Does anyone still rely on Consumer Reports for purchasing?

[question everything]

We have subscribed to it for many years and would often read their tests and recommendations of appliances and cars, even mutual funds. While usually not finding the exact model that they would recommend, at least we knew what to look for and what to ask.

We have not purchased anything new for many years, but now need to replace the over the range microwave oven. I looked at their reports from both August 07 and August 09 and all they provide are rates based on... readers survey.

One does not have to be a statistician to know how unreliable such surveys are.

Is this how they now offer their ratings?

[knowbody0]

1. and everybody's got a price

these "reports" are paid for imo

[question everything]

2. Supposedly they do not accept advertisement

to keep their independence

And I used to contribute to their Foundation, too.

[Davis_X_Machina]

4. They sue, routinely,...

...anybody who uses their ratings in advertising a product, and will not sell the rights.
You will see, as a result, quotes from a 'Consumers' Digest' all over the place, who are not so picky.

[Extend a Hand]

3. when I was young and starting a household from scratch

in the pre-internet days, I subscribed to consumer reports. Now I just use consumerssearch.com they crawl the web and search reviews and user comments, summarize the data, amd make recommendations. It's free and for the amount of stuff I buy it's useful.

[question everything]

5. Thank you. I've never heard of this website but am going to bookmark

it.

[lpbk2713]

6. I checked what they had to say about HDTV's

It was a fairly thorough report on several different brands grouped by size and price range.
That was the first time I bought a copy of their mag in a long time though.

[friendly_iconoclast]

20. Me too, and I have to say the advice was spot-on.

Got a 32" Vizio and it's perfect for my not-so-big living room.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. We've used them forever.

They still do full-blown articles with ratings and the whole nine yards.

But they don't do them as often as we might like.

You'll have to find an issue that has a full report.

Check the magazine's index...they indicate which reports are the complete ones.

[question everything]

12. I did. That's how I found the Aug 07 and Aug 09

Both issues were dedicated to kitchen appliances and they did a complete report on ovens and dishwashers, but the over the range microwave part was just the ratings by readers..

:(

[ingac70]

8. I've seen them....

give reviews on a Toyota and GM product, both badge engineered in the same fucking facility, and give the Toyota a better review.

They are paid to do those reviews.

[CreekDog]

21. Which models?

if they are the exact same vehicle (except for badging) CU points that out.

sometimes the same model car will score differently based on it's trim level.

[951-Riverside]

9. Who? n/t

[TicketyBoo]

10. You probably can read

a copy of Consumer Reports at your local library. At least, ours carried it the last time I checked.

Maybe check online for which issue has the article you're looking for?

[question everything]

13. Oh, I have the issues.

As a matter of fact, I threw away the 2005 and 2006 ones. But the only "reviews" were based on readers' survey. And... you have to pay to read them online.

[TicketyBoo]

17. I'm not sure how that would work?

The last time I checked them out, they had a staff of reviewers who thoroughly tested products.

It's been quite awhile, though.

I haven't subscribed in over 20 years.

[brewens]

11. They charge $5 per month to subscribe online, no catches.

You can get in there and research what you need and cancel when your month is up. I usually do that about anytime I buy something expensive.

[question everything]

15. The print subscribtion is about $25, I think

and they do have other, interesting reports. I was just taken aback to realize how minimal this report was. Even the sales woman at Lowe's gave me more information about features.

[cleveramerican]

14. I just bought a washer and dryer

and used them to help me thin out the herd.

I found their reviews helpful and informative.

[metapunditedgy]

16. I've thought many of their reviews are fishy. They also base their

decisions on things that just don't match my taste or needs, sometimes. (For example, car models and cell phones.)

I prefer to comb through the opinions on Amazon or other rating places. I usually look for about the third-lowest rating and read the comments there. (It's the bad ratings that tell you what you need to know, even for a good product. But some of the worst ratings are just posted by people who had bad luck or don't know how to use the product.) Read 5-10 reviews from users and a consensus starts to emerge.

[CreekDog]

22. Fishy how?

they are the most independent, practical reviewers of product out there.

for example, in testing air cleaners, they actually had a section in their review saying that you probably won't benefit from having one and gave alternative advice.

[struggle4progress]

18. I used them last year when buying a range. They still do thorough reports.

About a decade ago when buying a car, I read everything they had on the subject for several years, including the surveys. The surveys don't substitute for their product testing but can contain other useful info

[quiller4]

19. haven't relied on CR for years. n/t

[lamp_shade]

23. Meeee.

[LeftyMom]

24. I used to sell appliances, so here's the scoop on otr microwaves:

They're all fine. They'll all be 1000 watts or more, which is plenty.

Seriously, get whatever features you prefer and a brand you're comfortable with, install it yourself if you're good at that kind of thing or have a reputable handyman do it. Your store installers will overcharge, don't go with them unless you really don't know anybody qualified and don't have time to track somebody down. When there's a return or customer satisfaction issue with these things it's almost always a installation issue, so really the most important thing to do here is make sure it's put in properly, it's really much more important than what model you get.

As far as features go, I suggest getting one with a nice big turntable which you can turn off if you need to warm something too big to turn around in the microwave, ideally with the turntable recessed so it sits flush with the floor of the microwave, and looking for controls that seem intuitive to you. Oh, and make sure it'll look nice with your existing cabinets and appliances, especially your range since it sits right over, and that the fans are nice and quiet, because those are the things that will keep you happy with it long term.

That might be why the CR article was spotty- there's not a whole lot to tell.

[AdHocSolver]

25. Consumer Reports is a place to start when looking for product information.

We needed to replace an old refrigerator this summer, and I checked CR back issues in the library as a starting point.

Their descriptions of what they look for in their tests are usually very informative when one goes looking at products. The repair ratings chart by brand name is usually pretty accurate, and helps limit a product search.

One issue I have with using CR is that they usually test the more expensive feature laden models of a product, and I go for the less expensive basic model (which has fewer things to go wrong).

After deciding on which brands to buy, I research the businesses to see what models are available from those manufacturers, and find out if any of the stores have sales. I assembled a list of model numbers by manufacturer, and then "googled" them looking for web sites that had user opinions. We found some and used other people's experiences to further reduce the number of possibilities. One has to be selective in the weight you put on online opinions. After reading several opinions, you sort of get a feel about which opinions are relevant.

Then we found that one of the stores had a sale on an acceptable model and bought a refrigerator. So far we are satisfied with it.

[Ruby the Liberal]

26. Over the range microwave

I have an LG and absolutely love it.

YMMV