I’m a kickstarter junkie. I love buying new and cutting edge stuff, and i like supporting people building cool stuff. I find items on Kickstarter that are often ahead of their time and i usually sign up to support them.
However, my last three big purchases from Kickstarter all turned out to be disappointments. Not because of what i received but because of how and when they were delivered. Let me explain…
Pebble Watch
Why I was interested – a watch that integrates with my smartphone! All updates come to the watch. I also liked the Runkeeper integration where i don’t have to look at my phone when on a run.
Why I’m disappointed – I like the watch (my post about it) but i ordered it May 2012 and received it over a year later. By the time it hit the market, there were better options available – such as the Samsung or Sony watch. Ordering it on KS didn’t give me the option of exploring the market nor did it give me a watch before it hit the market. It just locked me into a solution.
Narrative Clip / Memoto
Why I was Interested – I love recording my life. The thought of something taking photos every 30 seconds sounds awesome. I was super into it.
Why I’m Disappointed – Again, it took FOREVER for this. I order November 2012 and received it almost 15 months later. Even worse they kept sending emails about how close they were – even though they weren’t actually close at all.
Veronica Mars Movie
Why I was Interested – I love the show. I was excited there’d be a movie and wanted to support that effort. They’d give me a digital download that i could watch at home instead of going to the theater. That alone was worth the price.
What I was Disappointed – The digital download was only available in this crappy Flixster player which couldn’t, unlike every other movie file i own, be played on my television. Thus, i had to rent the movie anyway, essentially making me double-pay for the film. Again i was disappointed.
To sum up, i love Kickstarter. I think it’s a great company. However, my enthusiasm for backing projects has gone way down. I’ll probably do more but will only do it if i don’t need the product in any specific timeframe and only if my desire to support the project outweighs my desire to actually get the product described.
You’re not purchasing a product. You’re investing in bringing an idea to market. I too have been burned on kickstarter, just have better things to do than to sit around bitching about it.