Overcharged tattoo

Manxman_in_exile

DeathToDetail wrote: »

Yes it was a discounted day rate as he is just finishing his apprenticeship. Of course he would need a break ( plus I’m a smoker too!) but all the other day sessions I’ve had have been solid tattooing with two or three short breaks and a half hour for lunch

Did you change tattooist to go to this one - who presumably you didn't know?

DeathToDetail

Potbellypig wrote: »

I've never had an experience any different. The first hour or so is spent designing your tattoo, sizing it, getting the outline set on your arm etc. This can't be expected to be completed in their own time or without you there.

4.5 hours of actual tattooing is pretty reasonable for a full day sitting.

No way? It’s never happened to me before. He had also told me he could finish it to be fair.

DeathToDetail

DoaM wrote: »

Was there any prior consultation about the design before the day appointment was made?

Did he give any performance guarantee (e.g. to finish your sleeve in that day sitting)?

If he went into the appointment knowing (and agreeing to) your expectations then you'd have some come-back (e.g. to get the sleeve finished at his cost - you'd still be liable for transport costs as it was your choice to use him rather than someone else). Other than that - see previous posts.

Yes he told me he would finish, which was the reason I was willing to invest all the time and money in it. If I knew it wouldn’t be done, ie: I couldn’t afford to finish it, I wouldn’t have bothered until I could afford!

kazwookie

Why shell out ££££ for the gandparents to come and look after the children a qualified local child minder would have ben ok.

I think it is reasonable for the tattooist to have a break every so often.

I suggest you go back and have a chat to them about the missing hours and see if they will offer you an hour or so foc

DeathToDetail

engineer_amy wrote: »

I don't think you have much comeback here, the only way to sort anything out would have been to discuss with the artist at the time that you were not happy, or even shortly after. Maybe if you are able to discuss it with him now and lay it out how you thought you were paying for x hours and only received y hours due to the reasons you state, you may be able to come to some sort of arrangement with a discounted rate to get your sleeve finished, but you will be relying on his goodwill.
You cant start claiming other costs such as your train fare, your lost earnings or parents train fare. it was your personal choice to get the tattoo, to sacrifice a days work and for your parents to look after your kids - your personal situation with travel and childcare has nothing to do with the artist.


8 hours for £300 is dirt cheap. my tattooist usually charges £80 per hour or £400 for a day sitting which is only 6 hours (11am to 5pm). As I am such a regular, he only charges £300. The first 45 mins to 1hour is spent with the consultation, design, drawing and marking up, placement and general prep before any tattooing starts. Frequently I have paid for a day sitting, and the artist has been quicker than anticipated and has finished 1-2 hours earlier. Have I ever asked for a refund of the extra hours? No! that is the price I agreed to get the tattoo done and was happy to pay it based on the end result, not actually how long it took. At times we have been unsure how long a tattoo might actually take, so I have preferred to book him for the full day so he isn't rushing to finish and fit in another client after me.


Getting tattoos is not cheap (if you want quality you need to pay for it). If you are struggling for money, perhaps you may want to rethink your priorities?

Thank you. As stated above, I’ve been a full time mother for four years, have recently started work in the evenings and saved up my money for what I was told would be a completed sleeve. I am aware of how much tattoos cost and that day rates are generally £400, not my first time thank you. Again, he is young, he is still working on a discounted rate.

My priority, if you must know (!) for the first piece of disposable income I’ve had in 4 years was to cover up my scars from self harm and previous suicide attempts so that my kids don’t see them.

I am obviously not wanting my train fare paid for, I was merely using it, and my need for babysitters, as an illustration into how much of an colossal ballache it is for me to leave the house for a whole day.

gettingtheresometime

Well if the toys are back in the pram .......


Could it be that he was so inexperienced that he was slower than a more experienced tattooist?


Also was a specific amount of work agreed or was it just a 'day rate' agreed as I think this will determine how you can approach this.

Aylesbury_Duck

Feel free to ignore my advice, but I stand by it. You said yourself you were unable to talk to the chap about the tattoo because of anxiety and separation from your children. Addressing your anxiety issues (and what has emerged as anger issues as well) should be a priority. You may not like that advice but it is given constructively.

Shouting at people on the internet because you don't like the advice given is pointless. Just ignore them. You should block me and others if you don't wish to read posts that upset you.

marcarm

In many ways, it's better that he took care, instead of rushing to make sure it is finished on time.

I know I would prefer an half-finished good tattoo, than an awful completed tattoo.

It might be the case that due to his inexperience, he mis-judged how long it would take.

What would you prefer?? Him rushing to get it done on time, or having to go back for another session and ending up with a good piece of art??

esuhl

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

I suggest that getting help for your anxiety would be a better use of your time and money than a tattoo.

That's just ridiculous. No one tells you what to do with your money or how to live your life. And what do you really know about the OP's situation?

People with mental health conditions don't just lock themselves away and spend 100% of their disposable income on getting help. Anxiety is a pretty horrible condition, and if it flares up, someone would just want to get out of the situation. So I can completely understand why someone with anxiety wouldn't have raised the issue at the time.

DeathToDetail wrote: »

Just wondered if there was a body that could help

None that will deal with it on your behalf. Citizens Advice Bureaux can give general advice, but as a fairly straightforward case, here's my take on it:

There is a contract (even if its verbal) between you and the tattooist. You pay a certain amount, he does the work agreed.

Whether you have any comeback depends on what was agreed. Did he absolutely guarantee that he'd complete the tattoo? If so, by rights you can ask him to finish it for you. Of course... if you don't have a guarantee in writing, and he refuses, there's not much you can do about it. Technically you could take the matter to court, but without evidence, you'd be throwing more money at it with no hope of winning.

I'm guessing that he probably said something vague like, "Oh, yeah -- I reckon I'd finish it in one sitting"... which is just an estimate he's not bound to.

I'm afraid you're probably going to put this down as a "learning experience". At least next time, you can write up a little contract, saying "I agree to pay you £X in exchange for a finished sleeve" or whatever.

Aylesbury_Duck

esuhl wrote: »

That's just ridiculous. No one tells you what to do with your money or how to live your life. And what do you really know about the OP's situation?

As much as I can read on here. I wasn't telling OP what to do with their money, I was suggesting they reconsider their priorities based on their description of their situation, their ability to afford things and their level of confidence in dealing with the problem. I suggested they have more fundamental things to consider as well as the potential consumer rights issue of the tattoo. I don't think that's ridiculous. They're welcome to ignore me if they're only interested in the consumer rights element of the situation.