Britain's most useless gadgets named and shamed
Reevoo.com, the London-based customer review site, polled 4,500 British shoppers and asked them to identify what they consider to be the "most useless household gadgets on the market." An electric nail file, said to give "technician" results, topped a list of twenty. Laser guided scissors, which allegedly help users cut a perfect straight line, came second.
Participants voted electric or battery operated candles, supposedly safer and longer lasting than the wax variety, third most pointless item, closely followed by retro eighties classic, the Soda Stream. Foot spas, egg boilers, electric carving knives and face steamers were also mentioned.
The survey was designed to highlight Reevoo's customer-review features that might prevent consumers from buying useless stuff. Categories covered on the website are phones and computing, entertainment, photography, home and DIY, and toys and baby. Working with some fifty retailers, including Comet, Dixons, Vodafone and Woolworths as well as a selection of both high street and pure play retailers, the company only publishes reviews submitted by customers. This, they claim, means that they are all genuine and unbiased. Consumer news is also available on their blog, www.decidewhattobuy.com.
"Some gadgets are really useful but this poll proves that many of them end up being a waste of money," said Chris Winstanley, Reevoo's marketing & communications manager. "Reading genuine reviews can tell you if a gadget or gizmo is likely to be the best thing you ever bought or something that gets stuck in a cupboard and forgotten about within a week.”
The company said the lifecycle of the average gadget is just over one year, largely because 62 percent of folk admit they frequently buy gadgets only to get them home and find they are completely useless.
Top 20 Most Pointless Gadgets (from Reevoo.com)
- Electric nail files
- Laser guided scissors
- Electric candles
- Soda stream
- Foot spas
- Fondue set
- Hair crimpers
- Egg boiler
- Electric fluff remover
- Electric carving knife
- Trouser press
- Face steamers
- Teasmade (tea brewer)
- Mini disk player
- Facial tanners
- Egg slicer
- Electric tin openers
- Yoghurt makers
- Towel warmer
- Back scratcher
Discussion Questions: Do you think there are more useless products being produced than in the past? What is the value of these type of gadgets for retailers? Do you see online customer-review sites greatly influencing sales of these products?