Thrifty Shopper - Product Reviews

We bought another toaster awhile ago: it looked good, the price was right and it seemed to have all the features we needed but the more we've used it, the less satisfied we've become.

The crummy thing takes forever to make toast, the toast is very dry when it's finally done, and the pockets are so deep that sometimes it's hard to get the toast out without burning our fingers.

If we had been thinking, we would have checked more than prices before buying.

Consumer-oriented websites are springing up all over the place these days, making it easier than ever for consumers to do some product research before making a financial commitment.

Since 1936, the Consumers Union has been providing unbiased analyses of products and services of interest to consumers. The print version of their magazine, Consumer Reports, has been available since that year, and more recently, Consumer Reports Online is making some of their reports and analyses available for free on the web.

As you might expect, not all of the new consumer websites are created equal. The product reviews you'll find at Epinions, for example, are considerably different than those at Consumer Reports Online. But as long as consumers are aware of the differences among the consumer sites, we should still be okay.

When browsing a product review website, here are a few things to watch for:

• Is there any product advertising? A favourable review of a particular brand of camera can be considered suspect if an ad for that camera can also be found on that website.
• Who actually reviewed the product? Is there any reason to think their view is biased? Who paid the reviewer?
• How was the product acquired for the testing? It's best if the product was purchased, the same way you or I would buy it, and for the same price.
• How was the product tested? Was the test reasonable and appropriate?

For now, we've decided to keep the toaster we've got, but next time? I'm going to do my homework, and I won't be relying just on brand-recognition when when I bring home a new appliance.

In other words, next time, I'm determined not to get burned!

(Links checked Dec. 14, 2001)

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