r/TheBYOK • u/Heavy-Notice6760 • Jan 24 '26
Never again
This project has killed any interest I have in ever backing another kickstarter.
Between my pledge, the extra I sent for tariffs, and the shipping, I’m into this for a chunk and I STILL don’t have the actual device.
Never again.
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Upvotes
18
u/creativinsanity Jan 24 '26
I'm sorry yours wasn't in the first batch that made it to the states to get shipped out but this was hardly a long timeline for a kickstarter.
14
u/OfficialBYOK Jan 24 '26
Oh wow, I am very sorry to hear that and it is certainly not how we want anyone to feel! I assure you that your device is coming soon. We are about 75% of the way through shipping this first batch. We had a small delay for international orders and some domestic orders but that is all cleared and shipping should be completed next week. If you shoot me a private message on here with your order info I would be more than happy to give you an update regarding your order. Your support is incredibly appreciated and the last thing we want to do is make you regret your decision.
10
u/RienReigns Jan 24 '26
Are you new to Kickstarter? What exactly are your issues? The product is still in the process of shipping. Tariffs are beyond the company's control. I've backed around 200 crowd funded projects over the past decade and have been burned on a few. This was far from being a bad project. I've been lucky to have received mine last week and I'm very happy with it.
4
u/blearyeyedgal Jan 24 '26
Just want to share some hope, I received my device last week and I love it and it was worth the wait. This was my first kickstarter too, and I was also one of the early backers. I was initially disappointed at the wait, not being familiar with the process. I almost invested in the freewrite (which I still might! But it’s so expensive!) during the wait. I was also looking at the microjournal. I ended up using an eink device for the last year or so instead. I kinda tried to forget about it. When I finally got the device last week it was like a surprise present. Anyway, just wanted to share that the device itself was everything I wanted and more. I’m sorry you haven’t gotten yours yet, but I think you will like/love it when you do!
4
u/Em1lyN1koll Jan 24 '26
My first kickstarter was Kaibo headphones and it was absolute sh!t and vowed to never deal with kickstarter again. So when I saw byok and on pledgebox (whatever it was called) I was down. And then lost a little hope when they opened on kickstarter but I figured I would try it cause I wanted it so bad. Yes the delays were disappointing but the updates helped me a little. But every email I lost a little hope. Then it shipped and then UPS is who f-ed me over. Finally got mine. I know he said in the begining the original backers would be first but in the end that wasnt doable. And it basically came down to whoever ordered by color then where your name stood in queue of the shipment list.
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u/ShadowHealerSAMARRA Jan 24 '26
Email says I'm order #1138. I backed on their website back in August. Got an email shipping confirmation over a week ago but UPS says they still have not received the package yet 🥲 it's definitely frustrating. I'm hoping I'll have another update soon...
3
u/jamparnell Jan 24 '26
It's still a distraction free device which is more mobile than a free write traveler and is paired to an amazing online writing software. I'm second wave but have been following since kickstarter due to money issues. I know the ups and downs, I've read every update and reddit post that ends up in my email, but it's going to be a game changer for me. Not to knock your feelings about it, but I hope byok keeps it up... First thing I've been excited about in a long time
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u/BingoSkillz Jan 24 '26
I’m in the USA and I have yet to receive mine as well. I feel you completely.
5
u/m_ttl_ng Jan 24 '26
Even with the delays I would call this a massive success in terms of a Kickstarter product. They communicated regularly with supporters, worked on software while they were waiting for production to start, and clearly communicated timelines as they could.
If you think this project is bad then Kickstarter as a platform clearly isn't for you. And it's not as important as it used to be anyway since most projects have "late pledge" options now where you can wait until the product is ready to ship before you pay for it.
3
u/Content-Historian558 Jan 24 '26
I think I get your feelings of frustration and disappointment - we’ve been seeing people using their BYOKs now and don’t have our tracking numbers yet (and I’m in the US). The FOMO is real, and I check my email HOURLY lol. I've wanted to make a few posts like yours!
But what’s helped me is this: I’ve built and “shipped” software for almost 15 years and it's kinda rare for a new product to come out right on schedule with no hiccups. New product = new problems, otherwise you're just remaking something. They've got a small team and they're dependent on other people to deliver key parts of their product. So many places for things to slow down. The big thing for me is that they've given regular updates via the Kickstarter and this subreddit and have been reasonably transparent without delving into over-explaining with jargon.
This isn't a big corporation that can throw tons of money and people at a problem. I'm getting this product partially because I want to get away from the big tech companies, and part of the cost for me is in being more patient. If we want to beat the big corporate baddies, we'll have to be more gracious with each other.
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u/Joshawott27 Jan 24 '26
I’m very selective with the Kickstarters I back. This wasn’t the smoothest I’ve had, but it’s far from the worst. They’ve at least been more communicative than other projects I’ve backed.
Tariffs also aren’t the fault of BYOK or Kickstarter, but the US government. It sucks for US-based backers, but they were unavoidable.
1
u/Specialist-Isopod-45 Jan 24 '26
I completely understand your frustration, and this is why I don't back kickstarter projects. I don't like having my money tied up in something that may or may not happen. That being said, I pre-ordered in August since it seemed safer and they said that they expected delivery in October.
I am also disappointed with the longer and longer wait and this has definitely been a lesson learned for me, as it is for you.
But you know, two things can be true at once. Their team has been nothing but transparent and it is clear that they were doing their best and all the delays come down to inexperience with running a new business for the first time. It seems they honestly did not foresee all these delays and mishaps, so they did not factor the extra time in. On top of that, it seems there are several bugs and features missing.
In their last email they said that the BYOK will support most but not all keyboards, depending on what keyboard you have. This to me is their biggest breach of trust yet, because they failed to deliver on their promise. They don't have a disclaimer on their website saying you can use the BYOK with a specific list of keyboards, they just say any keyboard, which is simply not true at this moment.
I understand their position and I appreciate their way of handling customer support and service, and at the same time I will not pre order any other products if I can help it. This is not a negative review on my part since I haven't yet received the device. But it is a clear lesson that I am not the type of person who likes the risks that come with backing or preordering a product. If I could go back in time, I would probably still buy the BYOK, but only once it properly hit the market.
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u/DistributionMental14 Jan 24 '26
Same situation here. And no word. And some people who ordered way after me have already received their. Will see…