i manage an art site and the artist wants to know if the art work is created for the client specifically and then when it arrives they don't like it, do they legally have to give them a refund?
The answer is that it depends on the contract agreed to between the artist and the buyer. So, hopefully, there's a written agreement that specifies the work to be created (ie: artist will paint a street scene in a realistic manner depicting a street cafe with people sitting at outdoor tables, eating and talking...) and the refund policy (ie: as this work of art is commissioned to the specifications of the buyer, the buyer agrees that the purchase of this work is "as is" and may not meet the expectations of the buyer... that refunds would only be granted in the event that the art doesn't meet the exact specifications provided to the artist). In other words, you eliminate the "just don't like it" ability and make a refund possible only if the artist doesn't do as the client really asked. This is, of course, quite tricky... and a reason why many artists don't work on this type of basis anymore. In fact, the association for graphic design professionals actually "prohibits" this type of "speculative" work - so as to try to protect their members from unhappy (and nonpaying) clients. Perhaps another way to tackle this issue would be to allow some sort of review/revision feature, where the artist periodically takes a digital photograph of the art in progress for the client to see... and thus provide feedback on. That way, the artist isn't having to go from concept to finished work without such feedback. Or, require what a lot of copyshops and design houses require... sign-off on a mockup sketch of what the finished product would look like. But overall, it's going to come down to what the contract says is possible or is prevented. Good luck! ~Jeff