A letter to Paypal: regarding commission fraud, and their unreasonably short period to file a claim
I've already been told that there's nothing you can do for me, but I'm sorry, I don't believe it for a minute. I have been using your service for years- to take art commissions, and to purchase art commissions, and so, SO much more.
These are commissions for items that are delivered over the internet and are not physical items, and they can take several months before they're complete, sometimes half a year if the artist is busy enough. 45 days is NOT long enough to accommodate the schedules of commission artists for buyers.
Myself and many other artists and clients have had our money stolen from us by dishonest artists and clients, and I have a hard time believing that Paypal has not yet come up with a way for us to issue claims against this sort of fraud within a reasonable time-frame. Clients like to give artists the time and free reign they need on their schedule, and artists like to receive this kind of treatment, but there is a line somewhere that needs to be clearly drawn so that good people can no longer be taken advantage of.
The reason I opened this claim to begin with was because I was a victim of commission art fraud, and I was hoping that you could help me sort this out. Because you see, I was not the only victim in this case- there are about 16 other buyers this artist took money from with the promise of finishing art and she has not followed through. Not only that, but she has completely cut off communication and has disappeared from all of her internet accounts. We're completely in the dark, with a cumulative total of several hundred dollars out of our pockets.
I would have reported this sooner but I was promised well into September that my art would be done "within a week", only for her to completely disappear. I gave it a month, thinking she may be having some issues in her personal life, but when she didn't come back it was too late. And now Paypal is telling me there's nothing that can be done? Honestly this is absolute bull.
You guys really need to do something about this. I know you recently amended your fraud protection to extend to International Ball Jointed Doll clients, so I don't really see why this couldn't also extend to Commissioned artwork when it's essentially the same thing.
I implore you to consider our plight and help us end the theft, because this is not the first instance of this happening and it certainly won't be the last. We're buyers all the same, and you promise us buyer protection, so please do something protect us.
I opened a dispute with Paypal regarding an artist who stole money from me and over a dozen other people, and they told me it had been too long since the transaction took place and there is nothing they can do.
So I'm calling them on their shit.
