A little knew to the community and commissioning of fursuits, I paid the entire amount in advance. She said that she didn’t usually start work until it was entirely paid off.
With little updates, the due date came and past, and I noted her several times prior to requesting updates. A couple weeks later, she noted me asking when the due date was and acted shocked when I told her it had passed. With great politeness she apologized and offered to make me hand paws in addition. I reluctantly agreed, knowing it would take her longer but I really wanted the partial. We agreed to yet another deadline of September. Came and passed.
Since then, communication has been very spotty. When I DO receive updates, the partial (what little bits she shows me) looks beautiful. And, everytime she does note me back, she is really nice, and it almost makes me feel bad for asking her to show me something, anything. However the excuses kept coming. It has now been 5 months over due, and I haven’t really seen any progress in 3 months.
I don’t know what to do. I have a feeling it was dumb to pay all upfront…and she has such a long queue, I’m afraid it won’t ever get done. She’s very kind and a lovely artist, but so far I am having my doubts about her work ethic.