When do you NOT use reviews for buying decisions?

I’d have to concur that I tend not to seek out reviews when trying new supermarket items. Partly because there’s too much individual preference involved, and partly because many of the reviews for new foods are collected as part of a promotion, so they’re less trustworthy.

Having said that, I did look for reviews when trying a more expensive hair conditioner…

The only other example of a time I can remember when I didn’t look at reviews was when I upgraded to a higher Google Workspace plan. When I first purchased a subscription, it was purely for the email hosting and I did some cursory review checks to make sure there wasn’t a mass of people saying it was terrible. That was probably the time when I did the least amount of review checking and that’s partly because my partner suggested I use them. When I upgraded, to a higher plan, I did so to access specific features. I didn’t look for reviews because I had enough experience with the features I’d already used that I didn’t believe I’d have a problem with the new features I wanted access to. In essence, I already trusted the brand sufficiently.

Not sure if that helps?

Ben S. · Answer 2 · 2024-11-11T16:38:32-06:00

BS

Ben S.

All Things Video @ Big Corner Creative

0

1

Answered 8 months ago

I generally do not go to reviews when purchasing cinema or mirrorless cameras anymore. I've been in the space long enough to know what manufacturers are offering at different price points and what their feature sets are. Frankly that space right now is an abundance of riches at every price point. The odds of making a bad buy are slim to none.

delete edit

Looks like you’re not logged in.

Users need to be logged in to write comments

Log In

Reply

BC

Bashir C.

CISM | CRISC | CEH Cyber Security Professional

Hi Ben,

Yes, come to think of it, there are probably thousands of products that just come down to personal preference e.g. so many of the groceries we purchase every week are generally what we like. Even when we purchase food items for the first time it's out of curiosity and if we don't like that item, then we don't have to purchase it again. I always think of that expression - 'One Man's Meat is another Man's poison' and how appropriate it is in this scenario. It can be extended to so many other things as well.

delete edit

Brett N. · Answer 3 · 2024-11-11T12:13:24-06:00

BN

Brett N.

Community Manager

0

Answered 8 months ago

One example that comes to mind that might be counter-intuitive is that I did not heavily weigh reviews when I purchased my last vehicle. The reason for this is because I think the car review space is really noisy compared to others.

For every person you find that has pledged their lifelong allegiance to one automaker, you'll find another person who says they have nothing but problems with it. There are also just so many variables at play to affect someone's experience: how one drives it, how often they drive it, do they store it in a garage, what kind of climate do they live in, etc.

delete edit

Looks like you’re not logged in.

Users need to be logged in to write comments

Log In

Reply

BN

Brett N.

Community Manager

Yes that is definitely true that there are many car rating sites out there. But the last time I purchased a car (3 years ago), I noticed that there wasn't a lot of consistency to the various lists. I was suspected that there might be some hidden back scratching at play, with certain websites.

Another point I'll make, and I realize that this is anecdotal, but the last two vehicles I owned were a Honda (great reputation) and a Kia (suspect reputation). I had each car for about 10 years and drove them both to about 120K miles.

The Honda had major problems that almost caused me multiple (potentially fatal) accidents.

The Kia legitimately did not have one problem the entire time I had it.

So that's why I'll spend an hour researching where to go for dinner, but mostly ignore reviews for something I'll spend tens of thousands of dollars on and have for a decade :)

delete edit

BC

Bashir C.

CISM | CRISC | CEH Cyber Security Professional

Hi Brett,

I too had a Honda (Accord) and it was bullet-proof. I had it for 15 years and it had zero problems, so yes I take on board your point that individual experiences on cars can be so different.

delete edit

BC

Bashir C.

CISM | CRISC | CEH Cyber Security Professional

Hi Brett,

A good point made, and I do agree to a certain extent. However, it is possible to get a general consensus of what cars are most reliable and which aren’t so much. Also, I was always under the impression that independent reviewers like JD Power held a lot of sway with potential vehicle purchasers in the US..

Here in the UK, every year there are independent reviews done on the most reliable manufacturer, car, van etc. Likewise most unreliable manufacturers, car, van etc. are also completed. It’s not uncommon to find cars listed by this criteria here in the UK.

Here are awesome examples :

- https://www.whatcar.com/news/reliability-survey-most-reliable-cars/n26137

- https://www.carwow.co.uk/news/8084/most-reliable-cars-2024

- https://www.cinch.co.uk/guides/choosing-a-car/most-reliable-cars-on-sale-in-britain

- https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/driver-power/64280/top-10-most-reliable-cars-buy

I’m sure in the US, you have an even greater pool of independent agencies carrying out this research.

delete edit