Kickstarter

Creator Jeff Jenness 3 days ago

Does anybody have any news? How about any evidence of activity anywhere from our leader? It's like he dropped off the planet!

Hard to hold out hope for July delivery with no surveys yet, and not even a conclusion to Update Week! Still with all of his excellent work, I'm both hopeful and anxious! :)

Well, it's Father's Day and he should be spending time with his father too! Happy Father's Day to all dads out there!

Creator Jeff Jenness 6 days ago

I am just kind of worrying about this guy. He hasn't even logged in to check on activity for almost a month now. Hope he still breathing!

Creator Alvin Huynh 6 days ago

4PM, OP said it was photoshopped a couple of posts down. Not sure if that's true or not...

Creator Jackson Robinson 7 days ago

Communication may not be so hot, but until promised ship date has come and gone they haven't really failed on their word.

Creator 4PM DESIGNS 7 days ago

That's what I'm trying to find out

Creator John Cuthbert 7 days ago

How could they ship when the surveys haven't even gone out yet?

Creator 4PM DESIGNS 7 days ago

Apparently, decks are shipping? A photo has already turned up on the forums. http://unitedcardists.com/viewtopic.php…

Creator Eric Handler on June 12

I'm betting my pledge value we don't get these cards in time for the 4th of July (2013). Really disappointed. Funny enough, I wouldn't even care if they didn't arrive on time if we had real communication....

Creator Aaron Wilson on June 7

How's it going y'all? Just keep us up to date and we will be good. Just want to catchup and know how things stand. Still looking forward to this great deck

Creator Shawn Mancino on June 6

@Billy Maan....good luck with that. We can't even get our cards.

Creator Billy Maan on June 3

Hi Guys

Its ace23playingcards based in the UK. We are one of your backers. We are very interested in a wholesale quantity for the UK market. We also want to be your UK sole distributor.

Please let us have a contact number so that we can discuss terms and conditions.

Kind Regards
Billy Maan
ace23playingcards.co.uk
0161 282 1891

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 28

Wow, hope everything is going ok. It's been a week since he logged in (the last update). He had 2 days rolling along with some updates then missed another deadline. He got me excited to see some of the other work that's been going on. Anybody able to get a response in email that you could share?

Creator Ira Burton on May 25

What happened to update week? ;(

Creator Sahil Kambhampaty on May 23

I hope update week is still on, I was psyched for it!

Creator Hieu Pham on May 20

I'm not going to be worried about a lack of updates until July. He can be a silent as he likes if the product gets delivered, and that's fine by me.

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 19

Anybody have any more email responses since the last one to share with the rest of us?

From the last email response, all this silence may be due to arranging the artwork for the future decks as well. Maybe? I hope so. If that is the case, then the next campaign may have better turn-around time.

Still, I would sure like to hear something soon.

Creator Eric Handler on May 17

Well, morning has come and gone in Washington DC...How long do we have to be "respectful and considerate" in these comments if the creator isn't respectful of us? Lack of updates, missing deadlines to post said updates...

It really sucks when great projects are set up and then dissapoint because the creator decides not to engage the community...

From the FAQ here on kickstarter:

What should creators do if they're having problems completing their project?
If problems come up, creators are expected to post a project update (which is emailed to all backers) explaining the situation. Sharing the story, speed bumps and all, is crucial. Most backers support projects because they want to see something happen and they'd like to be a part of it. Creators who are honest and transparent will usually find backers to be understanding.

It's not uncommon for things to take longer than expected. Sometimes the execution of the project proves more difficult than the creator had anticipated. If a creator is making a good faith effort to complete their project and is transparent about it, backers should do their best to be patient and understanding while demanding continued accountability from the creator.

If the problems are severe enough that the creator can't fulfill their project, creators need to find a resolution. Steps could include offering refunds, detailing exactly how funds were used, and other actions to satisfy backers.

Creator Eric Handler on May 17

Given how this going my faith that DoDSR gets an update out by noon his time today is slim to none. He's got about 2 hrs to prove me wrong...

Creator Alvin Huynh on May 16

I got the exact same message at the same time

I'm looking forward to the executive version.

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 16

Wow, this is great news! I am anxious to see the "Greenbacks" as well as all the other decks.

Thanks, Eric!

Creator Eric Handler on May 16

29 hrs after my message yesterday:
"The Department of Design
Thursday May 16 2013, 12:47pm EDT
Eric,

There is absolutely an update coming very soon, as we have just received
the final proofs. The pre-press setup has simply required alot of
quality control and back and forth between us and the USPCC as we plan
for printing not only this first version, but the future versions to
come as well. We have much to report, and are well on track.

Thanks for the question ... the next update will be posted today (or
possibly tomorrow morning)."

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 15

Our leader has logged in today. Is anybody in the loop? Does anybody have any news or information about what's happening? Riccardo, did you ever hear anymore since May 7th when he was a few days away from an update? Just curious. Love to hear something soon.

Creator Ira Burton on May 11

Yep unfortunately it happened while I was posting, so I did not see it until after, we will all keep our fingers crossed.

Creator Paul Graf on May 11

@Ira, I have already said that I will keep my opinions and gut feeling to myself. I would be happy to be wrong. We shall wait and see.

Creator Ira Burton on May 11

@Paul, where I come from, grown ups don't make accusations that are not true.

Go back and read my posts. In every one of them I make it clear that the criticisms regarding the lack of communications are warranted. To imply that he intends on doing anything but deliver the product is unwarranted without proof. For me, proof could come in the form of an admission that he was fleeing with our money (has not happened yet) or failure to deliver near the committed timeline (also has not happened yet). Until then, we just have to wait. None of the backer rewards include a commitment for updates, so they would just be a bonus. Now to your point; the decent thing would be to update us, but that is not a requirement, just the right thing to do.

Creator Paul Graf on May 11

@Sahil, that was well put. In all seriousness, I have had zero other discourses on any other project that I've backed. And I know that I cannot project my own personality on the owner of this project, but it baffles me that this guy seems to have zero regard for the people who back him -- even when he does give a comment, it comes across as snide and backlashing. I will not be the one to dust off a seat for this guy, but I'll try to keep my opinions to myself until July 4th comes and goes.

Creator Sahil Kambhampaty on May 11

@Paul One of the things that I think we all need to keep in mind is our end goal. We all want the project to be successful and for us to receive what we pledged for. I think the best course of action is to welcoming to new communication from DODSR and encourage it instead of being resentful and bitter (I am not accusing you of being resentful and bitter, but I do think your discourse is closer to bitter than welcoming). I understand your right to be critical of this project and its creator and your right to express it, but in the grand scheme of things, it would probably be more helpful and pragmatic to us all to suppress such objections for now so that the creator doesn't become intimidated and further deprive us backers of communication. Maybe you feel like the creator has an obligation to respond regardless of how intimidated he feels about the backlash he'll receive but the fact of the matter is that it's up to him to actually make that decision and unless we become less hostile I don't think he has any incentive to communicate. I guess essentially what I'm saying is, I don't necessarily disagree with your criticism nor your right to express such judgments, but I do feel like it would be better if we all create a more welcoming environment if for no other reason than the selfish desire to make it more likely that we receive the communication we want.

Creator Paul Graf on May 11

I don't think I need to get used to anything. People have absconded funds from KS in the past, and KS hasn't even been around that long. I don't consider KS a store, but if you take my money and you don't create your project with it, then we are going to have problems. I have backed projects where the project owner doesn't say much at all during fulfillment, but they spoke friendly to their backers during the pledge drive. This person talked down to his backers, which makes a person a bit wary and wonder what his intentions are. We are having a discussion here and my stance is that he should communicate (in a civil manner) to alleviate any issues his backers may be having. Until he does, then I am going to question his intentions -- bad communicator or not. Get used to it.

Creator Ira Burton on May 11

Criticism is fine, where I get concerned is when people start talking about him asconding with funds, or being ashamed, or is somehow otherwise being dishonest. All I am saying is that at this point in the project, the only thing that is fair to expect is communications. If he is not doing that, it does not nescessarily mean he is not going to follow through on the project, it just means he is a bad communicator. There are lots of those.

I have backed a lot of projects, some have had great communications, and they are the ones I would be most comfortable backing again, some have had no communication and have still delivered on or shortly after the originally anticipated date.

People on Kickstarter are getting too convinced that this is somehow a store where you order finished goods. It is not. It is a place where people with good ideas come to try and convince others that it is worth implementing. Most do not have significant product development background. Sometimes there is a learning curve. Sometimes people fail. There are risks to Kickstarter, get used to it.

Creator Paul Graf on May 11

@Ira What is wrong with criticism all of a sudden? Perhaps some strong words will help DODSR rethink his next venture and maybe he won't be so quick to put up another campaign without thinking it through better (assuming that everything is on the up and up). If I deposit money in my bank account and every time I drive by the bank I see they are closed and there are no emails or any other explanation as to what is going one, then I would be highly worried about my investment. Same goes for this; this is one of my investments and I want some answers as to what is going on. Simply that.

Creator Ira Burton on May 11

@Paul, I would not jump into this shark tank if I were him. You only further strengthen my previous argument.

I fully agree that communications have been horrible, but again that does not warrant accusing him of being dishonest or a thief. He may be those things, or he may just be an average guy who got in a little over his head.

If the end of July comes, and no product is delivered, then we can start debating his moral standing in the world, until then, give him support instead of criticism, it will take you much farther.

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 11

I feel the difficulty comes when you read his updates. In every one, he says he will do something within days or weeks, but it never happens. He sets himself up when he does this. If he has no real intention of following through, then he should never have said so in the post, but it is reasonable for us to expect him to do so or comment on it. As a leader of the project, he should at least keep his word or give a quick reason why. Even so, I understand your point. If he delivers in July, then all this discussions is moot, but the July date is a "suggested" date. If you read the FAQ, this does not mean he must to deliver then. So, with little information about what is happening, it could very well slip into next fall if he so chooses. Perhaps we will know something soon. Still, it is not unreasonable to expect some information on what is happening. We have had 2 updates in over two months now and there was in each one statements that something would happen in a matter of days. Did it? That is what bothers me the most. I don't know.

I too feel it will solve itself, but next time I will be very wary of supporting a project with this kind of problem.

Creator Paul Graf on May 11

I disagree with Ira. I believe the part of being fair does not only apply to the backers; it is fully on the shoulders of the project owner. He can be accused of much more than being a poor communicator. He has logged in periodically (every few days) into his KS account and has obviously read these comments, and then still refuses to reply. That is quite brazen, ornery, non-appreciative, and nothing like a person should act who has been given $37K by a group of total strangers. This comment area is supposed to be respectful, yet his lack of attention to his backers in this area is the most disrespectful thing of all.

Creator Riccardo Conturbia on May 11

This project has been the reason why I started pledging on kickstarter. God bless America and the hundreds of ways for making business & fun you can have in your country. I only wish I could do the same in Italy.

Creator Bandar on May 10

#Ira ... Couldn't agree more

Creator Ira Burton on May 10

He committed to deliver by July, and while I also agree that we should be getting better updates than this as project backers, I hardly feel that it is fair to accuse him of failure, fraud, or anything else. At this point the most he can fairly be accused of is being a substandard communicator. Be patient and be fair, patience will likely pay off.

Creator Jake Irmen on May 10

I can't wait until he finally responds to us with the "Oh, I've been really busy!" routine. I'm not falling for it. This guy is obviously a clown.

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 9

I just did a look up for John Slabyk and he's easy to get to. Going belly-up on this project would not be a good thing since he is so visible and this would harm him irreparably and he is in the image business. Perhaps if he would just give us an update and ease our anxiousness. John?

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 9

I want to add, that I really want to see this project successful. This is the project that drew me to Kickstarter in the first place! I really like the artwork and by looking at the work already done, surely very little stands in the way for it's success.

Creator Jeff Jenness on May 9

This is becoming a bit worrisome. After going and reading up on the FAQ to set some expectations in this case, it seems we are not receiving at least a "good faith effort". We should be getting some feedback for the project and the time between updates and the growing comments section with no response is unacceptable. I am probably like the rest on this project, all I really need is some communication. I am an understanding person and I know that things happen, but with $37K, there are some expectations here! I hope he knows there can be repercussions.

Have the "risks and challenges" changed? I looked at it to see if he mentioned any problems that could account for this, where he mentions getting all surveys back by July 4. But delivery is July, right? What's up?

Creator Eric Handler on May 9

What do you hear? Nothing but the rain....

Creator Riccardo Conturbia on May 7

He told me yesterday that an update is coming in a day or two. Let's wait

Creator Austin Strelinger on May 6

Disheartened. But still hoping this isn't my first KS gone bad. Please post an update so we know this is still happening.

Creator Paul Graf on May 6

And, again, today (5/6/13) he has logged in, but apparently too shy or ashamed to respond. Tsk, tsk.

Creator Riccardo Conturbia on May 6

An update is coming!

Creator Eric Handler on May 6

Update please! It would go a long away towards showing your "good faith attempt to fulfill each reward by its Estimated Delivery Date"