Updated: Scammed: The X-Tra battery campaign on Kickstarter

[amorse]

Full credit is due for owning up to what happened. We all get taken once in a while.

I know a lot of people in the forum were vocal on noting that this one smelled off, but I do feel for the people that thew money into this expecting a great opportunity. If nothing else, it's an expensive reminder that kickstarters come with risk and anyone investing in them needs to recognize that a risk exists and assess their own comfort level with it; not unlike investing.

For me, third party batteries are an immediate non-starter as I've bought off-brand batteries in the past and been burned several times. YMMV.

 

[[email protected]]

I backed this, but did so knowing it could be a scam or - more likely - a failure. This is the first time I got scammed after having backed maybe half a dozen others. I certainly don't blame CanonRumors. Kickstarter is like poor man's venture capital. You want to fund the innovation, and might benefit from it yourself, but some will blow up.

I think it was perfectly appropriate for CR to point out the campaign as news. Affiliating with it is fine so long as you disclose. Too bad it went south, but I appreciate CR looking out for cool stuff.

 

[JP4DESIGNZ]

Whoa! I back out of this project a day before it got funded. I was getting one to replace a battery I lost, but backed out as soon as I found it. So sorry this happened to everyone.

 

[1kind]

Don't beat yourself over it. We all make mistakes...we're all human. Even if you didn't share it, people would of still been scammed either by being active on KS or from other sites.

It's a pricey mistake for everyone who pledged in the scam but its a risk we all take and are aware of when we pledge on KS. As I mentioned in the comments on KS, if you're unsure, ALWAYS pledge $1 just to get your "foot in the door" to scope out the campaign. You may risk losing out on the Super Early Bird or Early Bird specials but these KS campaigns always let you purchase the products when surveys are sent out.

Definitely contact your credit card company. As they always say, "you're a valued customer..." so they should be doing the right thing. When I fell for a few KS traps, my credit card company contacted KS. Either I'd get no response and my cc company would reimburse me or KS/the campaign would respond back to the investigation. I would respond back with further evidence and my cc would handle it from there. After a few weeks, I got my money back.

KS is useless when they say that they will help you file in chargebacks. Such a bunch of crock as they don't reply back to you or help backers.

 

[1kind]

Disappointing - I was VERY close to backing this myself but held off, not due to suspicions but just because I was saving for another purchase. I thought the design looked cool though - maybe someone reputable could pick up on the idea, as I thought they had some cool concepts incorporated into the proposed product. Sorry folks may lose their hard earned cash, makes it that much harder for the reputable Kickstarter types in the future too no doubt.

ML

One thing I was hesitant about the campaign is the compatibility. Yes, 5D Mark III, R5, R6 all use the LP-E6/N/NH battery but not all battery doors are created equal. So how will that work? It's not like you take your existing battery and insert into the extension grip like its a battery tray (ohhh idea!!!???). The campaign had the battery built in to the extension grip. Per campaign description, it looked like it was only battery specific that would work for compatible cameras and not camera specific. The R6 battery door is a smidge longer than the 5D Mark III.

 

[DVaNu]

I came across this very recent Kickstarter campaign a few days ago. If I'm not mistaken it's the same "model" posing as a musician/user in the intro video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sabinetek/finalace-a-wearable-audio-studio/description


Unless the person in the CEO picture of the X-tra battery campaign is indeed "Jeffrey Parker" their CEO. It's a clear infringement of one of the Kickstarter rules:
"Suspicious creator behaviour or pledging activity" - " The creator or project team is impersonating me or somebody else, or is falsifying biographical details"
At that point Kickstarter should not ignore it anymore and has to take further measures. But the chance of that happening will probably depend on how many complaints they will get and if they are willing to investigate it more thoroughly.

 

[lightingb]

Question...
I can't confirm or deny this project is a scam. I have not taken the time to investigate. But I do trust Canon Rumors. It's obvious that this product took a lot of research and thinking to create. The product was incredibly useful and one of the better products that actually fixed a real world problem. Is it possible this is not a scam but poorly run. Or was a business proposition to begin with and then feel apart?

I don't deny your evidence seems 100 percent legit. I trust it and will share this information with my friends that purchased it. But I am questioning the amount of effort and thought it would have taken. Typically scammers (unless they are brilliant, which happens) typically don't go through so much trouble. That makes me wonder if something else is actually going on. Like their business plan crumbled. Which has a higher chance of probability. I on the other hand have no proof to backup my opinion. It's just a thought.

Thoughts?

 

[Canon Rumors Guy]

I came across this very recent Kickstarter campaign a few days ago. If I'm not mistaken it's the same "model" posing as a musician/user in the intro video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sabinetek/finalace-a-wearable-audio-studio/description
View attachment 195721

Unless the person in the CEO picture of the X-tra battery campaign is indeed "Jeffrey Parker" their CEO. It's a clear infringement of one of the Kickstarter rules:
"Suspicious creator behaviour or pledging activity" - " The creator or project team is impersonating me or somebody else, or is falsifying biographical details"
At that point Kickstarter should not ignore it anymore and has to take further measures. But the chance of that happening will probably depend on how many complaints they will get and if they are willing to investigate it more thoroughly.

Nice work, it looks like the same guy to me. I will reach out to Kickstarter again.

 

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Question...
I can't confirm or deny this project is a scam. I have not taken the time to investigate. But I do trust Canon Rumors. It's obvious that this product took a lot of research and thinking to create. The product was incredibly useful and one of the better products that actually fixed a real world problem. Is it possible this is not a scam but poorly run. Or was a business proposition to begin with and then feel apart?

I don't deny your evidence seems 100 percent legit. I trust it and will share this information with my friends that purchased it. But I am questioning the amount of effort and thought it would have taken. Typically scammers (unless they are brilliant, which happens) typically don't go through so much trouble. That makes me wonder if something else is actually going on. Like their business plan crumbled. Which has a higher chance of probability. I on the other hand have no proof to backup my opinion. It's just a thought.

Thoughts?

I've seen Kickstarters fall apart, one in particular that I promoted. The difference is they never stopped communicating with the community and they paid their affiliate bills.

 

[1kind]

I came across this very recent Kickstarter campaign a few days ago. If I'm not mistaken it's the same "model" posing as a musician/user in the intro video:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sabinetek/finalace-a-wearable-audio-studio/description
View attachment 195721

Unless the person in the CEO picture of the X-tra battery campaign is indeed "Jeffrey Parker" their CEO. It's a clear infringement of one of the Kickstarter rules:
"Suspicious creator behaviour or pledging activity" - " The creator or project team is impersonating me or somebody else, or is falsifying biographical details"
At that point Kickstarter should not ignore it anymore and has to take further measures. But the chance of that happening will probably depend on how many complaints they will get and if they are willing to investigate it more thoroughly.

By the looks of it, Sabinetek looks to be legit. They created 3 campaigns (2 completed). However, their products (based on comments) looks a little shoddy. Since this guy is a model, you'll see him in a bunch of other campaigns and would be normal. But for the shady company to pass him off as the CEO, that's wrong.

 

[frjmacias]

I remember the article on this campaign back in November. I did not back it because I was struggling financially at the time, but I remember thinking to myself that it was a neat idea. Now, I am obviously glad I did not back it, but I did want to commend you for owning up to your mistake in this matter. As careful as one can be, I have been had by scams in the past, so I understand completely.

 

[Tangent]

I had no idea that an affiliate commission was 20%. Speaking in general terms, that's a hefty incentive for someone to push a product. Do folks make 20% on affiliate links to buy B&H gear, for example, also? I'm kind of curious now about this and what percentages are involved.

follow up to my own Q: On B&H it's 2-8% with average of 3.5%.

 

[bsbeamer]

I was skeptical of their claims on performance and how it would work with genuine Canon cameras that basically need some kind of communication with LPE6/LPE6N. I've used a lot of 3rd party batts for video work in the past and nothing gives you the reliability of the Canon battery metering unless it's with a genuine Canon battery. Straight USB-C power for all cameras will solve this for many, especially with timelapse or long recordings.

Wonder what compatibility is ACTUALLY like. I've used a LOT of LPE6 USB battery adapter products like Tether Tools in the past and you cannot always shoot "continuous" indefinitely if the camera senses the battery is draining. Sometimes camera needs to be turned off in-between USB brick changes or else you'll eventually get an auto-shutoff at the worst possible moment.

Third party batteries always seem to not accurately report battery levels in-camera, which is the level indicator that needs to be used or else another "reboot" is needed to properly recognize.

Mirrorless with USB-C built in that allows full charging with hot swap makes this product a lot less useful.

 

[Canon Rumors Guy]

I had no idea that an affiliate commission was 20%. Speaking in general terms, that's a hefty incentive for someone to push a product. Do folks make 20% on affiliate links to buy B&H gear, for example, also? I'm kind of curious now about this and what percentages are involved.

follow up to my own Q: On B&H it's 2-8% with average of 3.5%.

10-20% is fairly normal for Kickstarter campaigns.

As far as retailers such as B&H, there is nowhere near 10% margin on cameras and lenses (house brands pay more), so they pay far less in commissions. Amazon has a tiered system for different product categories and volume.

 

[puffo25]

Hello. I am very worry about this article- So in essence the campaign coming from this site: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...?ref=ksr_email_comment_new_reply_notification is a fraud/scam? I have indeed apply to buy this battery pack. Do you think I should immediately try to get the money back from my credit card company?

 

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Hello. I am very worry about this article- So in essence the campaign coming from this site: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...?ref=ksr_email_comment_new_reply_notification is a fraud/scam? I have indeed apply to buy this battery pack. Do you think I should immediately try to get the money back from my credit card company?

Yes, everything is pointing to this campaign being a scam from the start. It has been reported to both Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

 

[dwarven]

Thanks for being so honest about it That's a rare quality on the internet these days.

 

[peters]

Aaah I couldnt belive it back than, when people pointed it out. But the concept looked great for me and I couldnt see any reason why this shouldnt work. I still think it could be done rather easily, but obviously not by this scammer idiots >.<

 

[1kind]

Yes, everything is pointing to this campaign being a scam from the start. It has been reported to both Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Unfortunately KS and IndieGoGo would do nothing. They took their share of fees and pretty much wipe their hands clean. There are a bunch of KS scam campaigns that are still live with backers still asking for refunds. The only action it seems KS and Indie would do is if the campaign is a copyright infringement or imitating to be another campaign. Those are the only times I've seen either crowdfunding take action. Otherwise, if its a scam, KS ignores it.

 

[1kind]

Hello. I am very worry about this article- So in essence the campaign coming from this site: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...?ref=ksr_email_comment_new_reply_notification is a fraud/scam? I have indeed apply to buy this battery pack. Do you think I should immediately try to get the money back from my credit card company?

File a chargeback/dispute with your credit card company. Each cc company has different ways of handling situations like this. For mine, they did an investigation where they contacted KS asking for information/for a reply. I think KS contacted the campaign for their response...essentially KS is the middle man for communication.

For one campaign, KS responded back on behalf of the campaign to my cc company saying it would ship in July. I responded back to my cc company and said its a lie and provided additional proof that they kept pushing and delaying shipment. From there, I don't know if the campaign decided not to respond back but my cc refunded me my money. It was about $200+.

The second campaign I filed a chargeback on, I don't think I heard anything at all and my cc just refunded me the money. This was only like ~$70? So maybe that was a factor? Don't know.