Have you ever bought a product from an infomercial that was a complete disaster? I haven't bought many "As Seen on TV" products, so I wouldn't be able to answer very well, but there are a lot of things I have thought about purchasing. Is there any specific product we should be specifically mindful about when making a purchase?
A month ago I bought a package of Hormel deli meat that was supposed to be sriracha chicken. I love sriracha so I was looking forward to trying it. When I tasted it, there was nothing sriracha about it. Sriracha has chilies, garlic, vinegar, sugar, etc. This deli meat was seasoned with salt and red food coloring, not spicy at all. I was actually mad enough to email them and they apologized and sent me a coupon. If you actually like Huy Fong sriracha sauce, do not buy Hormel Natural Select Sriracha Chicken. It's just salty chicken with red food coloring.
That side sleeper pillow. It just fell apart. I love the idea. It's a curved kind of C shaped. It did wrap around me nice. But it just looked like somebody took it to a shredder after three days. No kidding, we put the stuffing in a box and took it back to the store. We got our money back, but it was kind of embarrassing to return a box of shredded pillow. I am a sucker for every kind of new pillow. I do LOVE the neck pillow tho, it does save my neck and back by making the alignment more right. And of course, the long body pillow is awesome.
Not sure if its still on the market but I bought a wire spatula that combined tongs that made it easier to pick up food while cooking. The picture on the box showed this item picking up gourmet burger patties. However, when I got it home, it fell apart while making a cheese quesadilla - not even real cooking!
I bought this years ago at Big Lots. Mine fell apart too. Piece of crap. I don't buy products from infomercials. I just don't trust enough to do that. I may pick a product when it hits Target, Big Lots, etc. I almost bought a bra that was featured on an infomercial. I found it Target. I could tell it was garbage when I opened the package inside the store.
I think the micro steamer cooker is a waste of time because you can just cook your food in the microwave and since it is all enclosed it is basically the same thing. I did not end up buying it though for that reason so I am not sure if that qualifies as an answer but it is new on the market and even in sale in most Family Dollars and CVS'. I think before purchasing it, people should experiment with microwave cooking so that they can see how much they can make in there in just regular glassware.
I have bought so many products that were advertised on late-night TV. Those Tommy Copper knee slip on bandage and socks. They work wonderfully but the amount of money was absolutely ridiculous! There have been some imitation small sized George Foreman grills. I actually bought another one because a neighbor had three. When we get together for summertime Block Parties, I wanted to impress other neighbors.
The hair bun was stupid and didn't work. I also bought the neck tightening machine that another ridiculous purchase. I always fall for these crazy things!
For me it was an ab exercise equipment from several years ago. The TV infomercial was so encouraging. They present the exercise machine as effective and very easy to use. But after I bought it and tried it myself - got very disappointed as the equipment was very uncomfortable/awkward to use. I did all the instructions but I didn't get the expected results. I felt that I can get better results if I go for regular ab exercises less the equipment. In short, it was a complete waste of money.
The pocket hose was a waste. While it does shrink back up after you shut off the water it lasted two months before the tube and outer coverings ripped. My husband tends to buy into these new houses advertised we have wasted around $70 on hoses this month.
InstaHang, the picture hanging device. I should have known better because I actually bought my set at Target in person, so I could already see through the packaging this thing was a piece of crap. The nails it comes with are too tiny to hang most items. I wanted to hang some clocks around my place, and the hole on the clock for the hanger to go into was too deep into the clock so the nail couldn't reach it. The nails are also really flimsy so I could be scared to hang anything heavy with them. The gun part is equally flimsy and cheap, and I was regularly running into problems with it getting "stuck". It's a shame though because the overall idea is really good, it was just poorly manufactured. I wish some other big name brand would come out with their own version of this device. The other drawback is you need to order more of those nails from the company when you run out, and who knows how long the company will even be around going forward. The Kinoki foot pads, the ones that were supposed to draw toxins out of your system, were a huge scam, as were those magnetic bracelets which were supposed to give you more control and dexterity - also proven to be a hoax.
I bought Sham Wow when it came to stores on the As Seen On TV corner. It was quite the disappointment. I was not wowed at all and it definitely did not last as long as they said. It's just a synthetic thing that does absorb a lot of moisture, but it does not clean well, it's he wrong texture and it got gross really easily. It was definitely not at ALL worth the price. Sham, not so much wow. I learned my lesson regarding as seen on TV, never believe half what they say.
I once bought a digital television signal receiver for my laptop, that you were supposed to be able to plug in and watch television. No matter how I tried, what I did with it, or which machine I tried it on, I just could not get it to work. I was actually looking to get a refund, but surprisingly (not) the seller's profile disappeared as soon as I tried to get in touch with him. It was only £40, so not all that much in the grand scheme of things, but it was £40 that came out of my pocket and into his without me getting anything in return, so the whole thing was incredibly frustrating. I will not be making the same mistake again, and will only buy things from sellers who I know to be 100% reputable.
I was very disappointed with the pocket hose I purchased at start of this summer. Within 2 weeks it had stopped recoiling as advertised and shortly after started to kink. Needless to say. It found it's way to my trash can.
I bought the Mister Steamy dryer balls that you are supposed to fill with water and toss in the dryer. The idea is that the steam will make the clothes come out wrinkle free, and your towels will be soft and fluffy. Not only did the clothes come out just as wrinkled as ever, the noise those things made as they tossed around in the dryer was awful.
The Slap Chop was pretty bad. After only two uses the blades started to bend. Then after another week they were bent far enough to the side where it didn't chop anymore. We complained and they sent a new one that did the same thing the first time using it on mushrooms. I don't know who is building those but they need to be fired.
My dad watches these TV channels all the time, he bought a foot thing a couple of years ago that was meant to help with his poor circulation, he spent £200 (about $300) on it, used it once, it didn't immediately clear his poor circulation up, so he put it away and it hasn't seen the light of day since.
My wife once she purchased this thing not sure what its called, where you have to pour water in container and you can take blanket over your head and take vapors on your face. It was total crap. Didn't even last for a day.
My dad once ordered a pair of supports that you slide into your shoes. Kind of like the sholes foot products for proper posture. It is lying inside some drawer this very moment.
