investigating value = smart spending
There are many sites online which have reviews of products like cars, cameras, washing machines, TVs, etc.
It has become a common practice for manufacturers, retailers, publishers, etc. to go in and pad the content on these sites with glowing reviews. Many companies now pay someone to post to these review sites posing as everyday consumers in order to increase market share.
For this reason, the Internet is not really the best place to research product value.
I suggest the site below as a source for quality information about which products are actually designed well and to last. It's especially valuable for cars and other high price purchases where value really matters.
If you don't want to pay to subscribe, the librarian at your local library (in North America anyway) can help you with the print version for free.
You do know where your local library is, don't you?
Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org
Consumer Reports® and ConsumerReports.org® are published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants. Consumers Union is governed by a board of 18 directors, who are elected by CU members and meet three times a year. CU's President, James Guest, oversees a staff of more than 450.
It has become a common practice for manufacturers, retailers, publishers, etc. to go in and pad the content on these sites with glowing reviews. Many companies now pay someone to post to these review sites posing as everyday consumers in order to increase market share.
For this reason, the Internet is not really the best place to research product value.
I suggest the site below as a source for quality information about which products are actually designed well and to last. It's especially valuable for cars and other high price purchases where value really matters.
If you don't want to pay to subscribe, the librarian at your local library (in North America anyway) can help you with the print version for free.
You do know where your local library is, don't you?
Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org
Consumer Reports® and ConsumerReports.org® are published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants. Consumers Union is governed by a board of 18 directors, who are elected by CU members and meet three times a year. CU's President, James Guest, oversees a staff of more than 450.
1 Comments:
What we've done in the past is wait until we have a handful of things that we figure we would need consumer reports for, and then subscribe online. At the time (I don't know if this is still possible), you could pay for a single month of subscription which would allow you to do research ad nauseum, and then once you've found everything you need, you don't need to pay for any more.
Post a Comment
<< Home