A woman sparked a frenzy after revealing on TikTok that she paid thousands of dollars for a tattoo sketch, but was refused a refund from the artist when she decided not to go through with it.
Courtney Monteith, from Ontario, Canada, wanted a full sleeve tattoo on her arm of a fox surrounded by leaves and flowers. But all she got was a rough drawing that she said looked nothing like what she wanted and subsequently was out $2,600.
In the video posted on May 10, Monteith explained she had consulted with tattoo artist Lindsay Joseph of Lucid Tattoos, sent her examples and had agreed to upfront fees.
But when the sketch was nothing like she wanted, and the artist wanted more money to change it, ultimately denying her a refund, Monteith said she felt ripped off.
She then turned to TikTok to share her nightmare experience, with her first video receiving more than five million views that was later dubbed #tattoogate.
Courtney Monteith sparked a frenzy after revealing on TikTok that she paid $2,600 for a tattoo sketch, but was refused a refund from the artist when she decided not to go through with it
She wanted a full sleeve tattoo on her arm of a fox surrounded by leaves and flowers (above), but what she got was a rough drawing that she said looked nothing like what she wanted
Monteith told her followers that she sent Joseph two photos of what she wanted her tattoo to look like: A full body image of an orange fox surrounded by different plants or butterflies.
Joseph agreed and Monteith booked a consultation with her for a non-refundable fee of $180. During the consultation is when Joseph explained her other fees – which social media users said were red flags.
The first option was to pay $1,500 for a concept sketch to which she could request one change, a second option of $3,500 to have a few changes, or $6,000 for multiple sketches, reviews and changes, all plus tax.
Monteith settled on the first option, forking over $2,695, remaining ‘confident’ that Joseph would design a beautiful piece for her.
But things started to go wrong for Monteith when received the first sketch of the fox tattoo and it wasn’t anything like what she asked for. She told her followers that she wanted the full body of the fox like in the reference images she had provided.
Monteith turned to TikTok to share her nightmare experience, with her first video receiving more than five million views that was later dubbed #tattoogate
Lindsay Joseph of Lucid Tattoos, has since made her accounts private after reportedly getting flooded with bad reviews and death threats after the ordeal
When she emailed the artist for changes, Joseph balked pointing at the price options and the fees she had agreed on.
She explained that she would have to pay the difference between option one and option two — which was an extra $2,260.
‘She said it was my fault that I wasn’t clear that I wanted a full fox,’ Monteith said. ‘I don’t know how much clearer I could have been.’
The artist also reportedly emailed Monteith explaining that a tattoo of a full fox would’ve looked like the animal was ‘scooting when they get an itchy back end.’
A disappointed Monteith gave up on her fox tattoo and asked for a refund. To her shock, Joseph refused.
‘No. I’m not refunding you anything, I have given you options of moving forward, I have been kind, patient, and have fulfilled my duties to you this far,’ she wrote in a screenshot Monteith shared.
‘If you don’t want to move forward, that is your choice, but I’m not giving you my time, expertise, and creativity for nothing.’
When Monteith posted her story on TikTok, some social media users pointed out red flags that were apparent from the beginning.
Monteith booked a consultation with Joseph for a non-refundable fee of $180 and then Joseph explained her other fees – which social media users said were red flags
Tattoo artists, including award-winning tattoo artist Matt Vaught, have reached out to Monteith offering to ‘make things right’ by designing and tattooing Monteith.
‘I’m 70% covered in ink,’ one person wrote. ‘I’ve never had an artist charge for a concept or a consultation. RUUUUN!!’
There was also backlash against the tattoo artist as people flooded Google with bad reviews.
Joseph, who set her social media accounts to private, told Insider that she had also received death threats because of the ordeal, including messages ‘telling me my children should die, my mother should get cancer, the list goes on.’
Several other people shared similar experiences across the country as part of the hashtag #tattoogate.
Tattoo artists, including award-winning tattoo artist Matt Vaught, have reached out to Monteith offering to ‘make things right’ by designing and tattooing Monteith.
Monteith told Insider that she knew Vaught was going to do an ‘incredible job’ on her tattoo.
‘I’m overwhelmed by everything,’ she said.
‘But I’ll keep posting my journey on my TikTok page so everyone who has been so supportive will get to see the amazing tattoo I had hoped for.’
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