So, a bit conflicted here. I got a second tattoo from this artist in my city, decently known in the circuit and a pleasant person throughout. In our community here, it’s usually an unsaid thing that the artist will not charge you for a touch up if it’s their own work. I’ve had tattoos for 20 odd years now and it’s been the thing.

About two months ago I got a tattoo from this really sweet guy who’s done one more before for me. This time when i went to pay up for the tattoo after getting it done, I asked him for the charges, he quoted two figures and said it was my call, I said you tell me I’ll pay. Then he said, that the higher amount is to ensure that all touch ups are on him and not me. Found it weird but being in a similar industry I thought I should be supportive and paid up.

During the after care period my tattoo got a bit damaged and throughout the interval I was constantly in touch with him and updating him with pictures and descriptions which he himself kept asking me for. He reassured me very sweetly that he’ll fix it once it’s healed. Around eight weeks later we fixed up an appointment for me to go in and get it fixed, we texted about getting coffee and breakfast for each other, and everything was awesome.

Got the touch up, he was happily surprised that it didn’t entail as much work as he envisioned. Then we finished up and I left.

Once I left, he started texting me that he needs to charge me for this session and that he forgot to say it to my face.

I am stumped.

I don’t do well with confrontations so I haven’t replied in the past 24hrs since his texts started because I’m not sure what is the right thing to do here. He even called saying I want to guide you through the after care and also asked me to check my texts. I said i was busy because I really was and also because I’m super unsure.

The first time around my brother had been there with me and I called him last evening to seek his view point. He was busy but after a brief summation of the situation he said I should not pay, that the artist took the initial charges under specific terms and he’s violating them. I tried to present the argument that maybe he feels that there was too much work and so he feels he should be paid, but my brother countered that the guy should have clarified this before starting the touch up work.

Honestly, that does make sense.

I appreciate it if he feels that it took more work and time that he envisioned but then he should have said it upfront before or during the process. Now he’s again texting me to respond to his request for payment and I’m very uneasy with the whole thing.

My nature is to ostrich hard when faced with the possibility of confrontations and I’m avoiding his texts right now.

So, AITA for being uneasy with being coerced to pay for something that I was told I had already paid for?