To have a complete list of things that Consumer Reports hasn't ever ranked, go here: http://tinyurl.com/3ptdjb and for a list of things consumer reports hasn't ranked in over four years, go here http://tinyurl.com/4cm9xl . You will not find current rankings of insurance, furnaces, hearing aids, air conditioners, herbal supplements, radar detectors, internet broadband services, juicers, mattresses, tires, power blowers, power drills, golf equipment or many other very popular things in Consumer Reports. You'll be glad you scanned these lists when the next patron comes to you asking for a consumer report on coffemakers. Likewise, if you could form a company to independently rank and then objectively publish all the hot things on this list, you'd be selling them by the thousands...
To complicate matters, there are dot com's out to temp us with an easy git-'er-done style answer to your wannabe coffee making patron. There are good things about the epinions, amazon, tripadvisor, and viewpoints. But with their wiki-style review sites, anyone can play, and you seldom see rankings! It's also a safe bet that Black & Decker, Proctor & Gamble and Pepsico, all have employees to go on these wiki-based ratings sites and say their products are great, just like self-published authors will give a positive review their book on amazon.
Why Consumer Reports, which is run by Consumers' Union, is a halo-topped ranking list is they're nonprofit, they test the products themselves, don't accept advertising and are objective. Sometimes reviews come out of other magazines, and other times, there are state agencies and watchdog groups that do it. See my earlier post on Automobile insurance.
Jill
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