I experienced that too. We cannot predict the outcome of a project unless it hits the soft cap. You are lucky that they returned your investment. That is the importance of reading whitepapers and everything needed to evaluate the legitimacy of the team.
Every project while the ICO is committed to paying back investors without a soft cap, however, after finishing without a soft cap, they often silent and pay only for those who claim it. It also takes time to claim your money back. I know a Korean Record project, although not a soft-cap, but they are listed on the exchange, but you know that if you do not reach the soft-cap, of course, the price will also be dump after listing on the exchange