Who's been watching? I've found it to be highly entertaining and educational.
'THE CHECKOUT' reinvents consumer affairs for the twenty first century, giving viewers a healthy and/or dangerous mix of info and attitude that hopefully might lead to smarter spending decisions.'
You can catch up on previous episodes on the link below.
Some good points there,might be worth sending them email or an F.U tube video.
Do you have to end every sentence with a paragraph break? It's very difficult to read.
Any way, I really enjoy the show. Every time that kid comes on and says "scam" I laugh out loud (it was from an F U Tube. Their stuff is generally well researched as well, although they do rely on choice a lot.
I've enjoyed it overall, but did take issue with them giving advice on funeral bond/insurance products that was incorrect.
They failed to mention one of the biggest benefits of funeral bonds is that they are exempt from the Centrelink asset test…their (incorrect, over-generalised) conclusion was that a high interest savings account was the best place to put aside money for a funeral.
It's made me wonder just how wrong their other research is.
In these circumstances it's an opinion, I'd assume made by some sort of financial advisor the ABC employs for these things. People will have different opinions. I come across it all the time in my work. I'll give an opinion, my boss will tell me I'm wrong and his boss will tell him he's wrong.
You have some interesting comments. Just wondering if you've watched every episode? Because maybe they have covered some of that stuff and you just haven't seen it? If you have, maybe worth sending them an email as others have pointed out!
I think they need to do their research better
In the latest episode they quote "the most expensive Internet" in this case Radiance of the Seas.
Have you found an Internet service that is more expensive?
Radiance of the Seas is a cruise ship, the others quoted are hotels. The cruise ship would be using satellite technology and if the point of the segment was to highlight unreasonable internet costs, then its not necessarily a fair comparison. I am just saying that there is more than just quoting an "hourly rate" to the matter.
Those costs were high even allowing for the fact that the backhaul is via satellite.
Yeah the depth of their research is a bit inconsistent sometimes, but that usually comes down to issues that us OzBargainers are already familiar with (i.e. OzGameShop being a UK store). However the shop is indeed entertaining. Rather than lots of hard facts and analysis, it gets the Chaser guys to do some fun presentations. Well, "getting entertained" — isn't that what TV is mostly about?
Fantastic show. Love the Chaser boys as my picture may suggest. I do wish Firth or Taylor would do a cameo on the show from time to time!
I watched a couple of episodes, but I found they fell into the trap of negativity ie. lots of complaining about companies, labels etc., but not as much good advice as I expected. Sure, the complaining was generally in an entertaining manner, but I just didn't get as much out of it as I had hoped.
Awesome show, but as mentioned they could research things a little better.
Considering how quickly they have to put these shows together I forgive them.
I hope there are a lot of episodes or a second season, there is so many things they could do.
They could come here and get advice.
Perhaps OzBargain could establish a 'consumer rights' section and/or a area to list companies to name/shame or praise. The Checkout tonight included Extended Waranties and product in built obsoleteness.
We have plenty of people complaining and shaming companies here and I don't think a "dedicated section" is needed. We can certainly do more, if we have access to ABC The Checkout's tax-payer-funded legal team :)
Just saw this on Sydney Morning Herald this morning — Swisse Suing The Checkout for defamation.
The family behind high-profile vitamins company Swisse has hit back at ABC TV’s consumer show The Checkout, with the father of the company’s chief executive claiming he was "severely injured in his reputation and standing" by the program.
We too have never ending legal threats from all sorts of business (although not yet actually sued). IMHO this is a bad distraction to what OzBargain is about (finding bargains), and I don't prefer to go down that route.
I've happily left the retail world, and hated being under the pressure to sell extended warranties, overpriced printer ink, confusing mobile phone plans (and overpriced hmdi cables!) this show had me feeling vindicated. I liked being one of the few staff members who actually knew customer's rights.
I think they did miss the position of "salesman's puff". I'm not going to delve deeper because I am not a lawyer, so I'll leave this term up to you to research.
If you'd like a hand with printer ink yields, I made this wiki
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/printer_yield
YMMV for using my advice on that page, you are welcome to edit to correct any nistakes.
A nice case about puffery is Leonard v Pespi Co (google it) where a guy tried to use points to buy a harrier jet.
It's a great show that we look forward to every week.
Nicely balanced infotainment.
Betting The Checkout would never have been green-lit ten years ago…
Yeah I shudder at the "box vs real life" comparisons. It is common knowledge that publicity shots are not an accurate depiction of the product — so it sometimes feels a bit unfair that certain companies are shamed but not others.
Product Vs Packshot? You could dedicate a whole show to those and STILL never cover everything. As long as new products are released, it's a game of perpetual catch-up.
Ah but the cheesy lounge music and camera moves, the turntable…such a nice interlude. I think it's well done production-wise.
My first PvPs experience was McDonalds (the menu board photos vs what they served up).
To be fair, the apple pie was very close!
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/thecheckout/episodes/ep08.htm
Anyone wants to comment on the episode that was aired last night? Or watch it on iView if you haven't.
Caught them likely purposely presenting wrong facts. Makes you wonder what else is incorrect.
They present vitamin water as having a lot of sugar.
Their comparison is an energy drink with a little juice and mostly artificial sweetener.
This is basically the same as comparing it to a sugar free drink.
They then go on to complain about artificial sweeteners.
You failed to mention the energy drink in question contained more vitamins than the "vitamin water".
Assuming they're correct of course.
If the true purpose is to be a healthy alternative drink, why don't makers of vitamin water elevate their products above energy and soft drinks?
Aside from the vitamin issue, why don't they use a sweetener like Stevia instead of sugar?
Stevia is widely considered to be safer than sucralose or aspartame.
That is, if they were fair dinkum and not simply chasing the bucks.
The CASH BACK thing was interesting. On Tuesday I commented on this Kenwood deal where they make you wait up to 14 weeks from the end of the promotion.
Things have changed on the CASH BACK front in the last few years!
Indeed we see more of those cashback deals in recent years. More like US now, but not in a good way. Much prefer that they just give out the discount or lower the price, rather than going through all the hassle.
Just saw an ads on ABC that The Checkout session #2 will be back on 20 Feb 2014. That's one TV program that I'm looking forward to.
loved that show! Best on TV
Thought this was an interesting article on CHOICE website about a lecturer who quite La Trobe University because of their partnership with Swisse. Loved the work Checkout did on Swisse and even caused them to change their labeling (http://www.choice.com.au/media-and-news/consumer-news/news/t…)
01.Ken Harvey quits over Swisse deal
Harvey quits over Swisse deal
Consumer health advocate, Dr Ken Harvey, has resigned his post at La Trobe University in protest against a recent partnership agreement between the university and vitamin company Swisse.
Worth $15m over six years, the money will be used to establish a Complementary Medicines Evaluation Centre at the university. Swisse will use the centre for commissioned research and hopes to put some muscle behind its "clinically proven" claims that have seen it taken to task by the Therapeutic Goods Administration advertising watchdog.
While in favour of complementary medicines research, former Adjunct Associate Professor Harvey argues that industry sponsored research is more likely to report positive outcomes than trials funded by other sources and adds that contract research for industry can be specifically designed to provide a particular result. He’s also concerned that the partnership will present serious conflicts of interest for university staff involved, and that the arrangement will impact on the reputation of the university – given the track record of Swisse.
Swinburne University of Technology, which already collaborates with Swisse, will also be involved in the project. CHOICE understands that Swisse also approached Monash University’s School of Public Health, which declined to participate.
Article from http://www.choice.com.au/media-and-news/consumer-news/news/h…
I think their third season (series?) nstarts tonight in about 15mins :o !
Thanks. I'd been meaning to set up a recording rule but forgot about it until I saw this comment. All fixed. It will record soon and I'll watch it once the kids go to bed.
I just seen the news on twitter :(
I was waiting for their story on the recent court case regarding whether retailers are required to inform customers of their rights under Australian Consumer Law.
I think they need to do their research better
In the latest episode they quote "the most expensive Internet" in this case Radiance of the Seas
What they fail to mention is that this is a cruise ship, so it's hardly fair to compare them to a land based price.
Although I have no idea of the actual costs - its just a shame they missed that out.
And why they have not mentioned homeopathy products in their exposes on ineffectual products just too much of an oversight.
I looked at buying melatonin and asked a health store about it.
Instead of saying it requires a prescription they gave me Melatonin 6X
Which after I researched it what that means is a 1 in 10 dilution, then they take a tenth of that .. So a 1/100 dilution.. Etc
So what I was buying was a 1/1000000 dilution - so just sugar pills.
It's based on the idea the water "remembers" what it was diluted with.
And when I tried to return it the assistant told me that it definitely works!
I eventually got a refund for not as described - ie I wanted melatonin, what I got was a sugar pill that remembered what it was diluted with.
And they missed ozgameshop was based overseas.
Don't get me wrong, I love the program - but don't accept what they say as gospel
And why they have not looked at price discrimination in beyond me. They seem to be happy to comment on Jetstar all the time.. I would love to see them ask airlines why the difference when using Expedia.ie, .br .jp etc