Bugged out: Advertising regulator tells Homemark to prove its Ultrasonic Pest Magic claims

Promoted as a revolutionary device to eliminate pests like flies, ants, rats, mosquitoes, spiders and mice, Homemark’s Ultrasonic Pest Magic must now prove its claims after a complaint to the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB).

The company’s popular “ultrasonic” pest repeller has been marketed since 2010, with claims that users simply plug the device into a wall outlet and it sends signals that disturb pests’ nervous systems and repel them.

The advert assured “effective results” in two to four weeks, depending on the pest, with full elimination possible over time, and touted broad coverage of up to 230 square metres. The product was labelled “environmentally friendly” and promoted as a green and safe pest control solution.

Unfortunately, Homemark continues to be plagued with complaints about its advertising claims.

The latest complainant argued these claims were unsupported by evidence, referencing studies from reputable sources like Cochrane Reviews, which questioned the efficacy of ultrasonic devices for pest control, specifically mosquitoes.

Studies from the universities of Nebraska-Lincoln and McGill — which say there is not enough evidence to confirm these devices’ efficacy — along with warnings from the US Federal Trade Commission, which settled with two manufacturers of ultrasonic pest control products in 2003 and 2023 for making unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of their products, further highlighted a lack of scientific proof that such devices repel household pests.

The complainant told the ARB their sources indicated that electronic pest repellers had limited or no effectiveness in driving pests away, rendering the advertiser’s claims misleading.

Based on these findings, they argued that the claims be withdrawn.

Consumers unconvinced

Many consumers also seem unconvinced: of the 348 reviews on Takealot, 135 were happy with the device, while 105 said it didn’t work, with some describing it as “useless”.

In response to the complaint, the advertiser said that “Pest Magic” had been on the market for 14 years and claimed to have prior substantiation from a 2010 report by Uwe Nusser.

Nusser, apparently a German expert who had qualified in precision engineering, was said to have tested electronic equipment for OK Bazaars and Hyperama before opening his own business.

Despite the ARB directorate being unable to ascertain the nature of his supposed expertise, or seeing his CV, it decided it was satisfied that Nusser had displayed a knowledgeable approach to his report.

Nusser does not have a LinkedIn profile, nor does he appear in Google searches. His Facebook profile is inactive.

Homemark MD and executive chairperson Dino Hadjipaschalis told Daily Maverick that Nusser was “now retired, no longer in active consulting service and I understand not in good health.

“The substantiation letter given to us by Mr Nusser goes back to 2010 when we initially launched the product.”

He said as part of the supplementary information given to the ARB for further clarity, “Neither the product nor its packaging changed in any way or form since its initial launch back in 2010. It is the identical product and packaging since then.”

However, the packaging has indeed changed: unlike previous versions still seen on some websites, it no longer mentions repelling mosquitoes, fleas or flies and now only claims to be effective against rats, roaches and mice.

The ARB has ruled that Homemark’s substantiation was insufficient and instructed the advertiser to withdraw several claims, including the timeline for results, the coverage area, the “green” claim and any mosquito imagery. The ARB also mandated that these claims should not reappear unless credible evidence was provided.

The advertiser’s revisions are required across all media, enforcing strict compliance with the ruling.

Effectively, it means Homemark can continue to claim that users can “simply plug the Pest Magic into electrical sockets and utilise your home circuit to send out a signal that irritates the nervous system of pests, driving them away without causing harm”, and that it works on rats and mice, but not flies, mosquitoes or spiders.

Hadjipaschalis said they had submitted supplementary information to the ARB after their initial ruling.

“I presume you read the ARB ruling, they were happy with the main claim (that if plugged into home electrical circuits it would drive away pests), but deemed three other claims as ‘unsubstantiated’, because of an oversight on their part (it appears).

“We have now submitted some further clarity on the original substantiation and are waiting for a revised ruling soon.”

Repeat offender

In 2008, the ARB’s precursor, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), ruled that Homemark had failed to prove that its Pest Magic product was “100% effective”. The complainant argued that the product had no effect against roaches, even though the packaging stated it was “environmentally friendly and 100% effective”.

Homemark was unable to provide satisfactory evidence and was instructed to withdraw the claim.

In 2011, another complaint was filed with the ASA, in which the complainant objected to an advert claiming that the product “uses the wiring of your home to create a massive force field that drives the pests out”.

Again, Homemark relied on Nusser’s evidence, but after undertaking to remove the reference to a “force field”, the directorate decided it adequately addressed the complainant’s concern and said it therefore did not have to consider whether Nusser qualified as an independent and credible expert in this particular field.

The following year, Homemark was found to be in breach of the ASA rulings. The complainant said the company was still depicting cockroaches in its adverts, despite the fact that Homemark had not proved any efficacy against these.

The ads also claimed that Pest Magic was “incredibly safe and effective”; “literally makes those pests disappear”; “DRIVES pests out”; “PREVENT[S] pests coming back”; rids “your home of spiders, ants, roaches, rats, mice, silver-fish, and even more …”; and offered “… 24-hour a day protection”. DM