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As bargain hunters grapple with a somewhat different Black Friday experience this year, shoppers are being warned that the deals they find online may not be as good as they think.
Black Friday is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving in the US, and stores slash prices for electronics and clothing, encouraging shoppers to start their holiday shopping.
Consumer group Which one? You have compiled a list of items found on the Internet that appear on your Do Not Buy list on one of the most important shopping days of the year.
Black Friday encourages shoppers to take advantage of cheaper electronics, fashion, and toys
The firm says it subjects thousands of products to “rigorous and independent laboratory testing” in an effort to determine which items are not working.
Which? says its Do Not Buy status means you should not buy a product, no matter how good the discount is
This year, the list includes everything, of what? considers a dangerous baby gate, a “cumbersome” vacuum cleaner.
Which? says the Baby Dan Premier True Pressure Stair Door, which he found for £ 29 on Amazon, failed its ‘fatigue test’, which is part of the EU safety standard, meaning it could pose a risk to the children.
Baby Dan, the manufacturer, responded by saying: “The security door mentioned in Which? Has been recently tested by TUV Sud in Germany and Bureau Veritas in the UK on numerous occasions without any comment. Both test labs have extensive experience in security gates tests, and the security gate has always passed the European standard for security barriers (EN 1930). ‘We’ have received these test reports for your reading.
“To prove our point, Baby Dan immediately sent the security gate in question … for further testing.”
Dozens of people usually go to stores on Black Friday
A £ 29 Russell Hobbs Luna 23221 two-slice toaster is also on the company’s Don’t Buy list, after claiming it produces ‘pale, uneven toast’ with a slider that’s ‘stiff and hard to move’.
The Beko VCS5125AB vacuum cleaner also appears on the list.
Found for £ 69 on AO.com (£ 4 more than 2019), which one? calls it “cumbersome”, and adding the filter “did a poor job of trapping small particles when tested.”
Which? they also warn people to stay away from:
- Maxi Cosi Beryl Car Seat (£ 225 at John Lewis) – Group testing found the shell too small to protect older children
- Bush 60185FFWTD Fridge Freezer (£ 290 at Argos): It’s ‘too slow to cool’ new items to a safe temperature, which helps bacteria, which one? He says
- Hisense 65A7100FTUK LED TV (£ 499 at Currys PC World): Which one? claims it has the worst image quality it has seen in years
- Marshall Major III Wireless Bluetooth Headphones (£ 49 at Currys PC World): Which ones? says the sound quality is not good and “was judged uncomfortable”.
Shoppers will have to swap Macy’s stalls for websites on their couches this year.
Natalie Hitchins, which one? head of home products and services, said: “We’ve found a lot of low-quality products for sale this Black Friday, so don’t dive right in when you spot what seems like a tempting deal or you could end in failure.
“Save money and time by avoiding these Don’t Buy products. For a quality product that will last the test of time, look beyond the special offer and see the results of independent and extensive tests.”
