Coolest Cooler is Cool.

[RossMAN]

Guess what?

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-very-uncool-cooler

 

[GagHalfrunt]

A fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place.

 

[OutHouse]

Guess what?

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-very-uncool-cooler

holy molley

 

[ImpulsE69]

I thought about bumping this for this. As patient as I've been, I got a little irate over this latest turn of events. Granted it could be the Rift/Vive fiasco I'm currently going through.

Their problem is and has been scope creep, badly. On top of that, I'm pretty sure they partied a lot of the money away.

I think it took mighty big balls to send out the notice they did asking for more money OR that they would have to sell them retail to be able to get enough to ship to backers. What they fail to realize is they've been selling them on Amazon, and they STILL have lots there. There is no way they will sell enough of these commercially up front to make that work.

Oh well, not a big deal in the end. Disappointed because I actually wanted the product. It's a sad state of affairs, but not totally unexpected. It was my first and last Kickstarter (even if I do eventually get it). It wasn't that much money in the big picture so no huge loss.

What is interesting is many people are threatening law suit. I'm not even sure that is possible with a Kickstarter, even though there seem to be some parts of the ToS that point to the possibility, but if they don't have any money left...how would you get any out of them?

 

[SSSnail]

Guess what?

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-very-uncool-cooler

That's what they get for sourcing shits to China.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wait, so now we're looking at a cooler that costs $400? lmao. That's not considering exchange rate and shipping. Probably more like $600 when all is said and done. That blender it comes with better be a Blendtec.

Personally I'd have stuck with the KISS approach here. If you want to make a "high tech" cooler make the lid a solar panel, maybe even foldable so it goes double it's size AND acts as shade for the cooler, add a solar charge controller and small lead acid battery (user replaceable) and a bunch of 12v sockets and USB ports. Make it like $160. (a decent cooler will run you close to $60 so adding $100 for the solar system seems fair) Then the stuff like the blender can be 12v accessories sold separately. Actually this would make a fun project... I should start a kickstarter. I'll call it the coolerest.

 

[ViRGE]

Guess what?

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-very-uncool-cooler

The whole situation sucks all around. But I don't see what else they can do; the Kickstarter price was below the cost of production. You can't fill orders like that.

 

[DrPizza]

The whole situation sucks all around. But I don't see what else they can do; the Kickstarter price was below the cost of production. You can't fill orders like that.

One would think that if their business was viable, they could get a small business loan to take care of the promised units, rather than continuing to get bad press which will hurt their name. "Coolest also spent $2 million on design and engineering alone, it said." In other words, salaries to the guys who came up with the idea.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I don't think the business is viable. Not at $400 a pop. That is why their option of "sell commercial units to fund the ones going to backers" will never work. They would have to sell a ton of them. As it is, they supposedly only sent 500 to Amazon over 6 months ago, and Amazon hasn't sold out of them. I just don't see it happening.

I was OK paying $180, I'd never pay $400 unless it had glowing YOU GOTTA HAVE THIS reviews, which it doesn't.

 

[CraKaJaX]

One would think that if their business was viable, they could get a small business loan to take care of the promised units, rather than continuing to get bad press which will hurt their name. "Coolest also spent $2 million on design and engineering alone, it said." In other words, salaries to the guys who came up with the idea.

I honestly don't understand how it takes $2M to "engineer" a cooler. Sure it's got some different things to figure out ie, load for power supply, weight capacity, etc. but.... $2M? No. I suppose that's one reason why they are where they are...

 

[Sonikku]

Wow, this whole situation is really too bad.

 

[slayer202]

crowd sourcing is the worst thing ever

 

[Miramonti]

I honestly don't understand how it takes $2M to "engineer" a cooler. Sure it's got some different things to figure out ie, load for power supply, weight capacity, etc. but.... $2M? No. I suppose that's one reason why they are where they are...

I suspect the pockets were deep at the outset in developing this, which can be a positive and a negative, as it allows more freedom to be ambitious yet invites a more expensive process.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I suspect the pockets were deep at the outset in developing this, which can be a positive and a negative, as it allows more freedom to be ambitious yet invites a more expensive process.

It seems there were some patent issues as well, and like I mentioned above, the scope creep on this was HORRIBLE. You could tell as time went on and they kept 'adding/improving' things cost was going to skyrocket. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. Supposedly they shipped 20k units so far, but there is some very real doubt that actually happened.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I suspect the pockets were deep at the outset in developing this, which can be a positive and a negative, as it allows more freedom to be ambitious yet invites a more expensive process.

The expensive process was likely a coke/hooker binge on the beaches of Cabo to "research" what features a cooler should have. It's a fucking cooler, 90% of the work was already done. Take existing cooler, add gadgets, sell.

 

[JSt0rm]

As soon as I saw a blender in the lid of the thing I knew it was a bad idea.

 

[JSt0rm]

I think this guy is taking things a we bit too serious for $200 lmao

 

[Vdubchaos]

I would not want that cooler free of charge....

And he is full of sheeeet about old school coolers. They don't break easily, actually they don't break at all. All of my coolers are over 15 years old and doing just fine.

I don't need a speaker in my cooler, nor do I need a blender....wait, blender? really?....it's a gimmick at best.

 

[Miramonti]

I think this guy is taking things a we bit too serious for $200 lmao

Sounds like the tone of someone who just got sentenced to 10 years in prison for tax evasion on the same day that all his kids told the authorities he's a child molester.

 

[JSt0rm]

now imagine what would happen with something like starcitizen shitting the bed with 15k and up backers. Holy shit.

 

[gorcorps]

now imagine what would happen with something like starcitizen shitting the bed with 15k and up backers. Holy shit.

That's why stories like this need to get properly publicized. A lot of people back things without realizing what that entails... you're not buying something, you're giving somebody money in the hopes that one day they'll produce a product and reward you for being an early investor.

It'd also serve as a warning to people who think they have a good product. Maybe they'll think a little harder about if their product is really viable at the prices given.

 

[Sonikku]

I think this guy is taking things a we bit too serious for $200 lmao

"Overcharge me for a water cooler will you? I hope your family fucking dies!"

 

[JSt0rm]

I bet that guy is ready to nuke a small city over a $1000 tax bill.

 

[zinfamous]

I would not want that cooler free of charge....

And he is full of sheeeet about old school coolers. They don't break easily, actually they don't break at all. All of my coolers are over 15 years old and doing just fine.

I don't need a speaker in my cooler, nor do I need a blender....wait, blender? really?....it's a gimmick at best.

seriously. It was a dogshit idea from the beginning. It amazes me that anyone backed this thing.

 

[ImpulsE69]

now imagine what would happen with something like starcitizen shitting the bed with 15k and up backers. Holy shit.

It could still happen. Granted, at least they have the proof of concept out there that people can fiddle with.

Sadly, crowdfunding isn't long for the world. Just way too many missteps, greed, and scams out there.