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E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

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Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#151

Post by djshelleyshell »

alistairSH wrote: post #107
ghshephard wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't really "sell" products on kickstarter, you try and convince people that you'll actually follow through on your vision. I've backed a dozen or so, and I've got about a 50% hit rate of anything coming through. The failures are always interesting. Trying to guess, ahead of time, which ones are failures (or scams) - is an education into itself. They always seem so earnest in the beginning. But, yeah - go into k…

You don't really "sell" products on kickstarter, The link doesn't mention Kickstarter at all - I assumed Unicorn was selling through their own website?

Correct. This was not a Kickstarter or anything like it. They represented like they had product at the time that I ordered.

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#152

Post by djshelleyshell »

mcbuilder wrote: post #65
jberm123 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>what's to stop the same employees and founders from following that method ad infinitum? Informed consumers

"There is a sucker born every minute"

I don’t think I’m a sucker for ordering a product promised to be in stock.

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#153

Post by djshelleyshell »

ansible wrote: post #56
flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not wrong, you're an idealist, which typically are very closely intertwined when it comes to reality. If you gave $700 to a company who promised to deliver you a scooter a few years down the line if all of the dominoes fell exactly as planned... I would argue that you got what you paid for even if it amounts to nothing tangible in the long run. Which is to say, you paid for a pricey digital lottery ticket with…

Yeah, I don't understand the craze with all the kickstarters. I've backed a few here and there. Two of them I knew the principals for a while before the kickstarter began. And I supported them at a level I considered a donation, so that if I never received anything, that's OK. Another I backed (ReSpeaker from Seeed Studios) I did because we were interested in it for a project at work, and it was convenient for me per…

It wasn’t a Kickstarter though.

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#154

Post by djshelleyshell »

koolba wrote: post #101
bransonf wrote: post #13

If you give $700 to a company that promises to deliver a scooter, and they spend that money on advertising, that’s fraud. They have no plausible argument that they didn’t know they couldn’t deliver or refund customers after they started spending pre-order funds. I hope customers get successful chargebacks and there’s a class action lawsuit. This wasn’t a crowdfunding campaign. Consumers were lied to, and the law shou…

Why would anyone do this when you can get what seems like the same scooter for $300? Isn’t this the same as those Xaiomi (spelling?) scooters I keep seeing for sale?

I liked the scooter. I liked the bells and whistles. Just because the scooter is more expensive than another, doesn’t mean I should be screwed.

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#155

Post by braindeath »

jascii wrote: post #121
braindeath wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> real company This is a bit nebulous. Every consumer, especially where the expense is a lot of money for them would do well to give this idea more thought. A pretty website, a few employees and some prototypes doesn’t hit a meaningful bar, let alone millions of dollars in capital (which this joint didn’t even have), TBH. Too bad fuckedcompany is no longer around, it did a great service.

Prototypes? This company was essentially selling a rebranded Segway ES2. https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2018/06/25/segway-n...

How is that link related to this company? Do you have some information they were even the same supplier?

Regardless, doesn't change my basic point, which is that "real company" is a nebulous concept and not prudent for a consumer. My neighbor's venture without even a business certificate may be a more "real company" because if he fucks me over he has at least has to see me everyday for years.

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#156

Post by jberm123 »

sieabahlpark wrote: post #63
jberm123 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>what's to stop the same employees and founders from following that method ad infinitum? Informed consumers

I didn't realize scamming was a legal business venture.

Did I say I support scamming?

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#157

Post by jberm123 »

djshelleyshell wrote: post #152
mcbuilder wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"There is a sucker born every minute"

I don’t think I’m a sucker for ordering a product promised to be in stock.

I don't think you are either. But it's a risk you're taking buying a product from a fledgling internet-based startup. Shall we make it easier to start an internet-based business over a brick and mortar shop with laws that benefit the former with the latter's inherent advantage?

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#158

Post by wp381640 »

foolfoolz wrote: post #80
shaneprrlt wrote: post #66

I feel horrible for the people who had to scrape together the $700 for a Christmas present for their kids, who won't be getting their scooter (like the person in the article). For most middle class people, that's a lot of money. I second the comments about successful chargebacks, because this will probably be ruining some kids Christmases out there otherwise. :(

this is a fabricated scenario. you could have bought a xiaomi scooter on amazon for $300 - $400 anytime this year. who would ever buy into some maybe-scooter kickstarter if they were low on cash? and who low on cash is buying $700 christmas presents?

> this is a fabricated scenario.

Not sure why you would jump to such a dismissive conclusion without at least doing some reading - media reporting has first-hand accounts from customers[0]:

> “I am upset he basically robbed everyone of his customers and is closing without delivering any scooters,” Rebecca Buchholtz wrote in an email to The Verge. “This was my daughters Christmas gift and now I cannot get her any gift.”

[0] https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/7/21000094/unicorn-electric...

Re: E-scooter company goes bust after spending big on Facebook ads

#160

Post by wp381640 »

SubuSS wrote: post #91
shaneprrlt wrote: post #66

I feel horrible for the people who had to scrape together the $700 for a Christmas present for their kids, who won't be getting their scooter (like the person in the article). For most middle class people, that's a lot of money. I second the comments about successful chargebacks, because this will probably be ruining some kids Christmases out there otherwise. :(

I am probably missing something here - but, - who is scraping together their life on one hand and buying $800 gifts? - if you're really doing the above, why would you take a gamble instead of buying something currently available? IOW as much as it is painful to read this, it seems pretty designed for an article rather than real world (am talking averages I guess). If it is real, that's the learning I'd take away more…

> who is scraping together their life on one hand and buying $800 gifts?

Having grown up poor I know it's not uncommon for parents to save during the year for that one big annual gift. This customer of Unicorn is one example:

> “I am upset he basically robbed everyone of his customers and is closing without delivering any scooters,” Rebecca Buchholtz wrote in an email to The Verge. “This was my daughters Christmas gift and now I cannot get her any gift.”

https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/7/21000094/unicorn-electric...

> if you're really doing the above, why would you take a gamble instead of buying something currently available?

It wasn't sold as a gamble or a risk, it was sold as a product on an online store from a company founder who was reputable.

I have no idea why HN users tend to degenerate into victim blaming in these situations - the bad party here is the company and the founders

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