How many times have you taken your smartphone to the bathroom and have it play music at its maximum level while you shower (though you won't actually hear anything until you shut the water off)? And what to say about the time someone calls you just as you get soaked? With this small - and cute - Rebel Speaker that popped up in the Indiegogo crowdfunding site you won't have to worry about that anymore.
The Rebel Speaker is a small water resistant bluetooth speaker with integrated mic, that lets you listen to your favorite songs from your smartphone, and act as a hands-free device to receive calls - even while you're in the shower. It has an integrated suction cup, making it easy to place it anywhere.
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Now... let me tell you about one "small" issue. I've backed this project and talked about it in my main Portuguese blog, and soon after, one of my trusted readers found out an identical looking device on eBay - and cheaper! Well... I thought it could either be a case of a "Chinese" clone ripping off their device (unfortunately quite common); or... worst still, that this project was simply buying a ready made product, charging a bit extra, and make it look like a new project.
As I assume the best in people, I politely asked their position on this issue in the project comment section (keep in mind I had already backed the project buying two Rebel Speakers - to save on the international shipping charges). To my surprise, the comment was deleted. Well... maybe it was a glitch, I tried again... and once again my comment was promptly removed. You can imagine how I felt... backing a project that was deleting the honest questions I was making about it.
By this time, having no other choice, I contacted Indiegogo to tell them about the situation, only to find out that Indiegogo support also couldn't care less about it... I guess as long as they get their cut, everything else is not their concern.
Fortunately, the Rebel Speakers team finally contacted me by email, saying that they were aware of the issue and that the items in Ebay are in fact Chinese ripoffs, and that they hadn't the resources to fight it in the courts. I told them I was quite annoyed they deleted my public comments/questions, and that they would certainly get a better public image if they acknowledged it publicly without any "shame". But they say they prefer to keep it quiet so people don't run away and buy the cheaper knock-offs to save a few bucks.
Well... maybe it's just me that believe that people will inherently do the "right thing" when given the facts straight.
I'm still annoyed by them having deleted my comments, but after our email exchange, I feel they're doing what they think its best for them and the project. In any case, I put the whole thing out in the open so you can decide for yourself, and not feel like the Rebel Speaker project at Indiegogo is a scam - like I did for a while!
Prices start at $18 and delivery is promised to start this month, which will also make for a very nice Christmas gift!
[Rebel Speaker at Indiegogo]
So, as it turns out -- rebel speaker is actually a scam. in fact, all of "morrison innovations" are just imported chinese knockoffs that he labels as some other brand. He's done this with a lot of his previous products. I called him out about it via email and he admitted that he simply imported the speakers from china. Additionally, I contact indiegogo but they did not care because in the end, they were getting paid.
ReplyDeleteMatt A, before backing the project, I sent an email to Robert Morrison as well asking him why there appeared to be several identical products on the market. Morrison replied that a Chinese company had ripped off his intellectual property and were producing unauthorized copies. Apparently, this is a complete lie because Morrison has now reversed his position and admits that he is simply repackaging a widely available, cheap bluetooth speaker. Misleadingly, he writes on his campaign page that "the product is developed....and tested" to imply that HE developed and tested it or hired others to do so. He did neither. He also wrote that he needed $1,000 for "final tooling and packaging for retail distribution". While it may be accurate that he needed $1,000 for packaging, he has been dishonest about his need for "final tooling" expenses because this product is not his own. I have not analyzed whether he has breached any of Indiegogo's terms and conditions, but it is beyond clear that he is dishonest and was intentionally misleading in his communications and the marketing of his campaign. Based on his conduct, I would not recommend anyone do business with him.
ReplyDeleteMatt A, before backing the project, I sent an email to Robert Morrison as well asking him why there appeared to be several identical products on the market. Morrison replied that a Chinese company had ripped off his intellectual property and were producing unauthorized copies. Apparently, this is a complete lie because Morrison has now reversed his position and admits that he is simply repackaging a widely available, cheap bluetooth speaker.
ReplyDeleteMisleadingly, he writes on his Indiegogo campaign page that "the product is developed ... and tested" to imply that HE developed and tested it or hired others to do so. He did neither.
He also wrote on his campaign page that he needed $1,000 for "final tooling and packaging for retail distribution". While it may be accurate that he needed $1,000 for packaging, he has been dishonest about his need for "final tooling" expenses because this product is not his own. I have not analyzed whether he has breached any of Indiegogo's terms and conditions, but it is beyond clear that he is dishonest and was intentionally misleading in his communications and the marketing of his campaign. Based on his conduct, I would not recommend anyone do business with him.
Indiegogo's own commenting system is contributing to the proliferation of these misleading campaigns. In order to make a public comment, one must contribute to the campaign. Many campaigns allow a contributor to contribute as little as $1; thus, one could pay a trivial sum in order to make a public comment. Morrison must have learned from his past campaigns that the best way to restrict comments that might reveal the misleading nature of his campaigns is to make the lowest contribution tier relatively high (in this case, $18 for a perk--the speaker itself). Thus, although I had concerns during his campaign, I could not publicly make them without contributing to his campaign. In this way, Indiegogo allows misleading campaigns to get away with duping contributors.