Mystery shopping & investigations
Our investigative journalists get under the skin of the issues we report.
Actors and mystery shoppers test anything from traders to the quality of care homes, going undercover to explore and reveal issues that would otherwise remain a mystery.
As well as experiencing the issues consumers face, our undercover field workers use hidden cameras and recording equipment to expose malpractice.
We then hold companies and service providers to account, and campaign for better standards where we find need for improvement.
Recent Which? investigative work
Our experts covered 1,500 miles, pitching up at 43 shops to test the child car seat fitting services of big high street names
6/15 nutritional therapists we investigated failed our tests dangerously; one told our undercover researcher not to pursue radiotherapy treatment for cancer
To test shop floor knowledge, our mystery shoppers visited 60 high street electrical shops from Folkestone to Glasgow. Only four were rated as 'excellent' for listening to their needs
To explore what really goes on in care homes, we hired actors to pose as residents for a week and keep diaries of their experiences. Our research exposed a worrying lack of activity, as well as concerns about basic health and safety, and one actor reported a half-stone weight loss. One home was reported to the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and admissions to the home were suspended immediately. For video footage of experts and actors discussing our findings, have a look at our news story, Care home failings exposed by Which? investigation.
After 92% of the child car seats we inspected at Bluewater were incorrectly fitted, our experts used undercover cameras to record advice given by chains including Halfords, Mamas & Papas, John Lewis and Mothercare. They made detailed analyses of the fitting services and found around half the shops failed to fit the seats correctly. As a result of our research, one badly underperforming chain has put a plan together to tackle its shortcomings - have a look at our Which? is working with retailers page for more detailed retailer responses. A video report of our findings can be found in our how to buy a child car seat guide.
Discover the benefits of Which?
As well as testing products and investigating services, Which? offers a range of personal advice from our customer support team, our lawyers and our money experts. Discover the full benefits of Which? by taking out a £1 trial subscription.
