Comments on: How Online Research Can Pay Off Big Time

By: Want More Time, Space, and Money? Try This — Frugal Mama

Want More Time, Space, and Money? Try This — Frugal Mama — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:33:51 +0000

[...] we needed a new printer, I researched product reviews and ratings first. “Buy it once,” says Rayna of The Suburban [...]

By: Finding Good Workers for Your House: My Rocky Road — Frugal Mama

Finding Good Workers for Your House: My Rocky Road — Frugal Mama — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:57:13 +0000

[...] subscription to Angie’s List. Thanks to her $35 gift, I have access to lots and lots of user ratings and reviews for everything from painters to roofers to car repairmen. Plus, exclusive discounts give me hope [...]

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:30:37 +0000

Frugal Mama: One of the suggestions I especially like is to consider ones local boutiques and family business to support despite possible higher prices.

A case in point for me is the family bookstore in Chillicothe. I buy a lot of books as librarian at the LightHouse Youth Center in Bainbridge which has no budget for books. Lately I have been taking advantage of great offers on line, but your thought changed my mind and I will continue to support the local store. They are offering me 10% off on books for the LH school library, so it was a plus to negoiate that. We both win.

Love your website…Beth

By: Ghi

Ghi — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:07:09 +0000

Unless it is a big purchase, I have to say I rarely research. Maybe not the best practice, but if need a new coffee grinder, where ever I might be next (Target, Sur La Table) I will buy one.

Though if I am online shopping (like today for Christmas gifts!) I will read the reviews and those can be quite helpful.

For instance my son wants a world globe (hush hush!) and a few on Amazon (yes, a site I too love) weren’t geographically precise ,which the description does not tell you, but the reviewer confirmed.

Thanks for the links to these research sites ~ I will start visiting them!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:37:15 +0000

Great resources, thanks Amy. I just used consumer search, and it is a great alternative to consumer reports since I don’t want to pay the membership for my rare inquiry. I always read reviews for products…but one thing I try to keep in mind is that they are often written by people with extreme experiences (super great, or totally aweful) and don’t always paint a clear picture…all the more reason why sites like Consumer Search are great. Thanks again!

By: Al

Al — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:13:26 +0000

I always read the most helpful positive and negative customer reviews on Amazon. It’s a great way to understand exactly what you’re getting into. Likewise, I always check Trip Advisor for hotel reviews. But you also need to keep in mind that some negative reviewers are crackpots who are never satisfied with anything. The best way to know is to see how angry the tone of the review is (angrier=crackpot) and see if there are any other negative reviews complaining about the same thing. Even if I buy the item somewhere else (online or in the store), I still check Amazon’s review of the item.

Excellent article, Amy!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:58:19 +0000

This is REALLY helpful to me. (I know, not surprising since I asked for it, but still.) I didn’t know about any of these reviewer sites and they look great. You’re so right that customer reviews are a great benefit to online shopping. For a while I wanted a Cuisinart grind&brew. Then I read a couple of customer reviews that said they were hard to clean. I knew that even if 2 out of 10,000 customers complained it was hard to clean, I would find it hard to clean!