Are the lions roaring louder than the products are worth? The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center took a closer look!

The lions are on the loose! With them and their popular TV show “The Lions’ Den”, numerous “innovative products” are once again hitting the shelves under a questionable logo. Those who grab it immediately often have to pay for their curiosity with high prices and disappointment.

Tuesday 8:15 p.m. on the TV channel VOX: Millions of viewers gather in front of the “Lion’s Den” – the fifth season. A handful of investors with “too” much money are introduced to developers of products with “too” little money. The head lion waits with a stone-faced expression. Carsten Maschmeyer is the former boss of AWD, a company that sold controversial financial products to small investors using bargaining methods. This time the supposed billionaire (Wikipedia) is targeting innovative ideas from hardy inventors. Like his four fellow lions, Maschmeyer wants to bring them to supermarkets, discount stores and the Internet in an effective and profitable way. The “deal” and therefore euros are only available in return for a hefty business share. This is the well-known win-win constellation for VOX and donors. The loser part, on the other hand, often falls to the audience. Because the television game continues in real consumer life. And it's full of tricks and oddities.

Directly on the market

If you walk into the shops the morning after the show, you will find – as if by magic – the ideas that have just been presented, ready-made, on the shelves. They are now awarded a golden lion logo: “Known from the VOX founder show”. The only strange thing is that the emblem is also on products that failed the founders' show. An example of this is “DasKaugummi”, a sugar-free product that relies on unusual flavors such as orange/ginger and which now has strong critics: “Far too expensive!” or even “disgusting” is what the mixed comments say.

Such harsh verdicts also apply to articles for which a “deal” has been made. The consumer advice center immediately found ten Löwen products on the industry leader Amazon with lousy reviews and a total of hundreds of nasty comments. These include the “Blufixx” repair pen (“Garbage”) and the “Drain Fairy”, a stopper with a scented stone (“Reinfall”).

Promises don't keep

“Protect Pax” is also such a case.
The liquid screen protector for cell phones boasted that it was “100 percent resistant to breakage and scratches,” even when hit with a hammer. “SternTV” took that at its word – and smashed the display of a smartphone treated with Protect Pax in front of the camera. On top of that, there was a hail of criticism (“My display is scratched”, “I could have saved myself that money”). The manufacturer eventually had to change the advertising. Discounter Aldi and other retailers banned the packs from their branches.

A sales strategy that is to the detriment of quick buyers is also causing dissatisfaction. The lions roar extremely loudly about their high recommended retail prices (RRP). But the prices remind consumer advocates more of tigers that end up as bed rugs. Please note: The “hoehle-der-loewen-shop” also offers products from previous seasons on eBay. There, a set of three of the “window catch” burglary protection devices from the fourth season only cost a mere 19.99 euros compared to the RRP of 119.99 euros.

Prices too high

The operator of the eBay shop, the “in-trading trading company”, should actually know the prices. According to its own website, it is the official marketing partner for “Cave of the Lions” items. When the consumer advice center checked, the eBay shop had just crossed out all existing RRP prices. Huge reductions of up to 50 percent and more were offered. Some prices seemed to be in free fall. For “Tukluk”, for example, a play mat set for children, this meant that instead of the RRP of 599.99 euros, you only had to shell out 149 euros.

Curiosity on the side: In addition to eBay, the official Löwen shop also sells its range on the Amazon marketplace. When comparing the respective prices, the testers were surprised by different prices: mind you, for identical items. For the “indicator glove,” for example, that was at least ten euros.

Given all this, it's no surprise that many a Lion's Den fable ends up being a horror story for sustainable founders: articles end up on rummaging tables and in graveyard corners. A fate that also befell the non-slip dog bowl “Yumminator M” (RRP 27.99 euros), which Aldi-Süd recently sold for 5.29 euros.

Please note that the message reflects the situation at the time of publication. This text is a press release from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center, which can be found at:


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )