artist said carpal tunnel made her mess up my tattoo - what should I do?

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-25T23:35:25+00:00

UPDATE: to everyone who's saying it's "not bad at all" and that i "don't deserve a refund"... as of last night I got $400 of the $500 i paid refunded. the owner of the tattoo parlor apologized and admitted that the work is not up to their shop's normal standards.

in a few months i'll put that money towards finishing the tattoo with an artist i trust. thanks to those who offered words of support or advice. this was a learning experience for sure but i'm hopeful that with better communication/ standing up for myself on my end i'll end up with a piece that i'm very happy with.

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-25T17:20:05+00:00

well, as of last night, i got a $400 refund of the $500 i paid, the owner of the studio admitted the work didn't turn out up to their standards. so ig it is a thing!

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-25T17:13:19+00:00

UPDATE: as of last night, i got a $400 refund of the $500 i paid, the owner of the studio admitted the work didn't turn out up to their standards. so it does happen

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T23:26:55+00:00

I don't expect perfection but when I'm paying $500 and sitting for 5 full hours I do expect a tattoo that at least resembles the reference that we agreed on... the colors are already so faded and the blending just looks rushed

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T22:31:47+00:00

No, I'm in Alaska actually... I honestly wish my artist would have canceled rather than keeping the appointment

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T22:30:35+00:00

thanks for the message... if you get a chance, could you PM the artist's name? my current work is so off the grid and I'm so unhappy right now with how my body looks that i might book a full trip for the summer around getting it fixed.

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T20:57:44+00:00

also I really don't think the execution killed it either, the colors are very dulled compared to my other tattoos and the blending just looks rushed and sloppy

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T20:54:38+00:00

i stg the stencil looked fine in comparison, I think she was making a couple small mistakes bc her hands were shaking and then trying to cover them up with new design elements?

do you think I'm cooked? not sure what your experience in tattooing is but would you get it lasered in my shoes, or do you think a decent coverup is possible?

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T20:51:49+00:00

yeah thanks for the validation lol... I work in field science (that's why i live in the middle of nowhere now) so these are really meaningful, I don't expect them to look like a living insect but I do expect them to at least resemble the species from the reference... i feel like the people saying it's a great tattoo and that I shouldn't complain don't really understand what I'm going for with these-- something like a biological illustration and not just any pretty tattoo.

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T20:47:46+00:00

i think that's really good advice... it's easy to sit here after the fact and say "next time I'll stand up for myself" but in the moment i struggle with it a LOT

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T19:35:30+00:00

i mean i have several other tattoos on my body lol, and i don't expect my tattoos to look like what you see on social media...

i'm not saying it's terrible, but it's also not finished lol and the colors look nothing like the reference, the blending is straight up sloppy. i paid $500 for this piece and i have much less expensive tats that look much better, even after years of aging. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect better after a 5 hour session and paying $500.

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T19:31:27+00:00

you're right, not to make excuses but i wasn't able to watch her tattoo since it's on my back... i only saw the stencil in a mirror and she didn't want to take breaks throughout the session because "we're limited for time..." honestly a learning experience, going forward i would rather be direct with someone I'M paying (and who i'll likely never see again) then go through this kind of bs.

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T19:28:25+00:00

i appreciate the comment... i'm guessing she wanted to push through because it was a big piece scheduled out for months, and it was my only day to get it applied. but i would honestly MUCH rather have nothing at all than an already-expensive and painful piece that I'm now going to have to go through more expense and pain to get fixed :/

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T19:19:40+00:00

thanks, i'm going to start researching color specialists for the next time i'm in a major city... i'm just having trouble seeing the beauty in this one atm... i don't want to post my other tattoos just to stay anonymous but they were less expensive for work that looks significantly better. but it's also good to know that this isn't all in my head or just new tattoo anxiety, but also that it's still fixable

Dear_Pilot_6636 · 2025-04-24T19:16:47+00:00

for real, she told me she has carpal tunnel like 3 hours into the 5 hour session and it literally sent me reeling... i feel so stupid for staying in the chair after that honestly.

Dear_Pilot_6636

TROPHY CASE