Shenzhen ZhiYi Technology Modifies, Discontinues Claims for ILife Robotic Vacuum Following NAD Inquiry

New York, NY – Feb. 1, 2018 – Shenzhen ZhiYi Technology Co., Ltd., the maker of the iLife A4s robotic vacuum cleaner said it has permanently discontinued certain claims for the product made in advertising on Facebook and at Amazon.com.

The advertising at issue was challenged before NAD by iRobot Corporation. NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation and is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

In response to NAD’s inquiry, the advertiser said it had elected to permanently discontinue the following express and implied claims:

• The A4s contains a “HEPA” filter
• Allergies are reduced by its HEPA filter and purification system
• HEPA high efficiency filter in robot vacuum allows your family to reduce allergic reactions
• 50% more powerful suction
• Twice the suction of [a] common robot vacuum
• The A4s uses a “fade-free” technology
• . . . with fade-free technology brings up to 140 minutes working time
• The iLife A4s robot vacuum filter meets HEPA standards
• The iLife A4s robot vacuum contains a filter that can trap all allergy-causing fine particles, including those that only HEPA filters can effectively trap
• The iLife a4s robot vacuum cleans better overall than other robot vacuums.

The advertiser also said it would modify the claim that the the A4s has a “High speed brushless motor. 50% more suction,” to make it clear to consumers that the basis of comparison is iLife’s earlier product, the A4.

NAD noted in its decision that voluntarily discontinued and modified claims will be treated, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended their discontinuance or modification and the advertiser agreed to comply.

Turning to the modified claim that “Dust is reduced by iLife’s filter, thus reducing the amount of allergens in the air,”  NAD noted that the advertiser “has not provided testing demonstrating the A4s vacuum reduces allergens. While the advertiser provided a machine test report demonstrating that the vacuum picks up dust, the test did not measure the ability of the vacuum to collect allergens like dust mites or other pollens that are common allergens or that its ability to collect dust reduces allergens in the air.”

For these reasons, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue both the current and previous versions of the claims.

The company, in its advertiser’s statement, said it “accepts the decision of NAD in all respects and will comply with it, including its recommendations.”

Note: A recommendation by NAD to modify or discontinue a claim is not a finding of wrongdoing and an advertiser’s voluntary discontinuance or modification of claims should not be construed as an admission of impropriety. It is the policy of NAD not to endorse any company, product, or service. Decisions finding that advertising claims have been substantiated should not be construed as endorsements.