As parts of the UK brace for another hot weekend, social media feeds have been flooded with adverts for portable air conditioners that claim to be “designed by former Nasa engineers” and able to “cool a room in 90 seconds”. But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned that these products are often “too good to be true”.
The adverts, which have appeared on platforms including Facebook and YouTube, direct shoppers to websites selling the devices for between £70 and £120. However, YouTuber Stuart Matthews, who bought several to test on his Proper DIY channel, told the BBC that despite paying £70 for one machine, it turned out to be “a small, simple fan worth only a few pounds”.
“ASA warns fake portable air conditioners sold online are often simple fans costing £70-£120.”
Matthews, a civil engineer and content creator, said that rather than buying something that would quickly cool his room, he had instead bought “cheap components” made using “flawed science”. One advert described the product as a “reverse-engineered aircon unit” with a “liquid-compressed cooling cartridge”. But Matthews found the device actually contained “a load of cardboard fins that get wet as the water blows past them” – a principle known as a swamp cooler, not a true air conditioner.
The ASA told the BBC that some of the adverts it had seen online in recent weeks made exaggerated claims, including that a small device could cool an entire home within minutes or used very little electricity. It also said the adverts frequently featured fake customer reviews describing dramatic temperature drops or exceptional performance. Many of the adverts appeared to be AI-generated, using visuals such as copper coils and metallic boxes to make the products seem more sophisticated.
The watchdog provided several tips for consumers 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, inconsistent branding, and customer reviews that describe dramatic results or read as too perfect. It advised researching the retailer, checking for genuine contact details and a business address, and looking for independent reviews rather than relying solely on testimonials on the seller’s website.
The BBC has approached Meta and YouTube for comment. Anyone concerned about an air conditioner advert can report it via the ASA’s website.