Adverts promising portable air conditioners that can “cool a room in 90 seconds” and are “designed by former Nasa engineers” have been flooding Facebook and YouTube – but the advertising watchdog has warned they are “too good to be true”.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told the BBC that many of the adverts made exaggerated claims, including that a small device could chill an entire home within minutes or run on very little electricity. Some adverts appeared to be AI-generated, using images of copper coils and metallic boxes to make the products look more sophisticated.
“ASA warns fake portable air conditioners with fake Nasa claims and reviews are 'too good to be true'.”
YouTuber Stuart Matthews, who runs the Proper DIY channel, bought several of the devices to test. He told the BBC that despite paying £70 for one machine, it turned out to be “a small, simple fan worth only a few pounds”. Matthews, a civil engineer and content creator, said he had instead bought “cheap components” made using “flawed science”. One advert described the product as a “reverse-engineered aircon unit” featuring “a liquid-compressed cooling cartridge”.
The ASA said the adverts often directed shoppers to websites selling the devices for between £70 and £120, and frequently featured fake customer reviews describing dramatic temperature drops or exceptional performance.
The watchdog advised consumers to be sceptical of promises that sound too good to be true, dramatic backstories about “secret inventions” or “industry breakthroughs”, poor grammar and spelling, and customer reviews that read as though they are too perfect. It said anyone unsure should research the retailer, check for genuine contact details and a business address, and look for independent reviews rather than relying on testimonials on the seller’s website.
The BBC has approached Meta and YouTube for comment.
As parts of the UK brace for another hot weekend, Matthews’s experience serves as a warning: the device that promised to cool a room in 90 seconds did little more than blow warm air.