The Which? Shoddies 2024

The Shoddies are back, and we are naming and shaming the companies, services and products that can – and should – do better. 

All 13 of our 'winners' were nominated by experts across every area of Which? before being whittled down by our in-house panel of judges. 

So whether it's an outrageous price hike, a household brand with shocking customer service or a product that spectacularly fails to do the job it was designed for (or even poses a safety risk), here are our standout letdowns of 2024. 

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Worst telecoms company – Virgin Media

Not only is Virgin Media the worst broadband firm in our survey – standing out in particular for its terrible service – but customers also face a lose-lose battle: either suck up the hefty mid-contract price rises, or fork out the crippling exit fees to go elsewhere. 

We’ve reported Virgin Media to regulator Ofcom over concerns it could be breaking the law by giving itself the right to hike broadband bills by unlimited sums whenever it chooses – on top of its annual inflation-based increases. 

Virgin Media argued that these contract terms are widely used in the industry and that it is ‘transparent’ about price rises. But we're sure you'll agree that it's more than deserving of a place in the Shoddies line-up for the second year running.

Virgin Media and O2 customers stuck between price rises and shocking exit fees

Biggest flight booking letdown – Opodo

Opodo may offer the cheapest fare when you use comparison sites like Skyscanner, but don’t be fooled. In our latest survey, the flight booking site garnered an abysmal customer score of 28%. One respondent complained that Opodo offered them ‘zero customer service’. 

Others said they unwittingly signed up for its Prime service and only noticed when they were billed later on. We also found examples where it charged over the odds for extras such as baggage and seat selection. 

Although Opodo says 90% of the customers it surveys are happy with the service, we recommend booking directly with the airline.

We reveal the best flight booking sites – and the ones to avoid

Most shocking price hike – Norton antivirus renewal

Good antivirus software will protect your computer from viruses and other kinds of malicious software, including phishing attacks designed to compromise or steal your data. And Norton 360 Deluxe is an excellent product: the Windows version was made a Best Buy after it performed exceptionally well in our tough lab tests. 

The problem is the renewal price. You can sign up for £30, but that price trebles to a whopping £90 if you renew your annual subscription after the first year. 

It’s the largest renewal spike of any of the paid-for antivirus products currently on test – and we think it's excessively expensive. 

Compare 11 paid antivirus software packages to see which you can rely on to identify and stop a wide range of threats

Grimmest hotel chain – Britannia

Britannia has been rated the worst hotel chain in our survey for 11 years running – with many of its beautiful historic buildings showing signs of neglect. Britannia received just two stars for cleanliness and one star for the quality of its bedrooms and bathrooms. 

Even more worrying, we found serious fire safety flaws (including broken fire doors and missing fire extinguishers) when we went undercover at two of its properties in 2022: Canary Wharf and Heathlands hotel in Bournemouth. 

Britannia later told us it had ‘investigated and addressed’ the issues at both hotels, adding: ‘We invest heavily in fire safety at all of our hotels and will continue to do so.' 

See the best UK hotel chains for comfort, value for money, food and more

Most unhelpful energy company – Scottish Power

British Gas and Scottish Power have both frustrated customers with their slow and unhelpful support. But Scottish Power stands out after clinching the lowest satisfaction score in our customer service research for how long it took to get in touch with a person that could help. 

It also achieved just two out of five stars for overall customer service and one star for value for money in our annual customer survey. 

Scottish Power told us it has been working tirelessly to improve its customer service. But, in an essential sector that millions rely on every day, it's completely unacceptable that billpayers are being let down so badly. In fact, it's downright shoddy.

Take a look at the best energy suppliers and the low-scoring ones that didn’t impress their customers. We want to hear from you if you have a customer service horror story

Dodgiest car hire company – Goldcar

Back in 2019, we caught Goldcar’s agents lying and bullying at the rental desk to flog unnecessary insurance to customers. 

In response to our investigation, the company announced ‘a programme of large-scale change’. But, when our undercover journalists returned to Spain with hidden cameras earlier this year, its staff once again used pushy sales tactics to try to panic us into buying extra insurance, even though we’d already bought a comprehensive policy online. 

Worryingly, we caught rival companies Dollar and OK Mobility doing similar. But Goldcar isn’t just a repeat offender – it’s also regularly rated the worst car hire company by members. 

Best and worst car hire companies – discover the car rental firms you can actually rely on

Least trustworthy online marketplace – Temu

Temu stocks just about every item imaginable from third-party sellers (including clothes, technology, homeware, cosmetics and toys) at rock-bottom prices. 

But the platform has been plagued by controversy, from supply chain concerns to reports of items failing to arrive. Most worrying of all, Which? has found illegal weapons for sale, alongside age-restricted items – such as axes and knives – without proper checks.

Temu is also among the online marketplaces we found selling unsafe electric heaters that could explode, cause electric shocks or start a fire. 

Temu told us that it 'deeply regrets any concern or inconvenience caused by the safety issues we identified', and stressed that the safety of its customers is its highest priority. 

What is Temu and is it safe to buy from? Our experts explain what you need to know

Dumbest smart product – Swan Alexa Smart Kettle

It’s a case of style over substance for this £68 smart kettle, which is packed with hi-tech features – controlled via Alexa, it can be programmed to switch on automatically with your morning alarm. But it fails to do its basic job well. 

It’s a Don’t Buy because it’s incredibly slow to boil, overboils for ages and has a minimum fill of two cups (meaning you'll waste energy every time you make tea for one). It also has no limescale filter, making it a terrible choice for anyone in a hard-water area. 

Read our full review of the Swan Alexa Smart Kettle to find out more and compare 170 kettles we’ve tested in our lab

Biggest rail rip-off – train ticket machines

Only one in six UK train stations have a full-time ticket office, and 759 stations don’t have one at all. This means you’ll be forced to use a ticket machine if you haven’t bought your fare in advance. 

But Which? mystery shoppers found that most operators have outdated machines that don’t sell the cheapest tickets. In fact they can charge more than double compared with booking online, and the best-value fares can be unavailable or hard to find. 

On average, same-day tickets were 52% more expensive. We think it's a massive rip-off.

Train station machines can charge more than twice the price of online tickets

Unsafe product – Peg Perego Viaggio Twist car seat

Parents have been warned against using the Peg Perego Viaggio Twist car seat (£425) after a shocking failure during our crash tests. The support leg on the base crumpled, and the momentum of the crash hurled the car seat forward – causing it to come loose from the Isofix base and fly through the test vehicle. 

As a result this car seat – designed for babies and children from six months to four years old – has been rated a 0% Don't Buy. 

Our crash tests are severe, but we think they more accurately reflect what happens in a real crash (this car seat has passed the regulatory tests required by UN-Regulation 129/03). 

Peg Perego has since put distribution of this product on hold and told us it will soon be providing a new and improved car seat to customers. 

Best baby or child car seats – find out which car seats impressed in our tough crash tests

Persistent failure on scams – Meta

Malicious content is rife on Facebook and Instagram, leading users to make poor investment choices or, in the worst cases, become victims of fraud. 

Last year, we helped one victim recover £3,000 when he paid for a car that was never delivered after clicking on a scam Instagram ad. 

We reported the issue to parent company Meta immediately, but it failed to remove the profile – in which time the scammers had rebranded to impersonate another genuine firm. 

Meta told us it has systems in place to block scams, which are an industry-wide issue. But we want to see it doing more to prevent other consumers suffering similar financial and emotional harm. 

Don’t get caught out: be aware of the latest scams and use our scam sharer tool to report any you’ve come across 

Design fail – Nautilus Designs Ascot Mesh office chair

Its sole purpose is comfort, but this woeful Don’t Buy is not only incredibly uncomfortable but also potentially dangerous. 

You run the risk of tipping backwards if you recline too far (it failed the rearwards overturn test) and it’s not ergonomic. In fact, the lumbar support hurt our experts’ backs. 

The Nautilus Designs Ascot Mesh office chair has a host of other drawbacks, including loose controls and the inability to adjust the height of the armrests. You won’t get much work done if this chair is in your home office.

Go to our round-up of the best office chairs to avoid wasting money on an uncomfortable and overpriced chair

Useless cleaning product – M&S Italian Lemon & Ginger cleaning spray

We were pleased to see that this M&S Italian Lemon & Ginger cleaning spray contains biodegradable ingredients, which is better for the environment. But it won’t be breaking down dirt or mess in your kitchen any time soon. 

This £2 product was consistently bad at removing tough spills, including baked-on grease and starchy spills like rice water. 

In fact, we'd think twice about buying any of our cleaning products from M&S: its washing-up liquid is a Don't Buy, and its non-bio washing powder and laundry liquid aren't great either.

Best kitchen cleaning sprays – see which two sprays were standout Best Buys

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