maboo

Just heard back from the guy, and he admitted to screwed up the time,and credited my account for $220. He apologized profusely. 

el twe,
I am. He did mention "Ill knock a few dollars off cause of all the breaks". So he did seem aware of the issue before I said something. Maybe he had something personal going on, and was having a real hard time with it. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the situation, since his apology seemed very legit. He even said in the email that he did bring it up to the shop owner so everyone knows the situation.
I wouldn't go public (Yelp, Facebook Reviews, etc) until I at least gave them the opportunity to correct it. That would probably guarantee that I wouldn't get a credit/money back! I do understand that it was a bad experience with that one artist, and not all artist at that shop are that way, and would have just considered changing artist had the manager be willing to work with me.
 

Hello! 
I stumbled across this site trying to look up the different ways of healing for the leg (the back of my knee is healing a little differently than the rest of my sessions have so far) and decided to sign up! 
Here's my piece so far!
 

post up a picture of the overpriced tattoo for reference.
Time to prep the stencil and area, setup machines, pour ink, etc, i don't count setup as tattoo time. Take all afternoon to get the stencil placement perfect if that's what it takes. I start my clock when the first line is pulled and stop the clock when you call the sesh and the machine gets put down. 
I don't think I've ever been hosed on price. In fact most tattooists did me a solid and round down. I have however witnessed peopled getting the ol' round up, and usually it doesn't surprise me in the context of those situations. All that said, you were likely overcharged and then you left a tip. Suck it up as a couple hundo lesson-learned and move on. 

so you paid for his lunch break? on what planet?
generally it sounds like he milked the time, but quicker breaks (5-8 minutes every hour) is totally fine (and needed for the canvas!).
not sure what I'd say, but you're paying for him to eat lunch. that's not how capitalism works.

not that I love capitalism, mind you.

right, I mean, that's some bulllllshit

You feel you were overcharged by $200, but you left a $100 tip??
That'll teach him ... NOT
1 hour prep, 30 minutes lunch, 15 minute break each hour, I'd look for another artist. I don't want to sit for 6 hours to get four hours worth of tattooing. Also, every time he takes a break, you have to get into the zone again. My guy usually goes about 2 hours between breaks.
 

IMO, a 15 minute smoke break every hour is excessive... If you like his work and want to continue working with him, I'd find a way to say something. It's not like you don't want to pay for his time. Like @Hogrider, said it also means that you have to get back to your happy place. Express your concerns in a nice way. Every two hours should be sufficient. :)

I've had both of my shoulders done and I just about slept through it. Sounds like it may be time to move on.

My artist always deducts all prep time, his lunch break and throws in some time for free. I have an established relationship and tip well. I need to stretch once an hour or so and dont mind when he needs a break. I understand his need for margin. He delivers an outstanding customer experience. 
Quality of work is very important. The customer experience is also important. It works both ways. Simple communication helps both expectations.
 
If your artist is not delivering the same type service...I would look else where. 

It could have been an honest math mistake at the end of a long day. If you like his work, then by all means continue. All the matters is if you're happy. Tattoos do cost whatever you're willing to pay for them.
But it sounds like he's slow, painful and wasn't really respectful of your time/money - this of course is just from reading your responses on the internetz and we don't know the whole context...but the tattoo won't lie. Did it turn out awesome? Healing well? 
Red flag if you're second guessing whether or not you got the hustle. If you left with a sour taste why go back? maybe i'm just confused. or tattoo-naive because my experiences have been all good. 
Tattoos fade, the experience is permanent. Good luck 

you figured it out, good stuff !
i like positive outcomes, especially when it's tattoo related.

well that worked out!

el twe,
I am. He did mention "Ill knock a few dollars off cause of all the breaks". So he did seem aware of the issue before I said something. Maybe he had something personal going on, and was having a real hard time with it. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the situation, since his apology seemed very legit. He even said in the email that he did bring it up to the shop owner so everyone knows the situation.
I wouldn't go public (Yelp, Facebook Reviews, etc) until I at least gave them the opportunity to correct it. That would probably guarantee that I wouldn't get a credit/money back! I do understand that it was a bad experience with that one artist, and not all artist at that shop are that way, and would have just considered changing artist had the manager be willing to work with me.
 

Just heard back from the guy, and he admitted to screwed up the time,and credited my account for $220. He apologized profusely. 

Glad to hear this one had a happy ending.  As a business owner myself, I'm always happy to hear about things like this being solved in person, rather than online (not a dig against you/this thread, just thinking about the beast that is Yelp...).  Do you plan to continue with the same artist?  It sounds like he's a reasonable person, and would be open to your requests re: fewer smoke breaks. 

Just heard back from the guy, and he admitted to screwed up the time,and credited my account for $220. He apologized profusely. 

Just heard back from the guy, and he admitted to screwed up the time,and credited my account for $220. He apologized profusely. 

Just heard back from the guy, and he admitted to screwed up the time,and credited my account for $220. He apologized profusely. 

It was 645PM when we stopped, maybe he thought it was 845PM...