So apparently I ruffled some feathers with a news post from last week about a DIY vinyl spray can Kickstarter project. But it's a Kickstarter project, so - like with every Kickstarter project I mention on the site - I posted the following blurb letting people know that you're not guaranteed getting anything (including your money back) when it comes to Kickstarter.
Remember...this is not a pre-order. There are many instances of crowd funded projects that have been funded never making good on their promised goods. So back with caution.
I guess that wording angered some folks over at Discordia Merchandising, as I received the following comment on that post:
Thanks for the Blog post, and excuse me here: This IS a Pre-Order! The product was put into production BEFORE we launched the Kickstarter. We dont have to make a promise on something thats already a reality.
You, my friend, need to check yourself, and READ THE WHOLE SCRIPT!
Unbelievable!
My response back was that I wouldn't want to offend them again, so I would no longer post any news regarding Discordia. (For my reasoning, go check out Ben Daigle aka Gabriel Discordia's personal Facebook page where he goes into more detail about how awful and offensive my post was - more so than any blog that chose not to even run the press release)
Then I got to looking at the Kickstarter project...and to thinking. According to Discordia, the DIY Vinyl Spray Can Toy (I like how it rolls off the tongue) is already deployed into the production process. But if it's so far into production, then why are the only photos available on the Kickstarter page 3D renderings and mock-ups? There's one grainy prototype photo. But if they're slated to be delivered next month to backers, why no actual photos? Even the packaging is a render.
Also, under the risks and challenges section, the campaign states:
Again, we already completely worked out all the details. We have all the prototyping, production, development stages out of the way, and the product is already being made during the course of this Kickstarter.
How is it possible that the production stage is "out of the way", but that product is being made during the course of the Kickstarter campaign? I thought that production was complete...??
These are the kinds of questions we must ask of Kickstarter projects. Kickstarter is relatively self-policed. And once that money is collected, the creators have very little holding them to what's essentially a handshake promise. Just read Kickstarter's actual FAQ:
[B]ackers must understand that Kickstarter is not a store. When you back a project, you’re helping to create something new — not ordering something that already exists. There’s a chance something could happen that prevents the creator from being able to finish the project as promised. If a creator is absolutely unable to complete the project and fulfill rewards, they must make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to a satisfying conclusion for their backers.
