Michael Browning Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/2/2023 at 5:48 PM, Dr. Balls said: I had a pretty lackluster experience about two months ago trying to buy a Tim Seeley piece from some dude named Andrew. I spoke with Tim directly about a cover variant he did, and described it to him (Instagram won't let me send images to Tim via message), and actually asked him if it was a digital piece (which he does) because it looked digital. He said it is for sale and to contact Andrew at Cadence. I emailed Andrew, told him I talked to Tim, etc and sent along an image of the cover - to which his only reply was: "THAT'S NOT TIM'S ART!!!!!!!!!!" So, I apologized for wasting his time, and told him that I suspected it was a digital piece - but at this point, he's not interested. So I give him a few days to cool his heels and then I send a request in for a Tim Seeley commission - when they are coming up, cost on a cover quality 11x17, etc. (I mean, up until this point, I really wanted to add another Seeley piece to my collection). And no response. Considering my first email was answered promptly, subsequent emails are ignored on purpose. Not sure what the problem is with ol' Andrew and Dr. Balls - but the prescription is to quit buying from Cadence, cold turkey. No problem there. The problem is that people keep going back to buy from them even after they’ve had communication problems or even after they’ve read this thread. I have a bad experience with a seller, I don’t go back at all. There’s too much good art out there for me to waste my time and money on problem dealers and to have to put up with all the hassle and frustration. Will_K 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/3/2023 at 11:33 PM, Michael Browning said: There’s too much good art out there for me to waste my time and money … Which is why the amounts people will spend on some art is, and remains, astonishing to me. alxjhnsn and Sean I 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/3/2023 at 9:33 PM, Michael Browning said: The problem is that people keep going back to buy from them even after they’ve had communication problems or even after they’ve read this thread. I have a bad experience with a seller, I don’t go back at all. There’s too much good art out there for me to waste my time and money on problem dealers and to have to put up with all the hassle and frustration. On 11/4/2023 at 5:58 AM, Rick2you2 said: Which is why the amounts people will spend on some art is, and remains, astonishing to me. I agree. I mean, in my communications, I could see why he may have been frustrated, so I tried to apologize and tell him why I made that error. To not respond is just an FU to the customer, and pretty shoddy. I've spent a few thousand dollars with them, and I don't expect special treatment - but I do expect to be treated like a paying customer. And if you can't do that - well, contrary to what people think: original art may be one-of-a-kind, but by no means is there a shortage of well-known artists drawing girly pictures. I can spend 10 minutes on the internet and find three other places to spend money. It's just not that hard, and if it's too much of a bother to answer emails, I move on. They certainly aren't the first outfit to not respond, and they won't be the last - but it's pretty easy to just spend money somewhere else. Sean I and Rick2you2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc McCoy Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Anyone else still waiting for art? Haven’t received my purchase from early November of last year. Sean I and Twanj 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babsrocks31 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 It took ages, but I finally recieved a relatively large order I placed several years ago. Everything turned out fine and the art is great. There were communication problems though. They were always quick to respond to take my money, but told me it was ready to ship about six months before they actually shipped it (they referenced being busy with "con season" about six times as an excuse). And this was after they would only respond to every fourth email I sent. I think of them as mediocre. They aren't going to rip you off or take your money and run, and they do rep some nice artists. But you will have to wait a while and put up with some annoying service before you get your art For some buyers, that may be worth it, for others not so much. As for me, I won't write them off entirely, but I definately won't use them as much as I did before. Sean I, Twanj, timguerrero and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Browning Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 On 1/24/2024 at 12:51 AM, babsrocks31 said: It took ages, but I finally recieved a relatively large order I placed several years ago. Everything turned out fine and the art is great. There were communication problems though. They were always quick to respond to take my money, but told me it was ready to ship about six months before they actually shipped it (they referenced being busy with "con season" about six times as an excuse). And this was after they would only respond to every fourth email I sent. I think of them as mediocre. They aren't going to rip you off or take your money and run, and they do rep some nice artists. But you will have to wait a while and put up with some annoying service before you get your art For some buyers, that may be worth it, for others not so much. As for me, I won't write them off entirely, but I definately won't use them as much as I did before. You waited six months? That’s like waiting on an artist to do a commission, not ship already-drawn artwork. Man, if I have to wait six days, I’m asking for my cash back. Terrible service. timguerrero, Twanj and Andahaion 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 On 1/23/2024 at 10:51 PM, babsrocks31 said: It took ages, but I finally recieved a relatively large order I placed several years ago. Everything turned out fine and the art is great. There were communication problems though. They were always quick to respond to take my money, but told me it was ready to ship about six months before they actually shipped it (they referenced being busy with "con season" about six times as an excuse). And this was after they would only respond to every fourth email I sent. I think of them as mediocre. They aren't going to rip you off or take your money and run, and they do rep some nice artists. But you will have to wait a while and put up with some annoying service before you get your art For some buyers, that may be worth it, for others not so much. As for me, I won't write them off entirely, but I definately won't use them as much as I did before. On 1/24/2024 at 3:55 AM, Michael Browning said: You waited six months? That’s like waiting on an artist to do a commission, not ship already-drawn artwork. Man, if I have to wait six days, I’m asking for my cash back. Terrible service. I think their give-a-care for online orders is probably nil. They must do well enough at conventions that when it comes to online orders or commissions they give either A) no service or B) bad service. babsrocks31 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneythecantankerous Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 I'm friendly with Andrew who works full time at Cadence (I have no idea about any other employees or whoever is handling emails), I can tell you he really does try to help out collectors (not just buyers) and the artists they work with and he does indeed attend a LOT of conventions. Not an excuse but I can empathise, after attending cons it wipes me out and if you're selling pages in person and with as many artists as they have and spread all over the world, unless you're good at keeping records I imagine it can be a challenge occasionally to track a piece down for shipping. But I also empathise with collectors because bad communication is still bad communication, whether it's a $50 or $5k piece, so I'm not excusing that. Andrew is active in the community, on Facebook, etc. so if you drop him a line directly I'm 100% sure he will get you sorted. FWIW because of how many conventions they do attend it might be worth mentioning whether collection in person is possible if you're going to one when ordering? timguerrero, Doc McCoy, IceHole and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xatari Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 (edited) I have had great responses from Paulo, Andrew, and Corey. If anyone is waiting on art that is paid for, feel free to reach out to me for their emails. They have been very responsive in my experience (with the occasional necessary nudge). Edited January 24 by Xatari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Balls Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 On 1/24/2024 at 9:18 AM, barneythecantankerous said: I'm friendly with Andrew who works full time at Cadence (I have no idea about any other employees or whoever is handling emails), I can tell you he really does try to help out collectors (not just buyers) Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. He was a complete jackoff when I tried to identify and buy a piece of art or hire a commission from him. Busy or not, his attitude sucked for customer service. I even tried to apologize for wasting his time, and the guy was too big of a dink to even respond. I can tell you from life experience: a guy who's a jerk to random people and not a jerk to you simply means he hasn't gotten around to treating you like that yet. Michael Browning, timguerrero and Hockeyflow33 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Browning Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I keep seeing all these excuses - it’s hard keeping records, artists all over the world, exhaustion from conventions… I work 60 hours a week and no matter how long the day has been, I still package up my eBay sales the night or morning they are paid for. I’m a one-man operation. They have a staff. There is absolutely no excuse for the way they do — or don’t do — business. They won’t ever get a penny from me. The lies and bad service, them having the artist tell me she will never sell art to me again — nope, I won’t ever buy from them again. timguerrero 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc McCoy Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 On 1/24/2024 at 12:59 PM, Xatari said: I have had great responses from Paulo, Andrew, and Corey. If anyone is waiting on art that is paid for, feel free to reach out to me for their emails. They have been very responsive in my experience (with the occasional necessary nudge). Andrew replied to me once in December and copied Paulo, but that was it. Since then, no reply over a matter that could have easily been explained. I ended up reaching out to the artist of the cover I purchased since I had commissioned him in the past. Turns out he was supposed to pass the cover on to Paulo with some other art at a show, but mistakenly didn't include it in the artwork he passed on. He apologized to me and will be sending it out this week. IF Paulo, Andrew or Corey had just shared this with me, there would be no worries. Why it's so difficult to communicate for some reps is beyond me. timguerrero, Twanj and Hockeyflow33 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Twanj Posted January 25 Popular Post Share Posted January 25 On 1/25/2024 at 1:18 PM, Doc McCoy said: Why it's so difficult to communicate for some reps is beyond me. EXACTLY. Just communicate. If you do, you can work things out. Andahaion, Doc McCoy, babsrocks31 and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dr. Balls Posted January 25 Popular Post Share Posted January 25 On 1/25/2024 at 12:06 PM, Twanj said: Just communicate. If you do, you can work things out. People are passionate about comic art for a wide variety of reasons - we buy art that connects with us emotionally created by the artists we love. It's a want; we don't crave it like food, or need to pay for it like a mortgage or the electric bill. It's a unique retail item - unlike a coat or pair of shoes, it's not something we can even rationally justify in owning. It's driven purely by illogical emotion and desire. A business' brand philosophy - one would assume - would adhere to this overall mentality and seek to reinforce it with their level of service or attention to the customer base. Customers don't know you're having a bad day or that you're busy with cons. And it shouldn't matter - a buyer does not need to see behind the curtain. But, like a movie actor or musician or politician - whom we don't know personally - gets caught doing something that goes against the overall personal expectation of how society views them - people feel betrayed, as if we did know them, because we had emotion invested in that person's "brand". That can happen here, too. Customers feel that emails should be replied to. That novice questions be answered. Discussions should be addressed with courtesy. That purchased products be shipped. When these things don't happen in a fashion that is subscribed to by practically everyone - just like the movie star who gets busted cheating on his wife - you're going to catch grease for it by the people who feel "betrayed" by the lack of service they expect to receive. They likely write it off as "people complaining on the internet" - however, it's been my experience in business that for every vocal person with a specific gripe, there's 10 people who won't say a word. That can amount to a lot of people in a hurry if corrective measures aren't taken. Twanj, Will_K, Doc McCoy and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 I've never bought art from them but I'm seeing social media posts that some artists are posting they are no longer with Cadence. Malvin Dr. Balls, John E. and timguerrero 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter L Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 On 2/1/2024 at 2:05 PM, malvin said: I've never bought art from them but I'm seeing social media posts that some artists are posting they are no longer with Cadence. Malvin I'm not a fan of Andrew. I have bought from all major dealers, and mostly who I have good things to say about for the most part. Even when I had some issues, I would still buy from all of them again without reservations. I would try to avoid dealing with Andrew if I could. In my dealings, because of Andrew's activities, it cost his client artist money. If I was an artist, I would go to a rep who would not cost me the best opportunity to get the most money. timguerrero 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E. Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 On 2/1/2024 at 4:05 PM, malvin said: I've never bought art from them but I'm seeing social media posts that some artists are posting they are no longer with Cadence. Malvin I heard through a friend that he is seeing a hemorrhaging of artists declaring via their social media they are no longer with Cadence so I ran straight over here to find out more. Catwoman_Fan, timguerrero and babsrocks31 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc McCoy Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Dave Wachter, Tom Fowler and Gabriel Hardman have all made announcements via social media that they are no longer with Cadence. Emails to Corey and Andrew now bounce back. John E. and Twanj 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Browning Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Cadence put up art for sale today. The site update was listed on CAF at 12:15 p.m. today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GotSuperPowers? Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 On 2/1/2024 at 9:37 PM, Michael Browning said: Cadence put up art for sale today. The site update was listed on CAF at 12:15 p.m. today. Any site not hosted by CAF seems to have a regular job that pulls in new art at that time. So I think that's a CAF process, not Cadence keeping going like business as usual. timguerrero 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
