Consumer Guide The Consumer Guide is a resource that helps consumers make informed buying decisions. A team of editors review thousands of products and every new car each year. They provide information that includes pricing, features and specifications and provide feature-by-feature comparisons to make the choices easier. Once the consumer has chosen a specific product, Consumer Guide provides nationwide price comparisons and retailer listings to find the best place to purchase the item. They also provide, for after the purchase, updated information on product recalls.

In evaluating vehicles, Consumer Guide drives them each as the typical owner would for use in shopping, commuting, long trips and stop and go traffic. They avoid using racetrack performance to evaluate vehicles in meeting everyday needs. They also keep detailed records of the real world fuel economy and test each vehicle with at least four drivers. Each driver fills out an evaluation form, commenting on specific areas of performance or comfort, and note the type of driving they did and the fuel mileage they got. Their used car reports are drawn from their first-hand experience with the vehicles through the years and from federal safety recall records. The editor then writes the final report using the evaluations, as well as his own experience, to prepare the final evaluation.

In evaluating consumer products, Consumer Guide places them in three major groups: Home & Family, Electronics and Home Office. The products are rated by criteria that includes effectiveness, reliability, durability, ease of use and value. The products are then assigned one of three ratings: Best Buy, Recommended or Budget Buy. Best Buy is considered by their experts to be the highest quality product available at a reasonable price. Recommended is given to products that are good but have not measured up to the Best Buy standard. They may have a high price tag, limited appeal or new on the market, so they could not test their performance or durability. Finally, Budget Buy is considered well constructed with good performance but may have fewer standard features than other models, and they are available at a lower price.

(Bowker Author Biography)