“Improves your car’s fuel efficiency by 15 – 35%”
“It DOESN”T do ANYTHING for gas mileage what so ever.”
The Asian restaurant in a Phoenix mini-mall looked abandoned. But its air conditioner was humming, and thru the sooty windows one could glimpse flickering monitors and shadowy forms hunched over keyboards. A slave army of hackers, sustained by a commercial kitchen, has come to reclaim the automobiles of America from the evil fuel-wasting conspiracy of Big Energy and Detroit Iron!
Okay, I made that up for fun, because Effuel’s actual copy is boringly barren of conspiracy theories. But one thing in my last paragraph is true!
How to get hold of Effuel seller EffuelCo:
Address: 1928 E. Highland Ave. Ste F104 PMB# 255 / Phoenix AZ 85016*
Email: support@effuel.com
Phone: 855 841 5277
*: Dubious address; see “Suspicious location” below.
May 9, 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: False (+1):
- From Homer News: ” … it is crucial to install the Effuel chip immediately after purchasing the vehicle.” This could be the excuse you’ll hear when you complain it didn’t work. But it’s not ridiculous enough to charge a point on.
- To their credit, Effuel is careful to avoid any hint of a fuel-wasting conspiracy like the one I described in my humorous introduction. “All modern vehicles are designed in a fuel-efficient way. No vehicle was designed to waste gas. Car manufacturers are working to ensure that their cars are efficient and meet the required environmental standards to compete fairly in the market. Effuel chip now claims to boost the efficiency more.”
Suspicious location: TRUE (-1):
EffuelCo is as invisible as they can possibly make themselves. The T&Cs cite the governing law of California. The only other clue to their location I found is that the registrar for the EffuelCo domain gave the address of an abandoned AhiPoki Bowl restaurant in Phoenix AZ. The registrar could just be an intermediary for EffuelCo and not them. Anyhow, this location really intrigues me, tho of course for rating purposes it’s totally unacceptable.
Onerous terms: False (+1):
- You have 30 days from delivery to ask to return the chip.
- Return it in new condition with tags, etc. in its original packaging. Basically in shape to sell again.
- They don’t accept returns on sale items. How does the discount they typically advertise affect their return policy?
Ads, spam, robocalls: TRUE (-1):
- They’ll beam ads at you
- They’ll spam, junkmail, text and robocall you; you can opt out.
- They’ll share your personal data with other companies.
Lying and deception: False (+1):
None found.
Chicanery: TRUE (-1):
Careful with that order form; it’s pre-filled for three chips.
Phony reviews: Undetermined (0):
Products with “friendly” reviews that have prominent links to the seller would ordinarily fail this test. “Sponsored reviews” appear in Homer News, Bellevue Courier/Herald (parroted by SmartNews) and Global Newswire. But even tho they get payola for sales made thru their links to EffuelCo’s website, these reviews are surprisingly skeptical. And they are different articles, tho their overall direction is the same. Is this a scam? Hmm, interesting question! I’m not charging them the usual point here, just putting this observation alongside the abandoned restaurant for you to consider.
Crummy product:. Undetermined (0).
Amazon customers rated Effuel 3.2 / 5 stars. Here we see a possible issue; “EcoOBD2 Saves 15% fuel for Benzine cars.” Is benzine gasoline? No, altho gas “might” include some benzine. There is the problem of different countries using different words for auto fuel, like “petrol” in the UK; but as far as I can tell nobody calls it “Benzine|Benzene.” One reviewer wrote “If you own a vehicle that runs on benzene, like a golf cart or a fork lift, this MAY be of value to you. But who really cares about the mpg of this type of vehicle? The advertising on this device made no effort to clarify that the term gas referred to benzene. I ordered two, and will request a refund for both.” However, Alibaba (from whom all things come) says it is for a “gasoline/benzine car.” So, benzine vs. gasoline should make no difference. Other Amazon reviews:
- “Installed it on a 2014 Silverado. Ran it 275 miles no better gas mileage than without it. It’s a total joke. I’m a mechanic and tried it to just see if it was a slight possibility it might work. It DOESN”T do ANYTHING for gas mileage what so ever.”
- “It took a while to receive in mail but very worth it as soon as plugged in I got 10 extra miles to the gallon.”
- “It is trash. I installed one and got 0 improvements.”
Overpriced: TRUE (-1):
EffuelCo is asking $40 for one chip. Amazon carries the same chip, branded Fulshi, for $10.
Bad service: False (+1):
I found no complaints.
Total score: 0
Unauthorized charges: I found no evidence of this. However, PayPal (a good defense against credit-card theft) is not supported.
Conclusion: Buy one on Amazon and try it. If it doesn’t work, you’re about where you were.
Bloopers:
- From the Bellevue Courier/Herald: “Effuel works to ensure that a car’s power usage is smooth, so the user can drive easily.”
- From Homer News (of Homer, Alaska): “It is probably one of the cheapest fuel-saving cheap worldwide.”
Related:
Web Scammer Jammer 