Flojack Dead on Arrival

Tagged: doa, faulty, international, nonfunctioning, not working, return

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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November 7, 2013 at 2:40 am #5029
Can
Participant
Hi there flominions,

I want to start by saying this was the first project I funded through Kickstarter and I am thoroughly disappointed. I can accept all the delays in production and shipment but now I have a non-functioning unit in my hand and I have no idea what to do.

I received my Flojack a couple of hours ago and inserted the battery; nothing.. No LEDS flashing no calibration.. it just doesn’t work.

I thought ok, let’s try this again.. I removed the batter and waited for 5 minutes.. reinsert the battery.. Still no LEDS.. I connected the device to my iPhone (wishful thinking) just to see.. I launch the app try to read or write tags.. Nothing.

I decided to try one more time, remove the battery, wait, reinsert.. Just to find out that the two small indents that hold the battery in place are broken.. sigh..

Overall I was very disappointed with the device but I though.. ok at least I have the NFC tags that I can use with my S4 right? Nope.. The zapps(?) that are included in the pack are apparently incompatible with the S4..

Finally, I came up on the “Flojack-reimagined” post https://flomio.com/2013/11/flojack-reimagined/ . Well great.. All I have to do is ship my unit back.. Except.. I live all the way in Turkey. I already paid 25USD for getting the unit shipped here.. And now I have to pay to send it back? seriously?

So, like I said, I am very disappointed with this project.. I think it’s time for me to cut my losses..

I do hope that one day you guys can sort out all the technical and operational issues and deliver a truly “commercial grade” device. Until then, I’ll place my flojack on my desk, to remind me to think again before I invest in another Kickstarter project.

Kind Regards,
Can
- This topic was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Can. Reason: grammar
November 7, 2013 at 7:00 am #5031

Richard
Keymaster

Cam, thanks for taking the time to try our product and give us your feedback. I hope you followed the instructions detailed in the Flojack page on how to setup the device. We’ve had some customers insert the battery the wrong way and trigger similar issues you’ve described. See, placing the battery in reverse can short the battery itself quickly discharging it. Then after correcting the mistake, the battery is discharged. Something to consider.

If in fact your FloJack is defective, then you have a right to return it for another. Because of the postage expense of shipping products internationally, you can understand we can’t shoulder these costs if we want to survive. We are a startup innovating at the bleeding edge and your support is a part of that. We cherish every dollar we get from our community and it would not be right to spend it on postage. Once we have sustainable revenue to work with, we can provide a better customer service experience.

Crowdfunding is a key part of our business and we are trying to manage it as best we can. The reality is that the complexity of the products we make are above and beyond what our backers are willing to pay for them. So we’ve had to make sacrifices on quality and polish that many people take for granted. Otherwise, the economics just don’t work. To change this we have to either grow the market or simplify the product.

Since growing the market is a bit out of our hands, we chose to simplify the product. As you recall from the FloJack Reimagined post, this was a very hard decision to make and one that will ultimately cost us a lot more than we have. But as you have gambled on us, we are willing to gamble on everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve to get us to the goal. The goal of NFC ubiquity. It’s the right decision and we know it better than anyone.

Richard and the Flomies.

November 7, 2013 at 8:43 am #5032
Eric
Participant
The reality is that the complexity of the products we make are above and beyond what our backers are willing to pay for them.

This is kind of a remarkable statement. Your Kickstarter backers didn’t set the the price levels for the various rewards, you did. It may be the case that the price was too low, but that’s not a function of supporter stinginess, that’s a function of an optimistic estimate on Flomio’s part.
- This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Eric.
November 7, 2013 at 10:06 am #5034

Richard
Keymaster

@Eric, that’s a fair point. The development of the FloJack has spanned several years now and costed many multiples more than what we attempted to raise on Kickstarter. This made setting our fundraising goal pretty hard. If we overestimate, we price things out of the range of what the market will bear and get no backers. If we underestimate, we get pissed off customers who expect “commercial grade” products.

What motivates us is not the money we raised, but the potential of NFC ubiquity. Kickstarter has done a good job of giving us an audience to speak to. An audience to educate on this vision. Without this connection it’s likely R&D projects like ours would take much longer to reach the market, even though their impact on the world is a good one.
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