Can You Trust Online Reviews?

Can you trust online reviews? Only some of the time.

Anytime I buy something, I check the reviews. We know we can’t trust most things we read online, but can you trust online reviews? The answer is, as usual, sometimes. 

There are three types of reviews, with pros and cons for each. 

1)  Expert reviews

If one person is doing the reviews, you will see them on YouTube. They may review the best and worst products of a specific type, or they might review just one. Many of these are great, but some cannot be trusted. They may have deals with companies that supply them with free products to review and not let the reviewer post a negative review. If every reviewer did that, then all reviews everywhere would be positive. You know this happens when you buy a product that turns out to be awful, yet all the reviews are positive.

There are some great sites, in any case. My favorite reviewer for cameras is Ken Rockwell. I have followed the site for years and have not been led astray. He will tell you whether the features are worth it. He receives nothing from camera companies and says whatever he wants.

Other expert reviews are on websites devoted to the products. They can have similar problems with taking money from companies and may be unable to post negative reviews. Dpreview.com and Petapixel.com seem trustworthy. I have seen many negative reviews on their sites. 

Another problem is that some expert sites care more about one aspect of a product than you do. I care about whether the device or product works. Then I look at the price and see if it is worth it. I am thinking about changing my cell plan from Verizon. I want to know if my calls will go through if I switch to T-Mobile. I don’t need the reviewer to tell me T-Mobile is worth it. Tell me the price and whether T-Mobile is good, and I can figure it out. A high price for me might be a low one for you. It could save me 50%, but if it drops a third of my calls, forget it. Someone with less money than me might accept the call drops for the saved money.

Most camera websites will focus more on camera features that matter only to high-level photographers. 32 megapixels or 34. Eight stops of image stabilization or six. Fifteen shots in a second or 12. You may care about these details; I want a camera to take photos I can share and make 4×6 prints. My iPhone 14 is fine. The sites I mentioned above are good at knowing their audience for a given review, but some sites are not.

Another problem is that the reviewers only use the product briefly. I want to know if my iPhone case will still protect my phone in three months. Will it be completely worthless, then? This is a big problem with kitchen appliance reviews. My coffee maker may not list high on reviews, but it works after ten years.

2)  Amazon or independent store sites

Many reviews (good and bad) are fake on Amazon. As with expert reviews, the reviewer will have different priorities than I do. They may give a low review of a book because the print is small. I don’t care about that. A skillet review may be low because it is too heavy. Again, I don’t care. I may only care about the nonstick coating. Regardless of the problem with Amazon reviews, you can usually trust the consensus. I would not consider a two-star product if similar products are getting five-star reviews, and It is uncommon to get a piece of junk with a considerable percentage of five-star reviews.

Sites that sell their products directly cannot be trusted with their reviews. Some are likely on the level, but I have never seen a bad review on a travel company for any of their tours. Companies can too easily filter out bad reviews. If you can, find unpaid independent reviewers rather than trust the reviews on the store site that makes the product.

Another issue is when a reviewer on a site has an incentive to post a good review. I have had success on VRBO. I have yet to be wholly burned renting a house that had a five-star average. But the reviews may give only part of the picture. I want to be a five-star renter, so I am never refused a booking. I typically don’t review the homes that I don’t care for. I don’t want the owner of that place bad-mouthing me in their review of me. That said, if 200 renters rave about a rental house, you can bet it’s good.

3) Long-term reviews by ordinary people

This is the type of review I intend to write, and they are the best. The problem is that there aren’t that many. They are from individuals who have used a product for months or years. They will usually describe the good and bad of the product. I am using a mechanical keyboard that I bought almost a year ago. My review will have comments on its features, value, and durability. I will comment on the benefits and downsides for users like me and technology nuts. I don’t receive any money from the company, and no one can stop me from writing the truth. There are some reviews of this type, but they are harder to find. 

So, what should you do?

Read the reviews on more than one site. Don’t trust the reviews on the site of the company making the product. Don’t trust a reviewer whom the seller pays. Look at the average scores and read reviews to understand what the reviewer cares about. If the item is expensive, get some long-term reviews. If all else fails, find an expert you trust and ask them. In my case, if it’s computer-related, I ask my son and do what he says.