Name And Shame! Which?

Berniesgirl

Totally agree with Martin. Which?has gone slowly downhill since Sheila McCechnie's day. Tried to find a report on gas ch boilers on their Which? Extra website for my son recently. Everything I found was over 2 years old. Very dissapointing. Am cancelling my membership.

Bernie'sgirl

avconweb

Despite the irony of having subscribed to Which? for over 30 years, I have also received the "Win a Fortune" promotions. I agree with the vast majority of voters in the poll that such a campaign is beneath the dignity of the Consumers' Association, and that it undermines the very principles on Which? was founded and on which it still leans heavily. To spend subscribers' money on this style of advertising is to confuse the priorities which CA is supposed to maintain. Is there any intention to forward this thread to the CA?

steveb1967

ssm wrote:

Dont know how I should react to this thread...

But one thing I did was to subscribe to Which magazines and scooped the free gifts the Mousepad with Radio and a digital camera... They all arrived promptly within a week and then cancelled the subscription on the same day... :cool:

I would like to agree with this thread.
Who care's what they are offering you, take the free gifit's and run.
I have just sold their "free camera" on e-bay for £12 & I am awaiting the mouse pad & another digi camera with tripod, which will be appering on e-bay as soon as poss.
all the best
steve b

ps
even if I disagree with Martin on this one, I would like to thank him for the site, it has saved & earn't me more money than I can shake a sh**ty stick at cheers :beer:

tempuscat

It was always the case that 'reputation management' was high on the list of priorities for any business wishing to present as appealing a face as possible to customers, actual and prospective. And it was always the case that CA understood that.

Now though. . . CA, 'Which?', whatever it is, has devalued its own reputation with the same cheap hoopla that characterises all enterprises long on hype but short on substance.

I too have had those absurd mailings, correspondence all too obviously contemptuous of the recipient otherwise why insult a person's intelligence with such dross?

But it isn't the mailings alone that dismay. Go to Google, type in any product you like with a view to harvesting up-to-date information, and surprise, surprise: 'Which?' pops up as a paid link on the Google results page. Trouble is. . . 'Which?' hasn't actually reviewed the specific product you're after -- it's just trying to lure you into its corporate grasp.

I used to look to 'Which?' / CA as a sensible, intelligent, independent reference resource, one notable as much for its honesty as its intellectual maturity.

Sadly, there's not much sign of any intellect at work nowadays, otherwise 'Which?' would have no need of reminders in this thread that consumerism is one thing, but hucksterism, quite another.

RIP 'Which?' It was good while it lasted. And so sad that it threw it all away.

Waste_not...

Over the years I have had many free trial subscriptions with Which? magazine and found them very useful - as long as you accept that they are only offering advice and that your own opinions may well differ. In terms of the prize draws, for me they are just a distraction, but I agree that they are a less than respectable practice and should not be championed by the CA. Their response has always been along the lines of "it is a cost effective way of gaining new subscribers and we make all the terms and conditions clear in advance", which on balence seemed fair enough. However, I had a bad experience with them when I signed up for their 'free' 30 online trial of their website. "Cancel any time within 30 days" read the blurb, but when I did try to cancel after 29 days they replied that you need to provide 6 days notice to cancel and they debited my account. I had a long and occasionally heated email conversation with them and eventually they pointed me to a single line of small print, on the page where you enter your credit card details, that stated 6 days notice was needed. I gave up arguing, but I was so angry that the CA hid behind a dodgy small print clause that I cancelled all my Which subscriptions and will NEVER trust them again.

King_Pugwash

I agree that the CA is devalueing its own brand with the free gifts to subscription, no notice reminders of free trial expiry, big non-member competitions, etc.

I am a member of Which? and Which? Online and pay £18.75 a quarter and £4.75 a month...totaling £132pa. This is a chunk of money. However this subscription benefits all my friends and family. I have given my family the password details so they can go online themselves and friends call me to ask whats the best. The full test information can be out of date by several years and not include all products on the market. However, the Product Picker on Which? Online does give you the latest Best Buy information. My experience of this advice has always been first class.

I would like to see Which? remove their sharp practices and use the saved money more extensively to test more/all market products. They should also make more of recommendations and reducing my annual fee for recommending a friend rather than giving me a "rather tacky" free gift.

savannah_2

Have you noticed that the only way to reach WHICH is on an 0845 number! I thought that was awful for a consumer mag, that is supposed to be watching out for those things, to do.

Fortunecooky

I have been receiving these things for years ! So some years ago, when they did not have the 0845 number ( ! ), I rang them and asked them why they were sending these annoying things, plus think about the environmental impact of junk mail. They replied it was a way of raising money- I suppose from people who put in the direct debit mandates and forget to cancel them. Disgraceful but then I always get the free gift and cancel the d/d. It does lower my opinion of them and I think, Martin, you should speak to the editor. He shares your name and I think he looks like you too !!

MSE_Martin

Just to let you know - i have sent a note and link to this discussion to the Which press office. I just haven't yet received any reply!

trafalgar_2

Their reply will be interesting if you receive one