Consumer Reviews

[janet]

Have you ever purchased something and it was not the greatest? Did you ever buy a lemon of a car? Have you ever purchased a product or goods that were just fantastic? So what would you buy again or stay away from? I would love to hear about your reviews, it might just save everyone some money.

janet

[Shawn]

Funny you should ask, we have been out looking at DVD/VCR players today.

Items not happy with

DVD/VCR All-in-One Unit

Well we first purchased a Panisonie DVD/VCR unit and it taped horribly. So we returned that and bought a Go-Video. It is wondderful. We also got a Toshiba and that works just as good. Now we have a unit in the bedroom and one in the living room.


Refridgerators

We had a Maytag that I thought was wonderful until the inside of the unit started to get blisters. We called the company and received 3 different units until I finally gave up and kept the thrid (with blisters) and also received a $300 dollar return check for all the hassel. After 5 years we landed up betting the top of the line GE Profile. THis was also a larger fridge. I must say I love my fridge.


Universal Remotes

Now I am not saying RCA is not a good brand, but we did buy one today and it was defective. The #1 button does not work. We do have a Zenith Universal Remote and that works so well I will get another one. It was able to work with both ofout new DVD/VRC units.


Items I love

Smoothie Elite

I bought this when it first came out and I use it all the time. I love making my own smoothies and drinks. My favorite drink to make is my Mocha Mudslides. I would recomend this if you are into making drinks. This is also good for dressings and sauces.


All-in-one Units

We purchased the HP d145. This is a fax, scanner, copier and printer. It does 2-soded copies and is a continual feed. We would have gotten the model that is right under this but since we have the HP Digital Camera, and this unit has the camera cards it is so compatible. We also got a $100 merchandise card too so that was a plus.


NOTE: I just want to say we did not just purchase all these items. THese were acquired over a 18 month time period.


Lemons

My husband LOVES DOdge and has had a Dakota pickup for as long as I can remember. So in 1992 we went to buy a new one. THis particular year they changed the engine design. Well needless to say there were leaks in them. We went through Chrysler and Lemon Law and went through 3 trucks and finally settled with a car. 12 years later we went and bought a Chrysler 300M. Nice car but we got a Lemon. Fought it in court and all we got is some money refunded. Since the Germans took over Chrysler it is hard to get a Lemon Law case settled. One year after that my dh got his Dakota pickup and it is perfect. BTW, chrysler did finally fix all the problems we were having with the car and I enjoy it now.

My friend bought a Ford pickup and had nothing but bad luck, he landed up trading it in for a DOdge Dakota like ours.


That is all I can think of at the moment.

[janet]

Wow Shawn, great reviews on products...Now we have found only good luck with Ford vehicles..that is all we will buy now...We usually get over 150,000 miles on one..with minor repairs, brakes, exhaust, etc.

I have always had good luck with Panisonic items. I used to have a TV that worked forever even after it was dropped down a flight of stairs. lol

Now the only thing I can think of that I would never purchase again is a SouthernBell phone...it is hard to hear the other persons voice....and I have not found a cordless phone yet that I like.

Oh, I hate the clothes that Fashion Bug sells...they are okay till you wash them and then the seams twist and everything gets short and wide!

Who makes the Smoothie Elite? We love smoothies here especially with school starting soon.

janet

[blondie29697]

Hi:
We purchased a 1993 Plymouth Grand Voyager with 37,000 miles on it. We've put 160,000 on it with only a few major repairs. It is as comfortable as any Cadillac I've owned and I've had 4 of them. It is roomy, has a lot of glass for a short person like me to see out of. We've taken out the 3rd seat and put a 120 qt. cooler in there, great for shopping at the commissary and not having to worry about whether or not I have enough room in the cooler. It is good on gas and just a beautiful car.
Unfortunately, this model is no longer made, but I've seen ones like it, our year, for sale in the newspaper, one had 97,000 miles on it. I guess they thought it was about to die. I'd recommend this model to anyone looking for a great van.

[Shawn]

Don't get me wrong, even with the problems we have had with our car my dh still LOVE Dodges, Chryslers.. DOn't forget we bought the truck a year after the 300M and we knew there were problems LOL.


Panasonic - we used to love their stuff, We also had a TV for the LONGEST time and once it broke down (many years later), we tried another one anc eht picture was bad. Now we have a Toshiba and LOVING IT!.


The smoothie maker is made by Back to Basics

[rnputney]

The worst car I ever owned was an 83 Buick Le Sabre. Terrible vehicle, always broken. I bought it for $2000 and put twice that and more into it, trying to keep it running. My son, who sold used cars at the time, showed me a 96 Jeep Cherokee -- the plain boxy utilitarian model, not the Grand Cherokee. Love at first sight! It's by far the BEST vehicle I've ever owned. Totally reliable, easy to keep up, plenty of room for whatever or whoever I need to carry, and will take me wherever I want to go.

I agree with the review of portable phones -- I ended up going back to a regular wall phone with a L-o-o-o-ng cord. When I'm at my computer I use a headset arrangement I got at Best Buy for $10, sure saves my neck and shoulders (I'm a virtual assistant and do lots of phone work.)

The best washer I ever had was a Maytag -- ran great for over 30 years. While my kids were little and all at home we did at least 5 loads a day! When the transmission started leaking it couldn't be repaired so I got a large-capacity GE and it does a fine job. The modern bells and whistles are fun, too!

If anyone has an opinion on matresses and box springs, I'd sure like to hear it. I use a waterbed and love it but would like to be able to move the bed around when the furniture rearranging bug bites.

Love to all

Gramz

[blondie29697]

Hi Gramz:
I swear by the Spring Air Mattresses. They are a little more expensive then others, but so comfortable. My husband and I both have bad backs and we like them. I have them in our bedroom and the guest room too.

[Karil]

I suppose this is meant more for product names, but I just want to put a vote in for one of our favorite all time purchases: A hot tub.

We bought ours over seven years ago. We'd seen them at a home show, but they were pricey. The man there told us to stop by his place of business and he sold us one that had been damaged and fixed. It was much more in our price range and has never leaked.

Anyway, it is soooooooo wonderful. We put it right out side of our bedroom (converting a window to sliding glass doors) and fenced it. It is also accessable from the family room. We love to get into it right before bed. It's almost like the time you spend in there is worth time of sleep, plus you sleep better. It gives DH and I time to chat, communicate and check in (and whatever ) It's fun for family time. It's fun with company. On hot days we leave the temp off or down and cool off. It's fun in the snow. It warms you when you are frozen to the bone. Every now and then we will haul the TV and VCR out there and watch a movie.

So, we have never regretted this investment!

[rnputney]

Thanks for the Spring Air info, Blondie -- I'll keep my eyes peeled in case they have a sale.

Gramz

[janet]

Gramz, I love the Restonic Mattress and box spring. It has a bar in the middle to keep your mattress from sagging and to keep from both of you rolling to the middle. We have had ours for 10 years now and it still sleeps the same as it was purchased. I always try to flip the mattress to make sure it wears evenly...

Now I don't know if you will like a mattress after being in a waterbed. We used to have a king-size waterbed and I loved that too! Mine was a full motion mattress and I bought it in the 1980's for $189.00 I do miss sleeping on the warm waterbed..it was great for my back and muscles. I also like the fact that dust bunnies were never under my bed...less allergies. I would of purchased a water bed again but there was no place to buy one in the UP of Michigan.

janet