Innovations www.innovations.co.uk

I bought a sat nav from Innovations for my wife in March, when it shut down and was been found to be faulty, Innovations sent me an email with a response number, they will then send info as to how to send product back to them.

Despite a dozen emails asking when I will get the info, I have not received one reply as yet. I also sent an email four months later stating that if no response is given I have no alternative but to get in touch with consumers rights, but to no avail.

I will give this company a wide berth and shop elsewhere in future, as a top brand product should not have a "Del Boy guarantee".

CUT YOUR OWN HAIR!

Anyone who's seen 'An Audience with Billy Connolly' will know from my title something of where I'm going with this review and what kind of site innovations.co.uk is. And if you haven't seen it, no matter. Anyone who's seen the Innovations catalogue, or the small ads in the back of the Sunday newspapers (especially the Express and Mail) will be familiar with the hundreds of weird and (sometimes) wonderful items this website sells.

The Company :

www.innovations.co.uk is the website of the Innovations catalogue that many people (particularly those over 50) receive in the post every 6 months or so (my father is a big fan of their wares, much to my rather more tasteful mother's dismay).

The company behind Innovations is GUS Home Shopping Limited, Registered Office: Universal House, Devonshire Street, Manchester, M60 6EL.

The Site:

www.innovations.co.uk is a great looking site. It is easy to read, easy to navigate, and the pictures and descriptions of items are clear and detailed.

Getting around the site is simplicity itself, and help, contact and privacy/security information are always just one click away.

You do not have to register with the site in order to buy, but if you choose to the process is quick and simple.

From the homepage, you can access the gift finder service, where you choose who the gift is for, what type of gift you would like, and what price you want to pay. Innovations then suggests a range of items that might suit.

Alternatively, you can browse through the site's different sections:

Gadgets and Technology

Fitness and Health

Household

Garden and DIY

Leisure

Car and Travel

What's New

The Merchandise:

Innovations sells a vast range of goods for the home, garden and car. It also sells the kind of things you don't think you need but then find yourself wondering what you've ever done without them. And then there are the things that are frankly quite daft, and things that are gloriously, disgustingly tacky. We're not quite talking 'the big slipper' here, but we're not far off.

Let me give some examples of each:

HOME WARES:

In 'Fitness and Health', you will find a decent range of exercise equipment such as treadmills, steppers and an 'Inversion Stretch Station' (!). The goods look to be of good quality, but some are on the pricey side compared to stores like Argos.

In 'Garden and DIY' you'll find things like garden furniture and barbecues. Again, the goods appear to be good quality, but again you would find similar considerably cheaper in the high street.

INGENIOUS ITEMS:

I moved into my house about 2 months ago and have been completely unable to get a window cleaner to come round. And from the state of the glass I think the last owners had the same problem. I was thinking I'd have to live with a grey speckled vista forever, but browsing through this site I found an 'extending window cleaner'. Basically, it's several rods you screw together with a mop type thing on the end, which means you can clean your own upstairs windows while standing on the ground. I paid £22+ for this (including p&p) and it works brilliantly. However, I've since seen it several quid cheaper at Littlewoods.

My mum got herself the 'nifty nabber', a device that enables you to reach into places you couldn't normally get. My mum has arthritis and finds any kind of bending and stretching extremely difficult. Since receiving her 'nifty nabber' she's finding life around the house a whole lot easier and has been thoroughly enjoying herself recovering all manner of interesting detritus from down the backs of radiators. At 24.99 it's been well worth it for both usefulness and enjoyment on her part.

THE PLAIN DAFT:

A browse around the site revealed a whole host of gadgets and gizmos developed by oddballs for odballs. Here are a few of my favourites:

'Teflon coated armchair and sofa throws'. Designed to keep your 3 piece clean and dust-mite free forever, but does make it look very unattractive. Which begs the question, if you're going to cover up your suite with a set of hideous blankets, why not just buy a cheap and hideous one to start with and then just replace it when it gets dirty. Prices from 24.99 to 49.99

The 'sun tracker'. Described as 'the only sunbathing chair that we've ever seen that effortlessly swivels 180 degrees to follow the sun as it moves across the sky'. And 99.99 to boot. Worth having perhaps if you spend every making moment sunbathing and are too lazy to do anything as strenuous as either turning over or facing the other way.

The 'Assured Delivery Unit'. This rather large-looking contraption fixes to the wall or floor outside your home. You key in a pincode and when you order something you give the pincode to the delivery driver who, if you are out, can then put your goods into this 'thing'. At 199.99 I don't consider this a household necessity, except for those who work away just about all the time and take a lot of deliveries that won't fit through their letterbox.

THE VERY WEIRD INDEED:

If you visit the site you simply must check out 'The Besk'. Billed as 'the desk that thinks it's a double bed', it is indeed what it says on the tin. It is a very ugly and cumbersome workstation/desk that converts into a double bed which I don't imagine will be very comfy. Only for those with extremely limited space, frequent overnight stayers and 899.99 - yes, 899.99 - to spare.

ORDERING AND DELIVERY:

Ordering from innovations is very easy and also secure.

Delivery is, however, a disappointment. Many items have to come straight from the manufacturer, so the site can't tell you when they will arrive. And items that are in stock at the innovations warehouse can take up to 28 days. 28 days!!!

However, I must say that the stuff I ordered arrived in 3 working days, so I can't complain at that.

Delivery is a flat rate of 2.95 whatever you buy, and if you spend over £100 it's free.

Returns are no-quibble and customer services are always available by phone and email, though I've not had reason to try them out.

CONCLUSION

Many products on the innovations.co.uk site can be bought elsewhere - if you know where to look for them. They can also be bought cheaper.

However, there are things - stupid ones, like that frankly freaky Besk, and genuinely ingenious little gizmos - that I really wouldn't know where to find anywhere else.

innovations.co.uk is well worth a visit if you're after something 'different', trying to track down something you know exists but god knows where, or if you're bored out of your mind and fancy a damn good laugh at the things some folk will throw away their money on.

Now I'm off to put on my snugglesuit, rest my feet in my big slipper and relax on my 'real tigerskin look' recliner with built-in fridge and popcorn maker.