"Should Which? launch its own product range?" blog discussion

amcluesent

>I wonder what's behind this idea? Loss of members leading to a funding crisis perhaps?<

The whole rationale for Which? has gone. Years ago purchasing a washing-machine would have been a big piece of the family budget and models were generally lemons made in the UK.

Now consumer goods are throw-away items, and 99% of the stuff from China lasts as long as people want (until the next kitchen makeover).

Also, most goods are all computerised and you can downloads updates to fix problems or add new features so Which? stuff is always out of date.

Price comparison web-sites and consumer feedback web-sites are finishing Which? off.

borders_dude

Which is past its sell by date. Who really cares that much about them?

Eric_Pisch

I tend to find which / what organisations test criteria mostly irrelevant to my own needs and there methodology flawed and often biased to advertisers, which is one of the reasons MSE is so great it has no political elegance to any pay master.

I find consumer sites like MSE and AVForums a vastly better resource.

pramsay13

I've been a Which? member now for about 8 years, and I use it along with this site and other information to make educated decisions about consumer issues.
I recently said to my wife that I was a bit concerned that the Which? website had a price comparison element for some of their best buys. I understand they are trying to make it easy for people to get a good product cheaply, but it just started alarm bells ringing in my head. Were Which? getting a percentage of every sale? If so do some companies give them more than others? Would that sway judgement in the future?
It has certainly caused me to reconsider my membership, and if they were to launch their own product range, it would definitely be a step too far, and I would cancel without doubt.
There is no way they can remain impartial which marketing their own products.

alicefaethepalace

It's said, pramsay13, that Which don't accept payments from companies. I had a free months trial for £1 and would love to have kept it going because it''s a bit different, but it was too costly. You and other subscribers like you are the people who are paying for the research. Many years ago I subscribed to Which and found the information valuable and the items I bought lasted me for years and saved me a fortune. At that time such information couldn't be found elsewhere. I use comparison websites now. xx

John_Pierpoint

In this recession the Co-op seems to have found some managerial drive and is regaining some of the market the original Rochdale pioneers claimed?

Trust is important in a world of rip off artists but so is adapting to market changes.

Which ? seems to be having problems getting its subscription service accepted in the internet age.

Me I would come here first and then check "Which?" at the local library if a large, technical or repeated purchase is involve.

d-seven

“I would love to set up a Martin Lewis mortgage product, providing the interest rate is 0% and it comes with 100% cashback. Do that and I’ll be confident it can’t be beaten, if not then I won’t put my name on it.”

Brilliant - I love that!!