Mira-Cool and Cool Surge: Too good to be true?

It seems that once a company (this one being Fridge Electric) gets a "Don't Buy!" rating from Consumer Reports (for their Cool Surge evaporative cooler) they just figure they have to wait a summer and release it under a new name: Mira-Cool. The Consumer Reports article on the air cooling unit opens with:

The Cool Surge might sound appealing when you consider the roughly 500 watts needed to run even a small air conditioner. Ohio-based Fridge Electric LLC, which markets the Cool Surge, has even offered a two-for-one deal in full-page ads in The New York Times and other newspapers. But our tests show that when it comes to cooling a room, the Cool Surge is likely to disappoint you at any price.

I first started researching the Mira-Cool product when I saw their full-page ad in USA Today. I guess they decided to change the name of the unit after Consumer Reports suggested that nobody buy it. From what I can tell, there is no difference between the Cool Surge and the Mira-Cool.

Their ad in USA Today starts off incredibly misleading with the title, "Public set to get free air cooling units" and goes on to say, "A new miracle air cooler is actually being given away free to the first 11,337 readers.." Well, after further reading I discovered that it was really a buy 1 (at $298) get 1 free, but you still had to pay for shipping on both units! But why who cares if you get both of them free if they don't work as advertised?

Any company that says this in their FAQ has to be joking:

Q: Can I leave it on when I'm not home?

A: It's recommended that you don't because when you get home, the MIRA-COOL can quickly blast out ice cooled air.

Unfortunately I don't think Mira-Cool and Fridge Electric is kidding even though their claims are a joke. Whenever you read something that seems too good to be true...it probably is. There are hundreds of companies out there trying to take advantage of the public's ignorance on energy issues. Keep reading Mapawatt Blog (and keep your eyes peeled for other energy scams) and don't get taken advantage of!

P.S. : If you want to see the Mira-Cool product for yourself (and at your own risk) go to www.mira-cool.com and enter claim code MC1008.

Tags:

air conditioner scam

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fridge electric

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miracle air cooler

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Comments

Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/11/2010 - 19:54

you get what you pay for , good work ain't cheap and cheap work ain't good, you don't get Mercedes Benz at vw prices. should I go on . Buy American buy local and for the love of god by Union. Wake up people , thats all I got to say.

Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/08/2010 - 21:06

chris you are so insightful and a master of the obvious you are just the kind of guy i will sell 4 of these dumb peice of s*%+ coolers to

ckmapawatt Wed, 09/08/2010 - 22:12

Josh, Don't be ridiculous. I know a bad deal when I see one!

Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/24/2010 - 15:24

My Boss ordered these units for our office and didn't read the fine print either, but I was able to call the customer service line at (800) 504-8105 and after holding for 53 minutes was able to speak with a very nice lady who sent us return labels via email that we are to received within 72 hours. We were told to put the labels on the package and drop them off at a UPS center. It would take 10-14 days after they received the units to process the refund. You must return the units within 30 days to get a full refund. They do not count the time it takes to receive the units back as long as you get your return labels within 30 days. I hope this helps!

Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/16/2010 - 16:52

I purchased the two Mira-cool units in July, and they arrived just over a week later. I researched them while waiting for delivery...not the most intelligent thing to do : ). However I've been using them both daily/nightly since, and have been very satisfied. As someone else had noted, I was having difficulty with one which would shut off from "cooler" mode after a minute. After some 'investigating', it appeared to have a sensor that would shut off the cooler it anything was above the "Max" fill line. The fix was making sure both ice packs were flat, not sticking up. No problems since, and the air is quite cool from the iced water. Another bonus, my skin does not appear as dry. Especially the elbows. I live in the Las Vegas, NV area, so maybe the climate is the main component as to whether or not the units are of any benefit.

ckmapawatt Mon, 08/16/2010 - 17:14

Carl, The Mira-cool units "work" off of the principle of evaporative cooling. From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler" rel="nofollow">wikipedia on Evaporative cooling</a>: <blockquote>Evaporative cooling is especially well suited for climates where the air is hot and humidity is low.</blockquote> So, you may be right in saying that these are a good fit in hot, dry climates. But is it worth $298? Couldnt you just achieve the same things with a block of ice from the freezer sitting under a desk fan?

Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/17/2010 - 02:42

may be a miracool employee for sure..found the exact same comment word for word on another miracool scam site..i know i visited both sites as well but all my commenst differed..who rememebrs word for word what they post? either carl used cut and paste or is here to stop the defamation of his company's work

Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/17/2010 - 19:58

Hi again Jwlz. I won't cut and paste from the other site, since you know where it is. Chris, you're probably right, but at the time I purchased them the cost seemed reasonable. I had looked at a few (evaporative coolers) at the local Home Depot and Lowes and from the prices I thought it was an ok deal.

Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/23/2010 - 19:11

I may have been duped. I ordered the 2 for 1 Mira Cool units on 7/13. I still haven't received them. I've made several calls and can never speak with anyone. I have a UPS tracking # but UPS notes says that even though there is a "shipping billing date/shipping date" that it doesn't mean that they've received the units for shipment. It's not like they are shipping the units from China, so where are my units??? I'm very nervous and decided to search "BBB, Mira Cool" in my search engine. I hope that it's not fraud.... Lori

Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/24/2010 - 02:41

well, they told a few lies but my money was returned within 2 days!!

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