Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

According to the experts who research and follow such matters, 80 percent of on-line buyers read on-line user reviews.  The Federal Trade Commission [FTC] will issue new guidelines for on-line posters/reviewers.  FTC warns that many of the user reviews are company employees and paid advertisers who post as personal users.  Always positive reviews, of course.  Surprise surprise!  Paid users and persons with a vested interest [read employees] will have to disclose their relationship with the company and its products.  Fines for infractions can be hefty.  As much as $300,000 and more for first time offenders.  Ouch! 

FTC advises that shoppers and buyers use more than on-line reviews to research the products [read industry experts]. 

Carmine D.

Apparently, we are a gentler and kinder group of critics especially our neighbors across the pond.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125470172872063071.html

Enjoy, but ..........................

this article may explain in part th reasons:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125475547130664753.html

Both appeared on the front page of the WSJ on consecutive days.  I'm not a proponent of fed regs and rules to monitor and set human ethical behavior.  In part because we can always figure out ways to get around the rules and regs if we really have that in mind.  Such is the case here with the FTC.  You can probably come up with a few ways for people to be recipients of gifts and bennies thru third party friends and family who legally don't have to disclose the facts. 

Carmine D.