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| Inside the Which? lab | Inside the Which? lab |
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| By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine Consumer watchdog Which? has advised Britons on buying anything from bird-box cameras to paper dresses, toy wheelbarrows to deodorants. On the eve of its 50th birthday, what's it like behind the scenes at its product testing lab? | By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine Consumer watchdog Which? has advised Britons on buying anything from bird-box cameras to paper dresses, toy wheelbarrows to deodorants. On the eve of its 50th birthday, what's it like behind the scenes at its product testing lab? |
| Poor Henry. A microphone stuck in one ear, a loudspeaker in the mouth and a mobile phone clamped to his face. | Poor Henry. A microphone stuck in one ear, a loudspeaker in the mouth and a mobile phone clamped to his face. |
| More than 10 years of "head and torso simulating" seems a thankless task. | More than 10 years of "head and torso simulating" seems a thankless task. |
| Henry takes a break, helped by veteran tester Roy BrookerBut it has benefits that gadget-freaks would drool over, such as listening to some of the best mobile phones and iPods on the market. | Henry takes a break, helped by veteran tester Roy BrookerBut it has benefits that gadget-freaks would drool over, such as listening to some of the best mobile phones and iPods on the market. |
| The story behind Which? is one that reflects the country's journey from a post-war Britain getting to grips with consumerism to a nation of shopping addicts. Its first edition on 7 October 1957 rated cake mixes and kettles; its latest, plasma televisions and MP3 players. | The story behind Which? is one that reflects the country's journey from a post-war Britain getting to grips with consumerism to a nation of shopping addicts. Its first edition on 7 October 1957 rated cake mixes and kettles; its latest, plasma televisions and MP3 players. |
| The not-for-profit magazine, owned by what used to be called the Consumers' Association, has become something of a best-buy Bible for shoppers and an occasional headache for retailers and manufacturers. | The not-for-profit magazine, owned by what used to be called the Consumers' Association, has become something of a best-buy Bible for shoppers and an occasional headache for retailers and manufacturers. |
| Testing a rucksack Much of the work by Henry and other test dummies happens in a humble, red-brick building on an industrial estate in Milton Keynes, carried out by Intertek Research on behalf of the association. | Testing a rucksack Much of the work by Henry and other test dummies happens in a humble, red-brick building on an industrial estate in Milton Keynes, carried out by Intertek Research on behalf of the association. |
| Inside, it resembles a huge warehouse-cum-workshop, with a vast amount of electronic and white goods. | Inside, it resembles a huge warehouse-cum-workshop, with a vast amount of electronic and white goods. |
| All the doors are pink and behind each lies a room of special significance - a battery testing room, a rainfall room (for lawnmowers or waterproof MP3 players), a humid room (fridges) and an environmental room (washing machines). | All the doors are pink and behind each lies a room of special significance - a battery testing room, a rainfall room (for lawnmowers or waterproof MP3 players), a humid room (fridges) and an environmental room (washing machines). |
| Dried spinach | Dried spinach |
| There is also a room where lawnmowers have ball bearings fired into them from below - luckily this pink door remains firmly closed and the windows look reinforced. | There is also a room where lawnmowers have ball bearings fired into them from below - luckily this pink door remains firmly closed and the windows look reinforced. |
| The first edition warns 'Don't empty a kettle while it's switched on'Rigs testing anything from rucksacks (see video, above) to office stools are purpose-built in a workshop. | The first edition warns 'Don't empty a kettle while it's switched on'Rigs testing anything from rucksacks (see video, above) to office stools are purpose-built in a workshop. |
| Foods such as spinach are dried on to plates before going into dishwashers; a rotating drum drops mobile phones and remote controls 50cm to test their durability. | Foods such as spinach are dried on to plates before going into dishwashers; a rotating drum drops mobile phones and remote controls 50cm to test their durability. |
| The man who devises the performance tests is principal scientist Roy Brooker, who has done such work for 27 years. | The man who devises the performance tests is principal scientist Roy Brooker, who has done such work for 27 years. |
| "When it comes to this technology it's important to have someone with experience. The research team in London is quite young, which is good for a magazine but it's important to have someone on the team who can say 'I've seen this before.' | "When it comes to this technology it's important to have someone with experience. The research team in London is quite young, which is good for a magazine but it's important to have someone on the team who can say 'I've seen this before.' |
| 50 YEARS OF WHICH? Founded in 1957 by Michael Young, who later set up Open UniversityIts campaign for seat belts to be fitted in new cars led to a change in the law in 1983A reindeer ate two shirts in Lapland while they were being tested for non-drip-dryingWhich? researchers put their own homes up for sale to test estate agentsBobby Moore and Geoff Hurst helped to test footballs in 1982It has awarded 14,000 Best Buys, with Panasonic the top recipientGeoffrey Howe chose the Which? Good Food Guide on Desert Island Discs "It's easy to be taken in by the advertising and the claims so it's important to be able to tell what's worth testing and what's not." | |
| Consumers can be fooled into believing something is new, he said, while editors can get excited about a 'new' feature but it could just be a gimmick or a minor improvement. | |
| The products are picked by Which? researchers and must be available on the high street, while the brands are decided by market share. They are bought in the normal way and delivered to the Milton Keynes lab with the brand names concealed. | The products are picked by Which? researchers and must be available on the high street, while the brands are decided by market share. They are bought in the normal way and delivered to the Milton Keynes lab with the brand names concealed. |
| Many of the items tested there are electronic such as televisions or hi-fi systems, and the first job is to make an inventory of the features and check the technical measurements. | Many of the items tested there are electronic such as televisions or hi-fi systems, and the first job is to make an inventory of the features and check the technical measurements. |
| Dog eats remote | Dog eats remote |
| A panel of five people listens to or watches the output and rates it from one to 10 on different aspects. The panel's findings are evaluated by a statistician. | A panel of five people listens to or watches the output and rates it from one to 10 on different aspects. The panel's findings are evaluated by a statistician. |
| The last part of testing electronics is usability, done by setting up various scenarios such as whether the item would be operational if the remote control was eaten by the dog. | The last part of testing electronics is usability, done by setting up various scenarios such as whether the item would be operational if the remote control was eaten by the dog. |
| Although televisions, MP3 players and white goods are commonly tested, sometimes items come along that are outside Mr Brooker's usual purview, such as bird-box cameras. Fortunately an ornithologist on the staff could advise (filming a real bird was ruled out early on). | Although televisions, MP3 players and white goods are commonly tested, sometimes items come along that are outside Mr Brooker's usual purview, such as bird-box cameras. Fortunately an ornithologist on the staff could advise (filming a real bird was ruled out early on). |
| Faulty products are also testedEvaluating the best electronic goods for years would qualify Mr Brooker to have a living room packed with gadgets of supreme quality. But he says the television he bought 10 years ago was so good that it's still going strong and he can't justify getting an upgrade. | Faulty products are also testedEvaluating the best electronic goods for years would qualify Mr Brooker to have a living room packed with gadgets of supreme quality. But he says the television he bought 10 years ago was so good that it's still going strong and he can't justify getting an upgrade. |
| "But I'm tempted by some of the latest gadgets we test, like the internet radio. This is a little stand-alone radio with a wi-fi receiver which downloads radio stations as long as you have a wi-fi connection. It asks what country you want to go to. | "But I'm tempted by some of the latest gadgets we test, like the internet radio. This is a little stand-alone radio with a wi-fi receiver which downloads radio stations as long as you have a wi-fi connection. It asks what country you want to go to. |
| "There are about 10,000 stations in the UK - all the local BBC stations, the BBC's Listen Again services, Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg." | "There are about 10,000 stations in the UK - all the local BBC stations, the BBC's Listen Again services, Radio Caroline, Radio Luxembourg." |
| Despite cherishing its reputation for independence, there have been times when Which? has come under criticism. | Despite cherishing its reputation for independence, there have been times when Which? has come under criticism. |
| The magazine is not available on the shelf, only by subscription, and it uses "inertia selling" which relies on new customers signing up for three months and then remembering to cancel if unsatisfied. | The magazine is not available on the shelf, only by subscription, and it uses "inertia selling" which relies on new customers signing up for three months and then remembering to cancel if unsatisfied. |
| Which? has been extremely significant over the years but I'm not sure it's as significant now as it used to be Donald McFetridgeRetail and business lecturer In response, it says the savings it makes from cutting out the middle man go into the intense research that its competitors can't offer. The magazine also does not accept advertising. | Which? has been extremely significant over the years but I'm not sure it's as significant now as it used to be Donald McFetridgeRetail and business lecturer In response, it says the savings it makes from cutting out the middle man go into the intense research that its competitors can't offer. The magazine also does not accept advertising. |
| There is also the occasional and controversial foray into the commercial world when it sees a gap in the market that would benefit consumers. A credit card it introduced was criticised as inappropriate and was withdrawn, but it still has an internet service. | There is also the occasional and controversial foray into the commercial world when it sees a gap in the market that would benefit consumers. A credit card it introduced was criticised as inappropriate and was withdrawn, but it still has an internet service. |
| Past promotional campaigns which used junk mail and prize draws also drew accusations of compromising its independence, so it now limits itself to newspaper advertising. | Past promotional campaigns which used junk mail and prize draws also drew accusations of compromising its independence, so it now limits itself to newspaper advertising. |
| Donald McFetridge, head of retail studies at University of Ulster, says: "Which? has been extremely significant over the years but I'm not sure it's as significant now as it used to be. There are so many options for consumers - so many programmes, price comparison websites and better product knowledge. | Donald McFetridge, head of retail studies at University of Ulster, says: "Which? has been extremely significant over the years but I'm not sure it's as significant now as it used to be. There are so many options for consumers - so many programmes, price comparison websites and better product knowledge. |
| A panel assesses the quality"Maybe it's past its sell-by date. It's not something I look at as much as I used to. Also, there are more discerning and discriminating customers out there, demanding product knowledge from sales staff, especially in electronics and white goods." | A panel assesses the quality"Maybe it's past its sell-by date. It's not something I look at as much as I used to. Also, there are more discerning and discriminating customers out there, demanding product knowledge from sales staff, especially in electronics and white goods." |
| Being subscription-only limits access and could be viewed as anti-consumer, he said. And shoppers are becoming too time-poor and cash-rich to sit down with a copy of the magazine and do the research. | Being subscription-only limits access and could be viewed as anti-consumer, he said. And shoppers are becoming too time-poor and cash-rich to sit down with a copy of the magazine and do the research. |
| But despite the change in consumer habits, a million subscribers and a strong voice in the media suggest Henry has a few years left in him yet. | But despite the change in consumer habits, a million subscribers and a strong voice in the media suggest Henry has a few years left in him yet. |
Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |