Consumer Reports Reviews 112

Purchased one about cars. For 2020. First they provide now data only for 3 years. First 3 years every car is ok at least. For Toyota rav4 they predicted reliability as average even though everything was perfectly fine for past 3 years and we all know it is perfect for past 20 years. For some other makes like chevrolet and Hyundai they giving perfect predictions. Total bogus. Use own brain and comon sense.

They gave a number rating and then recommend every product in about top ten even if the first is 90 and last reccomendation is 70. They then tie to every product and get money if you buy. Sort of defeats the whole purpose of having it. If you check there rating against thousands who have bought the product then consumer reports is recommending products that are totally substandard. Cost me $4 to see all the above and cancel after one day. They couldnt make a full refund because I had it close to 20 hours that should tell you the rest of what you need to know.

I have been buying the magazine for many years I have now retired and decided to get a subscription I sent in my discounted magazine voucher and received my mag shortly their after with a bill doubled the price they said this was their mistake HA HA i also notice in March issue they accepted very large donations from private company like ford and Robert Wood Johnson large hospital Shame on you unhappy consumer

After letting my many years subscription to Consumer Reports magazine lapse some time ago, I recently reordered the magazine.
After receiving the first edition, I was sadly disappointed. In order to access the product testing, I had to access the web site and then could only view limited info, unless I would upgrade my subscription/membership. That was going to cost me as much as my subscription, again. I called Customer Service and clarified my understanding, then asked about cancelling the magazine subscription. I was informed that since ordering the magazines on Dec. 30 and cancelling on Jan 18(20 days), my “pro rated” refund would be roughly 54% of my subscription price. When questioned, the CSR informed me that they had already mailed out two more magazines. So, 3 magazines of 15 subscribed too(20%), costs 46% of the price paid. She said that the charge was $4 per magazine, for the three, with the refund of the remaining 12, at $1.17 each(my math). The “pro rating” certainly doesn’t track with my understanding of the term.
Unfortunately, the high regard that I previously held for this organization had now deteriorated to close to nothing. While I still feel the testing is valuable, their apparent bait and switch tactics in offering access to their results, infuriates me.
I will be letting my subscription expire, never considering future offers.

I've always liked Consumer Reports and find their reviews interesting. However, I have often found that their highly rated items don't end up being satisfactory, like a recent DVD player I purchased. I feel like I have a 50/50 shot at their highly rated products being really good. Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not. I do believe CR Is trying to do the right thing, and I do support their efforts, though.

I've paid for this subscription every year for decades, because I know what thorough testing they put products through, how good they are about providing warnings about products (which nobody else provides so quickly and reliably), and how intelligently they decide which standards to measure things by (safety, price, reliability, etc.) They have been a watchdog for consumers long before sites like this came along (I welcome Trustpilot also but I wonder if they don't let some cranks' comments slip through).

Trustworthy site. Love their thorough meticulous product testing. You have to combine that with reviews from other sites to understand reliability of smaller items because they only test one product.

With many issues of the magazine I receive come encouragements to extend my membership of make a donation.

With my latest, can an alert "FINAL NOTICE."

Really? My membership doesn't expire until August 2019.

Tricking people into spending their money when they don't need to is a tactic I expect from businesses that can't be trusted.

Now that will include CR.

I guess that August issue really will be my last.

Their review site isn't that bad but not the best either.