As parts of the UK brace for another hot weekend, the internet is being flooded with adverts for portable air conditioners that promise the impossible — and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has now warned they are often too good to be true.
The adverts, which have appeared on Facebook and YouTube, claim the gadgets were “designed by former Nasa engineers” and can “cool a room in 90 seconds”. But when YouTuber Stuart Matthews, who runs the Proper DIY channel, bought one for £70, he found it was nothing more than “a small, simple fan worth only a few pounds”.
“ASA warns fake portable air conditioners claiming to cool rooms in 90 seconds are too good to be true.”
The ASA told the BBC that some adverts in recent weeks made exaggerated claims, including that a small device could cool an entire home within minutes or used very little electricity. The adverts frequently feature fake customer reviews describing dramatic temperature drops or exceptional performance, the watchdog said.
Many of the adverts also appear to be AI-generated, using visuals such as copper coils and metallic boxes to make the products seem more sophisticated. They direct shoppers to websites selling the devices, typically for between £70 and £120.
Matthews, a civil engineer and content creator, bought several devices to test whether they performed as advertised. Instead of bringing the temperature of his room down quickly, he said he had bought “cheap components” made using “flawed science”. One advert described the product as a “reverse-engineered aircon unit” with “a liquid-compressed cooling cartridge”. Matthews said the device actually contained none of that.
The ASA has outlined several ways for customers to spot misleading adverts: be sceptical of promises that sound too good to be true, dramatic backstories about “secret inventions” or “industry breakthroughs”, poor grammar and spelling mistakes, and customer reviews that read as too perfect. It advises consumers to research the retailer, check for genuine contact details and a business address, and look for independent reviews rather than relying solely on testimonials on the seller’s website.
Anyone concerned about an air conditioner advert can report it via the ASA’s website. The BBC has approached Meta and YouTube for comment.
With temperatures set to rise, the warning serves as a timely reminder that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is — and that there is no shortcut to staying cool this summer.
