, and the people on SSF are doing him wrong. That nameless mention of me was just a way of pouring salt in the wound.

Okay, Steve, I just emailed him a fourth time. Since he seems to listen to you, would you care to let me PM you, and have you pass the info on to him also?

Thanks, JB
 
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Funny thing is, a lot of them have never ordered anything from me.
so this is the card he's going to play... when time comes and he denies orders he took all i have to do is go to my paypal and take a screenshot and I trust all of you guys are ready too.

as far as how he said he was trying to calm us down thats all a bunch of garbage... his first post stated that he was logging in to upload some pictures and update us but then he found all this.... yet he didn't even update anything... and then he neglected to answer everyone's questions and concerns.... I'm sorry but this guy has no sense of customer service. He can bag a mountain of money when we paid him but he calls his customers wolves and runs off hiding away from excuses and russian spam mail when we ask him for an update...
 
How about a new thread with just one photo of his workdesk?

No prob:
149699609_f64a32ed12.jpg


BTW, he's got a Lee Majors on ebay that really makes me wonder how he got all these commissions in the first place. Its terrible and looks closer to Roger moore than Lee Majors.
Also, by his response about trying to answer questions by posting, i guess he never realized that, had he completed these commissions, a lot of folks were interested in how they turned out and would have been spending almost twice as much with him.
 
regarding ebay ...well he's playing his cards right. I went on my ebay account and asked him if these were shipping right away and this is how he answered me.

Shipping is ongoing as prior orders sold elsewhere are completed. Any new orders assume their place in line. I have assigned a long handling time to allow for this.

Each of these is hand cast and hand painted with painstaking attention to detail. This is an extremely labor intensive and time consuming process. Of course, I will ship ASAP, but it will vary depending on work load, which is very heavy at present. So, your patience is appreciated.

Thanks for asking.

- howie_howie67
 
I figure cut the guy a little slack. To much bashing going on. I know I wouldn't be happy if I were him. I'd likely disregard negative messages. Life is complex. He doesn't live to serve us. There are other people that rely on him I'm sure

ease up, all will be just fine
 
I figure cut the guy a little slack. To much bashing going on. I know I wouldn't be happy if I were him. I'd likely disregard negative messages. Life is complex. He doesn't live to serve us. There are other people that rely on him I'm sure

ease up, all will be just fine

Sorry, I don't agree in the least. I have emailed him FOUR times, to the same email address that Steve mailed, politely requesting a refund because I DON'T WANT THE HOUSE HEAD. Easing up isn't going to get me anything, he all but thumbed his nose at me in the second letter to Steve. My letters to him have been nothing but civil, and it's gotten me ignored other than a snide remark in a letter to Steve. So, you just want me to be quiet and never get a refund?
 
so this is the card he's going to play... when time comes and he denies orders he took all i have to do is go to my paypal and take a screenshot and I trust all of you guys are ready too.

as far as how he said he was trying to calm us down thats all a bunch of garbage... his first post stated that he was logging in to upload some pictures and update us but then he found all this.... yet he didn't even update anything... and then he neglected to answer everyone's questions and concerns.... I'm sorry but this guy has no sense of customer service. He can bag a mountain of money when we paid him but he calls his customers wolves and runs off hiding away from excuses and russian spam mail when we ask him for an update...

He's talking about all the myriad posters who have no stake in this and yet are trying to fan the flames on the witchhunt.

I would appreciate it if those who do not have paid orders in with Chris, not feed the fires.

We now have an answer to the ebay question - the winners there will take a place in the que. I'm not trying to defend his actions and lack of communication, but I don't want to see this blown out of proportion either.
 
I think this is him on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.ph...3a83&id=1592297546&hiq=chris,howes&ref=search

It's the only Chris Howes I found in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the picture resembles his avatar here.

Mods, if shouldn't have posted that, let me know and I will delete, but I figure a Facebook page found in a public search is not private.

l think it iz him since it is similar to the image in figures.com

https://www.figures.com/databases/a...actionfigures&topic=106&show_article=124&nl=1
 
Drizz
I hear ya, I'm not tryin to be an a**, or a charleader for anyone. I agree with you that it would be nice if he returned emails. I jsut wonder if something is going on that's well out of his control. Health issues? Dunno, would be nice is someone spoke on his behalf perhaps. I had my niece address some of my stuff while I was learning to walk this time last year

I don't think a refund is an unreasonable thing.

Didn't mean to upset anyone

I, like most would like to hear something, well, anything really
 
Drizz
I hear ya, I'm not tryin to be an a**, or a charleader for anyone. I agree with you that it would be nice if he returned emails. I jsut wonder if something is going on that's well out of his control. Health issues? Dunno, would be nice is someone spoke on his behalf perhaps. I had my niece address some of my stuff while I was learning to walk this time last year

I don't think a refund is an unreasonable thing.

Didn't mean to upset anyone

I, like most would like to hear something, well, anything really

Well, we've heard from him twice, once last Friday, and today through Steve. If something was wrong, it would not have been hard for him to say, in fact his attitude in his repliies seems to say he thinks we are impatient, ungrateful people, and he is getting things done in a reasonable time, and we need to wait. It's interesting how I can send him 4 emails with no answer, and yet Steve gets 2 replies in a half hour. There is simply no way he's not getting everyone's mails if he magically gets them from Steve. It's obvious he is not willing to address anyone's concerns, he would rather turn it back on us, and make us sound like we are the ones in the wrong, when all we did was send him our money, and want some transparency, or in mine and about 3 other's cases, wanted refunds for various reasons as he at least guaranteed on the House thread.
 
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