I'm wondering if anyone's actually bought an item they saw on TV. My mom has been watching too much TV lately and she's now asking me to get her this and that For instance, there's this smart chopper or whatever it's called. That device used for chopping and slicing vegetables. I've read good and bad reviews about it. Some people say it's great, some others say it doesn't even work for chopping some lettuce.
I haven't bought many of those tv ads except for one. P90X! I love P90X it works soo good, I'm actually a part of the company 'Beachbody' that makes P90X(at home workout program).
One I have is a garlic peeler. It's just a plastic (maybe latex) tube that you rub round a clove of garlic, and hey presto, it's peeled! Much as I saw it on TV, I bought one a lot cheaper from eBay - so maybe a lot of TV products aren't cons, but the prices they charge are!
Here, we have several shops and market stalls that sell those 'as seen on tv' items at a fraction of the price. I'm using a laptop tray with an LED light that I bought for 10 Euro from a market stall - the TV price was around 30 Euro, so I had a real bargain there. The good thing about buying from a shop or stall is that, with the more expensive items, they'll actually demonstrate them. A while ago, they were giving out samples of potatoes baked in a halogen oven. Even though the oven was quite expensive, they were flying off the shelves.
My mum bought a Halogen oven once from the TV. She swears by it, she loves it! She cooks all her sausages and bacon in it, and swears its the best thing she has ever bought. Its very easy to clean, and probably as quick as a conventional oven. It is terrifying every time she cooks with it as it glows bright yellow, as it cooks via a halogen bulb. I get scared every time!
I have a few products that were originally "seen on TV" that I absolutely love. One of them is a peeler, but I didn't buy it until after they released it to the stores, so it was a lot cheaper. I do have a chopper I love, but I don't know which one you're referring to from TV, so I'm not sure if it's similar. Do you know the name or have a picture of it?
I have not personally bought any items from TV. I normally wait for them to come out in the stores. By that time there are plenty of reviews to look at. My Mother-in-Law is a different story. If she sees it, she buys it. Most of the time she doesnt' even use it so she gives it to me or one of her friends. My favorite item was the Magic Bullet. I loved that thing, and it really did work. The only problem was that my kids were doing dishes and broke the large canister, which is the one that I used the most, and I couldn't find another one. That is really the only item that I have had a great experience with.
I own a few things from TV ads. My first purchase were insoles for those with back issues. I forget the name but they came with 3 different sets of in soles based on the height of the bridge of your feet. The point of these was to wear the most uncomfortable ones first until you got used to them and this would help your posture all together.....total bogus! They were uncomfortable, made most shoes unbearable or unwearable and worst of all caused more back pain than not. My second purchase was a magic bullet. My experience was not the best but it also wasnt horrible. It is a great machine to use for small things like adobos, smoothies, soups, dips and other soft consistency menu items. When it came to tougher things such as making fresh bread crubs or crushing ice the Magiv Bullet simply didn't stand for it. Based on the price you pay for it I wouldn't consider buying it again had I known what I know now about the item. The last item I bought through a TV ad was an electric belt that you place on your abs and it would send electric shocks to your abdominal muscles which allowed you to "work out" while doing other house things such as laundry or washing the car. This things almost killed me. There is a small warning that you should start slowly with the Hz delivery and then move up gradually. I followed the program to the T and took my time. I didn't see any results although my abs did feel like they were getting shocked while I had the belt on. After about 2 months of steady use i started getting chest pains. The increased in severity until finally my parents drove me to the hospital in fear that I may be having a heart attack. Turns out the cute little belt sent shocks to other adjoining muscles and caused a sever pain in my chest because of its effect on my nerves. I was advised to immediately discontinue use. This was my experience with AS SEEN ON TV!
It was from that commercial with the bald guy in glasses who talked funny, that's how I remember it He just showed you could chop any vegetables with it and even ice. My mom wanted that one, but I'm sure they're all the same. Which one do you own?
We have a couple things that were "as seen on TV" but we bought them at Walmart. We didn't order them. The Topsy Turvy works great, I have been using it for my tomatoes. The fushigi ball flew off the shelves a couple years ago and we got one, we were not impressed with it. The Pillow Pets are definitely worth it! My kids love their pillow pets and got them 2 years ago. They can't go on a sleepover without them and my youngest only uses this for her pillow.
It depends on the item. Some as-seen-on-tv products are useful, but others are just junk. It's best to research the particular product online and read other people's reviews before purchasing.
A lot of items advertised via television are cheaply made and only sell because of the heavy funding put into advertising the products by the producers of the product. At the end of the day, some items work because they are good quality and are well-made, and aren't over-priced. Most fail, because they're cheaply made and over-priced for what they are.
Do you know what happened one week ago? Our parents also bought smart chopper and they are chopping and slicing almost anything with it, so actually it does work. In my opinion they are way too expensive, that smart chopper was about 90 dollars and that's a lot!
I usually do not buy any of these products unless I have done an extensive amount of research/ comparison shopping and read a lot of good reviews. I prefer to see something in person before buying. I hate being fooled by how something looks on TV, and finding out it is not nearly as big as I thought or the quality not nearly as high as I thought.
I have bought a chopper and it did work, but it was not that fascinating as in the commercial. And although it was one of those ads that lasted for ages and kept playing, I could never really get the hang of it and do all the things the chef on TV did. I can't say it didn't work though
I have bought quite a few items from infomercials. When ever I watch one, my brain starts to think that it is something I just have to have. This is especially true on Sunday mornings for some reason. I have the Instyler, I like it, Bare Minerals, I use them all the time, The Magic Bullet. It is OK. It is not good at chopping items such as onions or garlic. The Showtime Rotisserie, I used it a lot when I first got it, but have not used it for a while. It works good and the food tastes great. I know I have more items, but can't seem to think of them right now. Oh I know, I bought the bump its for my hair, I am sure they would work, but I don't use them, I also bought the Body Shaper. I think I bought it too large, it does not do anything for me, but I think that is my fault for not getting the correct size.
Whenever I have seen something advertised I think of what I can use that I now have that can do the same job without buying another gizzmo. I think most of the gadgets are a waste of money and space in the "everything drawer". If you wait for a month most of the junk that is up for sale on TV comes out to be half price at the local store if it is any good at all is my experience. Many of the already produced items reinvented and brought to the public are not worth even half of the asking price if they are any good at all at what they are being pushed for on TV.If you notice many are offered at buy one get one free which substanciates my statement.
I bought an inexpensive but good food chopper at Walmart. I love it. It was only $6.99, but it works great. I absolutely love it. We have a store in our local mall that sells items that are sold on TV. The prices are much cheaper. It is a great place because if you don't like it, you can return it. This way you're not out any money. I would check to see if you have a store in one of your malls that sells things that are seen on TV. I have bought one thing several years ago which was an exercise equipment. My husband still uses it and loves it. I tried it a couple of times but I didn't care for it. At least it still gets used by my husband.
I usually go to one of the "As Seen on TV" stores to get a closer look at a product that I have seen on TV. But I am always tempted every time I see a new commercial.
Those handheld cross choppers like the one you reference are garbage. You are better off going to the store and getting one off the shelf. Everyone I know that bought one of those dicers off the TV has had it broken the first time they used it. I have bought several items I have seen on TV. Usually they are garbage products and do not work though.
