BrewNanny - What do you think?

[cryhav0c]

I figure I'm just out $250.00. I'll get involved in a class action or something. Also, I'm from the south and been meaning to ride up north. Got a couple of good ole boyz with ice chests, pickup's and you know what's, just itchin for somethin to do. Seriously though, I wonder why someone hasn't knocked on their door and asked "what's up?". There must be someone nearby that can do that and post the results.

 

[Helloworld]

I figure I'm just out $250.00. I'll get involved in a class action or something. Also, I'm from the south and been meaning to ride up north. Got a couple of good ole boyz with ice chests, pickup's and you know what's, just itchin for somethin to do. Seriously though, I wonder why someone hasn't knocked on their door and asked "what's up?". There must be someone nearby that can do that and post the results.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

-Ghandi

 

[cryhav0c]

Funny. Great thinker. Doesn't necessarily make it applicable however.

 

[bondra76]

anyone called? Lyons Lab number is (413) 346-1110

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

anyone called? Lyons Lab number is (413) 346-1110

Let us know if you get ahold of anyone... I've talked to a few people who have called and talked to them. He'll talk briefly to people but never get back to them - just like on KickStarter, Facebook or the BrewNanny.com page.

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

from KS page today https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lyonslabs/brewnanny-home-brew-monitor/comments ...

"So, after digging around, I found something very interesting... Apparently Gary hasn't been paying his rent for his space at MASS MoCA and the relestate agent at MoCA, can't get a hold of him; labs there with gear, but in his words "Looks like no one has used it in quite some time"... This is ridiculous.. If it's something serious like a health issue, I hope he's ok, but if he's not, well, there are some choice words... regardless, I already put in a credit dispute with my credit card company, because I can't get a hold of him, he hasn't responded and well, I hope he gets prosecuted if he indeed ran off with our money to the fullest extend of the law."

"Gary, I've left requests for updates on your page (since you specifically told us that was the ONLY medium you will entertain questions) and no answer.. Seriously, just tell us whats going on, Funded Apr 2014, notified SHIPPED Nov 2014, its 8 months later and not a single word... I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm going to get my CC involved and report a fraud with the BBB and with the state of Massachusetts..."

The BrewNanny Facebook page and even the BrewNanny.com Support page is all crickets.... Hopefully everyone that is protected by their credit cards can get their money back now.

 

[Homercidal]

Gary's latest project = Wifi enabled bullet proof vest with vital sign logging...

 

[invictusbrew]

Gary's latest project = Wifi enabled bullet proof vest with vital sign logging...

Leaked image of the prototype!

 

[Homercidal]

He's a Master, Chiefly in scamming people.

 

[YeastMode]

I am not in the purchaser camp, so I have no stake in this fight aside from the empathy I have for my fellow enthusiasts. Has anyone considered filing a complaint (and following up) with the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Division? Its somewhat of a long shot, but it something. He has an alternative corporation, BTW, just do a basic search on the Massachusetts corporation registry and you can find it.

Anyway, for those so inclined, here is the link. I am sure if they get a dozen or so of these complaints in a close proximity, it will get someone's attention. It goes without saying, but just in case, only those who actually paid for one of these and have not received the unit should file a complaint.

http://www.mass.gov/ago/bureaus/public-protection-and-advocacy/the-consumer-protection-division/

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

He's a Master, Chiefly in scamming people.

Who the heck would go into business with this idiot?

From the KS page posted on 7/12:

We posted a while back that we were going to start sales of the BrewNanny Base model at some point this summer before all of the Kickstarter Rewards were shipped. We have decided to pivot at this point and will not be offering units for sale at this time. We are committed to fulfilling the Kickstarter Rewards to backers and will continue to ship rewards before offering the product to the general public. Currently we are in talks with several parties to take equity stakes in the parent company Lyons Labs LLC. We feel that having a stronger financial base will allow us to expand our production facilities, staff and equipment and get product out at a faster rate. We are also very excited about several new products we will be introducing and feel that having new equity partners will allow us to move forward faster. In general, we are still up and kicking, building BrewNannys and committed to fulfilling our Kickstarter Rewards to you who have been so kind and patient backing the project.

Gary Lyons CEO

Lyons Labs LLC

 

[geoffey]

Who the heck would go into business with this idiot?

From the KS page posted on 7/12:

We posted a while back that we were going to start sales of the BrewNanny Base model at some point this summer before all of the Kickstarter Rewards were shipped. We have decided to pivot at this point and will not be offering units for sale at this time. We are committed to fulfilling the Kickstarter Rewards to backers and will continue to ship rewards before offering the product to the general public. Currently we are in talks with several parties to take equity stakes in the parent company Lyons Labs LLC. We feel that having a stronger financial base will allow us to expand our production facilities, staff and equipment and get product out at a faster rate. We are also very excited about several new products we will be introducing and feel that having new equity partners will allow us to move forward faster. In general, we are still up and kicking, building BrewNannys and committed to fulfilling our Kickstarter Rewards to you who have been so kind and patient backing the project.

Gary Lyons CEO

Lyons Labs LLC

So is he only fulfilling kickstarter rewards to those "who have been so kind and patient"? I wonder if anyone that's "complained" has been kicked to the bottom of the list? Or off completely?

Still strange that they've been building and shipping rewards since November but no backer on Kickstarter has chimed to to say they've received theirs or report on performance...

 

[Snowden]

The bull**** train keeps rolling on...

 

[Homercidal]

The kickstarter was supposed to allow them production capabilities. The LEAST they could do is to ship the promised kickstarter units (like MONTHS AGO) THEN use that as proof of concept for equity investment.

I almost feel as though they want to snag some sucker to invest BEFORE they actually build units to ship.

You know, so they can get that $$ before anyone can see how utterly FAIL this is.

You are right: the Bullsht train keeps rolling along.

 

[texwake]

Wow I can't believe this is still happening. This guy is remarkable.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Yikes! After reading through the pages and pages of complaints concerning the BrewNanny start up, I can see why everyone would be pissed off. Guy sounds like a world class con artist.

 

[pointcity-homebrew]

It's ****** bags like this guy who puta bad image on kickstarter campaigns.

There are individuals whom are actually taking their idea and making a product. Unlike this guy who seems to be profiting from promises.

 

[texwake]

You think he's trying to get on Shark Tank for these "equity partners"? I would think any investment company would just laugh at him and point him to the door so I bet he's definitely going after individuals.

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

Apparently the 158 people on KS + any that may have purchased from his website weren't enough people to screw-over, he's looking for a few extra suckers.
If anything he's provider extra ammo for those people that need to create a credit card claim or contact the attorney general.

 

[Helloworld]

This is insane.

 

[texwake]

Does anyone know how to search the US patent office? I'm trying to see if its patented online but dont know what to search for.

 

[YeastMode]

It can be a complicated process, and the USPTO has a video on their site to get you started, USPTO.GOV.

That said, I took a quick look and searched for LYONS, GARY by inventor name and received 20 results, all patents for a gentleman of the same name who works for sony and has nothing to do with this. Also, I searched the same name as applicant name and got more unrelated results. So, I could not find a patent on the product that was filed from 1976. This is not to say that one doesn't exist, as many searches would have to be made to completely exclude the existence of a patent. But one would assume he would have used his name as the inventor. Also, just because one does not exit today does not mean that one coulud not be awarded in the future.

I also searched for a trademark, and the word mark "brewnanny" was registered and is live for this product. It was registered about a year ago.

Hope this helps.

 

[aprichman]

It's hard to believe that with all of the recent press you hear about Kickstarter there's no way to stop someone from making mockups of a product and then getting to keep people's money by issuing "updates " every 2-3 months that promise things will get rolling soon without any real plans to get the product in people's hands.

It's kind of worrying that KickStarter basically gives people a quasi-legal pathway to steal people's money and face no repercussions.

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

It's hard to believe that with all of the recent press you hear about Kickstarter there's no way to stop someone from making mockups of a product and then getting to keep people's money by issuing "updates " every 2-3 months that promise things will get rolling soon without any real plans to get the product in people's hands.

It's kind of worrying that KickStarter basically gives people a quasi-legal pathway to steal people's money and face no repercussions.

I agree! They need to create a program that "Certifies" a project by some trusted 3rd party, otherwise this will be their downfall.

 

[Roadliner]

I'm not sure it will be any sort of downfall.. You always have people that will figure out a way to scam everything. It's the way of the world. But the campaigns that do deliver, I believe, so far outnumber the rotten ones, that it won't affect Kickstarter. At least not until the cons out number the real projects.

 

[texwake]

Firing this thread back up, any news?

 

[cryhav0c]

I ain't heard butkis....figure I'm just screwed.

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

The only news is a few days ago someone commented on the KS project page - referencing the comments on this thread.

"Just want to bring this to any backers that are still looking for this to ship. HomeBrewTalk is one of the biggest independant homebrew forums out there. They have been watching this project from the beginning. They also see this as money pit.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php… if you are interested."

 

[CJ-3]

I ain't heard butkis....figure I'm just screwed.

Not necessarily. If you paid by credit card you may be able to prove deceptive practices and get your money back. Another member here got his back because he was able to show Gary never sent anything out.

You may want to look into filing a claim.

 

[cryhav0c]

Will look into that. Thanks