Is there a price to pay for Progress

[Ken1171]

I also read the low scores as many times a low review has nothing to do with the product, comments like the delivery driver was rude is worth making but it is not then really fair to score the product a single star based upon that.

Oh yes, that is very true. I have just bought a TV - my first since 2005, and it was one with not-so-great reviews. While reading people's reviews, most of the poor ratings were because the fancy voice-controlled remote control was not included in the box, which could be considered as false advertisement because most of the ads revolved around it. The poor reviews had nothing to do with the TV itself. Ironically, when my wife and I went to see it, the store had decided to give away the fancy $100 remote as a gift to those who bought the TV from them - perhaps trying to compensate for the bad reviews. In the end, we got a great TV, plus the missing remote everybody was complaining about for free. Like you said, the poor reviews meant nothing in this case.

 

[Hornet3d]

Oh yes, that is very true. I have just bought a TV - my first since 2005, and it was one with not-so-great reviews. While reading people's reviews, most of the poor ratings were because the fancy voice-controlled remote control was not included in the box, which could be considered as false advertisement because most of the ads revolved around it. The poor reviews had nothing to do with the TV itself. Ironically, when my wife and I went to see it, the store had decided to give away the fancy $100 remote as a gift to those who bought the TV from them - perhaps trying to compensate for the bad reviews. In the end, we got a great TV, plus the missing remote everybody was complaining about for free. Like you said, the poor reviews meant nothing in this case.

Moral of the story, do your research. You had looked at the reviews and knew what people were upset with so when you were offered a deal you were clued up enough to recognise it as just that.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

I do both. I tend to consider known brands with a proven track rating over unknown/little known/unreliable brands. But, I also research a product before purchasing it, reading reviews from several sources. For decades, Consumer Reports was my go to for reviews. But after the Prius C review fiasco, I consider their reviewers not all that trustworthy.

Too many reviews discount products for reasons that have nothing to do with the product. My favorite though is "I didn't purchase this item, therefore, I'm giving it 1 star." Really? Like you had to write a review on a product you didn't purchase?!?

I also tend to dismiss glowing reviews of a brand new, out of the box product and look for those reviews where the reviewer had owned and used the product for at least six months to a year. Lots of things work great right out of the box, and then within a few months stop working or start experiencing problems. I don't want to spend money on something that isn't going to last.

 

[Ken1171]

Not to mention reviews that say "The TV is black, and I love that color. 5 stars!", or "It's a beautiful TV and it looks great on my wall. 5 stars!". Yeah, that helps a lot! So many reviews are idiotic beyond belief. We have to count on the meaningful ones, and sometimes have to hunt for them in other places. The more, the better. Since this was my 1st TV since in over a decade, I have spent a whole day just researching. I even went to a TV repair shop near here, where the technician had a pile of Sony and Samsung flat screens almost reaching the roof. He said they ALL break, no matter the brand, and it's mostly because of poorly or cheaply made power supplies. This guarantees people will eventually have to buy a new TV, because these power supplies are more expensive than the screen. Not worth fixing = planned obsolesce.

 

[Hornet3d]

I do both. I tend to consider known brands with a proven track rating over unknown/little known/unreliable brands. But, I also research a product before purchasing it, reading reviews from several sources. For decades, Consumer Reports was my go to for reviews. But after the Prius C review fiasco, I consider their reviewers not all that trustworthy.

Too many reviews discount products for reasons that have nothing to do with the product. My favorite though is "I didn't purchase this item, therefore, I'm giving it 1 star." Really? Like you had to write a review on a product you didn't purchase?!?

I also tend to dismiss glowing reviews of a brand new, out of the box product and look for those reviews where the reviewer had owned and used the product for at least six months to a year. Lots of things work great right out of the box, and then within a few months stop working or start experiencing problems. I don't want to spend money on something that isn't going to last.

All very valid points. I think the review that made me smile the most was one for a dog food where the title of the review was 'This is Dog 'Food' well yea. Reading the review it turns out the purchaser bought it thinking it was musli, which left me thinking who buys musli in 25Kg bags and from a well known dog food brand.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

No kidding! I don't even buy Tsuki cat food from "well known" pet food brands. If it's sold in the supermarket, it's not going in her tummy!

 

[Hornet3d]

No kidding! I don't even buy Tsuki cat food from "well known" pet food brands. If it's sold in the supermarket, it's not going in her tummy!

Trouble with reviews of dog food is almost all dog owners think the one they are using is great unless it upsets their digestion. In the end I read a number of reviews on the ingredients that made up a good dog food and used that to find a brand that used such ingredients. Our dog seem to thrive on it and it never caused a problem but a few years ago our vet suggested we might look to change him on to a senior version of the food due to his advancing years. Problem was there was senior version of this food but I found a company on line that was set up by a couple of vets and they had recently launched there own range of foods including a senior version. Checking the ingredients showed they knew their stuff and , while pricey, it was a good quality food. We changed his food slowly over a four week period and everything was fine. Mind you seeing some of the vile things he will attempt to eat on a walk the fact that he eats anything it is no recommendation.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

That's what I find too with the Amazon reviews of cat food, or many other sites where those with cats discuss what they feed their cats. I'm constantly amazed (though I shouldn't be) that people rarely consider the ingredients.

Several years ago, Lisa directed me to a site that reviewed dog food, and they also had a cat food review page. I don't remember for sure if it was this one, but at the time, they listed each disqualifying additive, explained why it was bad, and included those brands/products rejected because of that additive. I found that to be really helpful. Now, they kinda just give an overview rather than the specifics. But Tsuki's food is still in the recommended list, so we're good.

 

[Ken1171]

And to think that when my family ran a kennel, there was only a single dog food brand available: Purina. Used to be very good, because our German Sheppards used to grow strong, with shiny coats. We still had to complement with calcium and vitamins when they were puppies, and nowadays I bet they have dog food for different ages. Back then it used to be the same Purina for all. Life used to be simpler.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

Life did use to be simpler, and food was real food. Unless of course, you ate TV dinners or McDonald Hamburgers :wink: I remember when the first McDonalds opened in Springfield, Oregon. It was such a big (and hyped) thing, my mom and grandmother brought home a whole bunch of burgers and fries for dinner. Only problem was ... the hamburgers looked and tasted like cardboard.

/shudder

 

[Ken1171]

Only problem was ... the hamburgers looked and tasted like cardboard.

The thing about McDonalds is that they use no real meat - it's a soybean imitation of it. Some people can put up with that, but I can't. Not long after, Burger King came in with the real thing, and I never looked back ever since. Personally, I think Burger King has the better burger, and McDonalds has the better ice cream. In the rare occasions when I eat fast food, I like to go to McDonalds just for the ice cream. LOL

 

[carmen indorato]

I do both. I tend to consider known brands with a proven track rating over unknown/little known/unreliable brands. But, I also research a product before purchasing it, reading reviews from several sources. For decades, Consumer Reports was my go to for reviews. But after the Prius C review fiasco, I consider their reviewers not all that trustworthy.

Too many reviews discount products for reasons that have nothing to do with the product. My favorite though is "I didn't purchase this item, therefore, I'm giving it 1 star." Really? Like you had to write a review on a product you didn't purchase?!?

I also tend to dismiss glowing reviews of a brand new, out of the box product and look for those reviews where the reviewer had owned and used the product for at least six months to a year. Lots of things work great right out of the box, and then within a few months stop working or start experiencing problems. I don't want to spend money on something that isn't going to last.

Fake News......Fake Reviews?
Wonder sometimes if the reviewers of some products are real professional and/or honest consumers/reviewers or competitor plants set up to kill competition?
Don't trust ANYTHING OR ANYONE anymore! Sometimes it seems I am just jumping into the deep end with a hope and a prayer.
Often times I think the product designers are not real consumers who try their own products before they release them. Some product issues are so bad you can't imagine someone NOT testing their functional design across the board before they release them. Because of this of late I dread buying anything new.
I have been unable to do any creative work due to defective computer. Some techs say it is probably a hard drive issue, the window that pops up says it is a cpu/gpu issue. Unable to get intelligent consensus I feel stuck so on't spend any money to buy new one.
Same with new drive new super drive/DVD burner/reader, microwave baking pot, etc. Especially since of late no matter how I try to research a product I always seem to get "THE WRONG ONE"!

 

[carmen indorato]

The thing about McDonalds is that they use no real meat - it's a soybean imitation of it. Some people can put up with that, but I can't. Not long after, Burger King came in with the real thing, and I never looked back ever since. Personally, I think Burger King has the better burger, and McDonalds has the better ice cream. In the rare occasions when I eat fast food, I like to go to McDonalds just for the ice cream. LOL

Yeah but those damn BigMacs do taste REAL GOOD! Burger King has Great Chicken Sandwiches which in reality are stepped on (well, not literally of course but reconfigured/processed) on so much in their manufacturing they are no longer honestly Chicken but Chicken parts......uhrm like cat food or dog food! But also taste REAL GOOD!

 

[carmen indorato]

Life did use to be simpler, and food was real food. Unless of course, you ate TV dinners or McDonald Hamburgers :wink: I remember when the first McDonalds opened in Springfield, Oregon. It was such a big (and hyped) thing, my mom and grandmother brought home a whole bunch of burgers and fries for dinner. Only problem was ... the hamburgers looked and tasted like cardboard.

/shudder

Funny how years ago I read how McDonalds opened in Russia and the lines were so very long unlike anything seen in decades. The interviewers ho ran the story were told that it was the best place for some of the local citizens to find a "decent whole meal".

 

[Ken1171]

American fast food has some fascinating stories if you look outside the box (no pun intended). In Japan, a Big Mac combo is more expensive than eating out at a restaurant, because they consider it as "international" food. By the time the first McDonalds opened in Japan, the Japanese didn't have any bread in their diet, so it was also considered exotic. I also remember children used to be afraid of Ronald McDonald because the white faced make-up reminded them of traditional Asian demons and ghosts. There was a similar thing with KFC, because the Colonel Sander's statue standing by the door was completely white, and scared Japanese customers away. LOL

 

[Hornet3d]

I was really ill the day before my wedding and literally only just made it to the church. I had a KFC the night before and while I am not saying that the KFC made me ill but I was so bad it left me with and association that made me shudder at the thought of having another, so no KFC for me.

 

[Hornet3d]

That's what I find too with the Amazon reviews of cat food, or many other sites where those with cats discuss what they feed their cats. I'm constantly amazed (though I shouldn't be) that people rarely consider the ingredients.

Several years ago, Lisa directed me to a site that reviewed dog food, and they also had a cat food review page. I don't remember for sure if it was this one, but at the time, they listed each disqualifying additive, explained why it was bad, and included those brands/products rejected because of that additive. I found that to be really helpful. Now, they kinda just give an overview rather than the specifics. But Tsuki's food is still in the recommended list, so we're good.

I think what surprised me was that the reviews for many well known brands , household names were poor. I was left wondering just how many people trust the name and just throw a bag in the trolley at the local supermarket without ever looking past the label.

 

[Ken1171]

I was really ill the day before my wedding and literally only just made it to the church. I had a KFC the night before and while I am not saying that the KFC made me ill but I was so bad it left me with and association that made me shudder at the thought of having another, so no KFC for me.

My wife and I once were "forced" to eat at McDonalds because we were moving and had already left the old place. We ate at McDonalds for 3 days in a row, and by the 3rd day we were both feeling sick. Fast food is not for everyone.

 

[Satira Capriccio]

For me, it's watermelon. Every summer my dad would buy watermelons and we'd eat it in the backyard (cuz of all those seeds you had to spit out). One year I was sick for days with a stomach bug which hit within an hour of eating the watermelon. I've never been able to eat watermelon since. Even though the illness was totally unrelated to the watermelon.

I eat out rarely. But a few years or so ago, I started stopping at a McDonalds when we've gone to the vet or I've gone to the Periodontist. I figure once every three months or so isn't going to kill me to have Chicken McNuggets, a small side of fries, a small strawberry milkshake, and maybe even that tiny little thing they call apple pie. I remember when it was three times the size it is now!

I still think McDonalds has the absolute best fries of anywhere. As long as they are fresh.

 

[Janet]

The thing about McDonalds is that they use no real meat - it's a soybean imitation of it. Some people can put up with that, but I can't. Not long after, Burger King came in with the real thing, and I never looked back ever since. Personally, I think Burger King has the better burger, and McDonalds has the better ice cream. In the rare occasions when I eat fast food, I like to go to McDonalds just for the ice cream. LOL

I've had this conversation with people in the past. Wendy's burger and McDonald's fries for me. Or Burger King chicken sandwich. McDonald's milk products make me sick every time except for their iced mocha frappes which I love. In the small burg I live in there's a McDonalds about 10 miles away but Burger King is about 20 so I don't eat much fast food anymore.