5 ms·

Blacklisted how? 20 years ago consumer reports was considered a trusted source and they purchased everything they reviewed. How are you going to blacklist so

by tw04 5y ago

Blacklisted how? 20 years ago consumer reports was considered a trusted source and they purchased everything they reviewed. How are you going to blacklist someone from going to the store and buying your product?

plorkyeran 5y ago
CR was notable and trusted specifically because they were the only ones in the industry who did that.
pyuser583 5y ago
Was? The 10 bucks/month I pay for consumer reports is the best money I spend on a subscription! They’re still quite strong.
techrat 5y ago
Consumer Reports buys the products they review. They can't be blacklisted if they're not relying on the manufacturer to send them a free demo/item. (Youtube/Blog) Reviewers get blacklisted by companies by not providing a positive review about a product they were given. As they rely on scooping type style reviews, this means they not only don't get a free product to review, but they can't review it until after it's for sale instead of being able to 'preview' it for people and get more clicks that way.
- Scoundreller 5y ago
  Only problem is that CR then needs to wait until release day to start its review. While the corrupt get advance copies to review that get released in advance, or are embargoed until release day, but still, will get published way before CR can publish a proper review.
  - saalweachter 5y ago
    Honestly "don't buy stuff right after it comes out" is one of the simplest things you can do as a consumer to not buy a lot of lemons, even if you don't read Consumer Reports. The "gotta have everything day one (or earlier!) to be cool!" is the most successful piece of meta-marketing imaginable.
astura 5y ago
Consumer Reports was (and still is!) so trusted because it is the one publication that lacks the usual conflicts of interest that every other publication has.
- ytpete 5y ago
  The Wirecutter (now part of NY Times) is another that doesn't accept freebie products, if I recall. They do use affiliate links, so they have incentive to want you to buy _something_, but no incentive to give any particular brand or model a biased review.
  - sgerenser 5y ago
    Except when they drop a product from their recommended list when they don’t want to participate in an affiliate program: https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to-play-model https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to...
  - astura 5y ago
    YMMV but "review site with referral links" is a category of site I very much wish to avoid.
    - lazide 5y ago
      As long as it's a generic referral program (Amazon?) in general I find it at least somewhat ok - I can see how they're getting paid, and I can assume (maybe?) they aren't getting a special kickback to sell that particular product over another one at Amazon or whatever. When it's seller specific affiliate programs? It's all just spam basically.
  - acheron 5y ago
    I still can't believe people actually click on affiliate/tracking links. I get things based on Wirecutter reviews occasionally, but I always go to the product separately so it's not tracked.
kube-system 5y ago
CR is the exception, and that’s why they charge their subscribers a lot of money. The vast majority of publications fund “reviews” in different ways. Some publications you can pay to have your product “featured” in. In some others, companies give a reviewer who has a reputation for favorable reviews free products. The unspoken expectation is that the reviews will drive sales and that the free product (and free content) train keeps going. And yet others have serious conflicts of interest with their supporting advertisers.
josefx 5y ago
A lot of reviewers try to be relevant by reviewing new things before they hit the market. That makes the manufacturer the only source of the product and the manufacturers have no reason to provide early access to people writing bad reviews and writing a review a month after everyone else just doesn't attract nearly as much attention.

by tw04 5y ago

plorkyeran 5y ago

CR was notable and trusted specifically because they were the only ones in the industry who did that.

pyuser583 5y ago

Was? The 10 bucks/month I pay for consumer reports is the best money I spend on a subscription! They’re still quite strong.

techrat 5y ago

Consumer Reports buys the products they review. They can't be blacklisted if they're not relying on the manufacturer to send them a free demo/item. (Youtube/Blog) Reviewers get blacklisted by companies by not providing a positive review about a product they were given. As they rely on scooping type style reviews, this means they not only don't get a free product to review, but they can't review it until after it's for sale instead of being able to 'preview' it for people and get more clicks that way.

Scoundreller 5y ago
Only problem is that CR then needs to wait until release day to start its review. While the corrupt get advance copies to review that get released in advance, or are embargoed until release day, but still, will get published way before CR can publish a proper review.
- saalweachter 5y ago
  Honestly "don't buy stuff right after it comes out" is one of the simplest things you can do as a consumer to not buy a lot of lemons, even if you don't read Consumer Reports. The "gotta have everything day one (or earlier!) to be cool!" is the most successful piece of meta-marketing imaginable.

astura 5y ago

Consumer Reports was (and still is!) so trusted because it is the one publication that lacks the usual conflicts of interest that every other publication has.

ytpete 5y ago
The Wirecutter (now part of NY Times) is another that doesn't accept freebie products, if I recall. They do use affiliate links, so they have incentive to want you to buy _something_, but no incentive to give any particular brand or model a biased review.
- sgerenser 5y ago
  Except when they drop a product from their recommended list when they don’t want to participate in an affiliate program: https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to-play-model https://www.xdesk.com/wirecutter-standing-desk-review-pay-to...
- astura 5y ago
  YMMV but "review site with referral links" is a category of site I very much wish to avoid.
  - lazide 5y ago
    As long as it's a generic referral program (Amazon?) in general I find it at least somewhat ok - I can see how they're getting paid, and I can assume (maybe?) they aren't getting a special kickback to sell that particular product over another one at Amazon or whatever. When it's seller specific affiliate programs? It's all just spam basically.
- acheron 5y ago
  I still can't believe people actually click on affiliate/tracking links. I get things based on Wirecutter reviews occasionally, but I always go to the product separately so it's not tracked.

kube-system 5y ago

CR is the exception, and that’s why they charge their subscribers a lot of money. The vast majority of publications fund “reviews” in different ways. Some publications you can pay to have your product “featured” in. In some others, companies give a reviewer who has a reputation for favorable reviews free products. The unspoken expectation is that the reviews will drive sales and that the free product (and free content) train keeps going. And yet others have serious conflicts of interest with their supporting advertisers.

josefx 5y ago

A lot of reviewers try to be relevant by reviewing new things before they hit the market. That makes the manufacturer the only source of the product and the manufacturers have no reason to provide early access to people writing bad reviews and writing a review a month after everyone else just doesn't attract nearly as much attention.