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Which? is a product-testing and campaigning charity
Charitable organization

The definition of charitable organization, and of charity, varies according to the country and in some instances the region of the country in which the charitable organization operates....
 with a magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
 and website
Website

A Web site is a collection of related Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are hosted on one Web server, usually accessible via the Internet....
 run by Which? Ltd (formerly known as the Consumers' Association
Consumers' Association

The Consumers' Association, which now trades as Which?, is a charity, registered in England and Wales No 296072. Which? is its wholly owned trading subsidiary....
, which is still the official name of the charity). Based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, it engages in advocacy
Advocacy

Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes — including public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions — that directly affect people?s current lives....
 campaigns on various consumer protection
Consumer protection

Consumer protection is a form of government regulation which protects the interests of consumers. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products?particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food....
 issues and aims to promote informed consumer
Consumer

Consumer is a broad label that refers to any individuals or household that use Good generated within the economic system. The concept of a consumer is used in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary....
 choice in the purchase of goods and services, by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, and raising awareness of consumer rights.






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Which? is a product-testing and campaigning charity
Charitable organization

The definition of charitable organization, and of charity, varies according to the country and in some instances the region of the country in which the charitable organization operates....
 with a magazine
Magazine

for quarterly in Heraldry see Quartering Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of Article , generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscription, or all three....
 and website
Website

A Web site is a collection of related Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are hosted on one Web server, usually accessible via the Internet....
 run by Which? Ltd (formerly known as the Consumers' Association
Consumers' Association

The Consumers' Association, which now trades as Which?, is a charity, registered in England and Wales No 296072. Which? is its wholly owned trading subsidiary....
, which is still the official name of the charity). Based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, it engages in advocacy
Advocacy

Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes — including public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions — that directly affect people?s current lives....
 campaigns on various consumer protection
Consumer protection

Consumer protection is a form of government regulation which protects the interests of consumers. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products?particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food....
 issues and aims to promote informed consumer
Consumer

Consumer is a broad label that refers to any individuals or household that use Good generated within the economic system. The concept of a consumer is used in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary....
 choice in the purchase of goods and services, by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, and raising awareness of consumer rights. It maintains its independence by not accepting advertising or freebies; everything bought for testing is paid for at full price. Which? is funded entirely by its subscribers and has no shareholders. This justifies its tagline of "Independent expert advice you can trust".

Which? carries out systematic testing of consumer products and financial services
Financial services

Financial services refer to Service provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money....
, the results of which are published in reports in the magazine and on the website. The Which? 'Best Buy' tag is well-known and respected by industry
Industry

An industry is the manufacturing of a Good or Service within a category. Although industry is a broad term for any kind of economic production, in economics and urban planning industry is a synonym for the secondary sector, which is a type of economic activity involved in the manufacturing of raw materials into goods and products....
 and consumers. Tests are carried out on consumer items like electrical goods, cars
CARS

CARS is a four-letter acronym that can stand for:* Cyprus Amateur Radio Society* Cable television relay service station* Canadian Aviation Regulations...
, and computers, as well as health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
 and financial services, and supermarkets. Testing highlights issues such as reliability
Reliability engineering

Reliability engineering is an engineering field, that deals with the study of reliability: the ability of a system or component to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time....
 and value-for-money.

The Which? website features a Reviews section (review site
Review site

A review site is a website on which reviews can be posted about people, businesses, products, or services. These sites may use Web 2.0 techniques to gather reviews from site users or may employ professional writers to author reviews on the topic of concern for the site....
) for products and services, and also has a free Advice section with "over 450 comprehensive guides giving straightforward, expert advice you can trust".

The magazine also raises awareness of trading it believes goes against the interests of consumers. It offers advice on consumers' legal rights and reports on legal cases where it has fought for members' rights. In the May, 2003 issue, for example, the back page featured a couple who won compensation from their credit card
Credit card

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holders promise to pay for these goods and services....
 firm after purchasing a poor holiday. Another case featured was a life assurance company which had not maintained customer records properly and was forced to pay compensation. Which? also communicates regularly with the OFT
Office of Fair Trading

The Office of Fair Trading is a non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's Economic regulation....
 and recently brought a "supercomplaint" against private dentists in the UK. In the past, Which? has been criticised for its use of junk mail
Junk mail

Junk mail may refer to:* Advertising mail received through the post.* Spam * The Norwegian film Budbringeren * The Seinfeld episode, "The Junk Mail"...
 prize draws, similar to Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest

File:Readers Digest00.jpgReader's Digest is a monthly general-interest family magazine co-founded in 1922 by Lila Bell Wallace and DeWitt Wallace....
, to gain additional subscribers and since mid-2006 prize draws have been discontinued . New subscribers are now attracted via free mini-guides and trial offers. Today, Which? is the largest consumer organisation in the UK, with over 1 million subscribers.

Publications and Services

Which? Ltd produces several other specialist magazines apart from the main Which? magazine. These include Which?Holiday, "Which?Money", Which?Computing , Which?Car, and Which?Gardening .

Which?Books also publishes the annual Good Food Guide
Good Food Guide

The Good Food Guide is an annual guidebook to the best restaurants in the UK, published by Which?books.The Good Food Guide was first published in 1951 by Raymond Postgate, an enthusiastic gourmet, who was appalled by the standard of contemporary catering....
, and several Essential Guides including Giving and Inheriting, Divorce and Splitting Up, Be your own Financial Advisor, The Pension Handbook, Working for yourself and an annual Tax Handbook.

Which? also provides a telephone legal advice service (Which?Legal) and recently launched the Which?Local site for recommending local trades and services, and an energy switch service named "Switch with Which?".

Another new initiative in 2008 was to make Which? 'Essential Reports' available online at the Which? Digital Store. Each standalone Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is a family of software developed by Adobe Systems, designed to view, create, manipulate and manage files in Adobe's Portable Document Format ....
 (pdf) guide is available to download for a one-off payment of between £1 and £8, offering an alternative opportunity for consumers to benefit from Which?'s product testing without a monthly subscription. Titles include "Choosing a digital camera", "Using your PC" and the Good Food Guide
Good Food Guide

The Good Food Guide is an annual guidebook to the best restaurants in the UK, published by Which?books.The Good Food Guide was first published in 1951 by Raymond Postgate, an enthusiastic gourmet, who was appalled by the standard of contemporary catering....
.

In 2008, Which? has also started making Which? Complete Guides available from selected high-street retailers and supermarkets. The first titles include "The Which? Complete Guide to HDTV, Audio and Photography", "The Which? Complete Guide to Greener Driving" and "The Which? Complete Guide to Protect your PC".

Product reviews

Which? has tested a wide range of products during its history, including condoms, toilet rolls and pets.

Products and services recently tested include: Air conditioners Barbecues, batteries
Battery (electricity)

In electronics, a battery or voltaic cell is a combination of one or more electrochemical cell Galvanic cells which store chemical energy that can be converted into electric potential energy, creating electricity....
, Blu-ray players, Bluetooth
Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks . It was originally conceived as a wireless alternative to RS232 data cables....
 headsets, Boilers, breadmakers, breakdown services, Broadband
Broadband

The term broadband can have different meanings in different contexts. The term's meaning has undergone substantial shifts....
 providers, burglar alarm
Burglar alarm

Burglar , Fire alarm, and safety alarms are all electronic today. Sensors are connected to a control unit via a low-voltage hardwire or narrowband RF signal which is used to interact with a response device....
 contracts, Cameras, camcorders, Car insurance, cars
CARS

CARS is a four-letter acronym that can stand for:* Cyprus Amateur Radio Society* Cable television relay service station* Canadian Aviation Regulations...
, cash ISA
ISA

Isa may refer to*Isa Miranda, Italian actress*Isha Upanishad, A Hindu religious text*Isa , a 2004 album by Enslaved.*Isa , a local variation of a Jota ....
s, cashback
Cashback

Cashback may refer to:* Cashback website, a site where customers can earn cash rebates on online purchases that they make* Debit card cashback, cash that shoppers receive along with their goods when paying by debit card...
 credit card
Credit card

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holders promise to pay for these goods and services....
s, child car seat
Car seat

A car seat is the chair used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from cheap, but durable materials, made to withstand as much beating as possible....
s, Children's savings account
Savings account

Savings accounts are accounts maintained by retail financial institutions that pay interest but can not be used directly as money . These accounts let customers set aside a portion of their liquid assets while earning a monetary return....
s, computers, cookers, cordless phones, credit cards Digital Audio Broadcasting
Digital audio broadcasting

Digital Audio Broadcasting , also known as EUREKA, is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in the UK and Europe....
(DAB) radios, DSLR cameras, DVD players, DVD recorders, Dishwashers, Dry-cleaners Electric toothbrush
Toothbrush

The toothbrush is an instrument consisting of a small brush on a handle used to clean teeth through tooth brushing. Toothpaste, often containing fluoride, is commonly added to a toothbrush to aid in cleaning....
es Fake tan, Food processor
Food processor

A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate various repetitive tasks in the process of preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food processors"....
s, Fridges, Freezers, Freeview, Freesat
Freesat

Freesat is a United Kingdom free-to-air digital satellite television service which is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc. The service was marketed from 6 May 2008 and offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a selection of channels available without subscription for users purcha...
, Fuel (petrol and diesel
Diesel

Diesel or diesel fuel in general is any fuel used in diesel engines. The most common is a specific fractional distillation of petroleum fuel oil, but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel, biomass to liquid or gas to liquid diesel, are increasingly being developed and adopted....
) Gardening
Gardening

Gardening is the practice of growing ornamental or useful plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance....
 products Hairdryers, HD camcorder
Camcorder

A camcorder is a portable consumer electronics device for recording video and Sound recording using a built-in recorder unit. The camcorder contains both a video camera and a video recorder in one unit, hence its compound name....
s, HDTVs, headphones
Headphones

Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, with a way of holding them close to a user's ears and a means of connecting them to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio or CD player....
, hedge trimmer
Hedge trimmer

A hedge trimmer is a piece of gardening/agricultural equipment used especially for trimming Hedge s....
s, home cinema
Home cinema

Home cinema, also called home theater, are entertainment systems that seek to reproduce movie theater quality video and audio in a private home....
 systems, home insurance
Home insurance

Home insurance, also commonly called hazard insurance or homeowners insurance , is the type of property insurance that covers private homes....
, Income protection, Insurance
Insurance

Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to Hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed small loss to prevent a large, possibly devastating los...
, iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
s, ironing boards, ISA
ISA

Isa may refer to*Isa Miranda, Italian actress*Isha Upanishad, A Hindu religious text*Isa , a 2004 album by Enslaved.*Isa , a local variation of a Jota ....
s Juicers Kettle
Kettle

A kettle, sometimes called teakettle, tea kettle or the pot, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water in preparation for making tea or other beverages requiring hot water....
s Laptop
Laptop

A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile computing small enough to sit on one's lap. A laptop includes most of the Computer hardware of a typical desktop computer, including a Computer display, a computer keyboard, a pointing device as well as a battery, into a single small and light unit....
s, lawncare products, lawnmowers, LCD TVs Mattress
Mattress

A 'mattress' is a mat or pad, usually placed on top of a bed, upon which to sleep or lie.The word mattress is derived from Arabic language words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word m...
es, Micro hi-fis, Microwaves, Mobile phones, mortgages, MP3 players MP4 players, Netbook
Netbook

A netbook is a class of laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet.Primarily designed for World Wide Web and e-mailing, netbooks "rely heavily on the Internet for remote access to web application" and are targeted increasingly at cloud computing users who require a less powerful Client ....
s, Online retailers, Orange juice
Orange juice

Orange juice is a popular beverage. It is a source of vitamin C , potassium, folic acid . Citrus juices also contain flavonoids that are believed to have beneficial health effects....
, Outdoor cleaners, Oven
Oven

An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. It is most commonly used in cooking and pottery. Ovens used in pottery are also known as kilns....
s Phone
Phone

Within phonetics, a phone is:* a speech sound or gesture considered a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language...
s, photo paper, photo printer
Photo printer

A photo printer is a computer printer that is specifically designed to print high quality digital photos on photo paper. These printers usually have a very high number of nozzles and are capable of printing droplets as small as 1 picoliter....
s, Plasma TVs, Portable DVD players, pressure washer
Pressure washer

A pressure washer is a mechanical device that uses high-pressure water to remove mold, grime, dust, mud and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles and concrete road surfaces....
s, pushchairs, PVR
PVR

PVR may refer to:* Digital video recorder, also known as a Digital video recorder* Plant breeders' rights, a patented cultivar* Poliovirus Receptor, the cellular receptor that facilitates poliovirus infection...
s, Range cookers, Razors Sat navs, Savings accounts, Set-top boxes, Paper shredder
Paper shredder

Paper shredders are used to cut paper into Chad , typically either strips or fine particles. Government organizations, businesses, and private individuals use shredders to destroy private, confidentiality, or otherwise sensitive documents....
s, Slow cooker
Slow cooker

A slow cooker, or Crock-Pot , is a countertop electrical cooking appliance that maintains a relatively low temperature for many hours, allowing unattended cooking of pot roast, stew, and other suitable dishes....
s, smoothie
Smoothie

A smoothie is a blended, chilled, sweet beverage made from fresh fruit. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or frozen yogurt, although some smoothies are 100% fruit....
 makers, software, spade
Spade

A spade is a tool designed primarily for the purpose of digging or removing earth. The first spade was made of riven wood. After the art of metalworking was discovered, spades were made with sharper tips of metal....
s, steamer
Steamer

Steamer may refer to:* Jiffy steamer, a device used to remove wrinkles from garments and fabrics* Steamboat, a boat propelled by a paddlewheel or propeller under steam power...
s, Steam iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
s Tampons, toaster
Toaster

A toaster is a small electric kitchen appliance designed to toast multiple types of bread products. A typical modern two-slice toaster draws anywhere between 600 and 1200 Watt and makes toast in 1 to 3 minutes....
s, toilet roll, Travel insurance, Tumble dryers, Tyre
Tire

Tires, or tyres , are ring-shaped parts, either pneumatic or solid , that fit around wheels to protect them and enhance their function....
s, Tyre pressure gauges, Universal remote control
Remote control

A remote control is an Electronics device used for the remote operation of a machine.The term remote control can be contracted to remote or controller....
s, Vacuum cleaners, Video-editing software, Washing machine
Washing machine

A washing machine, or washer, is a machine designed to clean laundry, such as clothing, towels and Bed sheets. The term is mostly applied only to machines that use water as the primary cleaning solution, as opposed to dry cleaning or even ultrasonic cleaners....
s, washer dryers, washing-up liquid, washing tablets and liquids, websites, wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow

A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear or a sail may be used to guide the ancient wheelbarrow by wind....
s

Technology

Which? experts cover the major global technology shows, with daily online coverage of Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin
Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin

The IFA or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Between 1926 and 1939 it was an annual event, but as from 1950 it was organized on a two yearly basis until 2005....
(IFA), CEATEC
CEATEC

Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies is an annual trade show in Japan. It is regarded as the Japanese equivalent of Consumer Electronics Show ....
 and the Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show

The International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association....
 (CES).

History

After rationing ended in the early 1950s, post-war Britain rapidly embraced the newly-found consumerism
Consumerism

Consumerism is the equation of personal happiness with Consumption and the purchase of material possessions.The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen....
, but were increasingly faced with a confusing array of competing products. Michael Young, research director for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Left-wing politics in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently organised again....
, proposed setting up a 'Consumer Advisory Service' to be considered for the party's 1950 manifesto, only to be rejected by Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson

James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, Order of the Garter, Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council was one of the most prominent British politicians of the later half of the 20th century....
. However, encouraged by the efforts of Dorothy and Ray Goodman in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Young continued to push the idea and in October 1957 the first Which? magazine was published from a converted garage in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green

Bethnal Green is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. Bethnal Green is located north east of Charing Cross....
.

The publication started as a small 32-page magazine that included reports on electric kettles, sunglasses, aspirin
Aspirin

Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate medication, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication....
, cake-mixes, scouring powders, no-iron cottons and British cars. Its subscription numbers increased steadily and in 1970 the Consumers' Association moved to a purpose-built facility in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes , often abbreviated to MK, is a large town in South East England, about north-west of London. It is also the principal town of the Milton Keynes , within the ceremonial counties of England of Buckinghamshire....
.

Which? now has its headquarters in Marylebone Road
Marylebone Road

Marylebone Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, within the City of Westminster. It runs east-west from the Euston Road at Regent's Park to the A40 road Westway at Paddington....
, London. Its customer service division is based in Hertford
Hertford

Hertford is the affluent county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, it has a population today of about 24,180 and boasts a wide selection of boutiques, bars and cafes....
. In 2007 the organisation celebrated its 50th anniversary, and released a nostalgic supplement looking back at its first half century.

In the 2008-9 Superbrands index, Which? is ranked 4th in the "Media - Newspapers and Magazines" category and 187th overall..

External links

  • - Which? homepage
  • - Which? reviews of products and services
  • - Which? Online trial signup
  • - Which? Magazine - Subscription Site
  • Which? free advice guides
  • Which? Price Comparison site
  • - Which's 50th Anniversary
  • Which? 1957-2007 nostalgia supplement - digital magazine
  • CEATEC 2008 coverage.