Re: Sunday Morning Idle Curiosity

 
Nope.  I can get a lot of stuff online through my local library, no
need to pay.


--
We are becoming a country that believes the rich have earned their money but the
well educated have not
earned their intellectual superiority.  This leads to a nation that idolizes
Kardashians.  
Joel Stein, TIME, 8/23/10

  Derald wrote


I dont. I do use some of the sites, and very very rarely pay to view a
particular article when they charge by article as well as subscription.

I dont find I save enough with my equivalent of Consumer Reports
to warrant the subscription.

And I dont pay for investment sites at all.

 Derald wrote


Yeah, same thing has happened with my equivalent.


Yeah, same thing thing is true with my equivalent.


Yeah, same thing thing is true with my equivalent.


Yeah, same thing thing is true with my equivalent.

But it doesnt save me as much as the subscription.

Just tried to decide on a new digital bathroom scale after the
previous one that I liked died and I couldnt find any good source
of another model of theirs to replace it with under warranty.

My equivalent doesnt have a current test of those and the
only thing they do have is a test of body fat scales thats
years out of date and even that is pretty useless because
they only test one model of each brand. About the only use
that test is if you assume that the accuracy and resolution
is likely to be similar across all their models and to basic
scales that dont bother with body fat etc.

OTOH someone I know who does have a subscription did
find the washing machine tests useful. I havent bought one
in 35 years and didnt bother to check on tests with the
large fridge I just replaced because the special price
that showed up at one of the local stores didnt give me
time to do any proper research on that because I had to
buy it on the spot to get the very attractive price.

I have just noticed that they do have a test large screen LED
TVs and am considering buying one of those, but since I will
be able to use that other person's subscription to check the
report on those, am unlikely to pay for a subscription.

I did find their test of GPSs useful. They did recommend the
one I had already decided I preferred, by getting a loan of
the two that people I know had, but it only confirmed the
choice I had already made, didnt make me change my choice.

I'm a bit unsual purchaser wise tho. I didnt even bother with a
test drive with the latest car I bought. Researched the models
online and shocked the dealer principal speachless when I told
him that I hadnt bothered with a test drive when I rang him with
the best price I could find in the state and made him match that.

Then blew his sox off when I told him how much the collision
insurance hadnt cost me just by using all the insurance company's
online web site quote systems to find the cheapest. $100 quite
literally, for the year's insurance.


OK, I dont need that, I've been doing it since I was in
school, and thats more than half a century ago now.


I do that for myself.


I do that sort of thing myself.


I dont bother with those, largely because they can drive the market themselves.


I dont.


Havent bothered with financial newspapers for decades either.

 

I subscribed to CR for decades. but the only time I can remember it
guiding a purchase was when I bought my Minolta SR-T-101.
1974.
  
I probably used it a few times to avoid buying a dog of a product.
That's what it was best at - pointing out the dogs.
I never used it for cars.  I have much better methods for me.
Like you, I read it mostly for general interest.
That back page, "Selling It" I think it's called, was always amusing.
And the articles were usually well-written.
About 10 years ago I didn't renew.

But the magazines have continued to be delivered, uninterrupted.
Some go in the trash unopened, others might get read be only while
I'm sitting on the toilet.  Once in a while my wife browses one.
The subscription renewals keep coming, but they get canned unopened.
I tried the on-line subscription once for the shortest period
available.  But after an initial read, never looked again, so that
expired.  They send the occasional "We Want You Back!" email.

Now with internet customer review sites available, that's what I use
for buying most products I care to look into before buying.
The Amazon star-based system is probably more accurate than CR
ever was.  No question on that for products that get many reviews.
Sears has pretty good appliance reviews.
The usual caveats apply to all on-line reviews.
Day/week/month bought reviews are ignored.
"It matches my decor so nicely!" reviews get tossed.
Takes some judgment to winnow out irrelevant/nonsense reviews.
One thing CR was probably better at was not being influenced by price.
I know from dealing with many people that there are some who will
*always* favorably review something they paid top price for.

--Vic

 Derald wrote


I do, particularly when they report a lot of failures in warranty.


It does on how long the product has lasted.


Not very often with consumer durables.


I do, particularly when there are only a couple of products to choose from.