All the products advertised in Telebrands are far from as useful as they are shown to be, but purchasers benignly sign off saying all that glitters is not always gold,
writes Shabiha Nur Khatoon
We all know what Telebrands are. Sometimes while flipping through TV channels we stop for a moment to see a product being advertised – could be a weight-loss implement or a fairness cream. The products advertised in Telebrands cater to people of all age groups.
Telebrands Corporation is the oldest existing direct response marketing company and the original creator of the “As Seen On TV” logo and category of trade. Telebrands’ CEO and founder Ajit J Khubani started the company in 1983, creating print advertisements for his products in publications such as National Enquirer.
Telebrands was first based in Roanoke, Virginia, but in 1998 was moved to Fairfield, New Jersey. In 1986 Khubani began experimenting with television, producing three short infomercials, one for an ultrasonic flea collar, one for a home bicycle exercise product and the third for AmberVision sunglasses. All these products were very successful. The AmberVision infomercial was a success, spurring sales of 15 million pairs of sunglasses.
Sunday POST asks people of all age groups about their experiences of products shown in Telebrand. Snatches from conversations…
“I got a sari combo for my mother and my aunt with my first salary. It also contained a stylised watch and a leather clutch. I got it at an extremely cheap price and was pretty happy with the product. The delivery was fast. Kudos to Telebrands,” says Prinkil Priyardarsi Parida.
Nibedita Patra from Cuttack says, “I bought a five-in-one super slicer for myself. I love salads of all kinds and this ensures my job is done within minutes. I prepare various juices with the help of it. Shredding, cutting, slicing has become a child’s play for me.”
Subarna Mitra gives Telebrands products thumbs up and also shares her experience: “We order quite often from different online sites as well as Telebrands. One product I ordered was a wonder mop from Telebrands four years back worth `3,999. It is tempting when we see something on television doing such magical things but there’s no guarantee whether it would be that great in real life. But, luckily, it was a good mop. I used it on a weekly basis for a good 1.5 years but it went out of order two years after purchase. It was fun using it,” adds Subarna.
However, negative responses, too, trickled in. Mahesh Swain says, “I bought a Telebrands air sofa from Proline fitness shop. It could not hold air for even five hours and there was a tag on it reminding the user to fill air every eight hours! This nobody showed on TV! So we couldn’t have a proper night’s sleep. When I went next day to get it replaced they said it would be repaired and not replaced. This is cheating.”
Madhusmita Mohanty says, “I bought a ceramic non-stick set of three for `5,000 from Telebrands a few months back. It lost its non-stick coating after two or three uses although we followed the manual meticulously. Don’t buy any Telebrands product. They make false statements and you won’t get any after-sales service.”
Kishore Jena says that the TV ad is really alluring but all that glitters is not gold. “A tool is supposed to be stronger than the things it has to work on. On the very first day the screw bit went off while I was trying to fit something. The screw driver handle is so flexible and loose that you can’t rely on it; you might actually get hurt if it slips. The drill machine does not work, but I am now worried about the drill bits, they look really cheap. It’s better to go for a better and costlier drill machine,” adds Jena.
