I'm getting really, really tired of manufacturers making ridiculous and untrue claims about their products. I'm starting to boil over and I'd really like to call them out and sue one or more of them. It's not about money, though that's always nice, it's about the principle. False advertising is ILLEGAL!
I own a number of products that could quality, but two main ones stand out.
First, I have a "Mr. Heater" portable indoor/outdoor propane heater. Clearly advertised everywhere as 4000/9000 BTU/hour propane input. Well, I weighed a brand new propane tank, left the heater on for an hour on low and high, and weighed the propane tank again to calculate the BTUs. Actual BTU input is about 3500 on low, or 5000 on high. That's barely half of the advertised output. I tried contacting the company about it, but they have ignored me. (obviously they are aware of the problem and don't care)
Secondly, I just bought this compressor from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94667
Clearly it says "Heavy duty 3hp motor". This is not the "peak" rating, but the supposed running HP. If I measure the power it uses, it peaks at 13 amps @ 118.5v. Since 746 watts = 1 HP, then this motor only uses 2hp worth of electricity. But it's not 100% efficient either, so real world HP is probably closer to 1.5hp.
Also, it clearly says 125PSI. The pressure switch comes from the factory with a sticker on it that clearly says it is set at 115PSI, as does the emergency blow off valve.
That said, these are not expensive products, (under $200 each) but it really [censored] me off that companies get away with shiat like that. Do you think I have a case to sue either of these companies for false advertising? Maybe even a class action suit? I can prove in court 100% without a doubt that the claims these products make are completely false. Also, both are registered under some kind of regulatory company such as UL. These aren't the only two products I can come up with either...
I own a number of products that could quality, but two main ones stand out.
First, I have a "Mr. Heater" portable indoor/outdoor propane heater. Clearly advertised everywhere as 4000/9000 BTU/hour propane input. Well, I weighed a brand new propane tank, left the heater on for an hour on low and high, and weighed the propane tank again to calculate the BTUs. Actual BTU input is about 3500 on low, or 5000 on high. That's barely half of the advertised output. I tried contacting the company about it, but they have ignored me. (obviously they are aware of the problem and don't care)
Secondly, I just bought this compressor from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94667
Clearly it says "Heavy duty 3hp motor". This is not the "peak" rating, but the supposed running HP. If I measure the power it uses, it peaks at 13 amps @ 118.5v. Since 746 watts = 1 HP, then this motor only uses 2hp worth of electricity. But it's not 100% efficient either, so real world HP is probably closer to 1.5hp.
Also, it clearly says 125PSI. The pressure switch comes from the factory with a sticker on it that clearly says it is set at 115PSI, as does the emergency blow off valve.
That said, these are not expensive products, (under $200 each) but it really [censored] me off that companies get away with shiat like that. Do you think I have a case to sue either of these companies for false advertising? Maybe even a class action suit? I can prove in court 100% without a doubt that the claims these products make are completely false. Also, both are registered under some kind of regulatory company such as UL. These aren't the only two products I can come up with either...