Hey Oppo: Do you read online product reviews?

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 09/07/2016 at 17:33 • Filed to: None

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As part of our looming kitchen remodel, we are looking to replace all the appliances in the kitchen. I can find a range and a microwave and a dishwasher, but I’m losing my mind over the refrigerator. Based on the kitchen design, we need to have a counter-depth (24" deep box) fridge that is 36" wide. I don’t want side-by-side, so I’m stuck with French doors. A water/ice dispenser would be nice, but not required. I’d rather have an ice maker in the freezer that makes more ice. I think Mrs. Ttyymmnn and I have looked at just about every single refrigerator that fits these criteria.

But—should I bother with reviews? Even the highest-rated fridges on Consumer Reports have a slew of negative reviews, mostly for parts that fail weeks or months after purchase. But I also know that the majority of people who bother to write a review only do so because they have an axe to grind, and that for every bad review there are probably hundreds of satisfied customers. This is really driving me nuts, and we have to decide by this weekend to take advantage of the Labor Day sales.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:38

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Crazy...my parents just did the exact same thing. They wanted counter depth and ended up going with one of the Samsung models from HD. Around $2,000 on Labor Day sale. Their big comment to me “Don’t waste too much time with product research, everyone hates appliances.” And I tend to agree — appliance reviews are skewed negative because people get so mad when anything breaks or fails, they tell everyone who will listen (and many who won’t). Personally, CR has let me down and been outright wrong so many times, I don’t even refer to them anymore for big-ticket stuff. To me, the ergonomics and layout of the fridge are far superior to whether it cools 3% quicker or uses 1.7% less energy than the top-rated model. Buy what you want, buy what you need, and if you’re totally sketched out, get a Squaretrade warranty or something.

SVTyler > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:39

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I’ve heard the best thing to do is to read through the 4- and 3-star reviews because those are the ones going into detail about the pros and cons of whatever it is you’re buying instead of just like blind hate/praise for it.

ttyymmnn > Ash78, voting early and often 09/07/2016 at 17:40

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Ah, the voice of reason. That’s about where I am. I think I should be shopping extended warranties and service contracts instead of refrigerators. As it is, we’re keeping our old refrigerator and putting it in the garage, so even if the CD fridge lacks space, I can still put stuff out there when we have parties. Like that ever happens....

smobgirl > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:40

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I find legit negative reviews to be the most helpful. Sorting through the 10 million people who bought swamp coolers in humid climates was the worst part about researching what ones to get, but the rare ones that documented actual product flaws were quite helpful.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:40

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My only advice is to find out who owns/builds what brands and go from there. Seems like there are only a few actual manufacturers and all the other”Brands” are just ways to fit budget constraints of various markets.

TheHondaBro > Ash78, voting early and often 09/07/2016 at 17:41

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Except Maytag. Stay the fuck away from Maytag.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:41

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I did for buying my last two phones, and got the nice but ultimately defective-camera-having HTC One M7, followed by the genuinely horrendous One M8.

I don’t anymore.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:42

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Ahh, the old "We love to entertain!" comment that 95% of people make, but only 5% of people actually do. That single aspirational statement keeps HGTV and all kitchen remodelers in business. :D

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:42

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Yes and no. Product reviews are skewed to either 1) I just bought this and it’s awesome! vs. 2) I bought this five years ago and it sucks that it broke / is not like my 1980s appliance / does something weird because energy savings.

But...if there's many reviews stating the product died quickly (<6 months), I'd put some weight behind that. I just bought a DW Sunday; they all suck and are all made by the same manufacturers so it was awful shopping around.

Ash78, voting early and often > TheHondaBro 09/07/2016 at 17:42

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Fridges, maybe. But you can have my 15-year-old Maytag washer and dryer when you pry them from my cold, dead, water-wasting hands!

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 09/07/2016 at 17:43

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Exactly. For all the brands out there, there are only like three manufacturers. It’s like Cadillac and Chevy. It’s all GM, but one’s got more bells and whistles. Did you know that there is a fridge with a built-in Kuerig machine? Why would I want an appliance that is meant to keep things cold that makes hot water??

Jcarr > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:44

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My rule of thumb is if the reviews for a product are overwhelmingly negative, that’s a red flag. Otherwise, they’re mostly irrelevant for the reasons you described. Pissed off people are motivated to voice their opinions on the internet, while satisfied people aren’t.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:44

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Yup, for us we just went with frigidaire, which is the budget brand of...kenmore I think? No worries. At the end of the day its just an insulated box with a compressor and compressors don’t go bad as often as they used to.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:45

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this may help

http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.…

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 09/07/2016 at 17:47

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Thanks. I actually googled that site the other day. There’s another page that explains how to use manufacturer model numbers (not store inventory numbers) to determine the manufacturer.

Roundbadge > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 17:51

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We bought a Kenmore early last spring. I couldn’t find any particularly negative reviews of my fridge that were more substantive than “I wanted it in Stainless Steel but they didn’t have one in stock” or “No water dispenser?”. I believe HhFp is correct in that Kenmore is made by Frigidaire.

FWIW, we actually replaced all of our major kitchen appliances this year, with the exception of the dishwasher. The microwave is GE, but the rest are Kenmore. So far, we’re quite happy.

Roundbadge > Ash78, voting early and often 09/07/2016 at 17:53

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Hey...those aspirational statements help pay my salary. :-)

Ash78, voting early and often > Roundbadge 09/07/2016 at 17:55

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I think about 80% of the US economy is based on false aspirations and appearances, including almost all truck, SUV, and crossover sales :D

Roundbadge > Ash78, voting early and often 09/07/2016 at 17:56

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I’m trying to star this harder, but I can’t.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:00

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The plural of anecdote is never “data”.

jariten1781 > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:03

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I use online reviews for trends. The random ass complaints don’t mean much but if every 3rd review is about the exact same part failing it’s a good data point if not necessarily a driver. They go in the data package along with everything else.

The good reviews don’t mean squat and a lot of brands have guerilla reviewers who spam stupid relatively easy to spot positive reviews. Stuff like: “I love my Samsung fridge. Its *COOL SWITCH TECHNOLOGY* really keeps things cold. I love the *MICRO PARTICAL* stainless steel doors, they almost never get dirty and when they do they're a snap to clean!! I bought one for my sister in law and she loves her's too!"

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:05

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I read through them and look for patterns. If a bunch of people have their ice maker crap the bed within 6 months for example, then I stay away.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:10

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So, I may as well add: I like Samsung. With what is essentially a micro-controller driving an electromechanical system via sensor feedback, I look to the modern technology companies. I don’t want the fridge made by the guys that invented the carbon filament. I want the one made by the guys investing in the next major breakthrough:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2013…

ttyymmnn > The Lurktastic Opponaught 09/07/2016 at 18:19

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My contractor warned against Samsung. He got a lemon.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:28

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There's failures in every population. Was he made whole by the company?

The Lurktastic Opponaught > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:30

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And no, I don’t work for them :-)

I'm just arguing from an academic perspective. It's an occupational hazard.

ttyymmnn > The Lurktastic Opponaught 09/07/2016 at 18:44

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I don’t know.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 18:53

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Neither do I.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn 09/07/2016 at 23:00

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I read online reviews for the entertainment value. My favorites are where they give something a horrible review, but when you read the review it is blatantly obvious that they have no idea how to properly use the product in question.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/08/2016 at 00:05

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I read a one-star review of a fridge tonight where the person complained about the shelves. You’d think they would have checked that out at the store.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ttyymmnn 09/08/2016 at 09:36

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Yes. Just keep in mind that those who had problems are far more likely to write a review then those who didn’t. Just make sure you actually read what they’re saying, there are always a good chunk who have no idea what they were doing.

Basically if it’s rated 1 star, forget it. If it’s over 3, it’s likely a solid product if enough satisfied customers responded to more than balance the negatives. 2-3 stars I’d look close at the price and what the reviews actually say, and do my own research elsewhere.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > HammerheadFistpunch 09/08/2016 at 09:41

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I’d argue they go bad more often than they used to, but they use less energy and don’t smell as funny in the process. We have/had several old fridges/freezers at our house (think 25-35 years old) and they just keep going. We replaced our main one, which was the oldest of the batch, about 6-7 years ago. This year we had to replace it again. And it’s a story that was told over and over when looking for the replacement.