Misleading advertisements for portable cooling devices have surged across social media platforms as heatwaves intensify across Europe, prompting warnings from consumer protection agencies in multiple countries.
Promotional videos on Facebook and YouTube market devices claiming to cool any room in under 90 seconds while consuming 90% less electricity than standard air conditioners, with some adverts appearing to have been generated using artificial intelligence. The products, priced between £70 and £120, are often attributed to supposed former NASA engineers whose identities have been found to be fabricated. Testing by a civil engineer revealed cheap components and flawed science inside the units, which are typically simple evaporative coolers ineffective in humid conditions. In Germany, consumer advocates warn that buyers often receive only a basic fan instead of an air conditioner.
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has cautioned that the products are 'too good to be true', while German consumer protection bodies advise affected buyers to pursue credit card chargebacks rather than paying to return the goods.