I wish that I could write a good review about my experience with Melinda Favro @ 215 Tattoo, but,…read morethat's difficult to do when I never got any thing done by her.
Let me start at the beginning. I had been following several shops online for months to determine who I felt was best suited for the cover up work I wanted done. I finally decided after seeing many of Melinda's before & after photos of cover ups that she seemed experienced & would be a perfect fit.
I went to her shop for a consultation the first week of March. We talked at length. I brought some sample photos of what elements, styles, colors & the placement I wanted incorporated in the tattoo & then gave her free reign to come up with a design. She took measurements & photos & gave me an estimate of the price & how many sessions would be required. I felt we were on the same page & that our personalities were well matched. This is a significant & meaningful piece that I have been wanting for quite some time, so, feeling comfortable with her & the shops atmosphere was a relief & I left there with an appointment to get started on March 25th.
For the next 3 weeks, I waited with excitement & anticipation at finally getting my tattoo transformed into something that I loved. But, no art came. I didn't hear from her at all. The week of my first scheduled appointment was the same week Covid hit & closures began. I contacted her about my appointment. She cancelled. I completely understood, but was extremely disappointed. She told me she'd get the art to me "in a few days". Since we didn't know the duration of the quarantine at that point, it was a fair assumption we'd be rescheduling within a few weeks. But, I guess this should have been my first clue, she'd already had 3 weeks to come up with designs for an appointment that was now only 2 days away & yet she had nothing for me. Thank goodness for unexpected cancellations when the artist is not prepared, I guess?
Weeks go by, I have not heard from Melinda at all. I tend to be patient & understanding & am not the type to hound someone to take my money. I also am taking the mandatory closures into consideration for the lack of communication from her. Which, I found somewhat questionable that someone that is supposedly not working still has yet to find the time to produce any artwork. But, okay, like I said, I try to be understanding & give people the benefit of the doubt.
That is, until I see online that she is selling prepaid time slots. Pay her now, get tattooed later when she is able to resume normal operations.
I was irritated. But, rather than blasting her unprofessional work ethic on a public post. I sat on my feelings for several days before finally commenting on the post...congratulating her on her ingenuity to keep the cash flowing during the shut down. It's great that you are lining up work, but, what about those of us that already had appointments that were put on hold? No response from Melinda. I guess this should have been clue number two, as I somewhat expected to hear from her at that point. But, I did not.
Now it is June, 3 months after my initial consultation & we are entering phase 2 of businesses re-opening. So, to give her one more opportunity before taking my money & business elsewhere, I sent her a friendly, polite message to inquire if she has come up with any designs & whether she is still interested in working on me at all.
She responded with the same "I'll get some art to you in the next few days" as she told me THREE MONTHS AGO. She also told me that she's booking as early as next week & we could schedule something. I told her that would be great & then, nothing. No response. No appointment.
So, in all fairness, I think as a new client, I have been more than reasonable & patient considering the circumstances. I just don't appreciate being blown off. Her lack of communication, inability or unwillingness to produce any art & flakiness are annoying & unprofessional in my opinion. If she didn't want the job I brought to her, she could have told me that from the very start.
After some thought, taking people's money in advance for work on some unknown future date doesn't seem appropriate to me when there were clients waiting that already had scheduled appointments & should have been prioritized. That just smells like a scam to me. At least I'm not out any money for services that will never happen.
Final note before posting this review. It's now September & I never heard from Melinda. I have taken my business elsewhere & am very happy with my new tattoo.