Cards by Artkive

In 2022, I received an Artkive box from my neighbor as a gift. I sent int the box with my daughter’s artwork a few months later. Having received nothing in the six months that followed, no communication whatsoever, I followed up with Artkive on Instagram on October 6, 2023 to inquire about the book of my daughter’s drawings. After some back and forth with their customer team, they said they found my daughter’s artwork and sent me a link to pay for it. I was confused because my neighbor had purchased it for me as a gift. I asked the customer service team why I was being asked to pay for it. They let me know about the 1st and 2nd payment process, which I was unaware of. With this new information, I asked to have the book returned and to cancel my order. At no time did I ever see a proof of my book or have any visual confirmation that it had been prepared. Also, had I not originally reached out to check on it, I may have never heard or received the book. Six months is not a reasonable amount of time to wait for this type of product. I told the customer service agent, Frannie, on October 12, 2023, that I did not wish to proceed with the book because of the exorbitantly high and unexpected cost. I was notified a few days later that they were preparing my box for return. Several weeks passed and I did not receive any notification that it had been shipped, so I followed up again. This is my only child’s artwork, and the lack of communication about its shipping status was unacceptable. After that follow up, I received no communication, but the box with my daughter’s artwork was eventually returned. I assumed that my business with Artkive was concluded. However, last week, I received a letter from their customer service team with a $125 charge and a notice that if I do not pay, it will go into a process of collections. This is for the digital editing work, per their team’s email explanation. I have never received a proof of the book or any evidence that they even photographed my daughter's artwork. I should not be charged for a service I cannot confirm that I received. I was never aware of the cost for this (because this box was originally gifted to me), and even when I went to their website today, it doesn’t have this fee listed. It only vaguely says “Cost of photography/editing, books, and/or mosaics not included.” There is no price listed for this. Since I was gifted this Artkive box originally, I had no idea of the cost. Today, they said if I paid $89 by the end of the day, they would not send it to collections. This did not include any evidence that the artwork had been photographed. Also, I do not know how they arrived at the $125 charge or the $89 charge. This pricing is not listed on their website. The entire process of waiting over 6 months for the book, then being charged an exorbitant amount, and then going back and forth with their team has been miserable, and been very painful for me to deal with. I am not the only one as I have observed on their Instagram. Others have complained about their lack of transparency in pricing, and they simply delete the comments or respond rudely on Instagram. I believe with cost transparency this could be a business that parents want to engage with, but not only did they almost lose my daughter’s artwork, now I am being charged for something I have not received. If they photographed my daughter’s artwork and I have to pay for that, shouldn’t I be entitled to those photographs at a minimum?