Shoppers hoping to clinch good deals during Black Friday sales this season have been warned to avoid dud products during the bargain hunt.
Consumer group Which? warned of dud deals from a pair of child car seats, a terrible TV and energy-guzzling fridges and freezers.
Which? looked at Black Friday deals from retailers including Amazon (AMZN), AO (AO.L), Argos, Currys (CURY.L) and Little Angels Prams and found that some bargains are just not worth your money.
Which?’s TV expert described the Hisense 50A7100FTUK as “absolutely abysmal”.
Poor motion control ruins action with shaky visuals, while still scenes are marred by dark contrast and a palette that skews too red. This apparent bargain at £249, down from £349, is not worth shoppers’ hard-earned cash, according to Which?.
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The consumer body experts also found fridges and freezers with poor energy efficiency. These take a long time to chill or freeze food and drink and risk adding significant costs to their owners’ bills.
The Hoover HBFUP 130 NKE freezer, available for £289 at Currys, down from an original price of £369, launched with an F energy rating. Which? estimates it will cost households almost £50 extra a year to operate under the current energy price guarantee. It also has inconsistent temperature control and is slow to freeze food.
The Amica FDR2213C Retro fridge-freezer, reduced to £399 from £479 at AO, is energy inefficient and so slow to refrigerate food that it could lose freshness.
Which also found a child car seat for sale which scored poorly in its side crash test and could expose children to risk of injury. The Graco Logico L is in the Amazon sale at a discounted price of £40 from its pre-sale price of £50.
The seat meets legal safety requirements under R44 regulations, but due to its poor side-impact protection, Which? does not recommend it.
Another dud product in the Black Friday sales is a dishwasher which is likely to need its filters constantly cleaned. Which? tests found that the filters on the Hisense HV651D60UK would probably have to be cleaned every third cycle.
It also earned bottom marks for quietness and could be disruptive for people using it. The dishwasher typically sells for £399 and is £379 in the AO sale.
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When it comes to laptops, Which? recommends that consumers avoid the Fusion5 T90B+ Pro, which has both terrible performance and short-lived guaranteed security support. The laptop is on sale for £160 at Amazon, down from £200.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our research has found so-called Black Friday bargains that could end up being a big let down and money down the drain for people who buy them.
“The cost of living crisis makes it even more important that people can make their money go further with savvy purchases in the sales. Only buy products if you really need them and do your research so you don’t end up with a certified dud.”
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