The Problem with Kickstarter

[bronzerai]

If you use, or are thinking of using Kickstarter this is something to be aware of:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/9/2100 ... ickstarter

I pretty much got the same response verbatim from Kickstarter when a company I backed didn't deliver a watch project or respond to my communication attempts. I filed a credit card dispute for non-delivery of reward and the company stonewalled based on Kickstarter's advice and with Kickstarter actively supporting them even though the company was violating Kickstarter's published terms. Luckily it all worked out in the end, after a lengthy delay, but these projects don't always end that way.

My rule of thumb now is to not back any project on Kickstarter, especially if it's out of my home country, unless the delivery date is within Credit Card dispute limits (60 days) as that is one of the few courses of action you have for disputes on this platform. But even that is difficult as disputes go to Kickstarter not the creator, and Kickstarter will actively contest any dispute and attempt to convince your credit card company that even though they profit from projects, they are not responsible for the outcomes and you are not owed or guaranteed a nat's ass. Additionally given the frequency of project delays, that essentially means I don't back anything on Kickstarter anymore.
Once bitten twice shy, and the article above confirms the suspicions I had that Kickstarter has zero Fcks to give about backers.

[Emilio]

sure it's something to keep in mind.

[blueradish]

Yup, similar to sending a Paypal 'gift' payment to a stranger, lots of risk. I backed one watch and all worked out fine but best to wait til the project comes to life and then just pay a few extra bucks to order in stock product from the companies website.

[Emilio]

Yup, similar to sending a Paypal 'gift' payment to a stranger, lots of risk. I backed one watch and all worked out fine but best to wait til the project comes to life and then just pay a few extra bucks to order in stock product from the companies website.

Indeed, we always forget about the PayPal as gift issue.

We encourage not to do that if the seller has no positive feedback in here.

[Mellons]

sure it's something to keep in mind.

+1

[Yoda]

I have never even been thinking of supporting a Kicksstarter project, seems that most of it doesn't work as it was meant to.

[erlendh]

I backed one. The company gave fuck all to some, and sent the stuff to some others. It was only $50 bucks or so, so I took the loss as lesson learned. Kickstarter is full of scams. Same as gofundme stuff and so on.

[milesd]

I bought one of those Baltic step case watches. I was the first backer after all the posts about the watch. The promo photos and real life shots on watch blogs made it look amazing. A Longines Tre Tacche style watch for $250. The watch that came was a disaster, nothing like the original step case they posted pictures of. I sold the watch and haven't backed a kickstarter watch since.