Arctoscooler.com is an e-commerce store. The Arctos product line includes a mini air conditioner. The Arctos Personal Space Cooler cools and refreshes the air, according to the official website.
About The Vendor
The vendor is Ontel Products Corp at 21 Law Drive, Fairfield, NJ 07004. A Google Maps search did not connect the address to a legitimate business.
In fact, there is no 21 Law Drive. The business at 22 Law Drive is logistics company “Reliable Carriers, Inc.”
A business search via the New Jersey Division of Revenue & Enterprise Services validates Ontel Products Corporation as a registered New Jersey Domestic Partnership.
Not BBB-Accredited
Ontel Products is not accredited by BBB. Its BBB filing has a 1-star customer rating, with 73 complaints in the last year. The complaints are regarding poor quality products, non-deliveries, unprocessed orders, refusal to issue refunds are return, and unauthorized credit card charges.
Suspicious Images
The vendor utilizes suspicious images. For example, the image at the top of the checkout page is also suspicious. The image has a female with a coffee cup. A Google Image Search connects the image to a Royal Holiday News article “Learn A New Language”. The image is a Shutterstock image.
The main homepage image (female in bed stretching arms) is an Adobe Stock image.
Ontel Products also utilizes suspicious images. The “Retail Distribution” image is a Thinkstock image, utilized by BBC in an article about mobile shopping.
Alibaba Look-A-Like
The Arctos Portable AC has an Alibaba replica, which is priced at $11.61, compared to $89.99.
Afterword – Is Ontel Products Corp A Scam?
Is Arctos Air Cooler A Scam? It may not be a scam, but it is probably an Alibaba/AliExpress dropshipping item. Ontel Products is registered as a New Jersey DP, which is not that uncommon among Alibaba/AliExpress dropshippers. Most ore all Ontel Products have an Alibaba replica.
Ontel Products utilizes an address that is not registered with the USPS. The address 22 Law Drive, Fairfield, NJ 07004 is a logistics shipping center. This explains it all. If Ontel Products is dropshipping from Alibaba or AliExpress, Reliable Carriers at 22 Law Drive is most likely handling the returns.
Alibaba dropshippers do not have stock. In fact, they do not have any hands-on with the products. Dropshippers price-gouge consumers, increasing the retail price by 100 or 150 percent, in many cases.
According to the BBB customer complaints, Ontel Products has a history of not processing orders, not issuing returns following verified returns, and charging customers’ credit cards without authorization.
The stock images are also red flags. A legitimate company would not need to utilize stock images. One may question why Alibaba dropshippers would go through the process of registering their service because they can afford to. Plus, the process has been simplified by LegalZoom and IncFile. With no overhead, no shipping, and no handling, and no employee expenses, dropshippers are earning 150% profit on each item sold.
Jay Skelton is an independent crime journalist with a passion for covering the uncovered and the under covered.
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