5 ms·

I don't mind the waiting. I've waited an extra 2 months for the desk anyways. If my circumstances hadn't changed, I may have continued waiting. My frustration p

I don't mind the waiting. I've waited an extra 2 months for the desk anyways. If my circumstances hadn't changed, I may have continued waiting. My frustration purely is due to how they handled my request for a refund. Companies should be built to also take losses too, no? I view it like this... if I bought a product, received it and decided it was too small and wanted to ship it back, that's my fault. I would undoubtedly incur a restocking fee. Also, if I received the desk, it'd now be my responsibility to sell it online if I didn't want it. But I haven't received anything at all, so to me this isn't quite computing. What you said is indeed a shame about Kickstarter. This is the first and only project I've ever backed, and it'll be my last. Lesson learned. I appreciate your feedback.

wmf 12y ago
Companies should be built to also take losses too, no? This is the key issue. Real companies build in some financial breathing room but Kickstarter projects don't. This puts them in a precarious position where their only choices are to under-deliver or to declare bankruptcy and probably deliver nothing. So if the rules are "full refund or else", you'll probably get the "else".
- master_coder 12y ago
  I agree, but it doesn't and shouldn't make the buyers the ones at fault. Just as the buyers are accepting that the project may be late or may never, ever show up, which is the case with several, the companies should accept that it may upset some users, and refunds will be expected in full. To my knowledge, and I'm no lawyer (obviously), but not refunding a buyers money in full for a product undelivered doesn't seem legal. And even if it were legal, it doesn't mean it's good practice to treat the buyer as the enemy.
  - wmf 12y ago
    I think this kind of behavior comes from incompetence (setting prices too low), not treating customers as the enemy. Refusing refunds probably isn't legal; you can consult FTC regulations for the details. I'm sure you can get a full refund if you either do a chargeback or threaten to file an FTC complaint. Just consider whether putting them out of business is worth your 15%.

wmf 12y ago

Companies should be built to also take losses too, no? This is the key issue. Real companies build in some financial breathing room but Kickstarter projects don't. This puts them in a precarious position where their only choices are to under-deliver or to declare bankruptcy and probably deliver nothing. So if the rules are "full refund or else", you'll probably get the "else".

master_coder 12y ago
I agree, but it doesn't and shouldn't make the buyers the ones at fault. Just as the buyers are accepting that the project may be late or may never, ever show up, which is the case with several, the companies should accept that it may upset some users, and refunds will be expected in full. To my knowledge, and I'm no lawyer (obviously), but not refunding a buyers money in full for a product undelivered doesn't seem legal. And even if it were legal, it doesn't mean it's good practice to treat the buyer as the enemy.
- wmf 12y ago
  I think this kind of behavior comes from incompetence (setting prices too low), not treating customers as the enemy. Refusing refunds probably isn't legal; you can consult FTC regulations for the details. I'm sure you can get a full refund if you either do a chargeback or threaten to file an FTC complaint. Just consider whether putting them out of business is worth your 15%.