Well, this sucks. Backers of the VacuumClicka on Kickstarter just received an email informing them that the campaign has been suspended by the integrity team, because it broke the rules.
What does that mean? Backers won’t be charged, and it’s no longer possible to pledge money to the campaign. If you go to the device’s Kickstarter page, it says “Funding Suspended.”
Billing itself as the “world’s best portable vacuum gadget,” the device is supposed to help you vacuum-seal food to keep it fresher longer, prevent freezer burn, and keep water out during sous-vide cooking, the makers claimed. Using a handheld pump, two small circular devices that clip together on the inside and outside of the bag, and a strip of plastic to seal the bag, ordinary plastic bags supposedly became vacuum-sealed when you pump the air out. It’s not unlike a similar product from Ziploc.
For $20, backers would receive a starter kit, with deliveries starting in December. More than 3,000 people pledged over $182,000. Kickstarter did not give a specific reason for canceling the campaign, but in its email to backers, it listed reasons for suspending campaigns: buying items and claiming you made them, taking someone else’s work and presenting it as your own, and failing to disclose “relevant facts” about the project or people behind it.
We’ve reached out to Kickstarter and will update as more information becomes available.
Here’s the full email from Kickstarter:
This is a message from Kickstarter’s Integrity team. We’re writing to notify you that the VacuumClicka™ – The World’s Best Portable Vacuum Gadget, project has been suspended, and your $30.00 CAD pledge has been canceled. A review of the project uncovered evidence that it broke Kickstarter’s rules. We may suspend projects when they demonstrate one or more of the following:
- Offering purchased items and claiming to have made them yourself
- Presenting someone else’s work as your own
- Misrepresenting or failing to disclose relevant facts about the project or its creator
Accordingly, all funding has been stopped and backers will not be charged for their pledges. No further action is required on your part.
We take the integrity of the Kickstarter system very seriously. We only suspend projects when we find strong evidence that they are misrepresenting themselves or otherwise violating the letter or spirit of Kickstarter’s rules. As a policy, we do not offer comment on project suspensions beyond what is stated in this message.
Regards,
Kickstarter Integrity
