Are TV Shop products worth buying?

Pain Erazor Pro

The Pain Erazor Pro is a small battery-powered device that gives tiny shocks claimed to relieve chronic and acute pain. It’s priced at $159.99 on a ‘buy one get one free’ deal.

Triallist feedback

• Some found it had potential for short-term pain relief (up to a few hours), while others thought it was useless or said it made their pain worse.
• Sometimes it malfunctioned, zapping the finger or thumb pressing the button, or shooting out a spark that singed body hair.
• All think it’s very expensive, estimating its value to be $10 to $40.

The verdict

We don’t recommend the Pain Erazor Pro. It’s very expensive given the limited pain relief it can provide, and sometimes it doesn’t help at all.

The iTread

The iTread is a treadmill for walking or jogging. There’s no price advertised.

Issues with claims and reviews

• It’s unclear who can safely use it. The web commercial says the iTread is “suitable for all ages and mobility levels” and good for “your whole family, from young to old”. But the instruction documents state “Not recommended for use by children under 12 years” and “User age is 18+. iTread is not suitable for children and elderly people if they are overly frail”.
• The web commercial claims it’s just 5cm thick, but it’s actually 9cm thick. This means some people won’t be able to store it where they planned to.
• The web reviews are questionable. There are three supposed five-star reviews spaced around the web page, but they aren’t in the review section. There are only two reviews – a one star saying the iTread is dangerous and another of three stars.

What you’re not told in advance

• It needs to be used on a hard floor, unless you have large chair-leg cups (not supplied).
• You need a clear area of 1m x 2m around the unit. Including the iTread, that’s a space of at least 4.67m x 3.44m or 5.44m x 2.67m – it’s not clear which.
• That space needs to be beside a power point because the power cable is short and can’t be used with an extension lead.
• It can’t be used for more than an hour at a time and then needs 30+ minutes’ rest.

Triallist feedback

• Several fell off the back because the short walking mat makes the speed nearly impossible to control. Walking near the front causes the iTread to speed up. An unplanned step too far back causes it to slow down unexpectedly.
• Users were forced into an awkward stride to stay in the middle zone.
• There’s a delay before the iTread responds. When trying to slow down, some found it wouldn’t slow or slowed to a complete stop and wouldn’t restart without them getting off.
• The emergency stop seems dangerous, since the belt stops instantly. The user manual encourages people to “jump off” if the “speed gets out of control”.
• The shape makes it impossible to lift and walk with, despite being advertised as lightweight. There are wheels on one end, but they don’t help going up steps.
• None thought it’s worth the price, which is somewhere between $1990
  and $3115 depending where you’re at in the order and return process.

The verdict

We don’t recommend the iTread for anyone. We think it’s dangerous and overpriced.

The constant pressure of offers is exhausting

When we phoned the TV Shop, we had to ask twice before we got a price. Offers were made immediately and constantly during the order and return process:

• $500 off the iTread plus a free Air Roaster Pro.
• $250 off the iWalk (an alternative product the TV Shop told us about).
• Extended three-year warranty for $400.
• Special on pillows.
• Extension of free trial for two more weeks.
• Further $350 discount to on-sell it to a friend.
• Keep the Air Roaster Pro for $350, usually $500.
• Further $625 discount “to save you the return cost if you prefer”.

Our advice

Our advice is to think twice before buying from the TV Shop. Don’t rely on reviews promoted on its website. If you want to try a product, read the full terms and conditions, including the return policy, before committing. A 30-day money-back guarantee doesn’t always apply, but you might just need it.