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Do people take anything consumer reports says seriously anymore? I was under the impression they started losing all credibility when they had a series of revie

Do people take anything consumer reports says seriously anymore? I was under the impression they started losing all credibility when they had a series of reviews where they ranked name brand products higher than their generic counterparts then it turned out the generic and name brand products were exactly the same (in some cases having come right from the same assembly lines) but with different badges.

wtallis 13y ago
How does that discredit Consumer Reports? Customer service is a completely reasonable factor to include in product rankings. If you've got two products that are physically identical but one comes with a good warranty for a small premium, then the latter will be a better long-term investment unless the odds of failure are very small. (There's also the question of how long you can expect the no-name product to stay identical - they're more likely to cut corners without letting anyone know, whereas the name brands will usually at least tweak the model number included in the fine print.)
Crito 13y ago
Not that it was necessarily the case in the situation you are thinking of, but I believe that different brands often come off the same production line after QA is done. So a factory for Duracell AA batteries might simply rebrand the batteries that to not meet their QA bar as "off-brand" batteries. The slightly defected or substandard batteries could then be sold to the consumer for a much lower price than the Duracell branded batteries, without risking damage to Duracell's brand.
- larrys 13y ago
  I agree with that thought. In fact at times I have purchased OEM hard drives through the Apple store instead of on Amazon. My theory being that a manufacturer would (and this is important) be more likely to send their "A" production to Apple and do a better job of screening defects. Might not be important for a laptop bag but a mission critical part I'm willing to pay a few extra dollars. It's not a new concept in business that the better and more important customers [1] get better product and service. [1] Ever try to hire through a temp agency? You don't get the same crop of people that the big guys get who give them a lot of business.
  - jotm 13y ago
    Doesn't really apply to HDDs or any other electronics manufactured in large numbers. They can't screen every item and they will try to use the best components in all of them. So you get the same DOA percentage from Apple branded HDDs and OEMs... And LG, for example, assembles worse monitors than their competitors, who are using the same panels LG sells them as an OEM...
Shivetya 13y ago
Their auto testing is some of the best, even the automakers look to them. Having read an extensive article in Automobile magazine about the facilities CR has and who actually does the testing I have no problem with their views. Doesn't mean I will always follow them but I damn well know what not to buy. As for the Tesla, eighty thousand dollar cars better be damn good. If Tesla can snag similar praise making a car for thirty thousand then I might become a fan.
- psaintla 13y ago
  I believe it, I've just been skeptical of their reviews. It's good to know their auto reviews have credibility
balls187 13y ago
Do you have a reference to this?

wtallis 13y ago

How does that discredit Consumer Reports? Customer service is a completely reasonable factor to include in product rankings. If you've got two products that are physically identical but one comes with a good warranty for a small premium, then the latter will be a better long-term investment unless the odds of failure are very small. (There's also the question of how long you can expect the no-name product to stay identical - they're more likely to cut corners without letting anyone know, whereas the name brands will usually at least tweak the model number included in the fine print.)

Crito 13y ago

Not that it was necessarily the case in the situation you are thinking of, but I believe that different brands often come off the same production line after QA is done. So a factory for Duracell AA batteries might simply rebrand the batteries that to not meet their QA bar as "off-brand" batteries. The slightly defected or substandard batteries could then be sold to the consumer for a much lower price than the Duracell branded batteries, without risking damage to Duracell's brand.

larrys 13y ago
I agree with that thought. In fact at times I have purchased OEM hard drives through the Apple store instead of on Amazon. My theory being that a manufacturer would (and this is important) be more likely to send their "A" production to Apple and do a better job of screening defects. Might not be important for a laptop bag but a mission critical part I'm willing to pay a few extra dollars. It's not a new concept in business that the better and more important customers [1] get better product and service. [1] Ever try to hire through a temp agency? You don't get the same crop of people that the big guys get who give them a lot of business.
- jotm 13y ago
  Doesn't really apply to HDDs or any other electronics manufactured in large numbers. They can't screen every item and they will try to use the best components in all of them. So you get the same DOA percentage from Apple branded HDDs and OEMs... And LG, for example, assembles worse monitors than their competitors, who are using the same panels LG sells them as an OEM...

Shivetya 13y ago

Their auto testing is some of the best, even the automakers look to them. Having read an extensive article in Automobile magazine about the facilities CR has and who actually does the testing I have no problem with their views. Doesn't mean I will always follow them but I damn well know what not to buy. As for the Tesla, eighty thousand dollar cars better be damn good. If Tesla can snag similar praise making a car for thirty thousand then I might become a fan.

psaintla 13y ago
I believe it, I've just been skeptical of their reviews. It's good to know their auto reviews have credibility

balls187 13y ago

Do you have a reference to this?