FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Neighborhood members are being cautioned a couple of tattoo artist that has allegedly scammed Fort St. John clients.
In keeping with a number of sources, Mason Selvidge is well-known for taking shoppers’ cash for unfinished work, amongst different claims.
Selvidge is at present based mostly in Grande Prarie however has travelled to Prince George and Fort St. John to tattoo shoppers.
A latest consumer, Nathan Swetlikoff, met the artist 5 years in the past when he was a visitor artist at a neighborhood studio in Fort St. John.
Selvidge labored on Swetlikoff’s first tattoo, and when he left the native studio, Swetlikoff adopted the artist on Fb and Instagram.
Lately, he contacted Selvidge to arrange one other tattoo session.
Earlier this 12 months, Swetlikoff travelled to Grande Prairie together with his girlfriend, the place they booked a resort, and later had Selvidge begin the tattoo.
He paid the artist $800 money for a full day of tattooing, however Selvidge later requested if they will end the piece the subsequent day, to which Swetlikoff agreed.
“He’s like, ‘Hey because you’re going to be right here very first thing within the morning once more, do you assume you can provide me that 600 money?’” Swetlikoff mentioned.
Swetlikoff says he agreed to ship him an e-transfer instantly since he had a historical past with him and Selvidge had already began on the brand new tattoo.
“It’s both I pay you now, or I pay at [10 a.m.] within the morning,” he mentioned.
That night time, when the couple was again at their resort room, Selvidge messaged him and requested for one more hundred {dollars}.
Each he and his girlfriend thought it was bizarre, however for the quantity of labor he had carried out and was going to do, he figured it was truthful, so he gave Selvidge an additional $50 that night time, Swetlikoff mentioned.
The following morning, Swetlikoff acquired one other message saying that Selvidge wished to sleep in so he ‘requested’ to fulfill at 11 a.m.
He went to Selvidge’s home somewhat early and messaged him, saying he would wait exterior till Selvidge was prepared.
Selvidge began messaging him, making an attempt to keep away from the appointment.
Selvidge then began to inform him that he would pack up all of his stuff and are available all the best way to Fort St. John to complete his tattoo.
“He’s received nowhere to do it. He’s received no driver’s license. He’s received no technique to get out right here,” Swetlikoff mentioned.
After a backwards and forwards, with Swetlikoff making an attempt to get a refund from Selvidge, he was informed all the cash was spent and he wouldn’t be getting it again.
Following the encounter and Swetlikoff’s Fb submit explaining his expertise with Mason, he acquired loss of life threats from the artist.
Swetlikoff says that his tattoo is now contaminated, on high of being unfinished.
Swetlikoff has supplied to take down the submit and write an announcement redeeming the artist if he’s given his a refund.
“He received’t do it. He won’t do it,” Swetlikoff mentioned.
Former Apprentice says there have been “purple flags”
Selvidge’s former apprentice, who wished to stay nameless as a result of aforementioned loss of life threats, talked about among the “purple flags” she observed whereas working alongside him for six months.
The apprentice couldn’t bear in mind how the 2 got here into contact, however she says he was very adamant that she had what it took to be a tattoo artist.
She explains that he was very charismatic and good however knew exactly what he was doing to folks, together with taking some huge cash from her and one other apprentice.
She says that he would take deposits from folks after which “drop from the face of the planet,” ignoring shoppers and even blocking them, much like Swetlikoff’s expertise with Selvidge.
He would additionally usually solely put work in on half of a tattoo, then take the cash and cease responding to the consumer.
The apprentice claims Selvidge opened his personal store below suspicious circumstances, renting a residential unit that he become a studio. She is uncertain if Selvidge had permission from the owner to take action.
She remembers the circumstances of the house as ” soiled.”
“I acknowledged it as a really harmful place to get tattooed.”
If the 2 women didn’t get there three hours earlier than shoppers got here in, the place can be lined in canine hair, pee and beer bottles, she claimed.
“I had lots of religion in him. I actually did.”
As time went on, it grew to become even much less skilled, and he or she says it took about six months for the 2 apprentices to resolve that they wanted to cease, and in response, he publicly slammed them on Fb.
Selvidge is thought, in line with the apprentice, to say he’s leaving city to get extra shoppers, however doesn’t all the time comply with via.
“Whenever you damage folks like that, I don’t know how one can sleep at night time,” she mentioned.
“He’s good and misplaced. Very misplaced.”
“Ready six hours to begin the tattoo”
One other earlier consumer of Mason’s, who additionally wished to stay nameless as a result of loss of life threats, had an expertise that was much like Swetlikoff’s.
Initially, she had heard about Mason via a neighborhood tattoo studio as properly. Fortunately, this consumer took meticulous notes to maintain monitor of what she went via.
She says she “stupidly” pay as you go for her tattoo, saying that her associate satisfied her to take action to point out Mason that she wished him to do the work.
The tattoo was purported to be a full sleeve and a cover-up.
Her damaging expertise with Selvidge began on October twentieth, 2020, together with her transferring $200 to him as a deposit.
The Fort St. John couple travelled to Grande Prairie on November twenty second to pay Selvidge $1,500 money.
On the day of her first appointment, November twenty third, she says that one of many apprentices was simply beginning to tattoo another person, and by the point Mason began her tattoo, the apprentice had absolutely completed together with her consumer.
She says she arrived on the residence studio at 10 a.m. however ended up sitting there for properly over six hours earlier than beginning the tattoo.
“I’ve tattoos from different folks, and I’ve by no means in my life skilled that earlier than,” she mentioned.
She says that Selvidge solely tattooed her for a brief interval, roughly two hours, earlier than saying he was beginning to not really feel properly and wished to cease.
After cancelling on December twelfth, Selvidge continued engaged on her tattoo 5 days later earlier than stopping once more after two hours because of feeling in poor health.
Selvidge rescheduled on the consumer a number of occasions earlier than seeing her on February seventh, 2021.
The consumer says she spent extra time in her truck ready for him than in his studio, explaining that when she was allowed in his residence studio, it was a “full waste of time.”
After ready for Selvidge’s iPad to cost, he lastly began tattooing the consumer earlier than stopping once more.
When he cancelled on her once more on February thirteenth, she says she was lastly completed with him.
He informed her was having well being points and ended up within the hospital.
The consumer additionally mentions the cleanliness of Selvidge’s residence studio, believing after the apprentices left is when the circumstances received worse.
She provides that he went on-line after her second or third tattoo and made a Fb submit speaking about how he was leaving Grand Prairie as a result of everybody there “is a joke,” and nobody appreciates him.
He later claimed that he couldn’t get into his Fb or Instagram pages and used this as a purpose for why he wasn’t responding to folks.
She says he then deleted each accounts, modified his private account’s final identify and began a brand new Fb web page for his tattoos.
At one level, she says he supplied an $800 refund, however then later refused.
In reference to her tattoo, she says it wasn’t what she wished and that by the tip of all of it, the underside a part of her arm wasn’t accomplished. That is after Selvidge informed her that $1,600 would cowl the entire sleeve.
“He fought with me each single time about it,” she mentioned in regards to the content material of her tattoo.
Initially, the consumer wished to report Selvidge to the RCMP and well being board however was “so emotionally drained and upset” that she didn’t wish to take care of him anymore.
She says that it took her fairly some time to belief one other tattoo artist.
“The man who tattooed me the subsequent time, I simply informed him, I’m sorry if I’m being tremendous choosy, however I had a horrible expertise with this man, and he actually ruined it,” she concluded.
Energeticcity.ca reached out to Mason Selvidge and the native tattoo studio for a touch upon this story. Each didn’t return our messages.
Learn how to discover respected Tattoo Artist
To lower the probabilities of having a damaging tattooing expertise, Chris Nikiforuk-Rhyason, proprietor of The Sterling Cranium Studio in Grande Prairie, says to be careful for some purple flags when going to new artists or retailers.
With over 20 years within the business, Rhyason says shoppers ought to analysis the artist or store earlier than reserving an appointment.
Since there is no such thing as a regulatory board for tattoo artists, problems with ethics and morals have been a difficulty.
Rhyason says that Grande Prairie is getting over-saturated with home-based tattoo artists.
“These guys are likely to undercut one another and bid on work to the purpose that they don’t even make a greenback,” he defined.
Rhyason says to” belief your intestine.”
“In case you go and also you meet somebody they usually’re very adamant about sure issues, for those who take a look at their portfolio and their art work, it doesn’t fairly add up or measure up for you, they usually go overboard making an attempt to promote it to you, then you definitely may not wish to go there,” he defined.
Rhyason says that shoppers don’t need to go to a spot or individual that makes them uncomfortable.
“Don’t return there, as a result of there are many folks that might take [the work] on. They might love that will help you, like to make you content,” Rhyason mentioned.
“That goes for artists too really,” he added, “If an artist is at a store the place they’re feeling like they’re being compromised, there’s a lot of locations you may work. Individuals will rent you.”
In late August of final 12 months, he posted on social media about how his store has been getting a gentle stream of feminine shoppers coming in who’re involved because of experiencing a “disturbing” quantity of sexual misconduct in Grande Prairie.
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