Over a year, Choice tests 100s, if not 1000s of products. Often when I read Choice I wonder what happens to the products after testing?
There are a range of different products such as:
consumables (such as foods, cleaners, creams etc):
appliances (fridges, ovens etc)
devices (phones, tablets, soundbars etc)
services.
I can see that #4 would have no use after the test. #1 Choice would have limitation on what happens to left over product due to health and safety, but some products could still have a second life even if it is with Choice staff. It would interesting to know what happens to 1 to 3 as a general rule…that is if Choice is willing to disclose such information.
Also, what happens if a product fails a test (such as baby cots), are these treated differently.
A partial answer as posted on their employee benefits, Choice has a monthly staff sale. (Optional staff ballot. Purchase ex-test goods at up to 50% retail price.)
We also have a partnership with the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC), a non-profit homelessness service for women and families escaping domestic violence. We mainly donate tested goods to furnish the Centre’s accommodation services and clients’ homes but we also fund raise for WAGEC at staff events throughout the year.
Some products that have failed safety tests are destroyed during or after testing. Some may need to be retained as evidence for an extended period. Others are disposed of responsibly.
We need to retain items that have been recalled as a result of our testing for legal reasons. If something we’ve purchased simply stops working (as sometimes things do), we generally get a replacement via the retailer we purchased from, as a consumer would reasonably do.
1 - Generally given away to staff after a period of time, preferably before the use by date.
2 & 3 - See answers above, staff sale 90% of the time (the other 10% might be reference testing, legal reasons, retesting - depends on circumstances). When staff purchase these, those funds go back into purchasing further test goods.
4 - You’ve already answered.
It appears that in one reply physical goods are usually donated to a particular oganisation and in another response 90% are sold to Choice Staff with 10% being retained in some way by Choice.
Both are great outcomes, however you can only dispose of each tested item once?
The missing piece of information might be the percentage of tested items donated?
I would also wonder at the logic of on selling or donating come of the tested goods in 2&3 that Choice rates less than a recommended buy. Some goods score very poorly on performance, efficiency or reliability per brand.
