When Apple last overhauled the iPhone, our corporate cousins at Consumer Reports ruled that, in spite of all the device’s positives, they could not recommend it because of the so-called “death grip” issue, a fundamental design flaw that could lead to weakened signals or dropped calls if the user placed their hand over a certain spot on the edge of the phone. Now that the iPhone 4S has hit the market and the testers at CR have had the chance to put it through its paces, would the new phone fare better than its predecessor? [More]
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Credit Card Bumper Crop Boasts Low Teaser Rates, New Snags
By 11.4.11
After being such prudes for so long, credit card companies are raising their hemlines and lowering their standards. They’re actively deluging customers with credit card offers and using low teaser rates as a crooked finger. However, they’re also coming with new hidden baggage you need to watch out for, like cash back rewards that are high, but have to be opted in again every few months. [More]
Fish Fraud: 10 Of 10 Samples Of "Lemon Sole" Were Actually Something Else
By 10.28.11
Consumer Reports investigators bought 190 pieces of seafood from retailers and restaurants in the tri-state New York area and sent them out for DNA analysis. The results confirmed what other recent studies have shown: More than 20 percent of the fish bought were different species, incompletely labeled or mislabeled. For example: [More]
Consumerist Talks To Jeep's CEO About Being The Most Reliable U.S. Auto Brand — But Still Middle Of The Pack
By 10.26.11
Yesterday, our gearhead cousins at Consumer Reports released the results of their Annual Auto Reliability Survey, which had Jeep jumping up seven spots from the previous year to become the top-ranked domestic brand, though it was still #13 overall. Soon after this news came out, we got the chance to speak to Jeep CEO Michael Manley about this mixed blessing [More]
Ford Falters, Chrysler Climbs In Consumer Reports' Annual Reliability Survey
By 10.25.11
Our corporate kin at Consumer Reports have released their Annual Auto Survey. And after years of solid showings by Ford on the reliability study, a trio of new models have weighed the automaker down, while Chrysler manages to inch up the ladder. [More]
How To Protect Your Car From Halloween Tricks
By 10.20.11
If your biggest Halloween fear is waking up the next morning to discover that your car’s been egged into oblivion, our car-care cousins at Consumer Reports have a few ideas that may offer some protection. The most effective (and obvious): stash your car in the garage overnight if you can. [More]
Consumer Reports: Buy Your Electronics On The Internet
By 10.20.11
Our connected colleagues at Consumer Reports are out with their latest electronics shopping survey, and online stores ranked higher than brick-and-mortar shops in almost every respect. Winners include Amazon.com, Newegg.com, Crutchfield.com and BHPhotoVideo.com. [More]
Why You Should (Or Shouldn't) Buy The iPhone 4S
By 10.14.11
Our phone-testing friends at Consumer Reports have the new Apple iPhone 4S in house, and they’ll have their first hands-on review later today. In the meantime, they have some advice for anyone who is considering rushing out of the house to wait in line to buy the phone today or later this weekend: Do it. Or don’t. Depending on what kind of phone you currently have, and what features are important to you, now may be the time to get a new iPhone. Here are some things to consider: [More]
Penny Auction Sites: Bidder Beware
By 10.14.11
In the ads for penny auction sites like QuiBids, you hear of bidders who won cars, computers, TVs and other pricey items for just a few dollars. Curious about how these sites worked, our investigative in-laws at Consumer Reports recently scrutinized them and found that while the one winning bidder might get a good deal, you’re more likely to spend a bundle to end up with nothing. [More]
Which Companies' Policies Do You Love & Which Do You Loathe?
By 10.6.11
All commercial businesses are in it to make a dollar, but they go about it in so many different ways. Some retailers (and airlines, banks, hotels, food services, etc.) see the customer as a money sponge from which they can — and should — wring every cent through consumer-antagonizing fees and policies. And on the other end of the spectrum are companies that keep their customers happy and coming back with policies that favor the consumer. [More]
How Much Of P&G's Ariel Laundry Detergent Should You Really Use?
By 9.22.11
Here’s a quick quiz: If you use Procter & Gamble’s Ariel USA laundry detergent, should you use 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup or 1/5 cup of detergent for a medium-size load of laundry? [More]
Help Us Find Consumer Reports' Most Famous Test Subject
By 9.21.11
Back in 1938, Consumer Reports, publisher of Consumerist, snapped this famous photo of a little girl testing this device intended to give her a perm. Now, CR is looking to get in touch with the girl in the photo or her family. [More]
What New Fees Have You Seen Popping Up On Your Bank Statements?
By 9.7.11
As we’ve reported numerous times during the last year, many banks have been planning to fight new financial regulations and swipe fee reforms by tacking on a host of new fees for everything from getting a paper statement to talking to a human being at the bank to closing an account. Now our corporate cousins at Consumer Reports want to hear from you about which ones have been creeping their way into your bank statements. [More]
Consumer Reports Not Starstruck By Celebrity-Branded Foods
By 9.6.11
It seems like celebrities of all stripes will allow their names to be attached to any number of products, from Whitesnake wine to the bottled manly essence of Bruce Willis. And just like all retail goods, the quality of celeb-branded items can vary wildly. That’s why our test-lovin’ cousins at Consumer Reports recently decided to try out a slate of food products with star-powered names. [More]
Consumer Reports: Are New LED Lightbulbs As Good As The Inefficient Incandescents?
By 8.30.11
Our scientific sisters over at Consumer Reports have set out to answer the question that’s on everyone’s minds lately: Is an LED lightbulb really a viable replacement for the controversial-and-soon-to-be-phased-out inefficient incandescent?
CR says: [More]
Study: Chocolate Cuts Risk Of Heart Disease And Strokes
By 8.30.11
A new study seemingly paints chocolate as a wonder drug: It can apparently cut your risk of heart disease by 37%, reduce the risk of a stroke by 29% and drop your chance of developing diabetes by 31%. The catch? The study, out this week in the British Medical Journal, doesn’t involve randomized controlled trials. [More]
Flashback To 1985: Consumer Reports Reviews The Original Macintosh
By 8.25.11
Reflecting on Steve Jobs’ abrupt departure from the CEO position at Apple yesterday, our elder siblings at Consumer Reports reminisced about iconic products of the Jobs era. They reached back into the archives and found the January 1985 review of the original Macintosh: “Is this the computer you already know how to use?” asked the headline. Maybe. While the operating system then seemed like “a dazzling display of technical wizardry,” they deemed the Atari 800XL a better choice for writing long(ish) documents. [More]
Have You Ever Used A Penny Auction Site?
By 8.19.11
With their low-rent advertising and seemingly outlandish success stories of people buying vintage cars for only a few dollars, so-called penny auction sites like QuiBids.com and Swoopo seem too good to be true. News coverage on these sites appears to be divided — between labeling them retail crack and covering the latest bottom-dollar big buy — so we figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask the Consumerist hive mind to see if any of you have had first-hand experiences with penny auctions. [More]
