Kickstarter by Schuyler Towne Update

[Riyame]

For those that have interest he has made an update today with where the money has gone:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/schuyler/lockpicks-by-open-locksport/posts/169192#

[KokomoLock]

This dude is just a total waste of space!!!!

[jeffmoss26]

What a joke, I don't understand the whole thing but did he make locks too or just picks?

[LocksmithArmy]

just picks... he bought locks to sell to people who bought alot of picks...

[NNFAK]

Sorry I don't have much of a back story here so can someone tell me who this guy is and why he is getting so much hate?

[keymaster1053]

I'm with NNFAK. ???

[Riyame]

Basically Schulyer Towne started a "kickstarter" fund to help him start a custom pick business. He wanted $6,000 to get things started and ended up with people investing slightly more than $87,000.

He then stopped updating the project after a while etc etc. And a few people did not like it so they went to the MA Attorney General to file a case against him. The AG made him do that update to avoid fraud charges.

A lot of the anger is to do with how he mis spent the funds and has dont almost nothing with the project.

That is basically all I know. Others might have more of the whole story.

[Aedalas]

Sorry I don't have much of a back story here so can someone tell me who this guy is and why he is getting so much hate?

Condensed version:

Schuyler Towne somehow became one of the most public faces of locksport, he started a Kickstart project asking for $6000 to make lock picks, supposedly better ones than your run of the mill punch press variety. Larger donations received practice locks, pick templates, larger sets, Skype time with him, all the way up to a personal appearance (and don't forget temporary tattoos!?!).

Instead of $6k, he received $87,407 on September 24, 2010.

He updated August 20, 2011 talking about "production woes". Basically he outsourced the designs to somebody who gave him the runaround for a year or so.

A couple nearly non-related updates later he says he's taking time off to deal with family December 16, 2011 he mentions his grandpa has a punch press. This pretty much confirms he blew most the money. Also that these are no longer the "quality" picks that he promised.

Today he posts another update explaining how he's spent the money, most was on personal crap since he quit his job. My favorites are vacation, health insurance, rent and flying around to do conferences and donating to hackerspaces. One of the backers made a spreadsheet showing where he said everything went. He posted a video update last April stating that none of this money was going to personal expenses, turns out the majority of it did. Project expenses: $29,000. Personal expenses: $42,500.

The real kicker is, some of the backers had to file a claim with the MA Attorney General just to get this update out of him.



I didn't back this project so I don't have a legitimate right to be pissed at him, but I am anyways because like it or not he's the public face of locksport and is a total douchenozzle. This hobby relies on a strict code of ethics. Schuyler has probably heard of ethics, but never paid much attention to what they are or their importance.

Oh, another business "expense" is apparently backing 36 other Kickstarter projects after he received his funding.

I'm sure there is plenty I'm forgetting, but this was supposed to be condensed, sorry for the rant.

[NNFAK]

I just watched some of his videos and he seemed like a cool enough guy but I guess the money got to him. Kind of a dick move to just take money from people like that.

[mister sour]

what a fuck tard. im happy i wasnt a donor. i know some nembers here were.

[keymaster1053]

is he from that TOOOOL organization??? if so, I met him once. sold him some locks for a buck a piece years ago when I answered his craigslist ad!

[Violaetor]

Wow... I had seen his kickstarter, and thought good for him. There is a market for 'better than stamped' picks... but for $6000 I would shit my pants at the things I could do to my "workshop" no to mention what almost 90 grand would set me up with.

What a complete waste of space the POS is... really hope he gets his comeuppance.

[gnarus8429]

Not only was there the kickstarter program but he was touting that he was going to produce 2x the number of picks that he would need for the kickstarter folks. He started sales for the extras (never have never will exist) at his web site openlocksport. I bought a full set for $75( ). The guy is sharp and had made a trip to our local hackerspace. I wanted to support what he was doing. Paying for vacations was not on my list especially since he knew this whole thing was going in the toilet when he did it. Its sad that such a talented guy lowered his reputation with the mishandling of funds. I anticipate going the AG route to get my money back.

[pin_pusher]

what a fuck tard. im happy i wasnt a donor. i know some nembers here were.

i'm in that boat, and when i first heard of this a long ass time ago i almost had my university student organization sponsor him for a visit, which in hindsight would have been a big mistake. colleges also raise an obscene amount of money for guests, so i can't imagine what he would have made off of organized visits instead of just donors. some folks.

[nhoj_yelbom]

what a fuckhead