Looks like a bad mud and tape job the textures also looks uneven

Usually issues like this, even when readily visible in person, are very difficult to reflect in amateur photos...but yours shows clear as day. To me, that indicates it is severe. I'd try to get it fixed.

Take a look at your contract and see what recourse you have in this situation. Don't let this situation drag on! :))

Not good at all! You've probably already paid, I assume.

Call them back. It's not a professional job. Hope you haven't paid yet.

Any water coming in at back left hand side?

Thanks for all the input! Yes I've already paid unfortunately. And no we have never had water come in. Now my question is, is this something that can be fixed? And if it can, I am better off letting the original business try to fix their mess first or just paying someone else to do it?

Question: Can someone just put another layer of texture on to hide the taping joints? :?

To Curt: Nope. Not in a situation this severe. Texture can hide small sins, but not one this big, unfortunately. This looks like inexperience or just plain unprofessionalism.

Unprofessionalism. Agreed!!

Remind them that if there is an arbitration clause in your contract, you will be exercising it. Report them to the BBB. Provide pictures as proof. Also, remind them that most service businesses rely heavily on word of mouth advertising and that you can show pictures of your ceiling instead of passing out their business cards. I hope you get your ceiling job fixed, but don't let them send out the same crew that botched the job in the first place.

Heard/read to many stories in newspapers and such. Will not, and cannot hire contractors without a word of mouth advertising. Do not believe in printed advertisements. And i'm not just not singling out on contractors. This also goes whom i send my car for repairs

Report bad businesses to http://www.bbb.org/

You can cover them with artificial ceiling beams, if you like the idea of having beams. Just google in "artificial ceiling beams" and there are hundreds of styles and colors with various prices.

Let us know how it turns out! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :))

Update: I left a message a week ago requesting to arrange a time for him to come back out and take a look at the ceiling but have not heard back from them. Being that the holidays are a busy time for everyone, I did not expect an immediate response. How long should I wait exactly before I call back? I have to say this business has been around our small town for quite some time and have a good reputation. Would not have expected this situation:/

I'd give him a "reminder" call tomorrow (Monday) and try to set up an appointment time on Tuesday or Thursday. Be more assertive than you were the last time!

As someone who built her own home, I was assigned mudding and taping! I mostly used a natural plaster product on walls that doesn't require perfectly mudded seams, so it worked out. I did do several ceilings and I got pretty good by the end. It looks to me (and I am on e-reader which is my excuse if I'm wrong) like at least some of the tape is "bubbling" from not being mudded/affixed correctly on the first pass, a really amateurish mistake. Is that how you see it, Rockin' Fine Finsh? So, IMO, NO, this is not normal and certainly not acceptable. Let the owner know his crew screwed up big time. You might want to get a second opinion from another plastering company to use with the original company, if he doesn't come out right away and tell you how he plans to fix it. I don't think slathering more texture over loose tape is the ticket. That way, you would know exactly what went wrong and what needs to be done, and if the first guy doesn't respond, the statement can probably be used in small claims court. You need to give the first guy a chance to fix it. Keep track of all contacts and use email if possible so you have documentation of your attempts to resolve this. Yikes. Happy New Year.

I left another message for the owner and he called back right away this time saying he didn't get the first message. He has come out to look at it and plans to come next week to put another coat of paint on it. He said if that doesn't clear it up we'll go on to plan B. I'm thankful he genuinely seems to care and is going to correct the situation. I don't think paint is going to be the answer though...

I wouldn't let him put another coat of paint on there knowing that isn't the problem. Tell him to bring Plan B, not paint. If Plan B isn't redoing his bad taping and mudding job, then repainting, tell him it's time for Plan C, which is redoing his bad taping and mudding job, then repainting. Keep us informed!

It looks as though they put on too much mud and then did not sand it well enough. They figured the textured ceiling would be fast and camouflage the poor workmanship. Painting a second coat is not going to do it.

Another coat of paint is a waste of time have him just fix it the right way reskim the seams and retexture then prime and paint

Finally had the owner back out to the house a couple weeks ago. Of course he wanted to paint... probably thinking that would be "good enough" and I would let it go. He painted while I was home and finished up without saying a word. Of course it looked exactly the same as it did before he painted. Didn't hear from him for almost 2 weeks so I called him and left a message requesting our plan B. He called me back a week later to set up a time to discuss our options. Came out to our house this morning. He said they are going to come back Monday and "do it all over again". He had somebody else with him that seemed like he knew more than he did thankfully. He also made sure to tell me that we should have just scraped the popcorn off because it would have been a lot easier and cheaper. He's so right... It took everyhing in me NOT to tell him that "anything that would have avoided this mess would have been a better option. Like you doing it right the first time. But thanks for the advice."
He's rubbing me the wrong way. I know I should have been more aggressive about not letting him even waist time with the paint. I do think he would respond differently if my husband was involved with all of it. Unfortunately he wants no part in persuing this and would be fine with me to just letting it go. And I'm NOT a confronational person at all... this has been a definite growing and learning experience!
Thank you all for the advice...even if I couldn't bring myself to be agressive as I should have been it definetly helped me keep pushing to make this right. THANK YOU!