Please expand this topic to include 'CON JOBS'.

[BrianHG]

In technology, there are many products which may be viable as one thing, but are clearly deliberate con job by name or description.  What devices has anyone seen already successfully in mass sales which are clearly BS or cheating the consumers?  (We are about to see a mass of Audio/Video devices I bet...)

[Halcyon]

[BrianHG]

Ok, batteriser wins hands down.  Are there any other commercial success which that can beat it?

[Cyberdragon]

[Gregg]

The category “Con Jobs” may be too broad of a subject and might lead to unwanted political discussions.  A Wiki for cons may be a better platform. 
Before it is banned here is a start of a list of “Con Jobs” feel free to add others
1.   Religion is the oldest documented con job
2.   Marketing has certainly taken the top con job in terms of sheer profit in the last half century. 
3.   Speaking of marketing, multi-level sales schemes certainly are con jobs that skate the fine line between legitimate and pure pyramid schemes.
4.   There are lots of pseudo sciences that are con jobs.  I think psychology might fall into this category; founded by a self-diagnosed cocaine addict.
5.   Medical marijuana is mostly a con job; as it gets legalized here in the US there will be more studies finding that most of the medical claims are not legitimate.

[BrianHG]

Electronic devices only please...

[Mechatrommer]

https://www.ebay.com.my/itm/Home-Use-Save-Electricity-New-Digital-Power-Energy-Saver-Device-Saving-Box-Tools/292359353236?hash=item4411f9b394:m:mJQXRv62TPeHXAGf3p1vh6g

[BrianHG]

https://www.ebay.com.my/itm/Home-Use-Save-Electricity-New-Digital-Power-Energy-Saver-Device-Saving-Box-Tools/292359353236?hash=item4411f9b394:m:mJQXRv62TPeHXAGf3p1vh6g

There's another one!  Total BS.  Under many circumstances, it actually consumes energy.

[Moshly]

A few I can think of at the moment ->

Rated audio power in watts PMPO. (marketing)
Car electronic rust protection. (snake oil)
Anti cancer phone case / disc / card / sticker etc.... (whole lot of issues here)
Wireless anti static wrist straps. (magic)

[Muttley Snickers]

Your list left out the Peter Brock Energy Polarizer and if I remember correctly some silly people actually fell for it back in the day.   

https://www.rationalwiki.org/wiki/Energy_Polarizer

[jmelson]

https://www.ebay.com.my/itm/Home-Use-Save-Electricity-New-Digital-Power-Energy-Saver-Device-Saving-Box-Tools/292359353236?hash=item4411f9b394:m:mJQXRv62TPeHXAGf3p1vh6g

What absolute IMBECILES!  They are selling it for $5!  What the heck is WRONG with these guys?  Now, if you sold an energy saver device for $100, that would make sense for the seller.  Yup, a 0.1 uF paper capacitor they get for $0.05, sell for $100 in a fancy plastic case.  They sure missed an opportunity with this one.

Jon

[jmelson]

Your list left out the Peter Brock Energy Polarizer and if I remember correctly some silly people actually fell for it back in the day.   

https://www.rationalwiki.org/wiki/Energy_Polarizer

There's a new con every couple days.  Check out Andrea Rossi's energy catalyzer.  He's gotten some big bucks from foolish investors with a bunch of sleight of hand trickery.

Jon

[XYZVector]

My friend lost his business to this company he would go around doing lab work at supermarkets. Theranos came in and undercut him to find out that no we really don't have any way to actually do this lab work.
 

[station240]

What absolute IMBECILES!  They are selling it for $5!  What the heck is WRONG with these guys?  Now, if you sold an energy saver device for $100, that would make sense for the seller.  Yup, a 0.1 uF paper capacitor they get for $0.05, sell for $100 in a fancy plastic case.  They sure missed an opportunity with this one.

No, they are likely working on the principle of "It's only $5, I can't be bothered with a refund". Cheap items rarely get returned as the consumers don't see it worth the time/trouble.
Some big companies use this trick also.

[Brumby]

But ... but ... everyone knows a $100 one has to be heaps better than a $5 one!!

[Mechatrommer]

Before it is banned here is a start of a list of “Con Jobs” feel free to add others
1.   Religion is the oldest documented con job

well just how can i missed this? that is just because you say so the conclusion just comes right out of your butt. if you care to do your homework, you'll realize its the very cause of you living in peace and civilized. and the claimed writers of them was not asking a single cent from people like you even to the followers. you just cant see the fact and think everything you saw just happened naturally or based on "natural selection" well... this one is going to sum it up all everything in the universe... end of discussion. back to electronics, cheers

[BrianHG]

What absolute IMBECILES!  They are selling it for $5!  What the heck is WRONG with these guys?  Now, if you sold an energy saver device for $100, that would make sense for the seller.  Yup, a 0.1 uF paper capacitor they get for $0.05, sell for $100 in a fancy plastic case.  They sure missed an opportunity with this one.

No, they are likely working on the principle of "It's only $5, I can't be bothered with a refund". Cheap items rarely get returned as the consumers don't see it worth the time/trouble.
Some big companies use this trick also.

Well, I doubt the end buyers actually know if the box is truly creating any savings at all.

[rsjsouza]

Wireless wrist ESD straps
DMMs with fake CAT ratings
Certain brands of "mold killers" which are simply a 10W resistor plugged into AC
Fake multi-Farad Maxwell capacitors
Certain brands of power conditioners and surge suppressors
Electronic Termites and/or pest repellents - gizmos that are plugged in an outlet and promise to create waves that repel these creattures.

[janoc]

Electronic Termites and/or pest repellents - gizmos that are plugged in an outlet and promise to create waves that repel these creattures.

Careful there, some actually do work. E.g. the chemical repellent dispensers that you plug into an outlet - the current powers a small heater that helps the repellent to evaporate and spread. No idea about termites (we don't have those here) but it certainly works with mosquitoes.

[rsjsouza]

Electronic Termites and/or pest repellents - gizmos that are plugged in an outlet and promise to create waves that repel these creattures.

Careful there, some actually do work. E.g. the chemical repellent dispensers that you plug into an outlet - the current powers a small heater that helps the repellent to evaporate and spread. No idea about termites (we don't have those here) but it certainly works with mosquitoes.

That is why I mentioned "waves": the thermal ones work well (although infrared is a wave, it is not the active repellant agent)

[CJay]

No, they are likely working on the principle of "It's only $5, I can't be bothered with a refund". Cheap items rarely get returned as the consumers don't see it worth the time/trouble.
Some big companies use this trick also.

Back in the day of newspaper small ads for products there was often rumoured to be a particular con job based around refunds, the small ads carried some dubious offer of 'adult' material shipped in discreet packaging with a guarantee of 100% satisfaction or your money back, when the refund arrived it was in the form of a cheque drawn against a bank account with a highly embarrassing name so the recipient would be too embarrassed to present it to their bank.

[peteb2]

And there's this crock of shite... they say on their website ..."combination of ultrasonic, electromagnetic and ionic technologies to get rid of rodents from your home. In addition to rodent control, this device also helps control cockroaches as well. The device is easy to use and requires no maintenance from the user – just plug it in to your power point and let it do its job."

Rodents and cockroaches aint gonna give a stuff about ultransonic sounds etc when they know there's food to be had and a warm place raise their babies...

https://www.pestrol.co.nz/buy-online/pestrol-rodent-free/

[Brumby]

Yeah, I get a little sceptical about those things as well. 

As far as plugging in one or more of these and expecting the pests to go screaming from the premises in a mass exodus - then that's unrealistic.  I do accept, though, that the marketing for these things paints that picture.

However there is one explanation of them that I feel is plausible... that these things make the environment less comfortable for the pests and that, over time, the pests will find being somewhere else is more pleasant.  How true that is, I don't know, but even if it were, I doubt it would be sufficient to surpass the offering of food and shelter.

[rsjsouza]

And there's this crock of shite... they say on their website ..."combination of ultrasonic, electromagnetic and ionic technologies to get rid of rodents from your home. In addition to rodent control, this device also helps control cockroaches as well. The device is easy to use and requires no maintenance from the user – just plug it in to your power point and let it do its job."

Rodents and cockroaches aint gonna give a stuff about ultransonic sounds etc when they know there's food to be had and a warm place raise their babies...

Thanks, that's exactly the type of product I was referring two posts above.

[jmelson]

Back in the day of newspaper small ads for products there was often rumoured to be a particular con job based around refunds, the small ads carried some dubious offer of 'adult' material shipped in discreet packaging with a guarantee of 100% satisfaction or your money back, when the refund arrived it was in the form of a cheque drawn against a bank account with a highly embarrassing name so the recipient would be too embarrassed to present it to their bank.

Some years ago I got one of these scam letters in the mail.  It had a real bank check, with a message that cashing the check was approving the company to enroll you in some program, but you had to write your bank account info on the check.  Well, I knew that passing the check at the bank would NOT get any such info on the check, just an endorsement stamp on the back.  So, I took the check to the bank and deposited it.  A few weeks later I got the check back in the mail, with a request to provide the required info.  I took the check to the bank and DEPOSITED it AGAIN!  I never heard from this outfit again.  Well, that is probably the ONLY time I've ever pulled such a stunt on that type of deal.

Jon