Frosted by QB Kraftz “Ice Engine”

“includes thick insulation that keeps smells and odors from contaminating your ice.“

“… it cannot be isolated from peculiar smells in the refrigerator.”

They’re calling a freezer mold an engine? Read on; it gets worse.

October 14, 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.

Suspicious location: TRUE (-1):

Contact information for QB Kraftz seller Strong Current Enterprises (SCE):

Address: 68308, G/F Kowloon East Building, 12 Lei Yue Mun Road, Kwung Tong, Hong Kong
Email: support@qbkraftz.com
Phone: (US) 609 414 7087

This is a post-office mailbox in Hong Kong, not a dedicated facility in the US. And SCE is a known scammer with a long queue of furious, howling victims.

Ridiculous claims:  False (+1):

“You used to have to be a professional mixologist to get the best tasting cocktails, but thankfully, this is no longer the case!” Surely there’s more to making the best-tasting cocktails than the ice? But I’ll cut them a little slack here, since there’s so much else wrong with this offer.

Onerous terms: TRUE (-1):

• You have 30 days from delivery to return your unused, untried mold in its unopened, still-sealed package.
• If you want to exchange your mold, they’ll charge a $10 fee.

Ads, spam, robocalls:  TRUE (-1):

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

Lying and deception:  False (+1):

None found.

Chicanery:  TRUE (-1):

• The website has so many overlays that it’s difficult to read. They even cover the Terms of Service.
• In order to see the price, I first have to watch a video.

Three overlays at once? Someone must have a new toy.

Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):

Impartial reviews don’t have links to the seller that look like this.

Products with “friendly” reviews that have prominent links to the seller fail this test because it’s clear they’re getting payola. Shills include Top10Gadgets, TheGadgetOffice (unreadable) and OneTapGadgets. The first and third reviews are identical, what a coincidence.

Crummy product:. TRUE (-1).

Amazon customers rated QB Kraftz 2.9 / 5 stars.

• “First, It takes 32 hours to make two ice cubes (not mentioned in the description). Second, it’s VERY difficult to assemble the EIGHT parts that make up the contraption. If not assembled EXACTLY correctly, then it will leak out half of the water and you’ll end up with hemispherical ice. Third, It’s almost impossible to remove the TWO ice balls without half way melting them in the process. If you want a novelty item that takes up a lot of your time with very little to show for it, then this product is for you.”
• “If you enjoy whiskey on the rock, this is a product for you. It’s easy to use and it makes nice ice balls.”
• “… there is no cover on the water filling point, so it cannot be isolated from peculiar smells in the refrigerator.”
• “My wife boiled the water and followed the instructions. It took my several minutes to remove the ice balls and they had tons of bubbles and a little murk. In short a lot of effort for just 2 ice balls. Takes days to make, therefore you need a few if these to accomplish a drink a night. Don’t waste your money like I did.”

Overpriced: TRUE (-1):

SCE/QB Kraftz wants $50 for one mold. Amazon will sell you one for $25. Amazon offers other molds for making ice balls, ice footballs, etc. starting at $7.

Bad service: TRUE (-1):

I found no complaints about this. But take a look at my posts about other Strong Current Enterprises offers; you’d be dealing with the same company.

Total score: -6

Unauthorized charges: I found no complaints about this. But:

• Take a look at my posts about other Strong Current Enterprises offers; you’d be dealing with the same company. I’m turning on the “Credit Card Risk Alert” red light.
• SCE shows the PayPal logo on the second page. But the checkout page has no way to actually pay with PayPal. Capturing your credit card data makes stealing easier for scammers.

Advice: Buy a cheap ice mold on Amazon. Stay away from Strong Current Enterprises.

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Bloopers:

• “Slow freeze ensures clarity … Fast and portable, best for cocktail parties.”
• “QB Kraftz ice cools your drinks and makes flavors more enjoyable by mixing with your spirits and ingredients. But too often, it picks up flavors and odors from your freezer, tarnishing your drinks and ruining your parties.” Yes, I see a complaint about that (“Crummy Product,” above). Odd for the seller to point it out, tho.
• “Give ‘Netflix and Chill’ a whole new meaning.” The old meaning is better.