Kickstarter - getting a refund after a campaign is successfully funded?

[youbastards]

I'm hoping someone else has been in the same situation I am, and can offer some helpful advice.

I recently helped fund a Kickstarter project, but I would like my money back. I have searched Kickstarter's site, but there is no information about cancelling pledges AFTER the project has been funded.

I have tried contacting the member who started the campaign at 2 different email addresses, directly through Kickstarter, and PM'ing him on a site he posts on, but after 3 weeks I haven't received any replies from him.

The goal of the campaign was $88,000, but it actually reached around $105,000. My pledge was around $1,300.00 and the money has been charged to my card already. The campaign ended at the beginning of August, and none of the campaign incentives or final product has been delivered to me at this time.

Since I am not getting replies to my requests, should I contact Kickstarter directly, or should I just go the route of contacting my bank and try to initiate a chargeback?

 

[Deckard]

Your moneys gone, kickstarter is a terrible website, there is a whole similar thread over at GBfans. Your bank won't do anything unless you claim fraud that someone else took control of you PC and account and sent the money.

Anyone can put any complete BS thing up there and get people's money and theres pretty much nothing you can do to get it back.

 

[Jmlsuperman]

I have some magic beans to sell you if you're interested.

 

[Shropt]

Sounds like you will need to file a lawsuit against him. You should be able to go to small claims court for that amount.

 

[karamazov80]

Sounds like you will need to file a lawsuit against him. You should be able to go to small claims court for that amount.

If so, I think you have to go to court in person in the community where that person lives just to have the case heard. I think I know the project YB is referring to, and a bummer about this. There are some folks who tend to be ridiculously responsive and helpful when they're looking for money. But once payment comes. . .nada. I've experienced that with some custom artists on the board in the past.

 

[youbastards]

Let me clarify, I'm not approaching this as if I am being scammed, but just from a perspective of initiating a formal request for refund. The project is fairly high profile with support from Diamond Select Toys, however the project lead isn't being responsive. He was responding daily when trying to get the funding needed, however.

Since posting I have found that the payments were collected through Amazon, so I have contacted Amazon by phone and submitted the proper requests, I should have a response from the project lead within 3 business days, if not then I need to contact Amazon again to have them take the next step.

Edit: Thanks Kara, yeah...that's the one. He was posting regularly up until the project was funded, but after multiple PM's, emails to multiple addresses, I'm not able to get any response.

 

[youbastards]

I have some magic beans to sell you if you're interested.

Fair point, but then again you bought those "new" Hot Toys figures from me so I guess we're even.

 

[The Ween]

I'm hoping someone else has been in the same situation I am, and can offer some helpful advice.

I recently helped fund a Kickstarter project, but I would like my money back. I have searched Kickstarter's site, but there is no information about cancelling pledges AFTER the project has been funded.

I have tried contacting the member who started the campaign at 2 different email addresses, directly through Kickstarter, and PM'ing him on a site he posts on, but after 3 weeks I haven't received any replies from him.

The goal of the campaign was $88,000, but it actually reached around $105,000. My pledge was around $1,300.00 and the money has been charged to my card already. The campaign ended at the beginning of August, and none of the campaign incentives or final product has been delivered to me at this time.

Since I am not getting replies to my requests, should I contact Kickstarter directly, or should I just go the route of contacting my bank and try to initiate a chargeback?

Did anyone else you know pledge and get their incentives? It wouldn't hurt to contact Kickstarter.

 

[Balsquat]

Fair point, but then again you bought those "new" Hot Toys figures from me so I guess we're even.

ooooh thats gotta burn a little.

 

[Doctor Who]

Is a creator legally obligated to fulfill the promises of their project?

Yes. Kickstarter's Terms of Use require creators to fulfill all rewards of their project or refund any backer whose reward they do not or cannot fulfill. (This is what creators see before they launch.) We crafted these terms to create a legal requirement for creators to follow through on their projects, and to give backers a recourse if they don't. 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.

Can Kickstarter refund the money if a project is unable to fulfill?

No. Kickstarter doesn't issue refunds, as transactions are between backers and the creator. In fact, Kickstarter never has the funds at all. When a project is successfully funded, money is transferred directly from backers' credit cards to the project creator's Amazon Payments account. It's up to the creator to issue a refund, which they can do through their Amazon Payments account. (Like PayPal, Amazon Payments allows refunds for 60 days from the date of charge. After 60 days, creators cannot reverse the same charge to backers' credit cards, so to issue refunds they'll need to initiate a new transaction to send money via Amazon Payments or PayPal, send backers a check, or use another method. Our support team has guided creators in how to issue refunds like these before.)

Why can't Kickstarter guarantee projects?

We started Kickstarter as a new way for creators and audiences to work together to make things. The traditional funding systems are risk-averse and profit-focused, and tons of great ideas never get a chance as a result. We thought Kickstarter could open the door to a much wider variety of ideas and allow everyone to decide what they wanted to see exist in the world. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative ideas that aren't possible anywhere else.

The pursuit of these projects with a guarantee doesn't work. A Kickstarter where every project is guaranteed would be the same safe bets and retreads we see everywhere else. The fact that Kickstarter allows creators to take risks and attempt to create something ambitious is a feature, not a bug.

https://www.kickstarter.com/blog/accountability-on-kickstarter