How can I get in contact with companies officials?

[slava]

Hello!

Is the project still alive?
I ordered my boards almost two months ago. The payment was proceeded without any problems in a few days after the order. It is all that I got so far.
After 3 weeks without any news, I sent a message using the contact form on the web-site – no response.
After 6 weeks without any news, I sent a message on official e-mail of the company – no response.

So far it looks like a fraud. I would be glad if someone can prove opposite.
Did anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

[churchja]

Same here... I was an original Kickstarter Backer and have yet to receive my Flutter... quite disappointed with customer service and getting an answer about the status of my Flutter.

Hopefully we'll both hear something soon.

[spuder]

I ordered mine with the original kick starter years ago. ( Sep 2013). They showed up a couple of months ago (June 2015). Just took a picture of them as proof.

I haven't uploaded anything to them yet. The initial steps are pretty involved. Keep trying to contact them, the creators are somewhat active on these forms.

[tweir]

You should have done a bit more due-diligence before purchasing - this project has been in trouble for a while now. Taylor got in over his head, and (apparently) is trying to dig his way out. Latest status here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flutterwireless/flutter-20-wireless-arduino-with-half-mile-1km-ran/posts/1346276

Were I you, I'd explore your options wrt getting your credit card provider involved. Those of us who backed the kickstarter don't really have any such recourse - either he ships, or he doesn't.

I have a gut feeling that Taylor is (eventually) going to get things sorted out, but it might be a bit of a wait. He really should have shut down pre-orders on the website once he realized that things were going sideways.

[pittsville]

There is no fraud going on. Mr. Alexander is doing everything he can to fulfill all orders.

I wouldn't be too hard on him. What he has been able to do so far is quite an accomplishment.

It has not worked out as he planned but he had nothing but the best intentions, and a dream. I believe he says he has taken a loan in order to be able to fulfill all orders as promised. I received my boards quite a while ago and he has explained that orders at the level of mine were being filled first. I was quite happy with what I received even though I don't really know how to use them yet.

He has asked people to please stop asking for refunds and to be patient. I trust Taylor Alexander and believe in him, and if I had not already received my order I would have told him to put me on the bottom of the list.

[Banjo13]

I would caution all who may be tempted to get their credit card companies involved. Right now Taylor is doing everything he can to fulfill the orders and keep his word.

By putting your money down on a kickstarter or pre-ordering a kickstarter before the entire process is normalized, you are essentially placing a bet.

Please take a look at all of Taylor's correspondence. He never whines or complains. He accepts responsibility, acknowledges our concerns, apologizes and outlines his steps for correcting the situation. These are traits of a MAN.

Take a close look at the link and you will see that he said "I had to move". If I were a gambler, I would bet that he "had to move" due to financial hardship resulting from this project.

At this point, any action to retrieve ones bet only complicates and potentially delays current outstanding orders. Based on Mr. Alexander's work ethic, honesty, and willingness to sacrifice his health and finances, I fully believe all orders will be filled.

[tweir]

Its important to differentiate between two things in this conversation:

1. Funds paid as part of backing the project through kickstarter
2. Funds collected through selling pre-orders on http://flutterwireless.com/

Kickstarter risks/uncertainty only apply to the first case. We all accepted the risks associated with backing a kickstarter, and shouldn't expect anything other than maybe receiving a product at some point in the future. If I understand it correctly, OP is in the second category - he tried purchasing a product where there was no uncertainty around whether or not he would receive it, and has therefore not placed any sort of wager. Taylor is exposing himself to a ton of risk by continuing to accept orders through the site & not responding to those customers.

I agree that Taylor has exhibited above-average integrity & perseverance thus far - lesser people would have simply quit. I look forward to receiving my kickstarter rewards, and have every confidence that Taylor will come through.

[slava]

Thanks for the comments!

I do not question personal traits of Taylor or any other people here. The project is existing and challenging at the same, no doubts you should be brave if you want to handle it.

I question the way customer/seller feedback loop works. From the very beginning till now I do not have any response from Taylor. If there is a problem in the company, there is such nice option as auto-reply, a robot simply sends an e-mail with your order confirmation with the promise to proceed eventually. We wrote here quiet a lot of text, no attention from his side. You should be certainly more open to put a project on the solid base.

Anyway, thank you again for the comments. I cross my fingers, hope everything will go well, let you know if I receive my flutter boards.

[jet_flyer]

That's the main thing I'm really frustrated about. I understand life happens and it can get overwhelming but it doesn't take that long to post a small update as to what's going on(like why most of the original backers like myself still haven't received anything). He did good for a while but not much lately

[psp1024]

From the flutterwireless website, right near the top:
"* Flutter shipments have begun, but new orders do not ship right away. Please see Delivery Information for details."

Following the 'Delivery Information' link from the above line, we find:
"Flutter began shipping in May, 2015 when the first 1000 Flutter Basic boards shipped out to Kickstarter backers. As of May we still have 3000 more boards to deliver to Kickstarter backers, and are using pre-orders to fund the purchase of parts for new production.

We will be doing production runs in large batches over the coming months to get caught up with deliveries, but orders placed now may not ship for several months. Orders ship globally from our manufacturing partner in Shenzhen, China. We are also working on adding distributors who can ship from stock.

By ordering, you agree to allow us to charge your card now for delivery in a few months. If at any point you would like a refund, we would be happy to facilitate that. Simply send us an e-mail to info@flutterwireless.com with "Refund Request" in the title and we will get you sorted out. PLEASE DO NOT cancel charges via your credit card provider or we will be hit with large fees. Than you so much for your support!"

Now, I agree that this probably should have been updated since May. I also agree that is clearly states it is okay to get a refund if you so desire, but it also DEFINITELY states that you should expect several months for ship time. From what I've seen in Taylor's posts, this has negatively effected his life more then makes me comfortable already, and any premature refund requests on the part of his 'supporters' will only serve to make things even more difficult for him. I'd like my products just as much as the next guy (possibly more... I might have purchased more of these then I'd like to admit) but let's not ruin a guy's life because we've gotten used to Amazon's shipping schedule. Taylor will get them out eventually I'm sure.

Oh, and he mentioned in his update: "Also, I know the password reset emails are not going out from our website, nor are the questions submitted via the web form. Looks like we have some issue with the email system there so I intend to look that over." So I'm assuming this effects your attempts to contact him.