Are you being ripped off on Black Friday? Shoppers told 'be cautious' of dubious deals

Since Black Friday was introduced to the UK back in 2013, consumers have flocked to the high-street and rushed online in late-November to search out the latest deals and discounts.

But amid the frenzy, are you being ripped off? That was the focus of a study by consumer group Which?, analysing if prices could be found cheaper at other times of the year.

The investigation tracked a full 12 months of pricing data from 35 popular products covering technology, home and personal care, which were placed on sale during last year's Black Friday weekend.

Of the products, 22 were from Currys/PC World, 12 were from Argos and one was from Amazon.

The Which? study concluded that 60% of the items were sold for either the same price, or cheaper, at other times.

For almost half, researchers said, the price was either the same or less in the December after Black Friday.

"Our research shows that although Black Friday can offer some great discounts, not all offers are as good as they seem," said Alex Neill, managing director at Which?

"It's easy to get swept along by hype and excitement on the day, so we recommend doing some preparation and research to help make sure you really are getting a good deal when shopping."

In one case, researchers found a Samsung 4K smart-TV was being sold for £849 at Currys/PC World during Black Friday 2016 – but was £50 cheaper at least 29 times during the following December, January and April. It was £79 cheaper at least 18 times the following May.

A coffee machine – the DeLonghi Magnifica – was advertised for £349 at Currys, with signs claiming it had been reduced from £729.99. It was actually previously sold for £579.99.

In response, Currys/PC World said it reduced 4,000 products for Black Friday last year. "We make no apology for reducing some of them even more after that period," a statement added.

A representative for Argos added: 'Black Friday is a fantastic event which allows customers to choose from thousands of products which offer great value. This does not exclude these products from other sales or promotional activity at other times of the year."

Which? urged British consumers to carefully check the prices of discounted products to make sure the promised reductions are accurate. "Research the products you actually want to buy: it's no use grabbing a bargain if you end up with a product that's no good," it added.

Of course, no every discount is dubious. You will be able to check out the best of the Black Friday bonanza later this week (24 November) as IBTimes UK searches out some top tech deals.