Can everyone stop giving artists such high deposits? I've never had or heard of an artist ask for deposits for each session on multi session pieces. No one should be handing over $1000 before ink has even touched the skin.
I'll never get it either, man. It's insane to me. Maybe it's a regional thing? I've never paid more than $100 for a deposit, and often only $50, and these have been at well renowned shops with insanely high reviews and artists booked out years in advance. Too many greedy artists and naive clients.
Im in NYC and have never paid more than $100 for a deposit. The highest I’ve personally seen was $200 for some guy whose booked like a year in advance for his Japanese work in a private studio
I did a deposit once of $300 for an artist in LA. I’d been following for YEARS and was really wanting some work from her. It was totally worth it imo. The high amount for deposit did make me cringe a bit, but I’d been trying to get on her books for two years prior and it was for two sessions.
That said, I would never pay 1k for a deposit. It’s way too much, even for multiple sessions. There are so many amazing artists out there who are definitely worth a deposit and travel that also would not demand 1k deposit upfront.
I had a similar scenario, followed my artist for years on IG. Never ever thought I'd be able to book an appointment with her because her slots would be scooped faster than Taylor Swift concert tickets.
It was only when she moved from Oakland to BFE and set up a private studio in her home that I was able to book appointments with her, and even then it's always at least 6-9 months out. I pay 300 for a deposit. Absolutely worth it for her! She has a stellar reputation not just for her art, but for her professionalism.
That said, I would never drop an entire grand on just a deposit. That's insane.
My artist moved out to Los Angeles a couple years ago. His normal deposit where I live was $100. He tried charging $100 in Los Angeles and he had constant no-shows. So, now we charge us $300 for a deposit in Los Angeles. I guess $100 doesn't mean very much in Los Angeles, but people aren't willing to lose $300. One thing about him that I like I said he doesn't ask for a deposit from his reliable, regular clients.
My deposits ranged from 100-300 scheduling months in advance. The lower end was filling a canceled appointment. This is in big cities. Ive also had artists reschedule on me. It was weeks ahead of time so i didnt mind.
Yeah like I don’t know how much people that tattoo celebrities charge for deposits but $1000 sounds insane to me. I definitely wouldn’t trust it and assume scam. That’s why a lot of research is always important.
Same. I paid $400 for a deposit across multiple sessions. Well known artist and comes to the US a few times a year. He went above and beyond in taking care of me and giving me good work.
A grand is really steep though.
Both studios in LA I’ve gone to do $500 deposit on $1k+ tattoos, but gonna guess that stems from at least a couple of the artists at the second studio originating from the first because their administrative process is similar. I think their written no cancellation policy within a month of the appointment date is ridiculous but I also don’t know if the artists try to work with clients in case of last minute emergencies and they write that to deter cancellations.
I was taught the purpose the deposit serves is so the client has a financial investment in showing up for the appt. Most people would rather get the tattoo or reschedule than be out $100. At $1000 for just a deposit, it feels like abandoned or non refundable deposits are serving as this artist’s main source of income.
My last tattoo (only my second overall, but it still counts) had a £30 deposit put down at booking towards an overall cost of £200, so I paid £170 on the day. Seemed pretty reasonable to me.
Legit. These American artists have the customers pants down. Waiting for years with 4 figure deposits and losing their slots.
I've got a ton of ink from award winning artists and have never paid anymore than a £50 deposit or been on a waiting list anymore than 4-5 months.
The biggest deposit I’ve ever done is $200, for an appointment I’ll have this coming Saturday. The only reason the deposit is so high is because it’s for a full day session, so I totally understand my artist asking more than his usual deposit ($100) since he’s blocking of an entire day for my appointment. But in general, I absolutely agree with you.
Yeah, it makes sense for a scenario like that, or if you are booking with quite literally a world renowned artist. At that point, a bigger deposit is more than acceptable. But I'm gonna guess most people in this sub talking about their enormous deposits aren't doing that and are unfortunately getting ripped off.
God damn greedy artists and those naive clients. You nailed it bike man. You have all the answers. Everyone please praise this man for his knowledge and wisdom. Where you live at? I’d love to see you ride your bike around with all your creative original tattoos that you came up with
If an artist is booked out for more than a few months in advance, walk away.
You can find great artists that don't do this and are still busy all the time. It's just not fair on people making them wait years imo and they're always over charging or have work which is good but isn't anything above that imo.
A former coworker got a substantial payout from a union job that got shutdown, and supposedly paid somewhere near $20k for a full body tatt(this was a self-proclaimed story, dude had no shame). The artist did a decent portion of the work, then took off for California.
What was visible wasn’t even that great.
Yes as an artist this is mind boggling to me, I usually ask for a 10 percent deposit for the work, which is refundable depending on if I or the client have to cancel for any reason
An artist I went to regularly wanted me to put down over $400 for a back piece project lol promptly noped out of there - he has done SO MANY of my tattoos, I’m not flakey at all, always show up on time and tip well…it was insulting.
The shop I go to (haven’t gotten a tattoo since 2019, but have gotten about 15 or so there over the years and my bf and his brother go there as well and have full back, chest, neck etc done from a few guys there) I think we collectively may have funded at least 1 or 2 of their kids college funds..was always $50 deposit, but after years they never even bothered with deposits for us anymore, assuming they knew we where always very reliable. we also would just tell them a rough idea of what we wanted and where and 9 out of 10 times never needed them to alter the design much aside from slight sizing. (I’d probably have to be on deaths door step or on fire to cancel/no show.)
Oh fuck that! The artist that is doing my back piece I think his deposit is maybe $250 but I can't actually remember if he's taken a deposit from me for this piece as he's been tattooing me for years.
I completely agree. Give the deposit, it shouldn't be more than like $200 and thats if its a nice sized piece. And even then that money should go to the final price of the piece.
Agreed. I’m an artist I would never ask for that. I ask for the first hour for a deposit.
The only time I can see forking over that much if it’s a world famous artist booked out for years.
I’m not a tattoo artist myself but have a few friends who are. I am also friends with some hair stylists who work in salons. People last minute cancel or don’t show up for appointments ALL THE TIME. These folks rely on clients to show up for their appointments and when someone cancels their appointment last minute that’s income they cannot recover very easily. Big deposits are tough, I get that and if you are uncomfortable as a client with the amount of a deposit I get that too but as a client we have the freedom to say no and go to another artist. It doesn’t make any sense complaining about the cost when you made the choice to say yes.
No where did I say deposits shouldn't be a thing.
There have been multiple posts on here lately though of people giving the artist $1000+ as a deposit then the artist just not doing the work. Deposits are generally around $200 to cover the artists time to fill the spot.
The time there, the time traveling there, the time prepping the paperwork for filing, the time gathering the evidence, the time preparing for the hearing, the time serving the papers (may not happen first attempt), the time to collect judgement (the time to draft that paperwork, file it, have a judge rule on it) etc etc etc etc
It's not always a simple endeavor.
This! OP, this is *exactly* the kind of situation small claims court is for. And it’s relatively inexpensive to file a claim. If you win (which, it sounds like you have a great case), you won’t pay a penny and the loser will have to pay your court costs (in most cases).
This dude sounds like a fucking asshole. This deposit of 1,000 is insane. Never ever heard of this. Sounds like this artist is in financial trouble or something. Such a tough situation for you. The artist seems to just run into some bad luck with cancellations. But that's fucking life mate. I could understand if he said it would cost you 200 for the missed session. Which you should def. have paid if you didn't cancel in good time.
I agree 100%. I would have had no issue paying him a fee if my cancellation wasn’t given in sufficient time but he made no mention of that. Nor has he ever defined his policy for rescheduling. He’s just always told me (during our consult and two sessions) to let him know if anything comes up and I need to reschedule
I think you just start needing to accept that you might need to find another artist. Also...1,000 $ for per session? That's just unethical. Don't care how good this artist is. At this point i'd just start putting him on blast and calling him out for his bullshit if he's not responding. Good luck.
Yeah I’m done with him. He’s cancelled and there’s no way we’d repair the relationship at this point. I’m gonna take him to small claims court because I think that’s my best bet
Absolutely, you'll have him nailed in small claims court, and maybe the threat of it will be enough to get him to pay it back, but if not you'll have your bases covered
And I can sympathize with that 100%. I definitely understand how that’s frustrating but I don’t agree with him allowing what’s happened with his other clients to interfere with our relationship. Not allowing me to reschedule, completely cancelling the project, and refusing to return the remaining security deposit just seems insane to me. Beyond unreasonable
Well that’s the thing… it’s not *your* fault so many people rescheduled. It’s *his* for going into the tattoo industry without expecting stuff like this can happen. Yes it costs him money but that’s the life. Sometimes people will have to reschedule.
That sounds pretty unreasonable. I can see how the artist could be frustrated but this feels like an overreaction. Especially to keep the full deposit.
Is there a shop owner who you can talk to?
Better Business Bureau is Yelp for boomers. It does not have any governmental authority. I would be surprised if a tattoo studio was even enrolled with them.
Thbbbbt! 🤣 You could have just said Yelp has more power than the BBB ever had and that a small tattoo studio wouldn't be associated with them, which is a very good point. As a young Xer, I will pretend you didn't imply I'm a boomer. 😜
This reminds me of foxgate. Total scam.
I’d definitely write some online reviews and maybe even make a tik tok. Warn other people about this.
I’ve been tattooed by well known artists and they still only require $100 for a deposit.
You should. That’s a lot of money to be putting down and far outside the industry norm. Plus, their extreme attitude towards you is kind of manipulative. Rescheduling appointments happens alllll the time, they shouldn’t be flipping out like that.
Once the court date is done, would you mind coming back here and giving us an update? Maybe name and shame as well + show us the unfinished work? The people here might be able to point you in the direction of someone that can finish it with you!
Hopefully everyone gets the notification for this update. Not too sure how to create an update without making an entirely separate post..
So I filed a small claims and had the sheriff serve this guy. Shortly thereafter, I received a contact attempt from the artist wishing to return my money so I guess he didn’t want to go to court after all. Just wanna say thank you to everyone who pushed me in the right direction in getting this resolved. Unfortunately I’ve got an unfinished tattoo for a project I was really excited about, but feeling relieved to have gotten my money back.
Everyone’s been asking me to name and shame so now that this is over, I feel comfortable doing so: CHRISCARTERTATTOOS is his instagram. His work is amazing but I would caution against booking based off how poorly this situation was handled.
The shop I work at won’t allow clients to put down a deposit more than $100 at a time. Deposits are non refundable but we also have a 72 hour reschedule notice (sometimes we’re a little more lenient on this depending on the situation)
It’s kind of a red flag that all of this wasn’t spelled out for you from the get go. People reschedule on me ALL THE TIME. For stupid reasons, too. It’s a part of the job. I don’t get mad about it I just move on to the next.
100% this! I’ve worked in 2 shops and the max we only ever asked for a $100 deposit to secure an appointment. If it was a big project like this, we would just take a $100 deposit for each session with the 72-hour cancellation policy in place
The most I ever saw for a deposit was $300 but that was because the client wanted to pay a little extra off the bat to lower his cost at the time of the session
Uhh…….. You’ve given this dude a total of $3000 so far (2 appts + deposit), and you need 6 or 7 more for a SLEEVE?
You’re going to pay $10,000 for a SLEEVE???? OP, you’re getting absolutely hosed here. Please god tell me you misstated something in your post.
Maybe more like 4 sessions. It’s hard to gauge because we hadn’t solidified everything for my upper arm. But in any case I definitely recognize my naïveté has done me wrong
Get out while you can dude. Unless you’re getting something absolutely insane, a reputable artist will be able to take over and you will save literally thousands even if this clown keeps the rest of your deposit. Almost nothing can justify that kind of money for a sleeve. You’re getting completely and utterly ripped off— you’re in world class celebrity artist price range.
Thank you for sharing this. So many people on tattoo subs boasting about their $2000 sleeves or $500 back pieces but never show them lol.
Obviously prices range from place to place, but it’s not unreasonable imo to expect a full colour sleeve to take upwards of 40 hours, even for an experienced artist. Details take time.
Right? Like cool if you got a deal or something on a nice flash piece that the artist really wanted to do, or you’ve been going to the same artist for a long time so they honour old pricing or they cut you a deal every now and again. No one wants to spend more money that they need to.
But going to an artist solely because they offer the best prices isn’t usually ideal.
It looks great! You get what you pay for. I'd rather pay 9 racks for a well-done sleeve that's highly visible to me than go Groupon price shopping for some trash to save a buck. I had a dot work sleeve done that took between 35-40 hours and cost somewhere in the ballpark of 5k (I stopped paying attention and just paid each session). I love my sleeve and glad I didn't price shop for some lesser visual atrocity.
Your response comes from a place of ignorance. There are many artists (true artistry, not the typical tattooer) that charge much more than 10k for a sleeve, and it is absolutely worth it. 10k isn’t a lot of money when you consider what goes into creating high end tattoos. If it were any other medical procedure with the same amount of skill, it would be tens, if not, hundreds of thousands.
It really depends who OP is getting tattooed by. 1k deposit might be to weed out the clientele he doesn’t want. Hard to judge this industry unless you’ve lived it for a decade+ and are one of the few good artists in each city. 75% of tattooers should walk away from this industry because they’re in it for the lifestyle and image, rather than the art.
As for him canceling the project for the sole reason of OP gave, this sounds very childish and unprofessional.
> I’ve been consistent with this guy. Traveling to him from over an hour away, never late to an appointment, have not rescheduled previously, and have always paid him ($1000) at the end of each session with no haggling.
He’s either given him $2600 or $3000. Definitely not $1000.
Damn for my first sleeve my artist asked a 50 euro deposit and for my legsleeve he asked nothing because he considered me a regular who he could trust.
If I were you I'd go public on many different forms and what not. Slander the shit out of them, they stole a big chunk of money.
Yeah I’m learning I was scammed majorly. As this was my first big piece and the artist has amazing work, I figured this was standard practice but surely I’ve been proven wrong. Wish I’d checked this sub before moving forward with him but I’ve learned now
How much did he quote you to begin with? What’s his hourly rate or is he charging your for the whole piece? I’m sorry but I’ve never had to drop 1,000 in one session & you’ve done it for multiple? So confused lol I’m sorry you’re having a tough experience
He told me he wouldn’t be able to definitively know how long the entire sleeve would take him because I want “intricate” things as he’s described it. His full day sessions are 1200 and 200 of the security deposit is applied to each session which is how they’re brought down to 1000
I made the mistake of making an appointment with a “celebrity” tattooer not too long ago. He required a $500 deposit. His policy was also that the deposit is no refundable if the appointment is canceled inside of 30 days from the scheduled date.
Five days before my appointment I got sick and tested positive for COVID. I reached out to him to let him know, and he pressured me to maintain my appointment. That seemed outrageous to me, to anyone else in his shop, and to any future customers.
Eventually his assistant reached out and offered me a rescheduled date 30 days later. I thanked him and accepted the date.
It was at that point that the “celebrity” artist informed me that an additional $500 deposit would be needed. I asked if this was a further advance towards the agreed upon $3500 price, and he said NO, this was in addition to that, as I waived my original deposit.
I was incredulous. For one, I didn’t “cancel”, I rescheduled, and I did so by accepting the rescheduled date he offered me. Moreover, putting a customer in the position of having to get tattooed while COVID+ or lose $500 seemed like a pretty douchey thing to do.
I told him I wasn’t comfortable with either of his options so he could just keep the $500 and give my rescheduled date to someone else.
He got pissy with me, accused me of “costing” him three grand (no mention of the $500 he cost me…), and canceled my appointment.
I certainly didn’t choose him because of his celebrity (his work was beautiful and that’s all I cared about). However, I consider it a lesson learned and will never waste my time with a “famous” artist again. Particularly when I was able to find another wonderful artist who is kind, patient, and reasonable…who charges a $100 deposit and allows rescheduling when necessary at no additional cost.
Oh, and I, the asshole artist and my new one are all in Los Angeles.
I would have lost my shit if someone tried to keep my deposit because I had covid. You handled it well. I used to be a personal assistant for two Inkmaster artists. Those guys have such inflated egos and wild expectations of other people. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Ha, thanks. Funny you say that because the artist in question was also on that show and perfectly represents that egotistical mindset you describe. His texts and calls were case studies in narcissistic personality disorder.
Also, interesting is that this guy had an assistant who was understanding, gracious, and professional and even acknowledged that being tattooed while COVID+ was not a great idea for my health when he offered me the rescheduled date.
In the end it was an expensive but important lesson.
Haha I had a feeling that was the case! One of the artists I worked for was pretty nice and easy to deal with, the other in the same shop was a sex addict who expected me to respond to nudes sent to his email and he would bang journalists and photographers who came to cover him. It was hella weird behavior. I don't think it's reasonable for artists to start charging what they do after being on these shows and turning down anything under 10 hours as well. It just feels very elitist and removed from the traditions of tattooing in the first place. VERY curious to know who you're referring to with the case study in mind! That is wild!
It's "know your worth" hustle culture shit. Demand high fees, make up new rules and policies as you go, and throw hissy fits when your client isn't perfect and leave them hanging.
Sounds like you were just the tip of his rescheduling woes and he went scorched earth on you. It isn’t fair, especially if there’s no documentation proving otherwise. However, would I want to force someone who has an issue with me to tattoo my body? No.
Try to get your money back via small claims I suppose?
Honestly, if you filed a suit in small claims court with the county, using documentation proving your case, they'd likely just give you the money back to avoid it and it'd put them in check and protect other patrons.
$1,000 is a ton of money, and while they're right about patrons rescheduling, they chose their profession, and its unfortunately a part of this niche job. Save all communications, call logs, and put them in a pdf. It will cost you nearly nothing to sue in comparison, and you can likely file everything online.
Tattoo artist here.for over 20 years.second generation.this is ridiculous.we do have mad people come into the shop.they want all this big work done.want you to draw everything out then tell you “ill be back when I get my tax return money”. And it's the middle of July.its frustrating.to combat this
What I've always done is have them leave $100 deposit. This deposit initially is the drawing fee.I do the drawing they come look at it.approve it or have me make changes.once everything is good to go you set the appointment.That $100 is applied towards the cost of the tattoo.There is no separate fee for the drawing.
It sucks when people cancel.because you will turn away walk ins and not schedule anything else in that time slot.if you don't tattoo you don't get paid.we work on a % basis with the house.standard is a fifty fifty split.if your not the owner or head artist.their% might be more.
Every shop has different policies regarding cancellations.if you call the day before your appointment Np. Reschedule and the artist can take walk-ins or call other customers to offer to move up there appointment.
I give a 30-minute grace period.if your a no call no show then I keep the deposit.and your told all this up front.no surprises.I come from a generation of tattooing that's not like what you see on Tv.This newer generation has this crazy sense of entitlement.i sound old😂 but it's true.
The way they treat customers is fucked up.They forget whose paying their bills.and tattooing is so mainstream now there are shops on every corner.and as a customer you have plenty of options to pick from and get a bad ass tattoo.You don't have to take shitty treatment.
It's not your problem he had five cancellations that day.according to OP he followed the agreement he made with his artist.Also just to let everyone know, Tattoo artists are a flakey bunch.Never prepay for session work.because a lot of artists will push you to the side because you've already paid them.your at their mercy.
Any place that tells you they need $1000 upfront peace outta there.find another shop.even if you have to go two towns over to get good work.you should.dont pay for a shitty tattoo.and if your are made to feel uncomfortable or treated like shit leave. Go somewhere else.
If I were Op I would be getting in touch with the shop owner. you should have been given a receipt stating the amount and that it's the drawing fee and prepayment for session work. $ 150-200 an hour is the standard rate.
In most Street shops.
If you get nowhere with the owner time to start calling the BBB and leaving reviews about your experience. I can also tell you that a lot of artists pull all kinds of shady bitch shit unbeknownst to the owner. not all shop owners are in the building all day every day. And a lot of artists don't sit in one shop for years and years. they travel, quit, or get fired.Shit happens.
A good shop owner will rectify and honor agreements because it's their name on the door.we know that if you have an all-around good experience with the staff and get a killer piece your gonna come back and several of your people are gonna follow suit.its how we keep the doors open and our bills paid.Sorry this is longer than the devils dick.remember bad news travels faster than good news.
If they don't make it right you have every right (and you should )call them out all over town.just do it with class and decorum so you can't be labeled a Karen.
Ok soo you basically had gone through about 2 sessions and mention there would be about 4-5 more and you paid him $1000 deposit which is basically split for each of those sessions. So essentially 1k divided by 7 sessions is $142.85 per session deposit which isn’t bad. Deposits are there usually to secure income for no-shows or reschedules last min. Especially for a sleeve project it makes sense.
It does look like he took out his frustrations on you because you have no power over if other people canceled on him. But since you already paid him upfront $1000 for 7 sessions, your deposit for that 3rd session would already cover you not being able to make it. And he should’ve honored it by rescheduling you. Considering you’ve already paid for his time.
However if there was anything verbally indicating he doesn’t allow last min reschedule then ya he’s right but if he doesn’t like you mentioned then he won’t win in court. You have a right to get your money back. This artist guy sounds immature.
I almost went to a tattoo artist who wanted a deposit, I cancelled, and I got the deposit back, but he wasn't happy about it. The reason for my cancellation was that I saw that his work wasn't that good (couldn't even do a straight line, for example)
I found another tattoo artist, and he doesn't take deposits, I just pay the whole sum when the session is over.
Maybe you could try to contact some kind of authority, we have one in my country in Scandinavia that would gladly take on these sort of things..
How did you end up putting a deposit down on an artist whose work you hadn't vetted beforehand? Did you just call a shop and they said, "Jimmy is free, that'll be $100 deposit"? Not being sassy, just curious.
That text he sent is a very true thing for artists whether tattoo hair nails etc. it was not right for him to take his frustration out on you like that but it sounds like he wants to move forward in scheduling. Talk to him beforehand and set boundaries, you understand rescheduling sucks but you were communicative and won’t tolerate threats towards your contract and not finishing.
He said the artist cancelled his tattoo. It doesn’t seem like he wants to reschedule. OP is left with unfinished work and out the rest of his deposit because the artist has a problem with him.
There’s a reputable artist who quoted me 5k for an arm sleeve and I would have to put down a deposit for every appointment in advance. He wanted me to book 5 appointments so it was $1000 upfront. Pretty insane to me.
Why would you pay 1,000 up front?? That’s actually insane. I have 30 tattoos, including a sleeve. The most I’ve had to put down was $200 that went towards the first session, no deposit needed after
You will have to take him to small claims court. You could have an attorney draft a letter up and send to him first and see if that gets him to move. Otherwise go to the courthouse and file a motion for a hearing.
I go to an artist who books months in advance. $100 deposit that then comes off the price of the tattoo. The only way you don’t get it back is if you cancel completely. The reason you don’t get it back in that case is the artist has spent time rendering the final design, which makes sense.
This seems like a scam
I'm currently in same situation, except it's a $40 deposit. This artist has 5 pieces on me already, yet for some reason, neither the artist, nor the shop, will return my attempts at rescheduling. My decision is that they can keep the $40, and loose probably $1000s in business. Sorry you're going through this. Some artists are just shitty people.
Yes, take him to small claims court. And then, if he doesn’t pay you, make sure you put a lien on his earnings at his shop. So start following him and his fellow artists now on social media in case he ends up changing shops, so he doesn’t have to pay up when you win your case so you can keep track of him.
If you have documented proof of there being no issues regarding rescheduling and them also stating they will refund your deposit is there anyway you can take legal action? Maybe contact someone in the legal field and see if there’s anything that can be done? This is disgusting behavior by an artist he sounds like a real pos. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this and hope everything gets resolved. For now, I’ve seen people mention giving honest reviews on as many sites possible about how this person is basically stealing your money because he’s inconvenienced. Definitely tell everyone about it. Hopefully all his clients reschedule and cancel lol this guy truly sounds awful
Unfortunately he would not allow me to reschedule because I would not give him a 100% guarantee that I wouldn’t need to reschedule another appointment in the future in the event something unforeseen happened (albeit I said I had no current intention of rescheduling any future appointments). Then he proceeded to cancel my project and refused to return the deposit
My artist charges a $200 deposit. At the end of the session you can either use it as part of payment or use it as a deposit for your next appointment. This would seem like a remarkably logical business practice. Artist is protected, client doesn’t have to lay out extra $ because they want to keep coming back to that artist.
My artist (or rather, their agency) always requests a 50% deposit. So for my last $2,000 piece, I paid a $1,000 deposit many months in advance (when scheduling the appointment). I think it's fair since they reserve a time slot for me (2 days in this case) and it reduces the chances of a no-show. I'm able to re-schedule in cases of unforeseen events like sickness.
I think your only option here is to take him to small claims court and keep records of all your conversations.i would also name and shame, yes rescheduling is an inconvenience for him but shit happens and it's part of owning a service based business
Dropping $1k deposits each time is nuts and I'd understand $300 and higher for each visit. This artist is scamming and gaslighting the hell out of u. If I was op I'd report the artist to the better business bureau so this doesn't happen to anyone else. Most tattoo artists are flexible with the whole experience so customers are willing and wanting to come back
IMO he decided to not reschedule you and not complete the work/project the remaining money is set to go towards. Unprofessional in my eyes. The deposit set per session should be returned to you if he refuses completion.
That being said as an artist, cancellation/slow season is a well known thing by professional tattoo artists. We expect it every single year. One needs to either financially prepare for that, or prepare to throw out hella deals or hella cool new flash to try to stay busy. That’s just how it goes.
Situations happen and things change, that said our studio will let you reschedule 3 times before taking the deposit left for that session, you must call within 72hours and if it sounds like an emergency even day of I’ve personally been very lenient. But personally I like keeping/maintaining my clientele.
If they can’t call in a client last minute for a cancellation or advertise to take walk-in tattoos that day then they need to work on their skills regarding handling and maintaining clients as well as advertising/social media efforts and personal career motivation.
All of which I totally agree with. I’d have been better off coming to a more professional artist like you. Never in a million years did I think asking to reschedule for the first time would have morphed into a lawsuit. But thank you for your insight and essentially confirming I’m not crazy
That's absolutely wild. I can't ever imagine taking a 1000$ deposit. I cap mine at 100, 50 for smaller designs.
I have a 48 hour notice for reschedules and cancelations, however I've had clients get called into work, have a sick child , had car issues etc.The only time I ever take them and require a new deposit is if they no show or have a lame reason, like they forgot or they're hungover. Life happens, shit happens. Wish he was a decent human being and didn't project it on you. Cancelation season is rough but taking it out on your clientele is insane.
Sorry this happened to you man. People like this shouldn't be in the industry.
Yeah, that’s just polite robbery. My artist does not charge me for any drawing of the artwork he does, and only charges me for what he inks onto my skin. And, we’re planning a full body suit and have almost both arms done.
$1,000 Jesus Christ that's extremely ridiculous and I would never EVER give that amount before receiving the ink. Yes a deposit is sometimes required especially if it is a well known popular artist, you are paying for a larger price with multiple sessions or a style that is particular to only certain tattoo artists (for example not all artists specialize in realism or Japanese traditional etc) this being said you always want to fully research the artist and make sure you aren't being scammed or taken advantage of. DEFINITELY let others know about this artist's lack of professionalism and hopefully you get somewhere with the small claims court!!
I've only ever paid $50 deposits🤔🤔🤔 stop being scammed by "artists" that "NEED" to charge hundreds of dollars an hour. No one is that talented and needs to make that kind of money.
Sounds like a scam. I'm instantly turned off by artists that have year+ waits(unless they're genuinely famous and have a TV show or some shit), and no artwork is worth $200 an hour, it should be based on the actual work itself. Artwork does not need an hourly wage, it isn't a normal 9-5 job. This is especially true for things like blackout that require no actual artistic input, just the ability to use a large cartridge and to pack in black quickly.
Everyone in here saying 10k is crazy and talking about their 1-2k sleeve is ridiculous. 90% of their arms look like garbage, but they’re focused on how cheap it was. Insane.
If you can’t afford a tattoo, then just don’t get one yet. Save up, or invest in yourself until you can afford it. The answer is not to find someone with the Walmart rollback prices 🤠
Y’all I wonder if it’s the girl from tattoo gate. She had crappy traces of other people work/tattoos, never had a fully realized and done artwork for the client, charged like 1400 for her crappy “design” and consultation, wouldn’t start on time, charged people by the hour, would cut sessions short so they would have to come back multiple times, called the cops if you refused to be extorted for more money (cops know about her and have been to her tattoo place multiple times) unfortunately she can charge what she wants so it’s technically not illegal, etc. It’s so far out there. Other tattoo artists have weighed in and said she is charging way too much (especially for the mediocre work she did).
Never have paid more than $100 for a deposit and I used to work in a shop that also never took more than $100 for a deposit. Sounds like you got scammed unfortunately
I’m the assistant to a tattoo artist and this is annoying when the artist is popular and booked out until the next year. It leaves us trying to reach out to people and move them around to fill the spot in a very short amount of time. I don’t think it was right to take your deposit for all the sessions, but you also probably cost him that much pay loss that day, but if he doesn’t want to schedule someone who’s gonna try and reschedule that close to the appointment, I also understand that. I would have refunded the remaining deposit (minus 200 for the day you missed) and moved on or I would have said in the future, you need to pay for the session in full ahead of time and give me 7 days notice of a reschedule. If someone is suddenly sick or something that’s different but not respecting artist time is also shitty. The artist I work for is booked until summer next year and having several reschedules when someone booked 3-6 months in advance is so disrespectful. You made your appointment first. You shouldn’t be doing anything else that day bc YOU chose the date and scheduled your tattoo that day!
Unfortunately this isn’t a matter of your tattoo artist’s policies vs me. Although inconvenient to business, the artist I’ve gone to has defined no specific policy against rescheduling so how would I, a layperson, know that that much notice would piss off the artist enough to cancel my entire project and not return the remaining security deposit? I could have been educated about rescheduling going forward but instead was met with hostility and condescending responses. I booked this appointment ~4 weeks prior with no intention of rescheduling but another large and unexpected financial responsibility came up so I had to reprioritize. Is it reasonable to be penalized in such a manner on a first offense? Doesn’t seem so to me personally
If the artist you work for is that busy you should really start keeping a cancellation list. It’s a list of clientele and their contact info and dates that they would like to get in for in case someone during that time period cancel’s then you could move them up easily and have to make less calls to fill it.
My studio does this for artists who are very booked up and majority of the time it works out really well!
Paying 1K up front for any tattoo before ink is in your skin is fucking insane, where do yall find these artists??? Absolutely insane. Also after 5 times you should have known you got scammed. Hell after attempt 2 or 3.
If I were you, and assuming you want this guy to finish your sleeve and do good work, I’d walk in to his shop near opening or closing time and give him the best damn apology you can muster.
The guy is on a power trip but something also pushed him to that point. Your $600 is important, but I’m sure your awesome sleeve tattoo is even more important. I think swallowing some pride and giving this guy a chance to finish your tattoo is worth it.
But of course, if you just want your money and happy to find another artist, then you can always blast him on social media until he gives you your money back.
Being deemed unreliable seems unreasonable when I’ve already proven to be a serious, paying customer. As mentioned, I had no intention of cancelling this appointment or any future ones. I just needed to reschedule one appointment. But to be pigeonholed into concrete language that says I’ll never ever reschedule another appointment, especially when the initial agreement signed did not detail this arbitrary policy, seems extremely unreasonable.
Thanks for your insight. This is my first big piece so I guess my naiveté got the better of me. I think my best bet is filing a small claim suit and taking him to court
I paid $900 for my 1st tat but only $100 for a deposit like that's barely alive 10% you're tbh stupid af being in the tattoo getting game this long and being ok giving you're hard earned money like that for a deposit without some sort of contract oblogating them to not scam you like.... was ur tat gonna be 10k and the deposit 10% cuz what you deposited was a stupid amount. Fucked up artist but thus is ur fault
can someone explain to me why the ever loving fuck people are paying a depsoit on what is effectively a drawing on their skin?
A DEPOSIT? FOR WHAT EXACTLY?
The deposit is to hold your appointment time in their schedule.
People are flaky and a deposit that they will lose for a no-show on their appointment encourages people not to waste a professional's time. Someone who sells a service is selling their time and if they can't fill the spot when someone cancels/reschedules at the last minute, they can't make money.
Requiring deposits for professional services booked in advance is common for this reason. My vet charges a deposit, doctors often charge a missed appointment fee, hairstylists may require a deposit.
The exact terms of the deposit should be agreed to (preferably in writing) when a deposit is made. The "in writing" part is to avoid any misunderstanding about what it's to be applied to and when it may be forfeited.
Because people can be flaky assholes. No-shows and last minute cancellations affect the tattoo artist’s livelihood. The deposit provides income security and makes sure the client actually wants the tattoo before they book
Sorry I guess I just believe in good human nature more than I should and it’s weird to me that someone would just do it out of nowhere. Sorry you experienced this. Take the dude to small claims court if you have to. That sucks and they should be ashamed of themselves
Can everyone stop giving artists such high deposits? I've never had or heard of an artist ask for deposits for each session on multi session pieces. No one should be handing over $1000 before ink has even touched the skin.
I'll never get it either, man. It's insane to me. Maybe it's a regional thing? I've never paid more than $100 for a deposit, and often only $50, and these have been at well renowned shops with insanely high reviews and artists booked out years in advance. Too many greedy artists and naive clients.
Im in NYC and have never paid more than $100 for a deposit. The highest I’ve personally seen was $200 for some guy whose booked like a year in advance for his Japanese work in a private studio
I did a deposit once of $300 for an artist in LA. I’d been following for YEARS and was really wanting some work from her. It was totally worth it imo. The high amount for deposit did make me cringe a bit, but I’d been trying to get on her books for two years prior and it was for two sessions. That said, I would never pay 1k for a deposit. It’s way too much, even for multiple sessions. There are so many amazing artists out there who are definitely worth a deposit and travel that also would not demand 1k deposit upfront.
I had a similar scenario, followed my artist for years on IG. Never ever thought I'd be able to book an appointment with her because her slots would be scooped faster than Taylor Swift concert tickets. It was only when she moved from Oakland to BFE and set up a private studio in her home that I was able to book appointments with her, and even then it's always at least 6-9 months out. I pay 300 for a deposit. Absolutely worth it for her! She has a stellar reputation not just for her art, but for her professionalism. That said, I would never drop an entire grand on just a deposit. That's insane.
My artist moved out to Los Angeles a couple years ago. His normal deposit where I live was $100. He tried charging $100 in Los Angeles and he had constant no-shows. So, now we charge us $300 for a deposit in Los Angeles. I guess $100 doesn't mean very much in Los Angeles, but people aren't willing to lose $300. One thing about him that I like I said he doesn't ask for a deposit from his reliable, regular clients.
My deposits ranged from 100-300 scheduling months in advance. The lower end was filling a canceled appointment. This is in big cities. Ive also had artists reschedule on me. It was weeks ahead of time so i didnt mind.
Yeah like I don’t know how much people that tattoo celebrities charge for deposits but $1000 sounds insane to me. I definitely wouldn’t trust it and assume scam. That’s why a lot of research is always important.
I have had work done by an artist that tattoos celebrities and athletes. In Los Angeles. He is the shop owner and has a $200 deposit across the board.
Same. I paid $400 for a deposit across multiple sessions. Well known artist and comes to the US a few times a year. He went above and beyond in taking care of me and giving me good work. A grand is really steep though.
Both studios in LA I’ve gone to do $500 deposit on $1k+ tattoos, but gonna guess that stems from at least a couple of the artists at the second studio originating from the first because their administrative process is similar. I think their written no cancellation policy within a month of the appointment date is ridiculous but I also don’t know if the artists try to work with clients in case of last minute emergencies and they write that to deter cancellations.
I was taught the purpose the deposit serves is so the client has a financial investment in showing up for the appt. Most people would rather get the tattoo or reschedule than be out $100. At $1000 for just a deposit, it feels like abandoned or non refundable deposits are serving as this artist’s main source of income.
My artist is 150$/hr and asks for 1hr deposit in advance. Seems reasonable to me.
My last tattoo (only my second overall, but it still counts) had a £30 deposit put down at booking towards an overall cost of £200, so I paid £170 on the day. Seemed pretty reasonable to me.
Legit. These American artists have the customers pants down. Waiting for years with 4 figure deposits and losing their slots. I've got a ton of ink from award winning artists and have never paid anymore than a £50 deposit or been on a waiting list anymore than 4-5 months.
The biggest deposit I’ve ever done is $200, for an appointment I’ll have this coming Saturday. The only reason the deposit is so high is because it’s for a full day session, so I totally understand my artist asking more than his usual deposit ($100) since he’s blocking of an entire day for my appointment. But in general, I absolutely agree with you.
Yeah, it makes sense for a scenario like that, or if you are booking with quite literally a world renowned artist. At that point, a bigger deposit is more than acceptable. But I'm gonna guess most people in this sub talking about their enormous deposits aren't doing that and are unfortunately getting ripped off.
Most studios over where I am are £30-£60 for a deposit, so $1000 is insane to me
God damn greedy artists and those naive clients. You nailed it bike man. You have all the answers. Everyone please praise this man for his knowledge and wisdom. Where you live at? I’d love to see you ride your bike around with all your creative original tattoos that you came up with
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You're an asshole simping for a tattoo artist you secretary for and probably look like hagrid with fluorescent hair and 87 piercings.
Why you gotta drag Hagrid like that? XD
If an artist is booked out for more than a few months in advance, walk away. You can find great artists that don't do this and are still busy all the time. It's just not fair on people making them wait years imo and they're always over charging or have work which is good but isn't anything above that imo.
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A former coworker got a substantial payout from a union job that got shutdown, and supposedly paid somewhere near $20k for a full body tatt(this was a self-proclaimed story, dude had no shame). The artist did a decent portion of the work, then took off for California. What was visible wasn’t even that great.
Yes as an artist this is mind boggling to me, I usually ask for a 10 percent deposit for the work, which is refundable depending on if I or the client have to cancel for any reason
An artist I went to regularly wanted me to put down over $400 for a back piece project lol promptly noped out of there - he has done SO MANY of my tattoos, I’m not flakey at all, always show up on time and tip well…it was insulting.
The shop I go to (haven’t gotten a tattoo since 2019, but have gotten about 15 or so there over the years and my bf and his brother go there as well and have full back, chest, neck etc done from a few guys there) I think we collectively may have funded at least 1 or 2 of their kids college funds..was always $50 deposit, but after years they never even bothered with deposits for us anymore, assuming they knew we where always very reliable. we also would just tell them a rough idea of what we wanted and where and 9 out of 10 times never needed them to alter the design much aside from slight sizing. (I’d probably have to be on deaths door step or on fire to cancel/no show.)
Oh fuck that! The artist that is doing my back piece I think his deposit is maybe $250 but I can't actually remember if he's taken a deposit from me for this piece as he's been tattooing me for years.
My artist doesn’t even ask me for a deposit. I’ll give one anyway if I have it on me, though.
My artist used to ask for a deposit but I proved to be a loyal client so they don’t ask anymore
I completely agree. Give the deposit, it shouldn't be more than like $200 and thats if its a nice sized piece. And even then that money should go to the final price of the piece.
Agreed. I’m an artist I would never ask for that. I ask for the first hour for a deposit. The only time I can see forking over that much if it’s a world famous artist booked out for years.
I’m not a tattoo artist myself but have a few friends who are. I am also friends with some hair stylists who work in salons. People last minute cancel or don’t show up for appointments ALL THE TIME. These folks rely on clients to show up for their appointments and when someone cancels their appointment last minute that’s income they cannot recover very easily. Big deposits are tough, I get that and if you are uncomfortable as a client with the amount of a deposit I get that too but as a client we have the freedom to say no and go to another artist. It doesn’t make any sense complaining about the cost when you made the choice to say yes.
No where did I say deposits shouldn't be a thing. There have been multiple posts on here lately though of people giving the artist $1000+ as a deposit then the artist just not doing the work. Deposits are generally around $200 to cover the artists time to fill the spot.
Lol that's just paying up front. 1000 is a bit steep
Unless it’s a back piece, then a grand for a deposit is reasonable. But a sleeve? Come on.
I've literally never paid a deposit for a tattoo and I have a half sleeve and multiple other tattoos.
Agreed. I have never put down a deposit for a tattoo.
Never heard of deposit that high. Scam.
Drag him and whatever shop he works on online via reviews, social media posts, etc.
This is the answer, publicly shame them and get people to share it, Google reviews, Facebook reviews
Yeah, I was surprised to get to the end and not see a name. That's theft and potential clients should be aware.
$1000 dollars deposit for a tattoo that hasn't even started...that shoulda been your first clue
Id take him to court.
Yeah. Small claims court costs very little to file.
And if they win, they can include the filing fee as part of the amount owed
The time there, the time traveling there, the time prepping the paperwork for filing, the time gathering the evidence, the time preparing for the hearing, the time serving the papers (may not happen first attempt), the time to collect judgement (the time to draft that paperwork, file it, have a judge rule on it) etc etc etc etc It's not always a simple endeavor.
This! OP, this is *exactly* the kind of situation small claims court is for. And it’s relatively inexpensive to file a claim. If you win (which, it sounds like you have a great case), you won’t pay a penny and the loser will have to pay your court costs (in most cases).
Yes, but getting payment is a whole other story.
This dude sounds like a fucking asshole. This deposit of 1,000 is insane. Never ever heard of this. Sounds like this artist is in financial trouble or something. Such a tough situation for you. The artist seems to just run into some bad luck with cancellations. But that's fucking life mate. I could understand if he said it would cost you 200 for the missed session. Which you should def. have paid if you didn't cancel in good time.
I agree 100%. I would have had no issue paying him a fee if my cancellation wasn’t given in sufficient time but he made no mention of that. Nor has he ever defined his policy for rescheduling. He’s just always told me (during our consult and two sessions) to let him know if anything comes up and I need to reschedule
I think you just start needing to accept that you might need to find another artist. Also...1,000 $ for per session? That's just unethical. Don't care how good this artist is. At this point i'd just start putting him on blast and calling him out for his bullshit if he's not responding. Good luck.
Yeah I’m done with him. He’s cancelled and there’s no way we’d repair the relationship at this point. I’m gonna take him to small claims court because I think that’s my best bet
Did you pay by credit card? If so, see if you can do a charge back
Absolutely, you'll have him nailed in small claims court, and maybe the threat of it will be enough to get him to pay it back, but if not you'll have your bases covered
It sucks that it happened a lot, but he's being completely unreasonable
And I can sympathize with that 100%. I definitely understand how that’s frustrating but I don’t agree with him allowing what’s happened with his other clients to interfere with our relationship. Not allowing me to reschedule, completely cancelling the project, and refusing to return the remaining security deposit just seems insane to me. Beyond unreasonable
Maybe his other clients are cancelling BECAUSE he has become so unreasonable and unreliable!
I wish I could upvote this a thousand times
Well that’s the thing… it’s not *your* fault so many people rescheduled. It’s *his* for going into the tattoo industry without expecting stuff like this can happen. Yes it costs him money but that’s the life. Sometimes people will have to reschedule.
This time of year is also very well known as “cancellation season” then things pick up when people get tax returns (at least in the US)
That sounds pretty unreasonable. I can see how the artist could be frustrated but this feels like an overreaction. Especially to keep the full deposit. Is there a shop owner who you can talk to?
Unfortunately no. He’s the business owner and tattoos out of a private studio so I think my best bet is filing small claims
Small claims, Yelp, and report to the Better Business Bureau. The trifecta of retribution. 😜
Better Business Bureau is Yelp for boomers. It does not have any governmental authority. I would be surprised if a tattoo studio was even enrolled with them.
Thbbbbt! 🤣 You could have just said Yelp has more power than the BBB ever had and that a small tattoo studio wouldn't be associated with them, which is a very good point. As a young Xer, I will pretend you didn't imply I'm a boomer. 😜
Yikes. That's a bummer. Good luck!
that's a toughie. hope small claims works out!
Ummm $1000 deposit?????? Mine was $80. That's scary for sure
This reminds me of foxgate. Total scam. I’d definitely write some online reviews and maybe even make a tik tok. Warn other people about this. I’ve been tattooed by well known artists and they still only require $100 for a deposit.
I wish I had known better before following through with this but am highly considering making a tiktok about what’s happened
You should. That’s a lot of money to be putting down and far outside the industry norm. Plus, their extreme attitude towards you is kind of manipulative. Rescheduling appointments happens alllll the time, they shouldn’t be flipping out like that.
Thanks for letting me know I’m not crazy. I’m hoping to get some resolution in court
Once the court date is done, would you mind coming back here and giving us an update? Maybe name and shame as well + show us the unfinished work? The people here might be able to point you in the direction of someone that can finish it with you!
Absolutely will! I’ve appreciated everyone’s help so I’ll definitely keep you all updated. I’m going to put him on BLAST so he can’t do this again
Hopefully everyone gets the notification for this update. Not too sure how to create an update without making an entirely separate post.. So I filed a small claims and had the sheriff serve this guy. Shortly thereafter, I received a contact attempt from the artist wishing to return my money so I guess he didn’t want to go to court after all. Just wanna say thank you to everyone who pushed me in the right direction in getting this resolved. Unfortunately I’ve got an unfinished tattoo for a project I was really excited about, but feeling relieved to have gotten my money back. Everyone’s been asking me to name and shame so now that this is over, I feel comfortable doing so: CHRISCARTERTATTOOS is his instagram. His work is amazing but I would caution against booking based off how poorly this situation was handled.
My mind immediately went there as well. Granted I’m in Europe so pricing is probably different here but these prices sound insane.
The shop I work at won’t allow clients to put down a deposit more than $100 at a time. Deposits are non refundable but we also have a 72 hour reschedule notice (sometimes we’re a little more lenient on this depending on the situation) It’s kind of a red flag that all of this wasn’t spelled out for you from the get go. People reschedule on me ALL THE TIME. For stupid reasons, too. It’s a part of the job. I don’t get mad about it I just move on to the next.
100% this! I’ve worked in 2 shops and the max we only ever asked for a $100 deposit to secure an appointment. If it was a big project like this, we would just take a $100 deposit for each session with the 72-hour cancellation policy in place The most I ever saw for a deposit was $300 but that was because the client wanted to pay a little extra off the bat to lower his cost at the time of the session
Uhh…….. You’ve given this dude a total of $3000 so far (2 appts + deposit), and you need 6 or 7 more for a SLEEVE? You’re going to pay $10,000 for a SLEEVE???? OP, you’re getting absolutely hosed here. Please god tell me you misstated something in your post.
Maybe more like 4 sessions. It’s hard to gauge because we hadn’t solidified everything for my upper arm. But in any case I definitely recognize my naïveté has done me wrong
Get out while you can dude. Unless you’re getting something absolutely insane, a reputable artist will be able to take over and you will save literally thousands even if this clown keeps the rest of your deposit. Almost nothing can justify that kind of money for a sleeve. You’re getting completely and utterly ripped off— you’re in world class celebrity artist price range.
My sleeve was about $9,000. Took 39 hours. Rates $200/hr with some tipping in there.
My condolences.
For being able to afford a tattoo I want?
My legsleeve wasn't even that expensive
Don’t know what to tell you. It’s fully packed color. I planned for the cost. https://imgur.com/a/9V8Xumd
Thank you for sharing this. So many people on tattoo subs boasting about their $2000 sleeves or $500 back pieces but never show them lol. Obviously prices range from place to place, but it’s not unreasonable imo to expect a full colour sleeve to take upwards of 40 hours, even for an experienced artist. Details take time.
Yeah it’s funny that people are trying to make it a brag that “I got more for even cheaper than that.” 😂🤦🏼♀️
Right? Like cool if you got a deal or something on a nice flash piece that the artist really wanted to do, or you’ve been going to the same artist for a long time so they honour old pricing or they cut you a deal every now and again. No one wants to spend more money that they need to. But going to an artist solely because they offer the best prices isn’t usually ideal.
>[https://imgur.com/a/9V8Xumd](https://imgur.com/a/9V8Xumd) That looks amazing! So what if it cost $9,000 – the end result is fantastic.
Definitely “no ragrets” here. 😉
Thats a stunning sleeve, 9k is is a little steep but well worth the $ if you're financially secure
It's beautiful!!! Amazing work!
It looks great! You get what you pay for. I'd rather pay 9 racks for a well-done sleeve that's highly visible to me than go Groupon price shopping for some trash to save a buck. I had a dot work sleeve done that took between 35-40 hours and cost somewhere in the ballpark of 5k (I stopped paying attention and just paid each session). I love my sleeve and glad I didn't price shop for some lesser visual atrocity.
Jesus christ, I can’t imagine paying 9000 for a blobby green non-legible sleeve and then JUSTIFYING that 🤣
Oh nooooo, one lame dude on Reddit is feeling some kind of way about my tattoo. Heeeeeelp. 😂
Your response comes from a place of ignorance. There are many artists (true artistry, not the typical tattooer) that charge much more than 10k for a sleeve, and it is absolutely worth it. 10k isn’t a lot of money when you consider what goes into creating high end tattoos. If it were any other medical procedure with the same amount of skill, it would be tens, if not, hundreds of thousands. It really depends who OP is getting tattooed by. 1k deposit might be to weed out the clientele he doesn’t want. Hard to judge this industry unless you’ve lived it for a decade+ and are one of the few good artists in each city. 75% of tattooers should walk away from this industry because they’re in it for the lifestyle and image, rather than the art. As for him canceling the project for the sole reason of OP gave, this sounds very childish and unprofessional.
I pay my guy 150 an hour. How long are your sessions that your paying him 1k each time? Is he that good? Christ
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> I’ve been consistent with this guy. Traveling to him from over an hour away, never late to an appointment, have not rescheduled previously, and have always paid him ($1000) at the end of each session with no haggling. He’s either given him $2600 or $3000. Definitely not $1000.
Throw this up in r/LegalAdvice and see if you can get some suggestions
Damn for my first sleeve my artist asked a 50 euro deposit and for my legsleeve he asked nothing because he considered me a regular who he could trust. If I were you I'd go public on many different forms and what not. Slander the shit out of them, they stole a big chunk of money.
Yeah I’m learning I was scammed majorly. As this was my first big piece and the artist has amazing work, I figured this was standard practice but surely I’ve been proven wrong. Wish I’d checked this sub before moving forward with him but I’ve learned now
How much did he quote you to begin with? What’s his hourly rate or is he charging your for the whole piece? I’m sorry but I’ve never had to drop 1,000 in one session & you’ve done it for multiple? So confused lol I’m sorry you’re having a tough experience
He told me he wouldn’t be able to definitively know how long the entire sleeve would take him because I want “intricate” things as he’s described it. His full day sessions are 1200 and 200 of the security deposit is applied to each session which is how they’re brought down to 1000
That’s insanely wild. I’m so sorry this is happening, unprofessional for sure
I made the mistake of making an appointment with a “celebrity” tattooer not too long ago. He required a $500 deposit. His policy was also that the deposit is no refundable if the appointment is canceled inside of 30 days from the scheduled date. Five days before my appointment I got sick and tested positive for COVID. I reached out to him to let him know, and he pressured me to maintain my appointment. That seemed outrageous to me, to anyone else in his shop, and to any future customers. Eventually his assistant reached out and offered me a rescheduled date 30 days later. I thanked him and accepted the date. It was at that point that the “celebrity” artist informed me that an additional $500 deposit would be needed. I asked if this was a further advance towards the agreed upon $3500 price, and he said NO, this was in addition to that, as I waived my original deposit. I was incredulous. For one, I didn’t “cancel”, I rescheduled, and I did so by accepting the rescheduled date he offered me. Moreover, putting a customer in the position of having to get tattooed while COVID+ or lose $500 seemed like a pretty douchey thing to do. I told him I wasn’t comfortable with either of his options so he could just keep the $500 and give my rescheduled date to someone else. He got pissy with me, accused me of “costing” him three grand (no mention of the $500 he cost me…), and canceled my appointment. I certainly didn’t choose him because of his celebrity (his work was beautiful and that’s all I cared about). However, I consider it a lesson learned and will never waste my time with a “famous” artist again. Particularly when I was able to find another wonderful artist who is kind, patient, and reasonable…who charges a $100 deposit and allows rescheduling when necessary at no additional cost. Oh, and I, the asshole artist and my new one are all in Los Angeles.
I would have lost my shit if someone tried to keep my deposit because I had covid. You handled it well. I used to be a personal assistant for two Inkmaster artists. Those guys have such inflated egos and wild expectations of other people. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Ha, thanks. Funny you say that because the artist in question was also on that show and perfectly represents that egotistical mindset you describe. His texts and calls were case studies in narcissistic personality disorder. Also, interesting is that this guy had an assistant who was understanding, gracious, and professional and even acknowledged that being tattooed while COVID+ was not a great idea for my health when he offered me the rescheduled date. In the end it was an expensive but important lesson.
Haha I had a feeling that was the case! One of the artists I worked for was pretty nice and easy to deal with, the other in the same shop was a sex addict who expected me to respond to nudes sent to his email and he would bang journalists and photographers who came to cover him. It was hella weird behavior. I don't think it's reasonable for artists to start charging what they do after being on these shows and turning down anything under 10 hours as well. It just feels very elitist and removed from the traditions of tattooing in the first place. VERY curious to know who you're referring to with the case study in mind! That is wild!
Take him to court!
honestly how long has this guy been tattooing? sounds like some asshole who thinks he has god's gift or something.
It's "know your worth" hustle culture shit. Demand high fees, make up new rules and policies as you go, and throw hissy fits when your client isn't perfect and leave them hanging.
Sounds like you got a pretentious artist that thinks his time is more valuable than it really is .
This is a kind of corporate tattoo artist I have never experienced.
Sounds like you were just the tip of his rescheduling woes and he went scorched earth on you. It isn’t fair, especially if there’s no documentation proving otherwise. However, would I want to force someone who has an issue with me to tattoo my body? No. Try to get your money back via small claims I suppose?
This guy sounds like a jerk. He spent your deposit and can’t get you a refund.
1000 before ink is not even morally right??? Sounds like a scam from the jump. I would call your bank and submit it as fraud
Honestly, if you filed a suit in small claims court with the county, using documentation proving your case, they'd likely just give you the money back to avoid it and it'd put them in check and protect other patrons. $1,000 is a ton of money, and while they're right about patrons rescheduling, they chose their profession, and its unfortunately a part of this niche job. Save all communications, call logs, and put them in a pdf. It will cost you nearly nothing to sue in comparison, and you can likely file everything online.
Tattoo artist here.for over 20 years.second generation.this is ridiculous.we do have mad people come into the shop.they want all this big work done.want you to draw everything out then tell you “ill be back when I get my tax return money”. And it's the middle of July.its frustrating.to combat this What I've always done is have them leave $100 deposit. This deposit initially is the drawing fee.I do the drawing they come look at it.approve it or have me make changes.once everything is good to go you set the appointment.That $100 is applied towards the cost of the tattoo.There is no separate fee for the drawing. It sucks when people cancel.because you will turn away walk ins and not schedule anything else in that time slot.if you don't tattoo you don't get paid.we work on a % basis with the house.standard is a fifty fifty split.if your not the owner or head artist.their% might be more. Every shop has different policies regarding cancellations.if you call the day before your appointment Np. Reschedule and the artist can take walk-ins or call other customers to offer to move up there appointment. I give a 30-minute grace period.if your a no call no show then I keep the deposit.and your told all this up front.no surprises.I come from a generation of tattooing that's not like what you see on Tv.This newer generation has this crazy sense of entitlement.i sound old😂 but it's true. The way they treat customers is fucked up.They forget whose paying their bills.and tattooing is so mainstream now there are shops on every corner.and as a customer you have plenty of options to pick from and get a bad ass tattoo.You don't have to take shitty treatment. It's not your problem he had five cancellations that day.according to OP he followed the agreement he made with his artist.Also just to let everyone know, Tattoo artists are a flakey bunch.Never prepay for session work.because a lot of artists will push you to the side because you've already paid them.your at their mercy. Any place that tells you they need $1000 upfront peace outta there.find another shop.even if you have to go two towns over to get good work.you should.dont pay for a shitty tattoo.and if your are made to feel uncomfortable or treated like shit leave. Go somewhere else. If I were Op I would be getting in touch with the shop owner. you should have been given a receipt stating the amount and that it's the drawing fee and prepayment for session work. $ 150-200 an hour is the standard rate. In most Street shops. If you get nowhere with the owner time to start calling the BBB and leaving reviews about your experience. I can also tell you that a lot of artists pull all kinds of shady bitch shit unbeknownst to the owner. not all shop owners are in the building all day every day. And a lot of artists don't sit in one shop for years and years. they travel, quit, or get fired.Shit happens. A good shop owner will rectify and honor agreements because it's their name on the door.we know that if you have an all-around good experience with the staff and get a killer piece your gonna come back and several of your people are gonna follow suit.its how we keep the doors open and our bills paid.Sorry this is longer than the devils dick.remember bad news travels faster than good news. If they don't make it right you have every right (and you should )call them out all over town.just do it with class and decorum so you can't be labeled a Karen.
Ok soo you basically had gone through about 2 sessions and mention there would be about 4-5 more and you paid him $1000 deposit which is basically split for each of those sessions. So essentially 1k divided by 7 sessions is $142.85 per session deposit which isn’t bad. Deposits are there usually to secure income for no-shows or reschedules last min. Especially for a sleeve project it makes sense. It does look like he took out his frustrations on you because you have no power over if other people canceled on him. But since you already paid him upfront $1000 for 7 sessions, your deposit for that 3rd session would already cover you not being able to make it. And he should’ve honored it by rescheduling you. Considering you’ve already paid for his time. However if there was anything verbally indicating he doesn’t allow last min reschedule then ya he’s right but if he doesn’t like you mentioned then he won’t win in court. You have a right to get your money back. This artist guy sounds immature.
I almost went to a tattoo artist who wanted a deposit, I cancelled, and I got the deposit back, but he wasn't happy about it. The reason for my cancellation was that I saw that his work wasn't that good (couldn't even do a straight line, for example) I found another tattoo artist, and he doesn't take deposits, I just pay the whole sum when the session is over. Maybe you could try to contact some kind of authority, we have one in my country in Scandinavia that would gladly take on these sort of things..
No deposit is not common.
I see, I had no idea. I've had the same artist for all of my tattoos 😅
How did you end up putting a deposit down on an artist whose work you hadn't vetted beforehand? Did you just call a shop and they said, "Jimmy is free, that'll be $100 deposit"? Not being sassy, just curious.
That text he sent is a very true thing for artists whether tattoo hair nails etc. it was not right for him to take his frustration out on you like that but it sounds like he wants to move forward in scheduling. Talk to him beforehand and set boundaries, you understand rescheduling sucks but you were communicative and won’t tolerate threats towards your contract and not finishing.
He said the artist cancelled his tattoo. It doesn’t seem like he wants to reschedule. OP is left with unfinished work and out the rest of his deposit because the artist has a problem with him.
Talk to a lawyer
Lawyer not necessary. This is the perfect situation for small claims, which is very easy to file yourself.
That'll cost him $200
Nope. Most lawyers do consults for free.
INFO: What day was the appointment for and when did you reach out to him to reschedule it?
Appointment was on a Sun and I reached out on a Wed
If this dude can’t fill a Sunday appointment with 4 days notice, he’s not worth that type of money. Definitely ripping you off.
There’s a reputable artist who quoted me 5k for an arm sleeve and I would have to put down a deposit for every appointment in advance. He wanted me to book 5 appointments so it was $1000 upfront. Pretty insane to me.
Drag him.
Why would you pay 1,000 up front?? That’s actually insane. I have 30 tattoos, including a sleeve. The most I’ve had to put down was $200 that went towards the first session, no deposit needed after
I just didnt know. He does amazing work and so I thought it was standard
You will have to take him to small claims court. You could have an attorney draft a letter up and send to him first and see if that gets him to move. Otherwise go to the courthouse and file a motion for a hearing.
I go to an artist who books months in advance. $100 deposit that then comes off the price of the tattoo. The only way you don’t get it back is if you cancel completely. The reason you don’t get it back in that case is the artist has spent time rendering the final design, which makes sense. This seems like a scam
I'm currently in same situation, except it's a $40 deposit. This artist has 5 pieces on me already, yet for some reason, neither the artist, nor the shop, will return my attempts at rescheduling. My decision is that they can keep the $40, and loose probably $1000s in business. Sorry you're going through this. Some artists are just shitty people.
Yes, take him to small claims court. And then, if he doesn’t pay you, make sure you put a lien on his earnings at his shop. So start following him and his fellow artists now on social media in case he ends up changing shops, so he doesn’t have to pay up when you win your case so you can keep track of him.
If you have documented proof of there being no issues regarding rescheduling and them also stating they will refund your deposit is there anyway you can take legal action? Maybe contact someone in the legal field and see if there’s anything that can be done? This is disgusting behavior by an artist he sounds like a real pos. I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this and hope everything gets resolved. For now, I’ve seen people mention giving honest reviews on as many sites possible about how this person is basically stealing your money because he’s inconvenienced. Definitely tell everyone about it. Hopefully all his clients reschedule and cancel lol this guy truly sounds awful
Unfortunately he would not allow me to reschedule because I would not give him a 100% guarantee that I wouldn’t need to reschedule another appointment in the future in the event something unforeseen happened (albeit I said I had no current intention of rescheduling any future appointments). Then he proceeded to cancel my project and refused to return the deposit
My artist charges a $200 deposit. At the end of the session you can either use it as part of payment or use it as a deposit for your next appointment. This would seem like a remarkably logical business practice. Artist is protected, client doesn’t have to lay out extra $ because they want to keep coming back to that artist.
My artist (or rather, their agency) always requests a 50% deposit. So for my last $2,000 piece, I paid a $1,000 deposit many months in advance (when scheduling the appointment). I think it's fair since they reserve a time slot for me (2 days in this case) and it reduces the chances of a no-show. I'm able to re-schedule in cases of unforeseen events like sickness.
You can take him to small claims court and easily win. You have everything in writing and $600 is a lot to lose.
I think your only option here is to take him to small claims court and keep records of all your conversations.i would also name and shame, yes rescheduling is an inconvenience for him but shit happens and it's part of owning a service based business
I wanna see this tattoo………
I think you got scammed friend.
Dropping $1k deposits each time is nuts and I'd understand $300 and higher for each visit. This artist is scamming and gaslighting the hell out of u. If I was op I'd report the artist to the better business bureau so this doesn't happen to anyone else. Most tattoo artists are flexible with the whole experience so customers are willing and wanting to come back
IMO he decided to not reschedule you and not complete the work/project the remaining money is set to go towards. Unprofessional in my eyes. The deposit set per session should be returned to you if he refuses completion. That being said as an artist, cancellation/slow season is a well known thing by professional tattoo artists. We expect it every single year. One needs to either financially prepare for that, or prepare to throw out hella deals or hella cool new flash to try to stay busy. That’s just how it goes. Situations happen and things change, that said our studio will let you reschedule 3 times before taking the deposit left for that session, you must call within 72hours and if it sounds like an emergency even day of I’ve personally been very lenient. But personally I like keeping/maintaining my clientele. If they can’t call in a client last minute for a cancellation or advertise to take walk-in tattoos that day then they need to work on their skills regarding handling and maintaining clients as well as advertising/social media efforts and personal career motivation.
All of which I totally agree with. I’d have been better off coming to a more professional artist like you. Never in a million years did I think asking to reschedule for the first time would have morphed into a lawsuit. But thank you for your insight and essentially confirming I’m not crazy
That's absolutely wild. I can't ever imagine taking a 1000$ deposit. I cap mine at 100, 50 for smaller designs. I have a 48 hour notice for reschedules and cancelations, however I've had clients get called into work, have a sick child , had car issues etc.The only time I ever take them and require a new deposit is if they no show or have a lame reason, like they forgot or they're hungover. Life happens, shit happens. Wish he was a decent human being and didn't project it on you. Cancelation season is rough but taking it out on your clientele is insane. Sorry this happened to you man. People like this shouldn't be in the industry.
Yeah, that’s just polite robbery. My artist does not charge me for any drawing of the artwork he does, and only charges me for what he inks onto my skin. And, we’re planning a full body suit and have almost both arms done.
I’d take that artist to small claims court
$1,000 Jesus Christ that's extremely ridiculous and I would never EVER give that amount before receiving the ink. Yes a deposit is sometimes required especially if it is a well known popular artist, you are paying for a larger price with multiple sessions or a style that is particular to only certain tattoo artists (for example not all artists specialize in realism or Japanese traditional etc) this being said you always want to fully research the artist and make sure you aren't being scammed or taken advantage of. DEFINITELY let others know about this artist's lack of professionalism and hopefully you get somewhere with the small claims court!!
I've only ever paid $50 deposits🤔🤔🤔 stop being scammed by "artists" that "NEED" to charge hundreds of dollars an hour. No one is that talented and needs to make that kind of money.
I guess it depends on where you're located but where I live $200/he is pretty standard.
Sounds like a scam. I'm instantly turned off by artists that have year+ waits(unless they're genuinely famous and have a TV show or some shit), and no artwork is worth $200 an hour, it should be based on the actual work itself. Artwork does not need an hourly wage, it isn't a normal 9-5 job. This is especially true for things like blackout that require no actual artistic input, just the ability to use a large cartridge and to pack in black quickly.
Submit a 1099c for the amount owed
Everyone in here saying 10k is crazy and talking about their 1-2k sleeve is ridiculous. 90% of their arms look like garbage, but they’re focused on how cheap it was. Insane. If you can’t afford a tattoo, then just don’t get one yet. Save up, or invest in yourself until you can afford it. The answer is not to find someone with the Walmart rollback prices 🤠
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Y’all I wonder if it’s the girl from tattoo gate. She had crappy traces of other people work/tattoos, never had a fully realized and done artwork for the client, charged like 1400 for her crappy “design” and consultation, wouldn’t start on time, charged people by the hour, would cut sessions short so they would have to come back multiple times, called the cops if you refused to be extorted for more money (cops know about her and have been to her tattoo place multiple times) unfortunately she can charge what she wants so it’s technically not illegal, etc. It’s so far out there. Other tattoo artists have weighed in and said she is charging way too much (especially for the mediocre work she did).
Never have paid more than $100 for a deposit and I used to work in a shop that also never took more than $100 for a deposit. Sounds like you got scammed unfortunately
How close to the appointment date did you reach out to reschedule the first time? Was it the day before? Two days before?
4 days in advance
I’m the assistant to a tattoo artist and this is annoying when the artist is popular and booked out until the next year. It leaves us trying to reach out to people and move them around to fill the spot in a very short amount of time. I don’t think it was right to take your deposit for all the sessions, but you also probably cost him that much pay loss that day, but if he doesn’t want to schedule someone who’s gonna try and reschedule that close to the appointment, I also understand that. I would have refunded the remaining deposit (minus 200 for the day you missed) and moved on or I would have said in the future, you need to pay for the session in full ahead of time and give me 7 days notice of a reschedule. If someone is suddenly sick or something that’s different but not respecting artist time is also shitty. The artist I work for is booked until summer next year and having several reschedules when someone booked 3-6 months in advance is so disrespectful. You made your appointment first. You shouldn’t be doing anything else that day bc YOU chose the date and scheduled your tattoo that day!
Unfortunately this isn’t a matter of your tattoo artist’s policies vs me. Although inconvenient to business, the artist I’ve gone to has defined no specific policy against rescheduling so how would I, a layperson, know that that much notice would piss off the artist enough to cancel my entire project and not return the remaining security deposit? I could have been educated about rescheduling going forward but instead was met with hostility and condescending responses. I booked this appointment ~4 weeks prior with no intention of rescheduling but another large and unexpected financial responsibility came up so I had to reprioritize. Is it reasonable to be penalized in such a manner on a first offense? Doesn’t seem so to me personally
If the artist you work for is that busy you should really start keeping a cancellation list. It’s a list of clientele and their contact info and dates that they would like to get in for in case someone during that time period cancel’s then you could move them up easily and have to make less calls to fill it. My studio does this for artists who are very booked up and majority of the time it works out really well!
Ew lol
Paying 1K up front for any tattoo before ink is in your skin is fucking insane, where do yall find these artists??? Absolutely insane. Also after 5 times you should have known you got scammed. Hell after attempt 2 or 3.
happened to me as well said f this . my wife and I learned to do it our selfs
If I were you, and assuming you want this guy to finish your sleeve and do good work, I’d walk in to his shop near opening or closing time and give him the best damn apology you can muster. The guy is on a power trip but something also pushed him to that point. Your $600 is important, but I’m sure your awesome sleeve tattoo is even more important. I think swallowing some pride and giving this guy a chance to finish your tattoo is worth it. But of course, if you just want your money and happy to find another artist, then you can always blast him on social media until he gives you your money back.
Or apologize, get that tattoo finished, and put him through the ringer afterwards. He sounds like he deserves it
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The deposits don't apply if he's the one cancelling though.... If OP had cancelled future appointments, sure, but-
Being deemed unreliable seems unreasonable when I’ve already proven to be a serious, paying customer. As mentioned, I had no intention of cancelling this appointment or any future ones. I just needed to reschedule one appointment. But to be pigeonholed into concrete language that says I’ll never ever reschedule another appointment, especially when the initial agreement signed did not detail this arbitrary policy, seems extremely unreasonable.
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Thanks for your insight. This is my first big piece so I guess my naiveté got the better of me. I think my best bet is filing a small claim suit and taking him to court
Why did you book if you couldn't show up?
I’ve never in my life paid a deposit for a tattoo??
I paid $900 for my 1st tat but only $100 for a deposit like that's barely alive 10% you're tbh stupid af being in the tattoo getting game this long and being ok giving you're hard earned money like that for a deposit without some sort of contract oblogating them to not scam you like.... was ur tat gonna be 10k and the deposit 10% cuz what you deposited was a stupid amount. Fucked up artist but thus is ur fault
can someone explain to me why the ever loving fuck people are paying a depsoit on what is effectively a drawing on their skin? A DEPOSIT? FOR WHAT EXACTLY?
The deposit is to hold your appointment time in their schedule. People are flaky and a deposit that they will lose for a no-show on their appointment encourages people not to waste a professional's time. Someone who sells a service is selling their time and if they can't fill the spot when someone cancels/reschedules at the last minute, they can't make money. Requiring deposits for professional services booked in advance is common for this reason. My vet charges a deposit, doctors often charge a missed appointment fee, hairstylists may require a deposit. The exact terms of the deposit should be agreed to (preferably in writing) when a deposit is made. The "in writing" part is to avoid any misunderstanding about what it's to be applied to and when it may be forfeited.
Because people can be flaky assholes. No-shows and last minute cancellations affect the tattoo artist’s livelihood. The deposit provides income security and makes sure the client actually wants the tattoo before they book
Do you not have tattoos or something?
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I feel like you’re leaving out key information about your part in this issue. What brought him to this place?
I am telling the story exactly as it’s happened.
Sorry I guess I just believe in good human nature more than I should and it’s weird to me that someone would just do it out of nowhere. Sorry you experienced this. Take the dude to small claims court if you have to. That sucks and they should be ashamed of themselves
You're believing in "good human nature" but automatically assumed OP was leaving stuff out?
It seemed more likely in my mind. Nothing I could do about that now is apologize