Tag Archives: Blast Auxiliary

Frosted by Blast Auxiliary desktop “AC”

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“Portable AC … that can refrigerate any room in under 5-minutes“

“This provides a little bit of cooling if you’re no more than several inches away from it.“

What do you think AC means? Lots of things. Alice Cooper. Atlantic City. Alternating Current. Oh, did you think it meant air conditioner?

The second quote is from an Amazon customer review. How to get hold of Blast Auxiliary:

Address: Customer Service Team, Quality Performance Limited, 377 Valley Rd #1123, Clifton, NJ 07013*
Email: Not disclosed!
Phone: 866 335 1618

*: Dubious address; see “Suspicious Location” below.

Similar: Blast

April 17, 2021: There may be nothing illegal or wrong with the following business practices. But they suggest to me that the seller is not to be trusted. I’m using my Trustworthy scoring system; -1 means true (bad), +1 means false (good), and 0 means undetermined. I penalize the seller for statements made by shills.

Ridiculous claims:  TRUE (-1):

  • “Energy companies … pay developers to not make more efficient AC units.”
  • “He’s already received threats from big energy companies, and we don’t know how long until they try to sue him out of business.”

Suspicious location: TRUE (-1):

Blast Auxiliary is a particularly elusive company. T&Cs cite the governing laws of British Columbia, Canada. I found the address of their “Data Protection Officer.” If this is them, it’s a mailbox. If it isn’t, they have no physical location. Either way, how disappointing.

Onerous terms: TRUE (-1):

  • You have 30 days from date of receipt to return your unused, untried gadget still sealed in its original package.

Ads, spam, robocalls:  TRUE (-1):

  • They’ll spam, robocall and text you, ignoring “Do not call” registries; you can opt out.
  • They’ll share your personal data with other companies that will do the same.

Lying and deception:  TRUE (-1):

  • “The founder of Blast was fed up with getting ripped off, so he created the most groundbreaking AC unit ever.” Looks like he “created” it by ordering it from Alibaba.
  • What “AC” means: On page 1 we get a clue; “It weights less than 2 pounds unfilled.” On page 2 we find the remark that the gadget is an air cooler. On page 3 it turns out to also be an air cleaner. Blast Auxiliary never said it was an air conditioner. From Alibaba; “Put the ice cubes into the fan ice storage tank in order to enjoy the cold wind.”
  • “Some Important Facts: … Blast is made in America.”
  • Shill Intrado didn’t get the memo about the forbidden words. “Blast Auxiliary AC (also called Blast Portable AC) is a newly introduced portable air conditioner that includes a powerful cooling system enclosed in a compact body so that users can easily carry it around with them.”
  • Advertised: “NO-HASSLE RETURNS.  If you are not satisfied with your Blast Auxiliary Classic Desktop AC, you can return it within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. 30 DAY GUARANTEE: If you are not completely thrilled with your Blast Auxiliary Classic Desktop AC.” But the T&Cs say you can’t even open the box if you want to be able to return it.

Chicanery:  TRUE (-1):

  • “As of today it’s still in stock, but if you miss out it won’t be back in stock until after Summer.”
  • “There is limited availability and this 50% OFF REGULAR PRICE OFFER may be taken down at any moment!”
  • Bulletins about other people snapping up the last gadgets.
  • Your trip to the order form page is enhanced by the suspense of a slow bar graph display; “Checking if you qualify for special offers.”
  • Careful with that order form; the choice of three gadgets is pre-checked.
  • Privacy Policy is excessive at 3,497 words long, 8 pages. T&Cs, where the real return policy is buried, are 4,412 words long. That’s 10 exhausting pages.

Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):

  • Websites with more than 3 testimonials fail this test, regardless of whether they are authentic. Blast Auxiliary has 7.
  • Products with “friendly” reviews that have prominent links to the seller fail this test. Shills include Intrado, MetroTimes, Yahoo!Finance, etc.

Crummy product:. Undetermined (0).

  • Amazon buyers of the identical Smart Devil gadget gave it 2.5 / 5 stars.
  • “If you have no other cooling devices, this provides a little bit of cooling if you’re no more than several inches away from it. Also, while it’s convenient to come with 2 ice trays, they do melt pretty quickly, so you may find you’ll need to switch them out every 15 to 20 minutes.”
  • “Fan socks.”

Overpriced: TRUE (-1):

Blast Auxiliary prices its gadget at $90 after the customary 50% discount. On Amazon I see the identical gadget, branded Smart Devil, priced at $26.

Bad service: False (+1):

I found no complaints.

Total score: -7

Unauthorized charges: I found no evidence of this.

Conclusion: An air cooler would save electricity and give some comfort. But I think you’ll want a larger one.

Bloopers:

  • “BLAST AUXILIARY CLASSIC DESKTOP AC HAS 3 COOLING TECHNOLOGIES IN ONE SMALL“
  • “Blast Loves It’s Customers.“