AleForce1
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2013
- Messages
- 116
- Reaction score
- 35
I've backed three different Kickstarter Campaigns related to Homebrew, and would like to share my experience.
Kickstarter Campaigner - A person or company that is in need of backers to produce a product.
Kickstarter Backer - A person who supports the campaign with their money in return for a product.
Campaign Deadlines
The Kickstarter Campaigner creates unattainable deadlines for themselves and then the KS backers are ignored when trying to find out about the status of their stuff.
Communication
After the Kickstarter Campaigner has received the money, communication is very sparse. KS Backers comment on the KS site, but is usually not replied to by the KS campaigner.
KS Backers have to search thru other social media outlets for information beyond kickstarter updates & comments by finding twitter or facebook communication by the "campaigner"
Not Focused on their Promise to Backers
Before you even get your product the Kickstarter Campaigner starts "focusing" on selling their product on their own website to new potential buyers, when they should be focused on taking care of the backers of their project.
Bait & Switch/False Marketing
Kickstarter Campaigner market their project with special features and abilities, but change key elements prior to fulfilling the product. The backer has no recourse since the time the credit card has been charged and by the time the change comes to their attention the kickstarter backer cannot create a credit card dispute.
They create add-ons during their campaign that should be part of the original product.
"It will be shipping Next Week"
When it comes to fulfillment, they can't handle getting the product out fast enough. They make it worse by telling everyone it'll be shipping "next week"... and repeating that every few days and before you know it months have passed...
A recent WSJ article on Crowdfunding is an interesting read: http://online.wsj.com/articles/should-crowdfunding-sites-do-more-to-vet-projects-1416942266
I will share some more details about the 3 Kickstarter campaigns (Beer Bug, Bru-Gear, and BrewNany) that I supported, but wanted to see what other HBtalkers that have used Kickstarter experiences are.
Kickstarter Campaigner - A person or company that is in need of backers to produce a product.
Kickstarter Backer - A person who supports the campaign with their money in return for a product.
Campaign Deadlines
The Kickstarter Campaigner creates unattainable deadlines for themselves and then the KS backers are ignored when trying to find out about the status of their stuff.
Communication
After the Kickstarter Campaigner has received the money, communication is very sparse. KS Backers comment on the KS site, but is usually not replied to by the KS campaigner.
KS Backers have to search thru other social media outlets for information beyond kickstarter updates & comments by finding twitter or facebook communication by the "campaigner"
Not Focused on their Promise to Backers
Before you even get your product the Kickstarter Campaigner starts "focusing" on selling their product on their own website to new potential buyers, when they should be focused on taking care of the backers of their project.
Bait & Switch/False Marketing
Kickstarter Campaigner market their project with special features and abilities, but change key elements prior to fulfilling the product. The backer has no recourse since the time the credit card has been charged and by the time the change comes to their attention the kickstarter backer cannot create a credit card dispute.
They create add-ons during their campaign that should be part of the original product.
"It will be shipping Next Week"
When it comes to fulfillment, they can't handle getting the product out fast enough. They make it worse by telling everyone it'll be shipping "next week"... and repeating that every few days and before you know it months have passed...
A recent WSJ article on Crowdfunding is an interesting read: http://online.wsj.com/articles/should-crowdfunding-sites-do-more-to-vet-projects-1416942266
I will share some more details about the 3 Kickstarter campaigns (Beer Bug, Bru-Gear, and BrewNany) that I supported, but wanted to see what other HBtalkers that have used Kickstarter experiences are.