- Why can't I find a user review for the item I want?
- Who writes these reviews?
- What does it mean if a review contradicts an expert CR rating/review?
- Do user reviews influence the coverage on ConsumerReports.org or in Consumer Reports magazine?
- What should I do if I suspect someone is writing false posts?
Why can't I find a user review for the item I want?
We try to keep up-to-date on all major products available in the marketplace, and we refresh our database frequently.
However, manufacturers introduce new products all the time. If yours doesn't appear in our list, please try back
again.
If you can't find an opinion for a particular product on our list, it's because no one has shared an opinion on it
yet. If you do purchase that product, please help out fellow consumers by letting them know what you think of it.
Manufacturer or retailer has submitted a review in order to promote a particular item, and that opinion
may not be as honest as you would like.
If you spot a review you find suspicious, please use the "flag this review" link to report the problem.
User reviews are written by people a lot like you. The authors have used the product and want to tell people about it. We like to think of our subscribers as America's savviest consumers, and based on our experiences, we expect that those sharing their opinions actually own the items but we can't verify that. There's a chance a manufacturer or retailer has submitted a review in order to promote a particular item, and that opinion may not be as honest as you would like. If you spot a review you find suspicious, please use the "flag this review" link to report the problem.
What does it mean if an opinion contradicts an expert Consumer Reports rating/review?
ConsumerReports.org® reports typically include user reviews from our subscribers. We take these user
reviews seriously, monitor them closely, and make them a prominent part of our model pages to round out our
test results and survey data with some of those unique insights and personal experiences.
User reviews provide information about specific models, including breakage and other durability complaints
that may not show up in our tests or brand-repair surveys. Even months of rigorous testing may not uncover
flaws that may surface only after a year or more of everyday use. What's more, an unreliable model may be
too new or too limited in sales to affect our survey results for the brand.
However, we cannot base our recommendations on them for several key reasons:
- People are likelier to review what they strongly like or dislike than something they find simply satisfactory. For instance, our analysis of hundreds of user reviews for upright and canister vacuums found that most were either very positive or very negative, with few in between. Well-designed surveys, such as our brand-repair surveys, are designed to eliminate those biases. They also eliminate biases related to a product's age and other factors, which user reviews don't do.
- Even the most thorough reviewer may lack the context that comes from extensive side-by-side tests. For example, few could buy, test, and comprehensively compare the more than 30 cars or trucks, 60 vacuums, and 80 refrigerators and TVs in typical Consumer Reports Ratings. A model someone loves or hates could be far less lovable or loathsome if the same person compared it with several dozen other models.
- Some reviewers may be especially hard on a product or use it incorrectly. Our testers always test products as they are designed to be used by the manufacturer.
- Some may inadvertently praise or pan the wrong model, since vacuums and other appliances have model numbers that can include 20 or more letters and numbers.
- Users and manufacturers may try to skew the results by intentionally posting biased reviews themselves or through others. Some reviewers could actually be shills, as has happened on other sites. This is something we carefully examine on ConsumerReports.org.
All of these concerns explain why we cannot currently factor user reviews into our Ratings or Recommendations. User reviews are an important addition to our unbiased, scientific tests and brand-repair data. They can also tell you about unique features that meet special needs. However, we cannot assume they are unbiased or scientific. We will continue to include a place for user reviews on our site, and we will continue to monitor them for both trends and accuracy.
Do user reviews influence the coverage on ConsumerReports.org or in Consumer Reports magazine?
All of our procedures for testing and reporting will remain as stringent and independent as ever. But we do, anticipate that user reviews can have a long-term benefit: If we see a pattern of reviews or complaints about a particular model or feature, we can shine our testing spotlight on it and give all our readers the scientific, unbiased data they've come to expect about what's really happening with the product. In short, user reviews will never influence the outcome of our testing and editorial process, but have the potential to improve that process.
What should I do if I suspect someone is writing false posts?
If you think that someone is writing inaccurate or misleading reviews of a product, you can bring it to our attention using the "flag this review" link under the review. In addition to flagging a review, please let us know if you feel that the review was "helpful/or not" to you. By doing so you will help maintain the relevance and quality of the user review content.
