Snake oil is an expression that originally referred to fraudulent health products or unproven
medicinebut has come to refer to any product with questionable or unverifiable quality or benefit. By extension, a
snake oil salesman is someone who knowingly sells fraudulent goods or who is himself or herself a fraud, quack, charlatan, and the like.
A "snake oil salesman" is somebody that sells an item that claims to have some miraculous powers. This product is usually accompanied by a tremendous amount of hype.
The term refers to a person that is pushing a product that is deemed to be overhyped at best, and fraudulent at worst.
Does Theos Medical Systems qualify as a "Snake Oil Salesman?"
Is what they are selling "overhyped at best, and fraudulent at worst?"
Is Theos's representation of their product Chummie "usually accompanied by a tremendous amount of hype?"
The reader can look at the large number of entries in this blog relating to Theos Medical Systems and Chummie to verify the extensive hype and even outright bad behavior of Theos, and why we believe that they very much represent a "Snake Oil Salesman" and his "Snake Oil."
Let us look at a new example which exemplifies the continuing Snake Oil Salesman behavior and attitude of Theos Medical Systems.
From day one, Theos has claimed that they had over 100,000 Chummie units sold (or in use) worldwide. Perhaps due to the pressure of this blog, they recently removed this gross exaggeration from their web site and also from their claims about Chummie on Amazon. But when one has spread deceit so widely, it is often difficult to remember where this deceit may exist and remove all traces of it. So here it is today on Chummie's false Snake Oil promotion on eBay, copied below from eBay before the Snake Oil Salesmanchanges it:
1. Highly Effective Confidence Booster
Equally effective in stopping bedwetting in boys and girls of all ages
- Chummie is highly effective in curing bedwetting in children
- Chummie has no side-effects unlike the side-effects caused by bedwetting medication
- Chummie is a complete treatment system
- Chummie will boost your child’s confidence and self-esteem multi-fold
- Over 100,000 Chummie’s have been sold worldwide (the bold emphasis is ours)
From the same promotion, but mentioned everywhere else, is the claim:
Urine detection is 50X faster than all other bedwetting alarm sensors. Faster Detection = Less Mess = Rapid Treatment = Quick Cure (the bold emphasis is ours)
Let us assume, for the moment, that Chummie is "50X faster than all other bedwetting alarm sensors" in detecting the presence of urine (though we have seen no verification or scientific proof of this claim. Overly hyped?). Let us assume that Chummie miraculously sounds its alarm within one-one hundredth of a second after urination begins, while the "other bedwetting alarm sensors" sound their alarm in one-half of a second after urination begins. Does any reasonable and rational person who is not susceptible to hype really believe that it makes any practical difference to the user or the caregiver? We very much doubt it.
Making over-hyped, unrealistic and impractical claims, is all part of the Snake Oil Salesman's pitch.
Theos has been using their Snake Oil Salesman's pitch extensively in America for the past approximately two-and-a-half years. The momentum generated by their Snake Oil Salesman's pitch has obviously slowed down. This is best exemplified by their success (or lack of it) on eBay, which is probably the second most effective and well-known site for internet sales. This has been pointed out earlier on this blog with entries in November and October, 2013. Since then, Theos is selling their Chummie "Premium" alarm on eBay at an optimistic rate of three (3) units per month. This really doesn't pay Theos's bills.
The Big Question:
So what does Theos do? Does someone at Theos say "Let's go after the international market!" (our quotation)? And how does Theos approach this? Will they be honest, straightforward, try to build their "international" business ethically and truthfully and truly on the merits of their product(s)?
The Big Answer:
Now we examine another example of "overhyped at best, and fraudulent at worst" which has come to our attention.
Theos Medical Systems, desperate for customers and sales, has made another
Snake Oil Salesman's pitch, this time
on Alibaba. Again, in order to present the relevant materials from Alibaba before any possible changes are made, we copy it below:
Trade & Market
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Main Markets:
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11.11% North America
11.11% South America
11.11% Eastern Europe
11.11% Southeast Asia
11.11% Mid East
11.11% Eastern Asia
11.11% Western Europe
11.11% Northern Europe
11.11% Southern Europe
|
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Total Annual Sales Volume:
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US$10 Million - US$50 Million
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Export Percentage:
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31% - 40%
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As pointed out above/previously, Theos has recently abandoned its overly hyped claim of 100,000 units in use worldwide. Now Theos claims annual sales of US $10 million to $50 million. Working with the lower range of this claim, Theos would need to be selling over 100,000 units of Chummie at an approximate price of US $100 each during every single year. If they were doing so, then they certainly would have 100,000 units and even much more sold and in use worldwide! And they have abandoned that well-tattered hype! Snake Oil Salesman's pitch?Relating this to their actual current sales rate on eBay is stretching one's imagination beyond belief! We can't even hype ourselves into believing it!
Now examine Theos's claim for its Main Markets:
Main Markets:
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11.11% North America
11.11% South America
11.11% Eastern Europe
11.11% Southeast Asia
11.11% Mid East
11.11% Eastern Asia
11.11% Western Europe
11.11% Northern Europe
11.11% Southern Europe
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Does any sane and rational reader believe this, or is this a very convenient piece of presenting absurd and unrealistic numbers to what Theos hopes are highly gullible readers? Snake Oil Salesman's pitch? We also wonder about the actual abilities, credentials and qualities of Theos's people who conceive and publish such nonsense for public consumption!
And finally, at the bottom of the above excerpt:
Export Percentage:
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31% - 40%
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It seems as though Theos's basic mathematical faculties are also in over-hype mode, and they cannot think straight or be reasonably consistent. Adding up their market percentages for markets outside North America (let alone just the U.S.) comes to almost 89%. And suddenly they modestly claim that their export percentage is 31% - 40%? Huh? Is this believable? Or is it more Snake Oil Salesman's pitch?
We can learn a simple lesson from the above. Snake Oil Salesmen remain Snake Oil Salesmen! "Overhyped at best, and fraudulent at worst" remains a constant part of their character and activities! Snake Oil remains Snake Oil!
Buyers beware!
Again, we repeat:
We have referred to Theos Medical Systems and Chummie as the fountainhead of deceit for the bedwetting alarm industry, and they are doing everything they can to maintain their position. We doubt that they have the ability or inclination to learn or do otherwise. As we have stated earlier, but with the time period being extended:
"This is a truly sorry state of affairs, that Theos/Chummie spend so much of their time and effort on trickery and deceit. It may also be indicative of the sorry state of their legitimate business. We also note that all of our recent blog entries in over SIX months have been exclusively about Theos Medical Systems and their continuing buffoonery. We credit every other manufacturer of bed wetting alarms for not blatantly bringing themselves to our attention as Theos consistently does."
