Jason Jones
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I can relate Rangerman. They have denied me at every turn. I have written off getting my money back but I will be the first to jump into any class action that happens.
Got my response from the BBB.
<b><span style=”font-size: small;”>On February 26, 2016, the business provided the following information:</span></b>
Customer’s complaint is addressed to the wrong entity: his contract is with Roberts Space Industries Corp. (“RSI”), and we are responding on behalf of that entity.Customer committed his pledge for the development of Star Citizen in 2012, on Kickstarter, and he accepted RSI’s Terms of Service when he migrated his account pledge to RSI.
Pursuant to the Terms of Service Customer accepted when he made his pledge, funds pledged are treated as deposit to be used for the “Game Cost”, and such deposit “earned by RSI and become(s) non-refundable to the extent that it is used for the Pledge Item Cost and/or the Game Cost…” Customer specifically agreed to “irrevocably waive any claim for refund of any deposit amount that has been used for the Game Cost…” Please see RSI’s Terms of Service, Sec. IV A for further reference (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/tos). The Customer committed his pledge to the development of Star Citizen in 2012. Development of the Game has proceeded unabated and RSI is delivering content on a continuing basis. The full value of his pledge has been earned by RSI over years of effort and production, and no portion of it is unearned or returnable to Customer now years after the fact.
Contrary to the Customer’s complaint, an accounting is only promised in the unlikely event that the Game is not delivered. The development of the Game is in full progress, involving over 290 developers and staff across four studios. Development has not been abandoned at all, and consequently the accounting is not owed.
Pursuant to Sec. VII of the Terms of Service, Customers did “acknowledge and agree that delivery as of such date is not a promise by RSI since unforeseen events may extend the development and/or production time.” While quite a lot of the promised gameplay is now available, we acknowledge that delivery of some game elements has been delayed. This is a direct result of the community’s declared desire to have the initial release version of the game developed to a much greater depth, detail, and fidelity than contemplated originally upon start of the campaign. Ultimately, this evolution of development will benefit all backers including the Customer, since every backer will be receiving a much greater value for his/her pledge, but it may – as in this case – cause an extension of the delivery dates. It is inherent to the nature of crowdfunding that such an adjustment to the project may occur.
In summary, RSI has earned and applied Customer’s pledge to the development cost of the Game, and in accordance with the Terms of Service, to which Customer expressly agreed, Customer is no longer entitled to a refund. These terms are consistent with the specific nature of crowdfunding. We understand that some individuals may not want to wait for the completion of the project and ask for refunds, but put simply, “takebacks” are not compatible with the whole concept of crowdfunding.
