Whom to Trust: Professional vs. Consumer Reviews

Our parents were right. You never really learn the value of a dollar until it’s your dollar being spent.

When you’re ready to make a new purchase on a television, PC, cellphone, or anything that might result in buyer’s remorse, make sure you aren’t wasting your money.

In today’s Internet age, unlimited information is available to you at the push of a button — and with it, the ability to make informed decisions like never before.

If you head to just about any site that covers tech, gaming, music, movies, or other subcategory of pop culture, you’re bound to find a review written by a professional who has painstakingly tested or looked critically at a particular product or offering.

Alternatively, there are usually a fair share of consumer reviews available for any product that is important enough to be reviewed by a professional, most of them appearing right on a retail site just below the product you’re investigating.

Professional writers are hired to write professional reviews, but does that mean the recommendations trump consumer reviews?  The short answer is — it depends.

A large number of reviews — professional and consumer — aren’t worth your time. It’s not always easy, but there are a few tricks to determining which are.

[lz_ndn video= 29504069]

On the professional side, there’s really only one important rule. Consider the source. For more established sites, you can usually trust the writer is being held to a higher standard and will give their honest, unbiased opinion, regardless of their personal bent. These sites have editorial boards that vet their writers’ work to ensure authenticity so they can earn their readers’ trust.

When a blogger, or less established site, promotes a “professional” critique, you’ll want to take a closer look. If the site tends to be overly positive or overly critical about every product reviewed, they probably have an ingrained bias and, in some cases, an ulterior motive. Without the pressure of accountability, websites without a clear mission or mandate may have allegiances to unknown agendas or entities.

A good review will explain the product in a way the audience understands, but will weight both positive and negative attributes from a more objective stance.

One of the best practices you can adopt is to think of a product or movie you’re familiar with, and then think of what it is you like and dislike about it. If you find a writer or a site that aligns with your own individual points, you are more likely to trust them. You wouldn’t ask someone who drives a Ford why Chevy is better, would you? Finding professionals with common interests and tastes can save you a lot of frustration.

Consumer reviews are a little harder to navigate and are far easier to dismiss. The irony is that consumer reviews can be your best source for information on any product. You don’t have to deal with extraneous information that a professional review might include, nor are consumer reviews written with audience entertainment in mind. In the end, they’re the most, matter-of-fact, practical reviews you can find.

The trouble is navigating them. One tip: Immediately disregard reviews that rate a product with the highest and lowest ratings. The best information usually comes from the reviews giving moderate scores because they tend to be written with both positive and negative considerations in mind. On a 5-star system, the 3-star rating is often the most valuable.

Nobody knows your individual tastes and needs better than you. There’s no fool-proof way to ensure product research pans out flawlessly. If, after reading professional reviews from trusted sources and seeing what other consumers have to say about a product, you’re still not sure whom to trust, remember this: The best bet is to trust your own gut.