Since Kickstarter's inception three years ago, 30,000 projects have been backed by more than two million people, the company reports. But these are the success stories of Kickstarter, so what about the failures?
[More from Mashable: This Android Robot Is Controlled by Your Phone [VIDEO]]
The company -- built on the concept of crowd sourcing funds for innovative, avant-garde, unexpected and often unimaginable projects -- has made its stake as a platform where inventors can take chances.
"The fact that Kickstarter allows creators to take risks and attempt to create something ambitious is a feature, not a bug," Kickstarter's blog states. "Some creators get in over their heads dealing with processes that are new to them."
[More from Mashable: InstaCube Puts Instagram Pics on Your Nightstand]
But after reports that only one-fourth of Kickstarter projects are delivering their products and goals to backers on time, people began questioning the accountability of investing in such unvetted ideas.
So Kickstarter laid out a thorough explanation of their policies and practices, and ultimately let the public know that they are, at most, a middle-man between the idea creator and the idea backers -- they are not responsible for lost money or unfinished projects.
Kickstarter says that if problems arise during projects, it is the creators' responsibility to post project updates. If the problems are serious enough that the project must be suspended, the creators must decide if offering refunds is necessary.
The company's Terms of Use do state that creators are required to fulfill the stated rewards of their project and offer refunds if they go unfulfilled. But Kickstarter says they hope backers reprimand creators with this provision only if they feel the creator "has not made a good faith effort to complete the project."
Watch the video above to hear more of Kickstarter's explanation of their policies.
Do you think Kickstarter should be more careful about vetting projects on their platform? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
No comments:
Post a Comment