Page 37 - Book5E

CHAPTER 4
Making a Major Purchase
Information is even more important when you are making a major purchase. It will help you make a smart decision. Two kinds of information are available to you: “Hard” information—the facts, and “Soft” information—not fact. Weight, unit price, miles per gallon, and sodium content are examples of hard information. It is interpreted the same by everyone. Soft information may be judged differently by each person. It includes evaluations such as quality, taste, durability, and usefulness.
Information can be found in a number of places. One of the most unbiased sources of information is a private or independent product- testing agency. Product-testing agencies compare different products according to criteria they establish. Their results are published so you as a consumer can use this information to make your purchasing decisions. One well-known independent testing group is Consumers Union. You may already be familiar with the information Consumers Union publishes—Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports does not accept advertising and does not allow companies to advertise their Consumer Reports rankings in company advertisements. This helps you know that the information Consumers Union provides is not influenced by the manufacturers. They can give impartial information without losing money if manufacturers do not agree with their results.
Another source of information is Underwriter’s Laboratories, which establishes safety standards and tests products. They test appliances,
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