Kickstarter, Inc.

Hi there,We expect creators to fulfill rewards, offer refunds if they’re unable to complete their project, and communicate with backers at every step along the wayWhile Kickstarter is the platform for this agreement, we are not a part of itWe do not investigate a project creator’s
ability to complete their project, nor do we facilitate refunds or the fulfillment of rewardsIn addition, we cannot force a creator to ship rewards or issue refundsWhile in most cases you’ll find that rewards are delivered as promised, it’s also important to realize that some projects might not fulfill as planned.When you back a project on Kickstarter you enter into an agreement with the project creator, as described in our Terms of Use: ***These terms outline the responsibilities of backers and creatorsThis information can serve as a basis for legal recourse if a creator doesn’t fulfill their obligations under the agreementWe hope that backers will consider using this provision only in cases where they feel that a creator has not made a good faith effort to complete the project and fulfill.Best,Kickstarter

This is in response to Case #: [redacted] submitted by [redacted] on 11/**/ I'm happy to provide a timeline of actions we took on this project, and our attempts to communicate with the creator
"">We did notify the creator before we took action on his project and included specific issues that concerned us We sent a message (1) to the email associated with the Kickstarter account hours before we took action, on October **, 2014. After no response, we followed up hours later on October **, We sent the same message under different subject lines to try to catch the creator's attention Only after receiving no response again from the creator did we take the action to suspend his project on October **, When the project was suspended, we sent a final message regarding the action (2) We do not have a record of the creator writing in to Kickstarter for support, as he claims he did For your reference, a project may be suspended if our Integrity team uncovers evidence that it is in violation of one or more of Kickstarter's rules, including: — Misrepresentation of support, through self-pledging — Misrepresentation or failure to disclose relevant facts about the project or its creator — The creator provides inaccurate or incomplete user information to Kickstarter or one of our partners — The characteristics of the creator account overlap with the characteristics of backer accounts that pledged to their project — A party related to the creator is posing as an independent, supportive party in project comments or elsewhere — The creator is presenting someone else's work as their own — The creator is offering purchased items, claiming to have made them Additionally, as stated in our Terms of Use, we have the right to reject, cancel, interrupt, remove, or suspend any project at any time and for any reason. Best, Kickstarter (1) Dear [redacted], This is a message from Kickstarter's Integrity teamWe're writing to notify you that recent activity on your project triggered a reviewThis review found discrepancies between information presented on your project page and information surfaced elsewhere on the web, as well as in statements that you made in various publications such as WiredFor clarity, please reply to the questions below by tomorrow, October [redacted] at noon eastern timeWe hope that you'll consider this an opportunity to communicate with full transparency, and assure you that we will not publicly release any information with which you respondCan you please confirm that the Anonabox router is built on a stock circuit board, and was not an open-source hardware design that you developed through several rounds of prototyping? Can you explain your role in designing the hardware and its encasement? Please provide images of the circuit board prototypes and its final iterationPlease share the open-source documentation for the hardware, specifically the repository where these files are availableIf you do not comply with this request, or we find that your project violates Our Rules, then your project is at risk of suspensionTo review a list of reasons for why a project may be suspended, please visit our Creator FAQ[redacted]Thank you for your cooperation, Kickstarter Integrity (2) Hello, This is a message from Kickstarter's Integrity teamWe're writing to notify you that recent activity on your project triggered a reviewThis review uncovered evidence of one or more violations of Kickstarter's rules, which may include: Offering purchased items and claiming to have made them yourself Presenting someone else's work as your own Misrepresenting or failing to disclose relevant facts about the project or its creator Because of this, your project has been suspendedAll funding has been stopped and all transactions have been canceledThis cannot be undoneBackers have been sent a copy of this message as wellWe take the integrity of the Kickstarter system very seriouslyWe only suspend projects when we find strong evidence that they are misrepresenting themselves or otherwise violating the letter or spirit of Kickstarter's rulesAs a policy, we do not offer comment on project suspensions beyond what is stated in this messageRegards, Kickstarter Integrity
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
Just wanted to follow up on some of [redacted]'s other concernsWhile we can and will take action on users who are violating our Community Guidelines ( [redacted] ), we are unable to take action on behavior that takes place off of the Kickstarter website
Best,
Kickstarter

Hi there,
We have sent two emails to all backers of the Zano project outlining the steps we are taking to increase the transparency surrounding this project's demise. To clarify further, we cannot offer refunds on behalf of a creator, as the agreement is between backers and...

creators: [redacted]Best,
Kickstarter

Hello,
A response has been previously sent to [redacted] referencing the grounds for the rejection of his project. Again, this is not a matter on which Kickstarter can comment further. As our Terms of Use clearly state, Kickstarter may terminate any user's access to the service at any time. [redacted] has violated our user guidelines and has had his privileges curtailed accordingly.
Kickstarter

Hi there,Thanks for getting in touch. Sorry to hear about the confusion you experienced when reading our Terms and when trying to learn more about how our site works. We are very open about the fact that funding is all-or-nothing on Kickstarter. This means that backers are only charged for...

their pledges if the project ends having met its funding goal. If this is the case, the backers will be charged at the moment of the project's deadline passing. If a project is successful, we then assess fees from the total of funds collected, which are taken directly as each backer is charged. These funds then go to the creator. If a project does not meet its goal, no backers will have been charged in the first place, meaning no fees would be assessed by us either.We do highlight our all-or-nothing feature in several places throughout the site, including our FAQs, which you've mentioned, as well as our Learn and Hello pages:[redacted]We also highlight the fact that Kickstarter is all-or-nothing directly in the project build process. When creators fill in their funding goal amount when building their project, they see the following text:"Your funding goal should be the minimum amount needed to complete the project and fulfill (and ship!) all rewards. Because funding is all-or-nothing, you can always raise more than your goal but never less. Once your project has launched, it will not be possible to change your funding goal.If your project is successfully funded, the following fees will be collected from your funding total: Kickstarter's 5% fee, and payment processing fees (between 3% and 5%). If funding isn't successful, there are no fees."We appreciate the feedback given about a desire to put this information in more places on the site. We will pass this along to the rest of our team to take into consideration when making future product improvements.Should you wish to relaunch your project and try again, feel free to do so by starting a new project draft: [redacted]For more tips on how Kickstarter works and how to run a successful campaign, you can also look at our Kickstarter Creator Handbook: [redacted]Best,Kickstarter

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[This is the exact same copy and paste response I have been receiving. It just ignores the fact that someone is ignoring their terms of service entirely, and not giving refunds where they are required.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Taking yourself out of the equation because you are simply a "platform" is not an acceptable response.  Kickstarter makes money from a portion of the transaction amount and reserves the right to hold "creators" responsible if they feel the need to.I feel your platform, in which this transaction occurred, did not effectively protect the consumer.  I was not aware that a creator could provide a product, in exchange for funding, and then completely back out of that promise.  That's a very unreasonable outcome for a consumer to have to accept and likewise, an unreasonable outcome for the platform to not take any accountability in.  The creator actually emailed all parties involved stating that they would like to hear from us about what we want to do.  Unbelievable.  Just give our money back, crooks.Using another platform as an example, [redacted] provides a guarantee that the transaction is protected, as it should be.  They aren't the seller, but they acknowledge that the transaction is taking place within the confines of their system, so they express accountability.  Your hand's off response and approach is very disappointing and lacks in the accountability your company should have in the matter.As I mentioned, I will get my money returned in some fashion, even if it has to be in the matter of a chargeback.  I will also do what I can to let others know in my network about the unfriendly consumer practices you uphold in your business.  I'll definitely never use your service again.And for the record, my initial email was replied to in 4 hrs, but my response was never replied to. 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Investigations on Kickstarter are prioritized based on urgency. Project deadlines are determined by the creator, and Kickstarter cannot extend a project's 'live' status. If suspicious pledge activity arises while a campaign is live, Kickstarter's Integrity team will factor in the time until a...

project ends, among other things, when determining how swiftly they should act.The Integrity team's processes are thorough. A single investigation may take up to a week to resolve entirely because it takes time to understand the scope of an issue, gather all evidence, and remediate each incident that may be part of a larger case. In other words, many actions are required for cases with a large impact. This chain of actions is executed with timed precision, but looming project deadlines may hasten certain actions, such as canceling pledges and notifying those creators.Unfortunately such is the case with this creator. Our flagging systems caught a fraudulent backer who was part of a network of a dozen accounts very close to this creator's project deadline. As a result, the Integrity team acted quickly to ensure the best remediation course: that no fraudulent money passed through Kickstarter's system. In total, the network affected 15 projects, which were still under investigation at the time that the Integrity team canceled this pledge.For reasons of security and privacy, we do not detail our investigations to our users, but notify them with the actions that will be taken and why they have been taken.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

My Bank Statement shows Kickstarter getting the money, no one else.  Kickstarter owes me the money!  If they don't keep the money then they should not use their name as the one revceiving the money.  They are committing Fraud when they state that they do not get the money.  I want my money returned and a complaint in their file.  That is all I will accept.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello,
Once again, in spite of any label the payment processor may have attached to the transaction for the backer's reference, Kickstarter does not hold, transfer, or collect funds from backers. All funds are transferred directly to the project creator by the payment provider. We urge [redacted] to attempt to resolve this issue with the creator, or to explore other legal recourse to which she is entitled under the contract that is created between backers and creators per Kickstarter's Terms of Use.
Regards,
Kickstarter

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Kickstarter's Terms of Service clearly state a project creator must follow through on their project's rewards or refund money for items not received.  Kickstarter has done nothing to enforce it's own TOS and leaves it's users in the dust to fend for themselves as the project creator refuses to respond and Kickstarter takes their 5% cut of funds while backers get scammed.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

No response from the creator, no product delivered, and no refund received. 
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted]. I agree that Kickstarter probably can do nothing to force a fix to the problem that occurred. Their suggestion to use the "Contact Me" form is the same suggestion they gave me before, and the seller never responded, so that doesn't help. They could take action such as banning that seller from starting future projects on their service, but that doesn't fix the problem that already occurred. Since Kickstarter does not take responsibility for sellers on their service my original Revdex.com complaint was not against them but against the seller, [redacted], which also goes under the names [redacted] and [redacted]. Thanks.
Sincerely, [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]
 I think Kickstarter needs to removed from Internet - this is NOT the first project to take peoples money and they get nothing in return - Kickstarter should be going after this company for all of its fake video of a product they didn't have.  We will NEVER use Kickstarter again and I hope everyone else will follow suit.  
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

What these people are doing is absolutely disgusting! PLEASE DO NOT BUY or DONATE MONEY! They raise rabbits to kill for the meat. The poor little rabbit is dead.

Hi there,Thanks for reaching out about this. We expect creators to fulfill rewards and communicate with backers at every step along the way. While Kickstarter is the platform for this agreement, we are not a part of it. We do not investigate a project...

creator’s ability to complete their project, nor do we facilitate refunds or the fulfillment of rewards. While in most cases you’ll find that rewards are delivered as promised, it’s also important to realize that some projects might not fulfill as planned.Successfully funded project creators plan their project around the funding they received while it was live on Kickstarter. As a result, these funds are often tied up in the completion of the project, or fulfillment of rewards. If you'd like to see if a refund may be possible, you will need to reach out to the project creator directly. To message a project creator on Kickstarter, visit the project page and click on the creator's profile image or name. This will open up their bio page where you can click the blue "Contact me" link to send them a message through our system.As funds are dispersed directly to the project creator, we're unable to facilitate refunds. When you back a project on Kickstarter you enter into an agreement with the project creator, as described in our Terms of Use: [redacted]These terms outline the responsibilities of backers and creators. This information can serve as a basis for legal recourse if a creator doesn’t fulfill their obligations under the agreement. We hope that backers will consider using this provision only in cases where they feel that a creator has not made a good faith effort to complete the project and fulfill.Best,Kickstarter

I supported a project called Radiate Athletics over two years ago. The project was fully funded and not a single backer had yet to receive their merchandise. Kickstarter has been "MIA" and multiple emails to customer service were responded to with a "sorry, not our fault" attitude. The project made hundreds of thousands of dollars. All of this money, stolen from the backers. Kickstarter has done NOTHING to track down the project creator, to give refunds to those who's hard earned money was taken from them, and continue with a lackadaisical attitude. I feel that supporters should be given refunds BY Kickstarter, while in the mean time the Kickstarter team should track down these thieves.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

 I followed your steps from the last message and copied all the messages and sent it through kickstarter but they still haven't responded but I did get an email from Kickstarter integrity asking why I reversed the transaction so I copied everything again and emailed again. I'm not sure how to fix the communication here because it sounded like kickstarter didn't know this was going on even though I'm using the platform to send my messages and I keep asking what next steps I can take since Baubax refuses to contact me back I asked them if they refunded 264 to kickstarter to offset and they just don't answer what is going on 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We are sorry to hear about [redacted]'s disappointment with her experience on Kickstarter. We again urge her to attempt to communicate with the project creator in order to resolve this matter.
Regards,
Kickstarter

Hi there,
As the creators and stewards of Kickstarter, we hate more than anything when a project doesn't come to fruition. Allowing creators to take risks and attempt to bring something new to life is the backbone of what we do. However, we also understand that there is an inherent level of...

risk in any creation process.Kickstarter is built around minimizing that risk through all-or-nothing funding, which allows the collective voice of the people to decide which projects reach their goal. On our end, we review projects, uphold our rules ([redacted]), practice careful governance, and use anti-fraud filtering. The foundation of the entire system, however, is the collective wisdom of the people who back projects.Still, despite a creator's best efforts, some projects won't always come together as planned. In these situations we make ourselves available to creators to help however we can, and we encourage them to be as open as possible with their backers about the obstacles they face. But no matter our efforts, projects will sometimes fail to come together as planned and backers will sometimes be disappointed in outcomes. We strive to constantly learn from this, and to make sure that expectations are appropriately set for backers (like on our Trust & Safety page at [redacted]).Best,
Kickstarter