“We’re very pleased with our purchase.”
“Total crap.”
Don’t worry about the gadget being a scam; its mystery seller is the real danger.
October 10, 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 Mobile Klean seller Strong Current Enterprises (SCE):
Address: 68308, G/F Kowloon East Building, 12 Lei Yue Mun Road, Kwung Tong, Hong Kong
Email: support@mobileklean.com
Phone: +1 855 806 0821
Take a look at the “Contact us” page; the seller’s name and address don’t appear. Look at the “Terms of service” page; the same information has been clumsily removed, leaving strange gaps in the text. But Pissed Consumer reveals that criminal enterprise SCE is the seller. This is easy to confirm. The lawyerbabble at the bottom of the first page includes the phrase “Strong Current.” By making the type light gray and hard to read, the web page designers overlooked it themselves 8D
This time around, I noticed something new when I looked at the location on Street View; a post office. So this location fails because:
- It’s a mailbox
- It’s outside the US
- It’s the location of a known scammer
Ridiculous claims: False (+1):
None found.
Onerous terms: TRUE (-1):
- You have 30 days from delivery to return your UV light in its original package at your expense. One complaint said they were directed to return it to an address in the Netherlands.
- They charge a $10 fee for exchanges.
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: Undetermined (0):
None found, unless you count hiding the company’s name and address as deception.
Chicanery: TRUE (-1):
- “This special offer could disappear at any time. Take advantage of this 50% OFF deal today!”
- “Quantities of this item may be limited, so order today for guaranteed delivery.”
- Bulletins about other people buying gadgets keep popping up.
- Careful with that order form. It’s pre-filled for a quantity of three gadgets.
Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):
- Websites with more than 3 testimonials fail this test, regardless of whether they are authentic. Mobile Klean has 7.
- Products with “friendly” reviews that have prominent links to the seller fail this test because it’s clear they’re getting payola. Shills include The Guardian Online, The Gadget Savvy and Pristine Gadget.
Crummy product:. Undetermined (0).
- From Trust Pilot: “Love this. It’s lightweight and fits in my pocket. I popped in some batteries and it was ready to go. I love having this with me so in 20 seconds I can feel safer by really disinfecting surfaces.” I see quite a few of these glowing reviews here, mostly dated March 18-26. Trust Pilot, I think you’ve been bombed.
- “This company & their products can be described in two words: total crap. My wands arrived ok but it is stated in the advert that when you turn the wand towards you it automatically turns off, — it most certainly does not. You will know to say this is extremely dangerous is putting it mildly. Eyes can be permanently damaged when exposed to uv light. I have now written 15 e-mails & all I get is a load of bunkum, like have I put the batteries in correctly etc.etc. & other various excuses. Save your money, it`s a sham.”
- Amazon customers rated Mobile Klean 3.4 / 5 stars. “It’s smaller than I anticipated. It would be good for a keyboard, iPad or phone but not for anything larger. I may purchase a larger one in the future.” “Sticker on plastic wrapper says made in USA. Product says Made in China ??? Light very dim. Does that decrease its effectiveness? Sometimes it does not go on. Copy at Amazon says ‘hold 3 inches from object.’ Instructions in box says ‘hold 1/2 inch from object’. Just saw identical product for $12.50 on PCH. I’m not happy. Will probably return it.”
Overpriced: TRUE (-1):
SCE/Mobile Klean wants $70 for one gadget. Amazon sells Mobile Klean for $40, and what sure looks like the same gadget rated 3.8 / 5 stars for $11.
Bad service: TRUE (-1):
Trust Pilot rates SCE/Mobile Klean 2.7 / 5 stars. And even that score may be inflated; see “Crummy product” above. I found more complaints than will fit in this post. It looks like SCE replies to some complaints in Trust Pilot. If you’re having trouble contacting them, this is worth a try.
- “I ordered 2 mobileklean scanners in February 2020. As the covid crisis happened I expected there would be a delay in delivery. After 6 Months there was no sign of delivery so I asked for a refund. I was told that after 180 days they did not give refunds. I was left with no choice but to wait for delivery. I May 2021 I eventually received 1 scanner, which is defective. I have not got a clue when I will eventually receive my order.”
- “DO NOT BUY! They have very poor customer service. I cancelled my order the very next day after I ordered it, but they wouldn’t respond. When they finally responded, after the product shipped, they said it was too late. I contacted them multiple times before the product shipped.” [Futile struggle to get a refund truncated.] “By the way, I saw the same product in ACE Hardware for $10.”
- “Received the product late. Never worked. Returned unit at their request. Never got a refund, but did get the run around. DO NOT BUY. DO NOT TRUST.”
- “… After multiple calls they still not refunded me the $168…keep getting run around. Ask for a supervisor and never one available. Asked then for phone to contact corporate office..would not give to me…asked for address of corporate office same response. They owe me $168 and they acknowledge they owe me but keep giving me the runaround about getting me the payment refunded on my account. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM!!”
Total score: -6
Unauthorized charges: I found more complaints than would fit in this post. I’m turning on the red “Credit Card Risk Alert” light.
- From Pissed Consumer: “Ordered product, they charged 2 bankcards–realized it was a scam. It has been over 4 months. Called Customer service many times. It is in the Philippines and they don’t speak English and won’t get supervisor (don’t know the word).They refuse to refund product I never received. They must be a new company because complaints started about the time I bought the products. $183.95 worth.”
- From Trust Pilot: “Steer clear these guys tried to run a fraudulent charge against my account denied it when I called them. Dont buy anything they will try to steal your money.”
- “They took roughly £20 first but appeared to have taken a ‘reservation fee’ of £130 on top of that. I queried this straight away but no one bothered to engage. Eventually I wrangled with seemingly pleasant people in customer service who wouldn’t discuss the excess payment. I waited till July to receive the package of 2 wands which had been rated by German customs as worth £10 each Basically I’ve overpaid £130 This is a scam.”
- “Ordered in Early May my order was duplicated I have been charged more than twice what the advertisement said the price would be. …”
- Altho the order form carries the PayPal logo, there’s no way to actually use PayPal.
Advice: Avoid Strong Current Enterprises, and any seller who conceals their name and address.
Web Scammer Jammer 