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A new problem for Kickstarter backers alledged organised fraud by a fulfillment company  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

https://www.boardgameprices.com/articles/boarders-tabletop-game-studio-defrauds-thousands-in-kickstarter-scandal

Singapore and Malaysia based company Boarders Tabletop Game Studio has been the principal Southeast Asian distributor for several major board game Kickstarter projects, including Anachrony and Gloomhaven. In recent years, the company had provided a service where it would make group pledges for Kickstarter projects, helping its customers save money on shipping costs.

But alarm bells started ringing for many of Boarders customers a few months ago when the shipping information given by game publishers stopped lining up with Boarder’s deliveries, and dozens of emails and chat messages began going unanswered.

What was happening to their games?

Grand Theft Cardboard

In a dramatic Kickstarter update on March 27th, Petrichor publisher Mighty Boards posted that:

“We have some unfortunate news to share on this matter. Boarders Tabletop Cafe received the packages with the games, however they have stopped contact with us immediately after picking up the package. We have been trying to reach them through various means, however it seems that it is unlikely that we will get to them, and we are considering this cargo (along with our downpayment for fulfillment) as stolen by Boarders Tabletop Cafe. […] This is quite a tough nut for us, we have lost almost 20,000 USD in market value to this event.”
Not playing by the rules

Mighty Boards were not the only ones. Boarders customers reaching out to publishers found that in many cases, those companies had never received payment from Boarders despite taking money from their customers for those projects, thus constituting fraud.


An incomplete list of publishers who have confirmed they did not receive payment from Boarders include:
-Thunderworks Games (Roll Player)
-Roxley Games (Brass)
-Ape Games (Moa)
-Splotter Games (Food Chain Magnate)
-Awaken Realms (Lords of Hellas)
-Mindclash Games (Cerebria)
-Victory Point Games (Darkest Night)
-Petersen Games (Cthulhu Wars)

In several cases, these publishers noted that Boarders was not their Asian Kickstarter distributor and thus had no right to charge customers for pledges.


the article continues in the same depressing way, so check it out, especially if your from the area as what one scammer has done others are likely to try in the future

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/04/12 10:19:40


 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






From a professional point of view....

Depending on your local legislation, you may be able to attempt a Chargeback request against companies such as Boarders.

Whilst not a legal right, this is a customer service thing offered by Visa, MasterCard and AmEx, and run along their own rules.

Essentially, it's a pre-defined list of reasons people can request their money back should a purchase go awry. Again, said list varies with territory, but a common (if not necessarily) universal one is 'goods not received'.

If you're caught up in this, it's your Bank you need to speak to about raising a chargeback. They should then tell you what documents and evidence the specific scheme requires, then raise the chargeback on your behalf. However, they are not obliged to do so.

After that, the company the Chargeback is against (so here, it'd be Boarders) are given the opportunity to defend themselves. If they don't, you win automatically and the money is refunded.

But, if they do defend it, each scheme offers it's own arbitration on disputes. However you are not entitled to that - it costs your bank money to push things that far, and they are allowed to decline.

For more info, Google 'Visa Chargeback X', where X is your country.

   
 
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