How Much Should You Trust Consumer Information on the Web?

The Web has been a fantastic way to learn about anything you ever wanted to learn about, and the more people are connected, the more information is out there. Before the Internet, finding consumer information about products usually meant either going by what you’d heard about products or reading Consumer Reports to get an objective opinion on how good or safe products are. Nowadays we read consumer reviews and testimonials on the Web, and because there are so many people, we trust these opinions more and more. But even with growing trust on the Internet, there are still companies and people out to scam you with fake, glowing reviews of their products. So should you trust consumer information on the Web, and how much should you trust it?

Just like with print media, there are various blogs and sites on the web (like Consumer Reports and its sister site The Consumerist) that aren’t backed with advertisements so they not only give objective opinions on products, but also hear from their readers about positive and negative experiences with various companies. In that sense, you can get some valuable research material for future buys and the companies involved. Their past testing on products can also show you how safe certain products are. And, of course, there are always ways to read about consumer information from the sites of the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Protection Agency.

But what about people’s opinions and testimonials? There are certainly a lot of sites that gather reviews of products that will help you determine whether or not you’re making the right buys, but as with anything on the web, read carefully! You’ll hear everything about everything. Just like you would buy anything at a brick and mortar store, careful research is key to big buys on the Web.

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