We could have told you a lot of this but Which? have come up with a list of “features” used on appliances that are either a complete waste of time or that are just sales gimmicks to get more money out of people or differentiate products.
For years now we have preached that a lot of the so-called “features” are a load of old rubbish, they serve little or no purpose other than to often confound and confuse people into thinking that they have to pay more to get something that they will probably never use or gain any benefit from. Our advice is very simple, get the best quality you can, not the most feature or gimmick laden applaince.
Features Not Used |
Features Used |
| Dishwasher Extra Rinse Cycle | Frost Free Fridge And Freezer |
| Holiday Setting On Fridge Freezer | Temperature Alarms On Fridges And Freezers |
| Ability To Pause A Washing Machine’s Wash Cycle | Fan Assisted Ovens |
| Delayed Start On A Tumble Dryer | Door Open Alarm On A Fridge Or Freezer |
| Delayed Start On A Dishwasher | Sensor Drying In A Tumble Dryer |
| Pre-Wash On A Washing Machine | Telescopic Oven Shelves |
| Duvet Cycle On A Washing Machine | Anti-Flood Devices In A Dishwasher |
| Adjustable Basket Height In A Dishwasher | Deep Drawers In A Freezer |
| Egg Tray In A Fridge Or Fridge Freezer | Time Remainig Indicator On A Washing Machine |
| Intelligent Ovens | Ice Dispenser In The Door Of A Fridge Freezer |
In their survey Which? found that extra functions such as the ‘duvet cycle’ on washing machines or the delay timers fitted to some appliances are hardly ever used by owners. Which is what we find as well, often after the initial honeymoon period is over with many of the gimmicks people simply ignore them.
Washing machines fare particularly badly in a survey of 10,500 adults carried out by Which?.
Among the top ten features ‘you can live without’ are those that enable owners to operate a pre-wash that allows you to soaking dirty clothes before the main wash or to clean a duvet.
In the poll, 66 per cent of people said they hardly ever or never used the duvet cycle.
Even less popular was the pause wash, which allows householders to stop their machines in mid-cycle if, say, they spot a black sock in with the whites. Only five per cent of people said they used this feature regularly.
On fridge-freezers, ‘holiday’ settings, which allow the fridge section to be turned off while keeping the freezer on when people are away, got the thumbs-down. Extra rinse cycles on dishwashers are a particular irritant, while there was little enthusiasm for delay controls on various appliances, which allow people to start the process when electricity rates are lowest.
But not all extras are bad, the survey found. The frost-free setting on fridge-freezers, which circulates air to prevent them frosting up, was judged the most useful ‘extra’ in the kitchen. Fan-assisted ovens and alarms warning householders when the fridge door is left open were also praised.
Which? is now sending the findings to manufacturers in the hope they might influence future design and cut prices. Which we’d doubt as hardly any of these features actually add much, if any, cost to the actual production of the machines.
A spokesman for Which? said the message from the survey was clear – people wanted fewer gimmicks, especially if they drove up the prices of appliances.‘Extra rinse cycles for dishwashers and holiday settings for fridge-freezers aren’t worth having,’ he added.
A spokesman for manufacturers Bosch said: ‘We will definitely be studying these findings with interest.’
I fully agree with the comments above, except for the egg tray in a fridge (never seen one in a freezer!). We buy our eggs from a farm and reuse the boxes. The eggs go in the fridge door in the tray.The delayed start feature is useful in countries with off-peak electricity tariffs, like France. I don’t suppose manufacturers would want to make different models for different countries, apart from minor things like the plug and the printed labels on the controls.
Oh please do not ever stop making dishwashers with adjustable shelves. When we have had the family around, the lower setting means all the mugs can be stacked in the top basket. Need the higher setting for most of our dinner plates to go underneath. Looking for replacement for our old Ariston, felt we’d need to carry a plate and casserole dish around with us to make sure they fitted. In the end decided on Siemens with racks and space enough for anything, including recycling bins for cans and plastics and food. Daughter’s Whirlpool – pre-installed in new house – does not have the foldable racks that are in my Siemens. Its so hard not to exclaim ‘Well, this would have fitted more easily in my dishwasher..’ I would seriously miss my foldable racks, adjustable basket and rinse only programme if deemed extras that are not used. PS Frost free Fridge Freezer, I could not live without. No endless hours defrosting the blessed thing.
[quote name=”Scotmum”]Oh please do not ever stop making dishwashers with adjustable shelves. …Daughter’s Whirlpool – pre-installed in new house – does not have the foldable racks that are in my Siemens.[/quote]We recently bought a Siemens dishwasher and it does have fold-down racks in the bottom and an adjustable top basket but the little clips which secure the folding racks are forever falling off, so I can only give it about an 8/10.