Consumer product...

Consumer product review: Buyers of products and services write consumer product reviews. These reviews are based on the experience of the consumer, after using the product. Consumer product reviews are important because they help other consumers decide whether to buy a particular product or service. Reviews are usually requested by companies manufacturing the products, and can serve as very good marketing tactics. There are generally two types of product reviews: a stand-alone review, and a comparative review. A stand-alone review confines the comments to a single product, whereas a comparative review covers various products, and affords a selective choice to the consumer.

Consumer product rating: Consumer product ratings are generally accorded without product testing and analysis. It is often found that high ratings have been given based on an uncritical review, which is more akin to an advertisement, instead of an analytical assessment. Hence, these ratings should not be taken on face value. The real rating of a product can be gauged by asking friends and neighbors about their experience. Most of the consumer product ratings are given based on evaluations and opinion polls in which the participants do not represent a random sample of consumers, but are from a selective list, and the results, therefore, may not be reliable and should be treated accordingly.

The consumer product safety commission: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been formed in the United States of America, to safeguard the consumer from the risks that could result in serious injury or death. The jurisdiction of the commission covers more than fifteen thousand types of consumer products. It has been found that consumer product related incidents resulting in death, injury or property damage, costs the nation nearly seven billion dollars every year. The aim of the Consumer Product Safety Commission is to provide protection to the consumer as well as his o her family from hazardous technical and chemical consumer products. Many companies recall entire batches of their products on the discovery of safety issues.

Filing a report about a consumer product: The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has made provisions for consumers to file reports with respect to any injury or death by an unsafe consumer product. The consumers can use the online form available on the official consumer protection safety website. There are separate forms for reports to the commission by investigators, medical professionals and manufacturers. A list of consumer products and services with respect to the reports that are not entertained by the CPSC, as its powers are not applicable due to lack of jurisdiction, is also provided on the website.

Consumer product reviews and ratings are helpful in assisting the buyer to decide which product to buy. However, they may not always be free from bias. The consumer should be careful in accepting the ratings given to the products in such reviews. The official agency for the safety of consumers from serious injury or death from consumer products is the CPSC. A report to the CPSC can be submitted online on its official website.