So yeah...

I haven't been around much and I have a reason. Looking back it's probably not a good one as it was only affecting me but because of it I just haven't felt like blogging.

You see, on May 26th I paid a fellow book blogger $50 for a premade layout. Now that's not a lot of money but as I don't generally spend any money on my blog (I prefer to save it to spend on the actual books) it was kind of a big blog purchase for me. I chose this designer because of her work on a few other book blogger's blogs, one of which is very popular and since she did her site I felt she must be semi-trustworthy. Boy was I wrong.

The premade layout, which to me means that for the most part the layout is already done, was said to take only two weeks to complete. So I paid her in good faith. Two weeks go by and nothing. As a hint I email her about some images, presumably of these fabled premade layouts that I'd like to look at when possible, hoping it will remind her of our transaction and in response I get a very curt reply that she has other clients to take care of first. But I'm a client right? And I was given a time frame correct? OK so time goes by.....three months go by and I get an apologetic email about how she's over booked herself (I've gotten this email a few times) and blah blah blah here is a header. A header that is a hastily thrown together jumbled photoshop MESS that looks NOTHING like this designer's work which has always been lovely. Three months mind you. I inform her that the header is not exactly my style. Two weeks go by...and nothing. Finally I'm long passed being understanding and I'm frankly irritated because I've basically been screwed. It just took her THREE months to do it.

So I ask for a refund and she promises one by Friday....last Friday. It's now Thursday and I've been told that she will pay me when she pays me.

Yup.

All of this has left me really not wanting to have anything to do with my blog, which is wrong because I love it. What I really want to do is name the scam artist who is doing this to me because I would never want this to happen to any of you. But I have taken the high road throughout all of this and I'm trying to stay with it.

What I did in the meantime is pay another designer for a layout. A beautiful one that was delivered yesterday after ONE WEEK and I'm kicking myself for not using her first because her designs were exactly what I was looking for. I'll give her credit when I post the layout because I don't want someone wonderful to have to share a post with someone who is an unprofessional, unscrupulous, lying cheat. :)

The offender has just announced that she will no longer except design requests from bloggers because of the amount of work that goes into them. What work? She didn't have to lift a finger for mine and she still has my money. Just be cautious of who you deal with lovelies.

ANYWAY. I'll sit down this weekend and put up my beautiful new layout and post all the things piling up in my drafts and get on with it.

Thanks for letting me vent :)