![Not BBB accredited](https://m.bbb.org/terminuscontent/dist/img/non-ab-icon__300w.png?tx=w_120)
ComplaintsforIndiegogo
Additional Complaint Information
BBB’s profile for IndieGoGo was created in February 2011. A review of complaints was completed in May 2024. Complaints on file state concerns of receiving perks and issues with refund request(s).
BBB recommends users to review the Terms of Use with special attention to 4. Backing a Campaign, 14. No Warranty,15. Disclaimer of Liability, and Indiegogo Refund Policy prior to using their services. For additional support options, please visit Help & Support.
Need to file a complaint?
BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process.
Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
12/18/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Customer Service Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I contributed to ****'s StarryHub project hosted on Indiegogo on June 7th by paying $499 for the StarryHub Perk. While being told the shipment would happen in early Sept (Attachment CzurReplyAboutShipping.pdf), I never received it or any got any update from Czur or Indiegogo.So I filed a dispute with my credit bank Citi on Oct 10th about this transaction. Indiegogo immediately put a hold on my account for the contribution/purchase and advised **** not to ship the perk to me and did not issue refund citing potential chargeback due to the dispute. See attachment indiegogo_deshuang.pdf.Indiegogo responded to *************** inquiry concerning the dispute by MISLEADING ********* that they could not refund because the StarryHub project had ended, which cant be further from the truth as the project was alive when they responded and still is as of today (see attachment IndiegogoStarryHub) and my account still shows hold on potential callback.********* thus "resolved" the dispute not in my favor given incorrect information Indiegogo provided them. The same amount of $499 was charged to my credit card account again as the result of the "resolution" of the dispute.Since the chargeback is no longer there, I contacted Indiegogo with all documents they requested for refund (see attachment "[Indiegogo] Re:Re:..."). They responded (see attachment "[Indiegogo] Re:Re:Re:Re...") by asking me for the same documents that had been provided in attachment "Re: [Indiegogo] Re:Re:..."Indiegogo had used every excuse to mislead the dispute investigator from CitiBank and insisted not to issue a refund or have the project owner to ship me the purchased. They lied to CitiBank concerning the project status and they did not want to refund after I had provided all documents they requested for refund.I don't know if this is their repeated practices to ******* people to contribute money to them for nothing but they need to refund me as I did not receive anything for the contribution.Initial Complaint
12/09/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I was scammed by this purchase. They appear like youre purchasing a product that you will receive + even charge shipping. In my case I was shown I purchased a self cleaning litter box for an extremely high dollar amount $449 with shipping $39 and a $90 tip / total $578. The product never arrived. Contacting Support is a struggle. Their phone number is disconnected. Then they email you and act like theyll refund you but then send you in circles not ever refunding you.Its been 76 days. They say you need to reach out to the campaign owner but dont give you info of how to reach out and they say that its CCd on the email. But its not disclosed at all. Im tired of their shenanigans, the purchase was made at the end of September. It is now mid December. I already have a litter box and I tried to dispute it with my credit card and then they said they would refund me if I closed the dispute so I did and now they are still sending me in circles again telling me I have to dispute it with the campaign owner. Which doesnt seam to exist and they dont give you a way to contact. They say they are no longer involved. How convenient! This is a terrible company. I would put a stop to these people and force them to make it clear theyre only fundraising. they dont make it clear that it is a crowd funding only contribution, and as a matter of fact, they make it appear that you are actually purchasing a product that says it will be sent. however, they charge themselves shipping + a tip, so that is very suspicious and wrong! Please help! I had to buy another litter box. I may have to do another dispute with my credit card, because these criminals were willing to refund until I pulled the dispute. This Comapny must be accountable. They wait until the purchase is complete to disclose in a hidden spot that you are backing a crowd funding idea. And hide it so well that you believe you will receive the litter box, As it says on the receipt. But then you never get one.Initial Complaint
11/27/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I would like to request a full refund for $299 USD I paid for a DunePro Computer Case.************************************************************************************** My order was placed on December 18th 2019 with a promised ship date of January 2020. It is almost 4 years later and there has been no communication or updates on the page since December 20th of 2021 (2 years ago). Myself and other clients notified IndieGoGo of our concerns multiple times back in 2020 and 2021 the only response we received was that "the indiegogo trust and safety team was investigating."One of the other people that got scammed created a helpful website that chronicles the entire scam: ********************************** is now 4 years later, has the investigation concluded? What were the results of the investigation? What actions has indiegogo taken to remedy the situation? When can we expect the findings of the investigation to be published? Does indiegogo plan to issue refunds? Does indiegogo intend to work with the project owner to deliver perks? Does indiegogo accept any responsibility for allowing ******** to continue collecting money despite numerous reports of issues from people who had already paid money?Initial Complaint
11/17/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I made a purchase (pre-order) for an electric scooter called the Dragonfly on their website. Indiegogo knew long ago that there were many issues and complaints from that company (they even admitted to me via email that they had an investigation going on). Anyhow, the ***************** made grossly false statements regarding their product specs (such as speed, mileage on charge, and weight of vehicle). They also lied repeatedly about shipping dates. They sent me a defective unit / defective battery and it can't be used as it won't keep a charge. I've only had it less than two months. The ***************** will not stand behind the warranty and have ignored my emails. They won't replace the defective battery. I've asked Indiegogo for a refund and they won't help either. I WONT INDIEGOGO TO REFUND MY MONEY FOR THIS PURCHASE. They need to stand behind their CUSTOMERS instead of enabling scammers to steal from them. I will take this to further action if this is NOT resolved here.Initial Complaint
11/11/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I sent $2,000 to Indiegogo for their OculisLodge campaign. The project was due for completion in April 2023. All the campaign backers received regular updates early in the project, but it is now November 2023 and all updates from the campaign owner (********************) have ceased. I have reached out Indiegogo several times regarding either an update or a refund, and they tell me that I have to contact the campaign owner (Youri), though I have done this several times as well and have received no replies from him. The project has gone dark. The Indiegogo OculisLodge campaign discussion board is riddled with similar complaints from other financial contributors. Indiegogo has a Backer Protection Program but refuses to utilize it. They simply throw the responsibility back to the contributors. I am now attempting to get my $2,000 refunded but it appears as though both Indiegogo and OculisLodge (in ****************) are a scam.Initial Complaint
11/05/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I invested in Dride 4k which is on Indiegogo's platform and was running a campaign for a dash cam device. I paid $248. After 21 months I finally received the dash cam. However, it does not work as advertised by Dride 4k. Even in the owners manual it does not work as describe as it is supposed to work based on the manual provided with the product. Several times I made Indiegogo aware of this because they are the ones who charged my Discover Card and received payment not Dride 4k. Therefore, they are complicit in the false advertising and fraud that Dride 4k is committing. I asked them to refund me my money and to have Dride 4k to provide me with a shipping address to return the dash cam to. They have refused to do this and keep trying to say they are not responsible but their platform strict policies for people or companies that run funding campaigns on their platform. And they are the ones that collect payment not the campaign owners themselves. Dride 4k is in clear violation of this and I'm *********** a refund.Initial Complaint
10/30/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I, along with nearly ***** other backers, supported a campaign run by a company called AIT Desks. Collectively, we contributed over $*****,000 in good faith, believing that we were supporting a legitimate project and would receive the promised product in return. To this day, not a single backer has received the product, and it has become clear that AIT Desks defrauded us.Upon reaching out to Indiegogo for support, I was met with a dismissive response that essentially absolved the platform of any responsibility. They stated that they do not "run campaigns nor offer perks" and that the campaigner is "solely responsible" for their campaign and delivering on any promises. Their response can be summarized as: once they've transferred the funds to the campaigner, their responsibility ends.However, I believe that Indiegogo has a duty to protect its users and to ensure the legitimacy of the campaigns it hosts. Indiegogo charges fees on the funds raised, implying they profit from both legitimate and fraudulent campaigns. By failing to take action when scams are identified, and by benefiting financially from these scams, Indiegogo is complicit.Here are my primary grievances:Lack of Accountability: While I understand that Indiegogo is a platform, they have a responsibility to ensure that campaigns hosted on their site are legitimate and not designed to defraud users. By simply pointing the finger at the individual campaigner and refusing to get involved, Indiegogo is abdicating its responsibility to its user base.Financial Benefit from Scams: Indiegogo charges a percentage fee on the total funds raised by a campaign. This means that they directly profit from every campaign, legitimate or not. By not implementing stringent checks or taking action against fraudulent campaigns, they are, in essence, profiting from scams.Violation of Terms: Indiegogo's own terms and conditions suggest that campaigners should fulfill their promises to backers. By not enforcing these terms, Indiegogo is allowing and enabling fraudulent behavior on their platform.Initial Complaint
10/02/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I purchased a bundle pack of 2 UV lights for $559 on 6-25-23 from Indiegogo/******** and it said the item would ship ship in September. I have not received any e-mails from them nor have I been contacted at all. I have tried to contact them via e-mail and it is impossible to do so. It keeps directing you to do this and do that, which is absolutely ridiculous.i have my e-mail receipt of what i purchased and the UTuber who received their product and I purchased this based on her recommendation. I do not believe the UTuber is a fraud just the company.I would like assistance to have my money refunded back to me and to have you list this company as not reliable or trustworthy.Initial Complaint
09/24/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
I invoke my rights under Indiegogo's Terms of Use:"Project Creators are required to fulfill all rewards of their successful fundraising campaigns or refund any Backer whose reward they do not or cannot fulfill."This is my formal request for a full refund of my pledge amount. I do not wish to wait any longer for delivery or updates on my product. I demand a full refund for my pledge amount immediately.Contribution ID: ****. Contribution date: June 17, 2019.Attempts were made to resolve this issue with the campaign and Indiegogo. According to Indiegogo this campaign is under review but nothing has been resolved. No shipment and no refunds, which is why I'm filing a complaint now.Initial Complaint
09/19/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Unanswered
Indiegogo provides no protection to their backers. They classify all money pledged to their campaigns as a donation even though that money goes to invest the development of a product. At the same time people who run the campaigns can lie about how far along they are in their development process to give the illusion of progress and lead on their backers and potential backers, which is what happened to me. They also do not respond to any messages sent to them through their contact support page, simply marking any message you send them as solved with not even an accompanying message on the ticket thread or email notification even though they send an email notification on ticket creation.One of their campaigners, ***************** blatantly lied to backers about the production status of their product the Astro Slide 5G. It was based of their false updates that I decided to contribute to their product. I contributed on March 14, 2022. Their previous update before my contribution, on March 9, 2022, said production was on-going and that units were being shipped. However they have since said in their most current update (July 18, 2023) that during 2022 that only a few devices were ever made and that their ODM was both taken over and moved production to a different facility. None of that was ever made aware to backers, both those who had already contributed and those who hadn't, at the time that it had happened. It was those lies that had made me choose to contribute to the company and it was their lack of checking for proof that allowed them to get away with it.
*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.
Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating
Customer Complaints Summary
155 total complaints in the last 3 years.
25 complaints closed in the last 12 months.