KickstarterReviews 206

Similar to Kriss V, (above) I paid $159 for 4 facecradles and never received them even after updates that the product was going to ship and arrive around Xmas... that was their most recent update. A couple weeks ago I contacted Kickstarter via email asking for assistance. They replied with a type of "form letter" that only advocated the company and their services. It was worthless to the issue I wanted help on. I then replied asking for the contact info for Hairy Turtle Pty... they never replied. I'M NOT LETTING THIS SITUATION DROP.

Kickstarter is a innovative micro-patronage site which connects aspiring
Creatives to those who want to be more involved in endorsing interesting
Projects. The way it works is that individuals who conceive of a project but do
Not have the money to pursue it or don't want to bear the financial risk can
Submit their idea to the site. Donors can then see the projects and decide to
Donate as much or as little as they want to support one they find interesting.

The artists benefit from seeing how viable or interesting their idea really is
Before they decide to follow through on them. And the donors typically get a
Memento or are somehow incorporated into the project. For example, one project
Involved a women sending a postcard from around the world every day for 365
Days. If you donated to her cause, not only did you help out financially, but
You provide one of the 365 addresses and in turn receive one of the postcards!

Projects have ranged from new restaurants, world travel, movies, and even open
Source social networks. The homepage organizes the projects into different
Categories so that they are easy to browse and each project shows how much money
Is required and has been raised so far. I praise Kickstarter for helping reduce
The friction around true innovation and creativity.

Approximately FIVE years waiting for an item I invested in. I have notified Kickstarter that I have NEVER received item. The first 2 request were greeted with a call they made to the "group" conducting it. The guys called me back with apologies and said they have a special run made for supporters... TWICE! Never recieved Anything.
Get back a response together that they NOW they don't have any record of the transaction. Again that is after THEY notified the merchant TWICE.
NOW they are lying because they don't want to follow through looking for transaction. But they have MY money. No accountability! Stall! Lies!.
Their brilliant technique is to lie/delay and than to punish you with requesting ALL necessary documentation.
I do think they are criminals. NEVER AGAIN! Its all bull$#*!!

I have been making soft plastic baits for a few years when I decided to go on kickstarter to try to expand and hire a disabled vet to help the response I got was o.oo money pledges. 1 guy that would get my message out there for a price. I am a vet trying to get by and thought if I could help a disabled vet along the way that would be a worthy cause. I guess people don't care about vets or disabled vets. Don't waist your time here.

I am shocked by the amount of reviewers complaining that the project they backed was delayed. Get real. Kickstarter is not a store, you know. You are not buying a product, you are investing in a project. You are taking a risk. Some projects can be delayed or even fail, because their founders failed to predict all the complexities of bringing an innovative product to the market - and there are many. It may or may not be the fault of the project creators, but in any case it's not Kickstarter's fault. Kickstarter is a great place to fund great ideas, just understand what you are doing.

I tried to raise money for a memorial for my family who lost their lives in a family house fire. The set-up for the campaign looked to be going great. Great feedback from everyone, too. Until Kickstarter reviewed it and accused me of raising money for "food, personal expenses and pleasure travel"? I appealed. Their answer was the same. Then I asked around, all across the Internet. EVERYONE informed me that Kickstarter will ONLY help finance leftwing media concerns, projects to "better life" in communist nations and industrial idea theft for mass-producers in communist nations. I never would have dreamed this. BUYER BEWARE AND BE WARNED TO ALL WHO ATTEMPT KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGNS! Kickstarter is a leftwing idea-theft scam front site for communist nation concerns and communist nation silent-partner owners. DO NOT EVER SPEND YOUR MONEY ON KICKSTARTER! BUYER BEWARE!

Buyer beware! I joined the Kickstarter campaign for the Coolest Cooler July, 2014. After numerous email explaining that they were re-engineering, over engineering the original product, manufacturing problems, and delays, and now hitting us up for extra money to expedite our rewards because they've run out of money and need to find more, and on and on, and on! I still do not have my reward TWO years later, and there is no end in sight because they're not sure where the money's going to come from. They've even suggested they will sell them retail before I get mine!

Per emails from Kickstart to me about this situation, there is no support or protection offered by them, no accountability for project initiators to be their word to their backers. Projects and commitments *could* never be fulfilled, or worse yet completely bogus, and we are on our own. Nice out for Kickstarter, but bad for backers.

I have done smaller projects, and they've turned out fine, but this one is a blow-out bummer, and there's no help for it.

Like most people out there, I thought Kickstarter had such a noble agenda and what a cool platform that helps making ideas happen. Last August I found two campaigns and I really liked their products. So I pledged. I spent $268 to buy two jackets from Baubax and $40 on 4 small devices from AwareCar. They both claimed to arrive in November. Guess what? Both projects delayed their production and shipment time. Ok, I get it, those are entrepreneurs who make their products for the first time. So I was being very patient. I waited and waited, received a series of announcement and emails from the project owners that the products were coming together. Last month I finally received the 4 devices from AwareCar with joy, and immediately tried it. Whoops, it only worked for 3 days. Two devices died, simply didn't get turned on. With great disappointment I reached out to the project owner, he asked me to replace the battery. I'm like what? I need to buy new battery for a product I barely used. I won't spend a dime on this stupid product. And so for the Baubax jackets, it's been 6 months now, PRODUCTS NEVER ARRIVE. My patience has it limit. Here I am, wasted $300+ on Kickstarter where they absolutely do nothing to help backers.

Besides being a victim myself, I also heard so many bad experiences from other people. The site is full of crappy products/projects, or campaigns that seem so cool but product delays or never arrive. You end up losing money and Kickstarter takes their commission. Stay away folks!

You contribute and are told you will get the product at a certain time frame... but then there are issues... months go by. Communications are lacking... nothing. Contact kickstarter to complain about the product being late, no comm and then you find out the product is being sold online for the same price you contributed. Promised incentives of being a contributor is zilch. Except the waste of time of writing and waiting to get your promised product. Kickstarter responded with an email for me to rate the service... yep. That is all i got from them. They don't care. Another product i got broke when i tried to use, and promised a replacement... never came. And the final one i contributed, has not shipped yet although others have the product. Communications are poor. I feel why bother with this, the incentives are not worth it. Save your money, purchase the item when it is really available.

SUCK - DON'T WAST YOUR ON TIME ON KICKSTARTER IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BIG HUGH FOLLOWING ALREADY.

What I means is, if you think your just going to place your Idea on KS and think people are going to back you (that a big mistake), if you think KS is going to promote you (that a big mistake), so way do you think you need KS - YOU DON'T!

KS wants 3% of your founding but does nothing for it, you do all the work 100%, you would be better off just making a website and having your fan base or your following just go there to invest.

You will see like i did, once you place your ad on KS you we be overwhelmed with Spamming emails asking for money, money, money, money, not wanting to invest but asking for money, money, money, money, telling you that they can help found your project up to 80% from anywhere from $99.99 to $1500. Then some of them wont 7% of the top of your founding, scammer all of them trying to suck your money out of your pocket.

I got about 70 email all from different companies, saying the same exact thing on their website, say the same exact thing in their emails, Charging high rate's for placing paid ads a google and Facebook in your behalf, NOTE: just do it your self if your going to spend the money you don't need them at all.

Just like the promotion companies did when the SEO bull $#*! hot ( be at the top of google) bra bra bra bla take it from me I run a full business on the Internet and I have heard and see it all.

I hope this help!

When people hear the word "crowdfunding", the first thing they think of is Kickstarter. They do a good job screening the submissions in making sure the quality of project on their platform at a higher standard. While there has been users who’s projects are often rejected, they have been very effective overall as they are the clear leader in both artistic and tech projects. They helped my Raytoons project get off the ground.

I have at present (jan 2016) a KS project, which started out ok, but after a few days, I got no pledges, and am way too far from my goal which is heart breaking. I have worked so hard on my artwork and writing for my own tarot deck. That's 78 pieces of art! I looked at other tarot projects that have raised dollars, that is to say American, but I am in UK and feel the other side of the pond has more backers for locals. Disapppointed, but will get it published, even if I have to save up for one single deck for meeee.