The woman who was let down in TikTok's TattooGate finally got her fox tattoo thanks to the saga going viral

• Courtney Monteith turned to TikTok when she ended up thousands out of pocket with no tattoo.
• The saga, now known as TattooGate, captivated the internet, and Monteith was offered free designs.

A woman whose disappointing run-in with a tattoo artists sparked a viral frenzy on TikTok finally got the tattoo of her dreams.

Courtney Monteith posted a series of TikToks in May, now known as TattooGate, where she explained how she'd been left thousands out of pocket by a Lindsay Joseph, a tattoo artist in Ontario, Canada.

She said Joseph charged her a hefty fee for a design which wasn't what Monteith wanted, then asked for thousand of dollars more to make changes.

After Monteith shared her story, she was inundated with artists sending her their own designs, and offers to tattoo her sleeve for free. Monteith ended up taking up the offer from artist Matt Vaught who flew her out to Newport Beach, California, this week.

Monteith had planned on getting a full sleeve of the fox surrounded by leaves and flowers tattooed on her arm. She had requested the services of Joseph at her studio, Lucid Tattoos, because she was a fan of her work. However, due to convoluted terms and conditions, and excessive fees to change the initial design, Monteith did not receive a tattoo, despite spending $2,600 overall.

The dispute captivated people on TikTok, with Monteith's videos amassing millions of views. It followed a similar pattern to other customer disputes which went viral on TikTok, including stories about a disappointing birthday cake and a $200 plastic cup.

Monteith told Insider at the time she did not expect to get anything for free when she shared her story.

"I was just posting my experience for my friends to see. I had less than 200 followers," she said. "I had no idea that people would rally around my experience."

Monteith said Vaught, who has 1.2 million TikTok followers, was donating his time for free. She said she loved his work and knew he would do "an incredible job."

"I'm overwhelmed by everything but I'll keep posting my journey on my TikTok page so everyone who has been so supportive will get to see the amazing tattoo I had hoped for," she said.

Monteith kept to her word and documented her travels to California. She showed off her new fox sleeve, captioning the video: "A happy ending!"

Vaught also posted a TikTok of Monteith's arrival at his studio, saying it was "the happy conclusion" to TattooGate. With so many people watching, he said, "the pressure was on to not disappoint."

"And I am ecstatic to say, that I believe we made it happen!" he said. "Tears and laughs were shared! Trust was restored. And the power of good, prevailed over evil. At least that's how it felt."