Complaint Review: Tracy Sancheze - Altadena California

These are the paintings I did based on meeting with the Rip Off client, who told me what ever I did she knew would be beautiful. I have been an artist all my life, this is what I do. I did 3, to make sure I covered all she spoke about wanting in her Hearst castle master bath, as Sanchez described. I needed the money so I lowered my price, and agreed to pick up a deposit check the next day (since she forgot her check book the day we meet). The she needed to go skiing instead of paying my deposit. I stayed up all night painting, for 18 hours, hoping to get paid the next day. Now she denies ever commissioning me to do the work. Sanchez ran this ad in my school: T.S. CONSULTANTS Listed: 02/17/06 1000 New York Drive Altadena, CA 91103 Contact: Tracey Sanchez at 626-232-4483 Free-lance - ARTIST Residential renovation consultants ("period correct") need entry-level person to render drawings for fabrication into mosaics. Must have rendering skills. Familiarity with 1920s design/art a+. Please call for more information. The client hired me to do a painting stating that anything I would do be beautiful, based on my work. She lied to me on the deposit, canceled the meetings when I completed the work and then denied ever having commissioned me to do the work. In an email to the Rip off Tracy Sanchez I wrote: It is clear you have avoided my calls, I have not received any communication from you since you cancelled our meeting to go skiing. I agreed to do a painting to your specifications. I did three painting so you would have a choice, on a rush basis, since you were unhappy with the previous artist. I need to be paid for the work that you commissioned. Our arrangement was that I be paid 50% deposit to begin, balance due upon delivery. When I arrived at your home I saw you hand a contractor a check but forgot your checkbook when it came time as our meeting to closed, for you to provided a 50% deposit to me. You said you would bring a check to the same site the next day, we would meet at 11 AM. I accepted that, even though it would cause for an additional trip to your site. I called the next morning to confirm only to find out you were going out of town, skiing, for 2 days and that you forgot about our meeting or the trip! You stated that you would leave a check on the mantel for 300 dollars. That was not our agreement. We discussed 800 dollars and you told me you spoke to your husband for you liked my work, stated he liked my work and that it would be a collectable piece. You seemed to understand all about the deposit, you had simply forgotten your check book. I did the work in good faith. I never received the deposit, never heard from you on your return trip, when you said you would meet with me in a couple of days. I have wasted so much time and energy dealing with you. What you have done to me, is not fair and I will take legal action to cover my expenses and time if I am not paid immediately. Please remit a check for 800.00 and I will have the painting of your choice delivered to your home site. Please call when the check is ready. This is really sad, since my work is beautiful and was made for you. It is wrong to treat people this way, Tracy. Sincerely From the Rip Off Client Tracy Sanchez: We have been out of town but we have now looked at your proposedmosaic drawings. The fact that the drawings were not at all what we had in mind, however, is not as important as the concern we have about the tone of your communications with us to date. Not only did you in a recent phone conversation question our honesty (which is unacceptable), but you went ahead and prepared what you refer to as a final product before we even saw a rough sketch, let alone agreed on the terms of your commission. Sending us an invoice for something that we never approved (indeed never even authorized orally or in writing) was even more upsetting. At this point, we do not believe we will ever reach a "meeting of the minds" (as my boyfriend the lawyer would put it) on this project. We also want to make it very clear that we did not commission you and do not owe you anything at this point. We continue to interview artist candidates and wish you the best in your future endeavors. Tracey Sanchez From the Artist If you did not commission me to do anything then what in the world was that meeting about at you house? I would with people that are Honest and Kind, that is what I said to you over the phone, and I was right about you, you are neither. It does not matter that your boyfriend is an attorney. The fact that you admit the art was not what you expected is fact enough that you gave me the project. Rose S. Pasadena, California
U.S.A.