I posted this on the shopping board and only got 1 reply. Hoping I can get some more input here.

I'm going to be furnishing almost a complete house.

I will need a refrigerator, freezer, washing machine, dryer, vacuum cleaner plus just about everything else.

Is joining Consumer Reports worthwhile? Are their reviews pretty accurate and can they be relied on?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Also, if you have a brand which you are completely happy with or one that has given you a lot of problems I would love to hear about it.

TIA

Overall, I like Consumer Reports, but I don't use it as my only source of information. Some of the features they value highly, I don't care about that much. For instance, they'll downgrade a dishwasher if they think it's noisy. But, if it does a great job, I'll don't care too much if its noisy. Also, often by the time Consumer Reports goes to press the particular model numbers they tested are no longer available. So, you can get a sense of the makes they like, but you might not be able to find the model they recommend.

As for my experiences? Both a Jenn-Air fridge and a GE Profile oven we got came with manufacturer's defects. We lost a fridge full of food with the Jenn-Air and several days of repair people monkeying around with it before they replaced it with a new one. For the GE, the "certified" repair people kept bumbling around with it and getting nowhere. We finally called a non-certified guy and he fixed it in about 1/2 hour. So for each appliance, we lost a few days work. But I'm not bitter or anything.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

I quit my subscription and I'll tell you why. By the time the magazine comes out the items they had reviewed were obsolete. This is especially true for electronics. One Christmas I was very disappointed I had researched cameras painstakingly in the magazine. The issue had come out beginning of December. I went to Shutterbug and they were one, two, even three models ahead in some brands. I didn't buy a camera and I didn't renew my subscription. I find it easier,cheaper, and much more relevant to just google, use eopinions.com and other sites. Posting on this board is a great way to get opinions from a diverse group of people and is a great resource for honest opinions.

My vote is no it's not worth the price.

My experience: do NOT buy a refrigerator (or any appliance) from Sears. I bought a brand new Kenmore when we moved in here five years ago. It had a factory defect, quit working after two months, and it took me nine months of dealing with incompetent repair people (some of whom never showed up when I waited all day then lied and said they had come and nobody was home) before I could get a refund.

Your best bet is to find a local reputable appliance store. That way if something goes wrong you are dealing with a local company not a national conglomerate that transfers you from one department/person to the next.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

DH just bought an on-line subscription to research cars. He's all about it. I haven't spent enough time looking around yet to make a decision.

I can tell you that I would not buy a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Ours lasted a little over a year and would have cost close to $200 to repair. We had the purple pet model, and it didn't pick up pet hair any better than any other vacuum we've ever had.

Thank you all for your replies. I value your opinions. Yes, I agree that the opinions here are honest opinions and from a diverse group of people.

I'm open to all opinions.

I like reviews both from consumers and the magazine itself.

The magazine explores technicalities that people don't. Reviews and opinions are based more on facts and observations than human error coupled with whining.

Still, don't trust just one source. I love to go to Amazon for reviews on products. There's a lot of online stores now that have a "review" section, it's one of the first things I look for when searching for something I want to buy. Too many "people" reviews on items will be jaded because they might not like a brand, or because THEY did something wrong, didn't follow directions and an item didn't work or broke. Those reviews are peppered with bullspit, but once you learn to weed through it, you can get some good information.

Probably the best thing is get the subscription for a year - if you don't like it, don't renew.

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I urge you to go to your library and see what they have for Consumer Reports. I work at our local library. With a library card, you can access the Consumer Reports site for free going through our electronic resources. They also have paper issues of Consumer Reports, and the buying guide book that comes out yearly.

Also, through the electronic resources you can find a lot of blue book and car repair information. You can access Chilton's website for free.

I would be surprised if your library did not offer this sort of thing. Give them a call or stop in. Your library is the best deal around!

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Donna

I usually hit the library for Consumer reports. I use it as a starting point for major buys. But as mentioned, it's sometimes hard to find the exact item that they recommend. I don't always trust online reviews because many are paid for, and also it's usually only the "haters" that will bother to review. But that said, it is another place to give you ideas. I personally would like to see more about companies that manage to avoid taxes like GE and I'm planning, for anything purchased in the near future to boycott such companies.

We bought a Whirlpool refrigerator 19 years ago and it lasted just until the warranty was up, just over 5 years. I have a used washing machine that now must be 25 years old, a Maytag, and it runs like a champ. I have a used GE dryer that I also bought probably 20 or 25 years ago and it is now starting to give me problems. We built this house 19 years ago and the builder offered Whirlpool appliances and the dishwasher, oven, microwave, and cooktop are all still working fine. The dishwasher will go soon, I suspect. I'm not sure what brand I will buy to replace some of these when the time comes. So let us know what you find out and decide to buy and why. Right now I need a mattress and box springs and boy is that confusing. I know that I don't want a pillowtop, and I don't think I want foam. The pillowtops can't be flipped and the foam is supposed to be warm and I'm always too hot without the foam. But I have no ideas beyond what I don't want as to what I do want.

I used to be a vendor for Whirlpool, only about 3 years, so not long. They have excellent appliances, however, if you are looking to buy, I personally would stay with the more middle of the line price ranges. The fancier gadgets, bells, whistles have the electronic motherboards and more things that can go wrong with them, than the cheaper lines that are more basic. But that's just me! Like I would never own one of the fancy HE front loaders because of that reason, although I know people that swear by them. I like the washers and dryers that have knobs as opposed to the flat electronic push buttons. My daughter has one of the electronic flat push buttons (can't remember the brand) some of the buttons already don't work and the dryer is less than 3 years old.

As far as furniture, I only buy items made of real wood. I have mostly antique furniture, except my end tables and dining table and chairs are made by Ashley and have owned them about 17 years and they have held up well bought those new years ago.

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visit my homepage http://penny.mycoupons.com/

Thanks Penny that is a good lesson on appliances. I had never thought of those points.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.