It’s not too often I have unhappy clients. In fact, I haven’t had an unhappy customer since I was an apprentice. But, unfortunately, they happen. Which is what I just dealt with.

About a month ago I was scheduled to do a tattoo. It was free, in exchange for a supposed deal I got on a piece of art. Last minute I had to reschedule due to an emergency at the new studio location. She was understandably upset, but there was nothing I could do, I was needed on site. I got her scheduled for the following Friday, which was my day off. So of course it took an hour and a half, maybe two, of drawing and set up. 

I did the tattoo, and believed it to be finished. The shading was all stippled. When I was done, she wanted me to fill the center more solid. I did, and she was happy. I was contacted a couple of weeks later and she let me know that the center was having a very rough time healing. I attributed this to a possible red reaction and the fact that she wanted me to work over the center solid AFTER I had done the stippled shading. I told her to give it another month and I would go back into it.

So I get some angry texts about how I need to hold up my end of the deal. How I told her I would take care of it and I haven’t. How it’s only 15 minutes of work (if you have ever been in a shop you know it’s 45 with clean up and set up) I told her I couldn’t possibly get her in that quickly. I am in the middle of relocating, and working 12-16 hour days. It would be a few weeks.

So I called her. She immediately flew off the handle and started flipping shit. My first instinct was to try to quell the flames for a second, but when somebody insists on yelling over top of you, that gets sort of hard. I tried explaining how busy I am right now, and the response I got was “Boohoo, Tim, boohoo.” Well, that just doesn’t go over well with me at all. Somewhere in there I also got “you don’t want to make enemies with me.” Needless to say, I did get angry, I did yell. I did not insult, which I am proud of myself for. 

So my day started off by being told how unprofessional I am and how I fucked up a tattoo. I pride myself on keeping my clients happy. I pride myself on quality work. And this right here is the sole reason I will never do an exchange of services with anyone who is not a collector or enthusiast. If you think I bang things out like a street shop, you’re mistaken. If you’re getting tattooed by me, plan on making a day out of it. And if I say I’ll get you in as soon as I can, you have to except that I don’t work around your schedule, you work around mine. That’s how this business is.

I don’t like having anyone left disappointed by their experience with me. But goddammit, you do NOT talk down to me, threaten me, or ridicule me. I’m a respected artist and craftsmen. You will treat me as such or I will show you the door.