"The way you make something at volumes of 50 is completely different than the way you make things at volumes of a thousand," said Gleb Polyakov.Ĭonsumers need to understand that crowdfunding is a different consumer experience than buying an existing product from an online retailer like Amazon, he added. In an interview, one of the founders of ZPM Espresso shed light on some of the problems. The news prompted other backers to complain on Kickstarter and social media, Browne said, with some comments from those who felt "betrayed" by the company turning vitriolic. In January, ZPM Espresso announced it was shutting down and that only a small amount of the initial money remained to return as refunds. There were issues with the quality of the manufacturing, and ZPM Espresso hired outside consultants to adapt the design.īrowne said he knew the project was destined for failure last fall as updates became less frequent and problems seemed to multiply. As the months passed, he remained positive even as the company ran into problems. The creators posted frequent updates in the beginning, Browne said. The campaign raised US$369,569, well above the original US$20,000 goal. Yet the company's plans never materialized, and now supporters who spent as much as US$1,000 on the machine - and assorted bonuses including T-shirts and coffee paraphernalia - are looking for answers.Ĭhristopher Browne, a Toronto-based computer scientist, said he contributed $350 during ZPM Espresso's original Kickstarter campaign from December 2011 to January 2012, which was supposed to cover the cost of the machine as well as a few extra gifts. ZPM Espresso claimed its Nocturne coffee maker was the world's first smart espresso machine for the home because of a programmable control chip, more common in commercial machines, that would allow consumers to create the perfect shot of concentrated java by precisely controlling water pressure and temperature. TORONTO - Backers of a failed effort on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter are considering their options after founders of a coffee maker missed a mid-April deadline to get the project back on track.
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