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

[dcac]

They were probably shipped on a Hanjin container ship.  The company has gone bankrupt and now the ships sit at sea just waiting.

Wow, that seems serious:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/billions-in-cargo-remains-stranded-at-sea-1473285117

Seems to be unloading now though:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-10/hanjin-ship-expected-to-start-unloading-at-long-beach-saturday

So only good enough for a partial delay excuse then. (lol)

[madires]

And another container ship: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-hanjin-shipping-debt-usa-ports-idUSKCN11I03B

[Sonny_Jim]

Someone would recover them eventually.  It's going to be like those Nintendo cartridges in the land fill.  Goes from worthless to priceless!

/pedantic mode on

It was actually Atari carts, not Nintendo carts.  The NES hadn't been launched in the US at that point (it had been out in Japan since July 1983, but didn't get released in NA until 1985).  Although interestingly, Atari were working with Nintendo to release the NES in NA, but the deal fell through after Atari saw one of Nintendos licenses being demonstrated on the Colecovision, one of Ataris rivals.

[rich]

So anyone want to take a guess as to what their excuse for their latest delay will be?

Technically they are still within their time window and have until the end of sept to make good on their earlier 4-8 week estimate for shipping to backers. But yeah, the radio silence suggests they are not even at the distribution centres.

  Facebook page has been silent since the 22nd August, nothing on their IGG page for over a month.  Last twitter post was on the 22nd August as well, I had a good lol at that:

Frost and Sullivan Best Practices Award presented to Bob and Frankie Roohparvar of Batteroo.

And for further lols, it appears that Frosty and Sullivan have such a cozy relationship with Ol' Bob and Frankie that they won the award last year as well and even got them to rename nearly all instances of Batteriser to Batteroo on this fluff piece for them. 

Take a careful look at the pictures on twitter, you'll see they're holding the 2015 award! They probably don't have enough cash left to buy the 2016 award. The F&S write up always referenced Batteroo as that has always been their company name.

p.s I googled the telephone number that's listed on their Facebook page and found that it was previously in use by another scam company, what are the odds of that?
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-844-827-6623

Sorry to break it to you, that isn't the phone number currently listed on their Facebook page.

[Sonny_Jim]

Take a careful look at the pictures on twitter, you'll see they're holding the 2015 award!

Hah, I didn't notice that.  That would explain why I couldn't find Batteroo on this page.  I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised, it's not the first time they've used an old photo to try and fake recent company activity.  Still, if someone is one twitter they should drop them a mention that it's "You're Welcome":

Sorry to break it to you, that isn't the phone number currently listed on their Facebook page.

Ah yes, my mistake.  I googled the correct number (-6673) and didn't notice the result returned was for a different number (-6623)

[Godzil]

Take a careful look at the pictures on twitter, you'll see they're holding the 2015 award!

Hah, I didn't notice that.  That would explain why I couldn't find Batteroo on this page.  I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised, it's not the first time they've used an old photo to try and fake recent company activity.  Still, if someone is one twitter they should drop them a mention that it's "You're Welcome":

At least they didn't steal my welcome

Edit: it seems that they really where there at that pedntic show of the 15 march 2016:

http://showcase.frost.com/Awards/Best-Practices-San-Diego-March/i-VL3GtHv

But not to have an award, just to "discuss" about the nice award they had last year.

And: http://showcase.frost.com/Awards/Best-Practices-San-Diego-March/i-r6gW39k

I don't even know how this guy manage to be in the middle of the front row, which is the most important "seat" on such photo.

That the sort of "party" I would be sick to be invited to. 

[ez24]

http://showcase.frost.com/Awards/Best-Practices-San-Diego-March/i-VL3GtHv

http://showcase.frost.com/Awards/Best-Practices-San-Diego-March/i-r6gW39k

I wonder if San Diego is the best place for "awards".  I was sitting in a friends real estate office (in San Diego) when I spotted an impressive Real Estate Agent Award plague on his wall, so I asked him how he got it.  He said a salesman came into his office and sold it to him for $85.  So people buy awards, so they mean nothing. 

I imagine the best practice award cost more.

[Macbeth]

@ez24 - They even give you 2 for the price of 1   

[Muttley Snickers]

I suspect that their office walls are plastered with all sorts of self indulgent awards and certificates from questionable associations, if this was the case then you would have to be a pretty sick puppy indeed.   

[EEVblog]

Our good mate Bob looking sharp at the awards for his excellence in producing and shipping the world's.... oh, wait....

[EEVblog]

Seems to be unloading now though:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-10/hanjin-ship-expected-to-start-unloading-at-long-beach-saturday

I thought hundreds of ships were caught up in this?

[ez24]

Our good mate Bob looking sharp at the awards for his excellence in producing and shipping the world's.... oh, wait....

I once bumped into a rigged photo session, it was a live restaurant review show for TV.  All the customers were paid actors (I was meeting one of them).   I was shocked that I ended up in the middle of them (at first I did not know who they were), but the camera was not on. 

There is a group of actors here in San Diego (and I am sure in every large city) that act like customers or participants for a small sum for a video or photo shoot.  They just sit or stand.   Now I wished I knew who they are so I could get in on it.  Actually one of the women in the back looks like the woman I met.

Here is what I think.  The ones in the back are paid.  Those in front (10 of them) rotated so each one was in the center and for their photo.  It is possible those in front did not even know that those behind them were paid.  They are just paying for an award (the costs involved in hosting it - ha ha) and getting photos.

When it comes to making money, some people are very clever.



 

[H.O]

I'm certainly no fashion snob, that's for sure but geez, where do these people get their clothes? Everybody seems to be wearing trousers that are two sizes too big for them. Perhaps they ARE real engineers (and without a better half dressing them) and not businessmen, at least the latter tends to know what a proper suit looks like.

[kalleboo]

at least the latter tends to know what a proper suit looks like.

They're businessmen who have to buy awards, so obviously they're not successful ones.

[amirm]

One possibility for that award may be that they hired Frost and Sullivan to do market research for them for the product and in exchange they were promised this award (among many other companies).  Here is an "interview" which reads like Questions submitted in advance which they filled out: https://www.frost.com/sublib/display-market-insight.do?id=295404655

[janekm]

You will all be pleased to learn that Keysight have earned the oh so prestigious "Global Calibration & Repair Services Competitive Strategy Innovation & Leadership Award" from none other than Frost & Sullivan: https://twitter.com/keysight/status/775731706594676736

I am sure Frost must be a shoe-in for the "Global Leadership in Best Practices in Awarding Awards for Best Practices in Bestest Strategy Innovation Leadership & Cat Husbandry" award by now...

[janekm]

It seems things got a little awkward this year with two SD-WAN companies "nominated":

.@versanetworks accepts the 2016 SD-WAN Solution Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award #FrostAwards

.@Velocloud is honored with the 2016 North American SD-WAN Solution Product Leadership Award #FrostAwards

[Halcyon]

Our good mate Bob looking sharp at the awards for his excellence in producing and shipping the world's.... oh, wait....

Isn't that his brother next to him as well? The one with the "dodgy used car salesman" smile?

[samgab]

Our good mate Bob looking sharp at the awards for his excellence in producing and shipping the world's.... oh, wait....

Isn't that his brother next to him as well? The one with the "dodgy used car salesman" smile?

Yeah, that's Frankie Goes To Hollywood... to sell used cars and Batteroosters.

[Cerebus]

Isn't that his brother next to him as well? The one with the "dodgy used car salesman" smile?

'"dodgy used car salesman" smile' is a pretty poor diagnostic for selecting someone from that particular crowd.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

Hi,

Please don't associate them with dodgy care salesmen. The dodgy car salesmen don't like it 

Jay_Diddy_B

[SeanB]

Yes, used car salesmen have heard of that word "ethics" and might have a vague understanding of what it means.

[rollatorwieltje]

At least the dodgy car salesman will deliver something that resembles a car. Can't say that about these guys.

[ez24]

At least the dodgy car salesman will deliver something that resembles a car. Can't say that about these guys.

These guys can deliver bullshit

[Delta]

At least the dodgy car salesman will deliver something that resembles a car. Can't say that about these guys.

Indeed.

Even the dodgiest of second-hand car salesmen would actually give you a shit-heap of a car for your money, rather than sweet-FA.