SqueakLatex 'No Longer Operating'

19 posts / 0 new

Sun, 11/26/2017 - 17:19

datot

I saw this a few weeks ago and was a bit surprised nobody had mentioned it up until now, so thought I would.

Very sad to see this - I know Squeak did try and sell the business, but evidently had no success, so has decided to shut down.

It says "no longer operating at this time" which gives some hope it might be temporary, but it doesn't look all that hopeful.

Shame, too, as Squeak was active on here (under the name 'blowup_boy') but hasn't posted in over a year but was very much 'one of us' as opposed to a faceless Chinese company selling cheap knock-offs.

I was intending to buy something from there in the next few months, so really disappointed - had lost count of the number of people who'd recommended Squeak as some of the other manufacturers were apparently awful (though I've had no personal experience of any of them).

Just thought I'd mention it in case others hadn't heard.

Sun, 11/26/2017 - 18:39

BttrfliesNHurricanes (not verified)

Good fucking riddance I’m glad to see that fucking thief go. Hopefully someone not as unprofessional as him takes his place. Took ages to respond to emails and didn’t have shipping details for $1000 “lost shipments”. Fuck him.

Mon, 11/27/2017 - 05:01

(Reply to #2) #3

datot

Wow. Sorry to read that. What happened?

Sun, 11/26/2017 - 19:45

Margeret Moonlught

Rest in spaghetti, Never forgetti.

BI.org’s very own metamorphic incomprehensible memetic fractal entity

Wed, 11/29/2017 - 03:36

(Reply to #3) #5

Lopni

BANG FRIDAY

50% off all helium you&Co are able to contain, and more! Strictly NO POPPING event!

No human* has ever popped, no one has ever been harmed** on our events since XXXX BC

Free clothes on exit in case you rip yours (unless otherwise arranged for)

Bring a friend, get a bonus!

Edit: Still, it's a pity Blowupboy sold his company and I hope he returns to the forum some day ^_^ Friends like ACG told me only good things about his tedious quality

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 19:23

(Reply to #7) #6

Another Canadian Guy

Good things at the time, Lopni. Unfortunately, his customer service went to sh*t along with his products a couple years ago, and he's done some pretty slimy things to friends of mine, like hold onto someones already delayed suit for a couple of months (to which it also had a stain).

(Not on here too often, replies might be slow.)

Mon, 11/27/2017 - 01:30

kidquetzal

Might have a line on a company that does good work. Ill see how it goes. Unfortunately however, there would be nothing stopping a venture with them encountering the very same problems that Squeaks owner had.

Mon, 11/27/2017 - 05:03

(Reply to #4) #8

datot

Please keep us informed! I'd be very interested in finding out more.

Sun, 12/03/2017 - 00:11

danielsangeo

As Squeak Latex is no longer operating in its previous form, I feel a bit more free to tell you all my experience. I would like to preface this by saying I have no animosity and I do not mean for it to sound like I'm being disrespectful. I am simpy going to relay my experience with Squeak Latex, and I'm going to be 100% honest:

I was in the market for a custom-made inflatable suit. I wanted what I call an "inflatable pregnancy suit". It would have separate inflatable chambers for the breasts, the belly, the butt and the hips. I created some rough design images showing what the suit would look like inflated. I also demonstrated that I wanted the inflation valves on the inside of the suit and for the inflation valves to be on the bottoms of the chambers so I could snake the inflation tubes down the leg of the suit, allowing gravity to work with me to keep things in place while I don the suit. I stressed that I want the inflation valves on the bottoms of the chambers.

I saw that a company named Squeak Latex had produced suits for a commercial so if the company felt like Squeak Latex was a good supplier, they'd be good for me.

I communicated my design ideas with Squeak Latex and I was assured that it could be done. We agreed on a price and I paid the money, expressing my desire to "not rush things". I wanted quality work and didn't want Squeak Latex to feel under pressure.

Two months pass without a single email. No problem. Custom-work takes time. Again, not in a rush. Six months pass. No communication. Ten months pass. Still no communication. I send out an email. No response. A full year has passed since I sent the money with nothing. I email again. No response. 14 months after I sent the money, I email again. I receive a response saying that it's "coming soon". I apologize and thanked Squeak Latex.

18 months later, still no news. I go onto Bodyinflation.org to see if I can get some kind of response. I got a near immediate response from Squeak Latex.

I go back and forth like this (with intermittent and sporadic "it's almost done!" type emails, but only a couple) until two years (TWO! YEARS!) after I sent the money, I finally get word that it's completed and will be sent out. A month later, it was sent out. I received a tracking number.

When I received the suit, the quality of the work was great, however the inflation tubes were at the top of the chambers, not the bottoms as I specifically asked for. To date, I have not yet been able to put the suit and inflate it as I wanted. I expressed this to Squeak Latex who said they thought it was "better" to have them coming out the top so they made an executive decision to go against my wishes and put them on top (without telling me they were going to do this). I then replied that I was dissastified with the results. No response.

I kept quiet because it was a good lesson learned. Some time passes. I purchase two inflatable suits from Latex Catfish and they were both communicative and responsive to my posts. They were made according to my specifications, done very quickly (within 2 months) and I was happy with my purchases (I hope to purchase from them again in the future).

But I am again in the market for another custom-made inflatable suit. I was pointed to Scaleworx as a possibility. I then post a message to bodyinflation.org asking if anyone has had experience with Scaleworx as a company. I get a response from Squeak Latex in May of this year saying that they are a distributor for Latex Catfish. Squeak Latex also suggested that they could produce a custom suit for me. I responded back again expressing my dissatisfaction with what I received. No response again.

Now it seems that Squeak Latex has closed up shop, but hopes to return eventually.

I hope they'll iron out their issues if they do return. The main number one issue I had, however, is a near complete lack of communication from Squeak Latex. From six months in to nearly two years in, I almost felt like that money was stolen from me. I was completely in the dark as to what was going on.

If they return as a company, they need to work out their problems with communicating with their customers.

Sun, 12/03/2017 - 03:07

(Reply to #8) #10

Margeret Moonlught

This was a shockingly emotional read.

BI.org’s very own metamorphic incomprehensible memetic fractal entity

Fri, 12/22/2017 - 16:55

(Reply to #8) #11

datot

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience but appreciate your honesty in sharing. I’d made the decision to use SwueakLatex after hearing good reviews about his products on here (though several had mentioned the communication issues) and the fact that alternatives were few and far between, with most branded as “cheap Chinese knock-offs” which were of very poor quality. I’d be interested to hear of your other experiences in using any other suppliers.

Sun, 12/03/2017 - 09:58

#12

Pskunkman001

So where's the link that it actually shut down?

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 18:17

(Reply to #10) #13

Wren

Pskunkman001, just go to squeaklatex.com and you will see the message about them not currently operating.

I had some good experiences from Squeak Latex, but after his manufacturer skipped town with unfulfilled orders, it seemed like he never fully recovered. The biggest plus with the company was that it was run by an inflation fetishist who knew how to design suits. I think it's probably a hard business to be in though. If he made all the suits himself they would probably be too expensive for most people to buy, and risky if a customer stiffed him. Using a manufacturer probably helps keep the price down for mass construction, but the manufacturer can also screw everyone over, either with quality, construction time, or other issues.

As Daniel mentioned, email didn't seem to be the best way to contact him, either. Even when I was a satisfied customer, I noticed that he didn't always respond quickly to emails but then I would see him active in this forum or on Twitter or FurAffinity, and you could get a faster response from him that way.

Also, he seemed obsessed with people "stealing" his designs. That time Taylor's blueberry suit popped and she got a replacement from some other company, he was pissed that she would use Squeak's jacket (the one with the buttons that pop open) with another manufacturer's suit. I also don't think he liked that I was wearing the Coco hood with another manufacturer's suit, even though Coco is my character to begin with and the other suit was an off-the-rack design, not a copy of his work. That was the last straw for me to not want to deal with him any more. Not good customer service to make unfounded accusations, especially since I'm pretty sure Coco helped attract customers for him.

About Latex Catfish, I've actually had good experiences with them recently. They're faster than they used to be (though occasionally they take longer than usual, them being more responsive to emails these days helps make up for it). They seem to have more than one person responding. One of their contacts, Helena Chan, as far as I can tell is actually a friendly Russian fellow who seems like he might have something to do with their more recent bizarre inflatable muscle designs, like the big red muscle devil thing with the huge legs that they just added to their catalog in the last week or two. My more recent purchases seem to use better quality latex than stuff I've gotten from them in the past (doesn't have a weird smell). They also seem to be in the habit of putting a shine on the outside of the suits now (even though I never request it). I'm pretty satisfied with their company these days (of course, I probably just jinxed a future order to go horribly wrong by saying that).

Please visit my Body Inflation Fetish Fantasy Clip Store:

http://clips4sale.com/studio/52559

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 19:29

#14

Another Canadian Guy

Go with Latex Catfish. Their quality has gone up by a lot in the past couple of years, they're responsive and they charge a good price for what you get.

(Not on here too often, replies might be slow.)

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 19:51

(Reply to #13) #15

danielsangeo

I really have no complaints whatsoever with Latex Catfish so far over the two suits I've bought from them. :)

Fri, 12/08/2017 - 04:49

#16

PuffyMan

I was actually considering buying a spherical inflation suit from them, as they had the only one I could find. Anyone got any advice on where I can find another?

Fri, 12/22/2017 - 10:10

#17

datot

I’d be interested to know, too, as that was what I had wanted to buy from SqueakLatex. I’ve seen this on Alibaba (https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Hongyi-Latest-Design-Inflatable-Ball-Suit_60584042463.html) but no idea if it’s any good or if the company is reputable. I’d rather like the peace of mind it’s not going to pop or spring a leak the first time I use it if I’m going to be parting with hundreds of my hard-earned cash.

Anybody got any info?

Sun, 12/24/2017 - 05:16

#18

deleted_20180328 (not verified)

Hongyi are fairly reputable yes. Though all they do is PVC and they are really expensive. If you want a rubber one I can recommend Sealwear in the UK or try latexcatfish.

Mon, 02/19/2018 - 15:43

#19

simballoon

Hey, sorry to resurrect a dead thread but since squeaklatex dot com doesn't appear to exist anymore, here's an FA journal that explains things from his perspective: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8320146/

I don't know what the website message said or if that journal is just a copy of what was on the site.

For what it's worth, before Squeak Latex, he did fur suits, and honestly (and this has been ten years ago or so by now) I remember hearing a lot of the same grumbling about his non-communication, execessive delays, yada yada back then. I'm frankly a bit surprised that this current suitmaking enterprise lasted as long as it did. He moved the the U.S. a year or two ago and I would certainly think that running a business like that and moving literally halfway around the world would be impossible for most people.

SqueakLatex 'No Longer Operating'

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