I did believe in her product. What I didn't believe in was an utter lack of regard to KS backers, poor communication, misdirections, a publishing contract with Macmillan, a late delivery (while being less than truthful with KS about it).
The author bears some responsibility for changing my mind from believing in her product (what you call helping, "someone realise their product") to simply just wanting the end result of what I paid for at a higher cost than retail.
1) The end product will probably be cheaper than the kickstarter backing. (You seem to agree with this, at least in general)
2) People shouldn't see backing a product as a purchase. There's clearly risk involved in any transaction where the obligation of the seller to provide anything, let alone meet your expectation of exactly how the end product will be realised.
It's sucky that you've had such a bad time with this KS though, the real value in backing ought to be the opposite of what you've experienced!
I did believe in her product. What I didn't believe in was an utter lack of regard to KS backers, poor communication, misdirections, a publishing contract with Macmillan, a late delivery (while being less than truthful with KS about it).
The author bears some responsibility for changing my mind from believing in her product (what you call helping, "someone realise their product") to simply just wanting the end result of what I paid for at a higher cost than retail.