Very true! We actually tested the app with friends beforehand, and it was very well received when we took the time to explain what it was actually doing. So it's not that the idea itself is miserable, it's more the product (which looks crap), the message (which people don't get if you don't have the opportunity to explain it in person) and the general marketing.
But as you say, we're going to insert coin and try again based on the very feedback the HN has provided to us :)