Which? reveals products to avoid at all costs this Amazon Prime Day
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A dire air fryer, feeble fridge and one of the worst TVs ever
tested by Which? are among the flawed products being sold at
discount prices this Amazon Prime Day, according to new research
from the consumer champion. Each year Which? puts thousands
of products through rigorous, independent laboratory tests to
separate the best from the worst. Those that fail to perform and
should be avoided at all costs are labelled as a Which? Don’t Buy.
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A dire air fryer, feeble fridge and one of the worst TVs ever tested by Which? are among the flawed products being sold at discount prices this Amazon Prime Day, according to new research from the consumer champion.
Each year Which? puts thousands of products through rigorous, independent laboratory tests to separate the best from the worst. Those that fail to perform and should be avoided at all costs are labelled as a Which? Don’t Buy.
Which? is warning consumers about the Don’t Buy products on sale at Amazon, to help them avoid being saddled with poor performing products after this year’s Prime Day sales event.
The first Don’t Buy discovered by Which? on Amazon is the Total Chef TCAF03 (£69.99). Which? testers were disappointed with this air fryer. It was not particularly energy efficient or fast, and has one fatal flaw - it cooks bad chips.
Also on Which?’s Don’t Buy list was the Fridgemaster MC55265AF (£329). Which? testing found that this fridge had high energy use, unstable temperatures and lacked the power to chill fresh groceries quickly, which gives food-spoiling bacteria more time to multiply. This can cause meat, fish, and vegetables to deteriorate sooner than expected.
One of the worst TVs ever tested by Which? is the Hisense 32A4EGTUK (£159). The sound is distorted, tinny and unnatural, and to make matters worse, the body of the TV rattles badly. The picture is fine if nothing’s moving, but the detail is lost in dark contrast and smearing motion.
For those looking for a new vacuum, the Tower VL100 (£129) is ineffective, struggling with carpets and useless with pet hair. It’s also bad at retaining allergens, so it’s not the best option for people with dust-related allergies.
Another Which? Don’t Buy to avoid in the sales is the Candy CDPH 2L 1049W-80. This lacklustre slimline dishwasher was found to be noisy, difficult to load and failed to remove food from crockery when tested by Which? Experts.
Meanwhile, the Salter EK4383 (£58.68), a blender described as “a waste of space” by Which? Testers made lumpy drinks, a horrible racket and had a badly designed dial which made it difficult to use.
Which? is advising shoppers not to rush into any purchases this Amazon Prime Day without doing some research first to make sure they are getting a genuinely good quality product at an outstanding price.
The consumer champion’s retail experts will be updating advice pages with the best deals on products that have performed well in Which? testing round the clock this week.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:
“There’s a huge range of deals on offer during the Amazon Prime Day sales, but some may have been on sale at the same price or cheaper previously, while others are just terrible products that will leave you with a serious case of buyer’s regret you wishing you hadn’t bothered.
“If you’re in the market for an impressive product at a bargain price that genuinely offers outstanding value for money, there are deals to be had, but we suggest you dodge these Don’t Buys and seek out reliable reviews and independent testing that you can trust.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About Amazon Prime Day
Which?'s top tips for shopping on Amazon Prime Day sales event How to shop on Prime Day 2023: five top tips
1. Use the Amazon mobile app
Amazon's mobile app is free and worth a look if you want to sift through Prime Day deals while you're on the move. Updating your notification settings means you'll receive alerts as soon as certain deals go live.
To set it up on your phone or tablet, just follow these steps:
2. Bookmark Which?’s Amazon prime Day page As Amazon continues to launch new deals during its event, our experts will be sifting through thousands of offers to highlight the very best.
Remember that, even if you spot a particularly big price drop, that product might not be at its lowest ever price. For the deals we spotlight, we'll note whether or not Amazon's price is at an all-time low.
Bookmark this page on your computer, phone or tablet and keep checking back as we update it.
3. Download the Which? Reviews app Which? members have full access to the Which? Reviews app, which puts all our expert product reviews in the palm of your hand.
If you spot a tempting Prime Day deal, you can open the Which? Reviews app to find out how the product fared in our test lab.
From the Which? Reviews app, you can also create a shortlist of products to keep an eye on for Amazon Prime Day. Our handy 'Compare' tool lets you see test results side by side.
4. Check if you're buying directly from the manufacturer Once you've spotted a Prime Day deal, check whether you're buying the product directly from Amazon or through a third-party seller – this will potentially affect your rights if there's a problem.
In the example below, we're looking at the Amazon product page for a OnePlus smartphone. Although the phone is made by OnePlus, this specific item is sold and dispatched by a third-party seller (circled in red).
5. Be wary of fake reviews Tread carefully if you're reading Amazon user reviews when deciding whether to make a purchase – our research has found that online customer reviews can't always be trusted.
Many dishonest reviewers (often working in partnership with the third-party seller) will use five-star reviews to boost the overall score of the product. Try checking four-star reviews and below for a more honest assessment of the product.
Keep an eye out for five-star reviews that contain lots of images. Our research has found fake review groups that encourage members to post pictures or videos alongside a positive review to get a refund for their purchase.
How to return Amazon items If you buy a product on Amazon Prime Day and it arrives on your doorstep damaged, the retailer is fully responsible.
Under the Consumer Rights Acts, your purchase needs to be of satisfactory quality (not faulty or damaged), fit for purpose and as described. If your Prime Day product doesn't meet one of these requirements, the retailer (not the manufacturer) is in breach of the Consumer Rights Act.
Amazon will refund the cost of sending an item back if it was sold or dispatched by Amazon. If the item you purchased isn't eligible for a free return, and you’re using a pre-paid return label, Amazon will deduct the cost of the return from your refund.
For expert advice on returning goods you've bought online, see our in-depth guide to returns and refunds.
How to recycle your old tech
If you're looking to replace some ageing technology by shopping the Prime Day sales, make sure you dispose of your old items in a responsible way.
You have a few options if you want to offload your unwanted electronics. Kerbside collection is suitable for small electrical items – in many cases, your local council will collect smaller items such as toasters and kettles. Alternatively, you can drop items at a local recycling centre.
For more details on how to get rid of your unused gadgets, check our advice on how to recycle electrical items. |