EEVblog #751 - How To Debunk A Product (The Batteriser)

[Blocco]

The lack of updates on their website is one of the strangest aspects (and everything else is very very strange), it appears to have been abandoned. It should be full steam ahead now the Batteroos are finally in production..... but the website does not reflect that.

I wonder if there are disagreements within the Batteroo team on how they should proceed (there must surely be some unhappy people) and now Bob is isolated because the others are refusing to play the "let's pretend we have a product" game. He is free to act unilaterally on social media and IGG but cannot update the website without approval from the rest of the team. Perhaps the rest of the team value their reputations and feel let down by the way it has been handled. I'm sure they would all prefer to move on and distance themselves from this embarrassing saga.

[Fungus]

The whole tone of this is just wrong.

Bob "believes" that "a few" people have posted pics of their Batterisers? He doesn't know for sure and hasn't checked for himself? (He isn't interested?)

It just doesn't pass the sniff test.

[SL4P]

The whole tone of this is just wrong.

Bob "believes" that "a few" people have posted pics of their Batterisers? He doesn't know for sure and hasn't checked for himself? (He isn't interested?)

It just doesn't pass the sniff test.

It's a big step for Boob to pop out his phone and take a couple of grainy snaps to post...?
Maybe the prototype doesn't work in his own gear.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

It's a big step for Boob to pop out his phone and take a couple of grainy snaps to post...?
Maybe the prototype doesn't work in his own gear.

Boob is unable to use his camera, the dead AA batteries in it are jammed, and he can't get them out.

Jay_Diddy_B

[rrinker]

 That's the real killer. Surely if they are being produced, Bob should have a couple packs - I mean, if you created a company wouldn't you keep at least one of your products for yourself just to show it off? But no, this charlatan can't be bothered to take a photo of the product his company has so proudly produced, he pushes it off to the purchasers to post photos when they receive theirs.
 All for a reason, of course, These things absolutely do not exist, and by pushing off the picture taking on the customers they gain a few more weeks of nothing by blaming it on the shipping. Hey, we shipped them, if you didn't get yours yet, be patient, our shipping house is doing weird things. But now, even with a ridiculous convoluted shipping company like the uRuler thing, that delay time is running out and they will need a new excuse soon.
 So what's next? They get the entire shipment back because of bad addressing?

[AndyC_772]

...or don't get it back, for exactly the same reason 

[Fungus]

These things absolutely do not exist, and by pushing off the picture taking on the customers they gain a few more weeks of nothing by blaming it on the shipping. Hey, we shipped them, if you didn't get yours yet, be patient

...and we can't help it if nobody's taking pictures of their batterisers and posting them online.

...and if nobody is testing them properly and posting results then it's not under our control!

[quad]

The next excuse practically writes itself:

"We weren't informed at the time, but our shipping company's policy is not to send anything to addresses that haven't been updated in over x number of months. In our rush to get these Batteroos out to you as quickly as possible, we did not send a recent address confirmation to our backers. Therefore the shipments that have been going out have been ONLY to some of those that had updated their addresses within x number of months. It is only now that we became aware that our shipping company had been not delivering to these old addresses. We're pleased that some of you can enjoy your Batteroos now and to everyone else, sit tight we'll be sending out a Recent Address Confirmation via Indiegogo. Make sure to fill it out quickly and we'll have your Batteroos out as soon as possible, hopefully before Xmas.

Seasons Greetings and happy Batteroo'ing.
Bob."

[quad]

Another one? Why can't anyone take a real photo??

[Marcel_X]

Well, the guy took another picture with the box opened. Looks legit...

[Fungus]

The plot thickens...

a) What's the little red tag at top-left? A defect? 

b) Why not post this pic first? 

c) I'd say there should be more shadow visible through the '+'s on the sleeves if there was a solid PCB at the top.



Not enough evidence yet. Let's wait and see if anybody else receives them...

[rrinker]

 Look at the right most one in that closeup - there's a white plastic tab sticking up under where the PCB would be, so seeing the whitish color though the + makes sense.

 But I still don't get the Batteriser name.

[Fungus]

Look at the right most one in that closeup - there's a white plastic tab sticking up under where the PCB would be, so seeing the whitish color though the + makes sense.

Sure, but look at the box where his finger is. It's a darker color even though it's much less shadowed (light is entering from above, a PCB would block most of it).



Maybe it's just some sort of "light pipe" effect in the plastic. I dunno... 

[rrinker]

 Wait - it SHOULD be darker where his finger is over it. I don't have any right here with me but if you take a similar plastic box, the white will appear darker over a spot you put your finger on. It looks like the white under the + on the right most one IS darker than the white under the + on the left one.

 I still don't buy they actually have shipped any of those to anyone, but pic looks legitimate. Seeing that they say Batteriser, maybe that IS a picture from Bob or friend, one of the prototypes they showed a long time ago, and not the 'final' product.

[Barny]

But I still don't get the Batteriser name.

Its because this are the same sleves shown at all this pictures before.

It looks like the PCB's are missing in this sleves.
I'd say this is another trick to get more time.
But I don't knew why they need more time because it looks like they didnt want to deliver at all.

[Fungus]

I'd definitely expect more shadow in the left-most '+' if there was a PCB there.

His finger-shadow is visible in the second one from the left. A finger wouldn't make any difference if there was a PCB.

[Fungus]

Wait - it SHOULD be darker where his finger is over it.

Yes, but it should be much darker under the '+' if there was a PCB there.

[Barny]

I don't knew how FaceBook is handling the images.
But did someone have a look at the exif-data of the original images?

It would be funny, when the pictures comes from the same camera or something else.

[Marcel_X]

I don't knew how FaceBook is handling the images.
But did someone have a look at the exif-data of the original images?

It would be funny, when the pictures comes from the same camera or something else.

Both pictures come from the same camera. According to the metadata the 'primary platform' is Apple Computer Inc.
So probably taken with an iPhone. Metadata and ELA data can be found here:

http://fotoforensics.com/analysis.php?id=63704a070556ebd27fa22a528fea9eb2d93eb5ce.80026&show=meta

[Fungus]

I don't knew how FaceBook is handling the images.
But did someone have a look at the exif-data of the original images?

Both pictures come from the same camera. According to the metadata the 'primary platform' is Apple Computer Inc.
So probably taken with an iPhone.

Facebook strips out the most interesting info, unfortunately.

I was looking to see if the fuel gauge in the car had jumped around, or if the air vents had changed position or something, but there's not much that's actually visible in both pics.

[Barny]

More interesting would be the tachometer. (mph / kph)

[samgab]

Wow, the tin-foil-hattery is off the charts! I'm willing to believe that that individual is holding a real packet of Batteriser sleeves. Why he appears to presently be the only person on the entire planet to have both a pack of sleeves and a phone/camera in the same place is astonishing.
But big difference between showing fancy packaging, and testing whether a product actually works or not. Let's see those real world tests, Mr whoever from Greece!
And what's with that other guy, says he bought only AAA sleeves but doesn't have any products that use AAA cells, only AA? Why would anyone do that? Is that a reflection of the mental ability of the average Batteriser sucker user?

[ez24]

I'm willing to believe that that individual is holding a real packet of Batteriser sleeves.

I am not willing to believe.  Because during my life I have come across 2 cons.   They were amazing how they could fool people.

[Fungus]

I'm willing to believe that that individual is holding a real packet of Batteriser sleeves.

I am not willing to believe.  Because during my life I have come across 2 cons.   They were amazing how they could fool people.

There might be a big chunk of the VC capital that only gets handed over on 'delivery'. That's a big incentive to pull a few stunts.

We know Bob's gone on camera and blatantly lied before now. Remember the Garmin GPS? Probes The Monkey? Remember how they paid Vietnamese people to vote down Dave's videos? Chinese landslides? It'll take more than a single photo to convince me they're telling the truth now.

Alternative (b) is: They know Batteriser doesn't work as claimed but the cost to produce a few dozen units is less then the outstanding VC money. In that case they can personally make money by shipping something, even if it's rubbish. Batterizer will collapse but the Batteroo Brothers get six more months of free lunches.

(this option also explains why they haven't changed the 'Batteriser' name on the sleeves - they simply don't care if Energizer sues the company because the company will be dead by the time anything goes to court)


nb. Option (a) is obviously more attractive to a scammer - much cheaper to do and no actual work needed. I wouldn't be surprised if a few more photos appear over the next few days (but no test data). We know there's a handful of prototypes out there somewhere.

[Fungus]

Wow, the tin-foil-hattery is off the charts!

 

I don't understandwhy:
a) Bob can't publish a photo
b) Why the Greek guy keeps posting photos without actually trying them.