It is hard to know which products are the best deal for your dollar these days, in any category at all. It seems as though wherever we turn, someone is trying to sell us something, saying it's the best thing to come along since the invention of the doughnut. A company may actually have lousy customer service, but thanks to skillful marketing makes itself seem appealing to buyers until it is too late. Where can the average person turn to in order to find out if the products they are buying are quality or not?
Well, one great place is Consumer Reports magazine. This publication is the most popular of its kind in the world. It's an American magazine with over four million subscribers which tests pretty much every invention under the sun, and many services as well. If you are wondering just how well that eeth whitening product works, you have just to look into the proper edition of the magazine.
Consumer Reports magazine has several great strengths going for it (one being name brand recognition, but two stand out.) The first is the testing budget that the publication has. Sources have indicated that Consumer Reports spends $21 million United States every year testing products. That kind of budget will get you a long way, and the magazine uses it to put products to the true test. If that SIM card in your cell phone succumbs to magnetism or electronic currents, you can bet Consumer Reports testers will find that out. Even vehicles are not spared; they are put through every driving and crash test imaginable, and some that aren't imaginable (according to the former Dodge company!).
The second big strength of Consumer Reports magazine is its neutrality. If you look through a copy, you will notice that there are no outside advertisement anywhere in the magazine. This helps ensure that there is no temptation by the magazine staff or editing departments to bias any reviews towards a certain company in exchange for the almighty advertising dollar. The company insists that they receive no free samples of any products, and the staff buys everything from baking products to digital cameras at retail prices, from retail stores. None of the reviewed products have been given as free samples.
Keep in mind that while some services are reviewed, for the most part Consumer Reports is a product only magazine. If you want an opinion on the latest music CD, you will have to consult a different publication. If you are buying a car, however, then a special Consumer Report issue might be for you. Every year, they publish a special edition of the magazine taking a look at the new cars manufactured in that year.
You might be wondering how an American publication could help consumers in Canada. Well, the magazine includes a supplement when sold in Canada called "Canada Extra," which talks about the products from that issue in our country and how the reviews apply to a Canadian audience.
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