Breathometer refunding iPhone blood alcohol tester owners in full

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in iPhone
Breathometer, producer of a breathalyzer accessory for the iPhone, has agreed to provide refunds to customers in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, after claims about the device's lack of accuracy were investigated by the regulatory group.




The original Breathometer launched in 2013 as a car key-sized accessory that plugs into the headphone jack of an iPhone, with the $50 device providing a reading of the user's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) through a companion app. A second-generation device, Breeze, offered the same functionality but connected to an iPhone wirelessly over Bluetooth, and with a higher $100 price tag.

The FTC accused the company of overstating the accuracy of the devices, with advertising claims suggesting both passed "government-lab grade testing," and in the case of the Breeze, was a "law enforcement-grade product."

It was alleged by the FTC that neither of the devices were adequately tested for accuracy, with the defendants apparently aware the Breeze regularly understated measured BAC levels, but failed to notify customers of the issues.

"People relied on the defendant's products to decide whether it was safe to get behind the wheel," said FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection director Jessica Rich. "Overstating the accuracy of the devices was deceptive - and dangerous."

As part of the settlement, Breathometer has agreed to provide full refunds to customers requesting compensation, with forms supplied via the company's website. The company is also barred from making any future accuracy claims for a consumer breathalyzer product, unless they are supported by rigorous testing.

The FTC claims sales of the original and Breeze models combined total $5.1 million, though the company no longer sells the devices. Breathometer has since moved on to a new type of product, with Mint claimed to provide data on the user's breath for health monitoring purposes.

"We feel it is important to clarify that this settlement does not undermine our achievements in creating quality consumer health devices," a blog post on the Breathometer website advises. "We proactively stopped manufacturing Original and Breeze in 2015, prior to the FTC's inquiry."

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    I wish more advertisers were put to the fire with their over-the-top claims.  Shame on these companies for putting garbage out there and trying to pass it off as something legit.

    In addition to the rightfully-deserved refunds, the company/owners should be fined into oblivion for what is essentially fraud.  They got off easy.
    dysamoriawatto_cobrajbdragon
  • Reply 2 of 12
    Wasn't this on Shark Tank a few years back? 
    mwhitejbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 12
    mwhitemwhite Posts: 287member
    robertsm said:
    Wasn't this on Shark Tank a few years back? 
    yes and 4 of the Sharks bit into it, shows you how smart these rich people are haha....
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 12
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    mwhite said:
    robertsm said:
    Wasn't this on Shark Tank a few years back? 
    yes and 4 of the Sharks bit into it, shows you how smart these rich people are haha....
    Yeah rich people are so stupid!!

    -_-
  • Reply 5 of 12
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    sog35 said:
    If you need to test, you drank too much
    irrelevant 
    coolfactorlukeijbdragonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 12
    My blink from watching it on shark tank was the owner was pompous and arrogant and had all the answers to the shark's questions.  They are usually good about reading through somebody but in this case they failed.  They did an update to that show and they were already busily working on "other products" (the Mint as mentioned in the article).  It's almost like they knew they better get going off of the Breeze.  They need to focus on paying people back now.  Brush your teeth, see a dentist, and chew gum - there's your alternative to buying a Mint that probably won't work either.  These gizmos for every little thing under the sun are getting past the point of useful.  It's ridiculous.
    jbdragon
  • Reply 7 of 12
    Was this a product of the Theranos group?
  • Reply 8 of 12
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    So now they're moving onto a product with less requirement for meaningful validation...?
  • Reply 9 of 12
    sflocal said:
    I wish more advertisers were put to the fire with their over-the-top claims.  Shame on these companies for putting garbage out there and trying to pass it off as something legit.
    Then you would have to close all homeopathy medicine point of sales along with all chiropractor practices. 
  • Reply 10 of 12
    sflocal said:
    I wish more advertisers were put to the fire with their over-the-top claims.  Shame on these companies for putting garbage out there and trying to pass it off as something legit.
    Then you would have to close all homeopathy medicine point of sales along with all chiropractor practices. 
    What the government needs to do is shut down those stupid detox foot baths they offer at spas and sell online. Talk about a load of bs nonsense. 
  • Reply 11 of 12
    sog35 said:
    If you need to test, you drank too much
    You're obviously not old enough to drink, so how would you know?
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