Consumer Reports vs Pissed Consumer Part 1
Today I’ll be starting a series of articles comparing how a new website called PissedConsumer.com created by and for consumers’ stacks up against the industry veteran Consumer Reports. Will the newcomer be able to triumph over the giant? To judge the websites, we’ll be looking over three key categories which include: Ease of Use/Organization, Relevant Information, and Community.
When you load up the websites side by the side, the differences are quite startling. It’s immediately apparent that Consumer Reports has a slicker and more professional appearance. The website features a simple but clean interface utilizing grey, white, blue, and a light touch of red. There are many links, pictures, and a scrolling window with top stories framing the page. Pissed Consumer also utilizes a simple interface with a generous red and white tone. However, their websites does not have the same professional feel to it as Consumer Reports. This is partially due to the various advertisements all over their webpage (supplied by Google.) Additionally, while there are many links, there are no pictures and the font used is not completely uniform making reading a little difficult on the eye. The site does contain two particularly useful sections. One is a recently discussed bar that shows you the reviews or complaints with the newest comments to them. The other is a “hot topics” section with one word hyperlinks to the subject. I only wished the font of the hot topics section was larger so it would be easier to distinguish the words.
I found Consumer Reports to be excellently organized with topics classified into broad topics which could then be narrowed to my specifications as needed. The front page was also kept up to date information that was relevant to the latest published issue of Consumer Reports Magazine. On the other hand, while Pissed Consumer was organized, it was to a much lesser degree. The main page contains the most recently posted complaints and reviews which can be a little confusing to a first time visitor. The right side does contain a basic list of categories but they are broad without an ability to make them more specific. Fortunately, both websites do feature a handy search option if you can’t find what you’re looking for on the main page. It’s also important to note that while at first glance Consumer Reports seems to have a larger range of product information, this is not true. Pissed Consumer covers every single category that Consumer Reports does, however its menu interface is not as intuitive, making it harder to find what you’re looking for.
Overall, while both websites cover the same range of topics, it seems that Consumer Reports is the site with better ease of use and organization. It allows the user to quickly and efficiently find the information that they are looking for. Pissed Consumer isn’t bad but its clunky interface and advertisements hold it back from greatness.