it's not very often that i'm buying from a company i'm unfamiliar with. my tendency when i'm buying a product is to establish one reliable supplier and only buy theirs.
when i am considering buying from a company i've no experience with, i tend to start by searching with blekko, ddg, and google, trying multiple terms and going 3-5 pages in (that's where you start seeing posts on webforums about people's various experiences...). i also do a check on a few "consumer guides" that i happen to be aware of, some of which i've linked here.
after doing that, i'll quickly check the company's website, but there usually isn't anything useful there (unless i'm just missing it). every company has the same stock bullshit on its website.
sometimes i'll ask in ##politics. /r/business and /r/greed are also possible.
when in doubt, i tend to be more skeptical of larger companies.
when i am considering buying from a company i've no experience with, i tend to start by searching with blekko, ddg, and google, trying multiple terms and going 3-5 pages in (that's where you start seeing posts on webforums about people's various experiences...). i also do a check on a few "consumer guides" that i happen to be aware of, some of which i've linked here.
after doing that, i'll quickly check the company's website, but there usually isn't anything useful there (unless i'm just missing it). every company has the same stock bullshit on its website.
sometimes i'll ask in ##politics. /r/business and /r/greed are also possible.
when in doubt, i tend to be more skeptical of larger companies.
