If you’ve ever gotten a tattoo, you know it can be a painful experience, but for one woman, the pain began before she even got to the chair.
Courtney Monteith (@running_mom_of_boys) went viral on TikTok over the weekend when she shared a story about how she reached out to one of her favorite tattoo artists about getting a fox tattoo and it went horribly wrong. First, the tattoo artist, who Monteith wouldn’t name, charged her $180, a non-refundable fee for her initial consultation. Monteith described what she wanted: a fox in motion, with some flowers.
At the end of consultation, the artist informed Monteith of her tiered pricing plan. For $1,500, she could get a concept sketch and make one small change. For $3,500, she could get two sketches and make a few changes. For $6,000, she could get a few sketches, multiple changes, and a canvas of the concept sketch. None of these fees, however, included the actual tattoo.
Monteith admits that she should have backed out, but she had already spent the $180 and loved the artist, so she went with the cheapest option. Monteith said that what she got in return was a concept sketch that was nothing like what she wanted. Not only did she not get a tattoo from this artist, but when she went back to the artist to note that it wasn’t what she wanted, the artist tried to get more money from her to draw a new fox.
After sharing her story in several parts, TikTok did what TikTok does: went wild. And so began #TattooGate, with TikTok users finding the tattoo artist, sharing similar stories, and offering condolences to Monteith. When she shared the sketch on TikTok, other tattoo artists jumped in to say that this pricing plan was a grift and some claimed the sketch was traced.
The story looks to have a happy ending, though. Monteith says that a number of people have reached out to her about giving her a tattoo that she actually wants. One tattoo artist in particular, Matt Vaught, worked with some of his sponsors and is gifting Monteith a trip to Los Angeles, so she can get the fox tattoo of her dreams. He made the offer via TikTok duet on Mother’s Day, and will do the work for free. While the tattoo will be free, Monteith wants to pay if forward by making a donation to a fox rescue. A win for everyone … except that original tattoo artist.
