Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Venson

I will say it again, CR should only be used as a way to compare some vacuum cleaner’s features.  For countless years, I have found evaluations inaccurate.  These have been mentioned in past years, like saying one machine made by a manufacturer “feels heavier” than the same machine under a different brand name.  I have read comments from others, who could not understand why their vacuum scored low.  I have also heard the same thing when people post comments on CR’s website.  There are inaccuracies.

 Severus,  it is fine if you think CR is good reading.  I think it is quite funny reading sometimes myself.  I read it, but I do not read it for the same reasons you might.  I need to know what they are printing in regards to vacuum cleaners, so that I can comment when someone says a particular machine was highly rated.  Or, if a vacuum cleaner did badly in the ratings.   Vacuum enthusiasts wait in anticipation of the vacuum issue.  I noticed that you were the first to post a thread on its arrival.

A vacuum salesman/repairman should not be using CR for their business.  What I mean by that is that they should not be following what CR recommends, to promote their business.  Look at it this way, hypothetically, CR evaluates vacuum cleaners and the top choice is Aerus.  You, the Aerus salesman tell your customers,  “Look, CR even promotes the Aerus machine as the number one choice.  They know what they are talking about.  What a great magazine.”  A year goes by and CR does not give a favorable evaluation of the same Aerus.  The salesman then says CR magazine is a worthless piece of junk.  The same customers have heard the salesman after both CR issues.  What is the customer to believe?  The customer is going to think the salesman does not know much about vacuum cleaners, or his product, if he has to rely on CR to sell or back up his product.  A good vac salesman will be able to use his knowledge to sell.

If a salesman is selling a product, he should tell someone about the product and not that CR rates it “number two” or “thirty”.  The only time that I have ever used CR’s scores is to use it against someone.  It happened on one of the vacuum forums, when a person said they follow CR religiously.  That person put down one product and exalted another.  I showed that person the one that was put down was rated higher than her praised one.

Carmine, only using a few samples limits choices when shopping for a vacuum cleaner. We are talking vacuum cleaners in the U.S. and not the world.  CR is a U.S. publication.  What is worse, Good Housekeeping usually has a smaller selection.  For the longest times, people did not know what a Riccar or Simplicity was.  I highly promoted these two brands, because they were durable, good quality, good performing machines.  Yet CR did not always test these brands until more and more people heard about them. 

Carmine, not everyone knows that “experts in the field are the final and best source of advice”.  That is why they turn to CR and shop at big box stores. BTW, not everyone is an expert.  That is why people should visit a few places and not just one.

Does anyone know if or when Consumer Reports stopped "policing" use of its recommendations by sellers or vending entities to push. product?  They usually took such vendors to task or court over it.  In past CR highly frowned upon the practice and still does unless policy has been changed. 

I had a friend who worked for CR at some point in time and she informed me that the organization took all it set its hands to quite seriously.  Use of CR ratings by vendors to garner sales is an issue kindred to the re-use of disposable vacuum bags.  People are told not to do it but go ahead and do it anyway.

Venson

CR has not changed.  CR, owned by the nonprofit Cinsumers Union, forbids companies from citing its respected awards in their ads.   CR's annual auto issue [April 2010] recommended slightly more than one out of every four GM models the magazine evaluated.  David Champion, CR's director of auto testing, says it buys the vehicles it tests from dealers.  "We do not want to be beholden to the manufacturers in any way," he said.  " We don't want to be seen as selling our names to manufacturers."

Contrast this with Consumers Digest which sells its awards usage to makers to advertize.  Consumers Digest chose 15 GM cars and trucks for its 2010 "Best Buy" awards.  Then GM paid the magazine fees for the right to mention those awards in its ads.   CD says its typically asks $35,000 for the first award and $25,000 for each subsequent award.  CD has a different business model than CR.  Fees for its awards are one of its main sources of revenue.  Its magazine has no subscribers, runs no ads and is only available in certain bookstores and retail shops.   

Carmine D.

Say what you want about it, that's why I like Consumer Reports.  Were it a publication funded by the manufacturers of product it reviews I'd be highly skeptical about making use of it.  As CR strives to keep itself set apart from that kind of nonsense, I never need to always agree with its recommendations but have still found it a good tool for shopping as I find most of its advice relatively sound.

Best,

Venson