Just search for productname reviews.

You should easily find some reviews sites with customer reviews. And don’t just limit this to products. Look up reviews for renovation contractors and other businesses you’re thinking of doing business with.

Of course you can’t trust every review, but after you’ve browsed through a few sites, you might find a lot of complaints about a certain model of phone, etc. I did this before choosing a phone carrier (I’m glad I didn’t go with Koodo Mobile) and then when choosing a particular model.

While there are individuals and companies who will post fake reviews (good or bad), it’s still worth reading, especially across multiple reviews sites.

Facebook

You can also try asking your friends through Facebook. Simply inquire in your status message, and in less than 30 minutes you should have a few trustworthy opinions and suggestions. If you’re not on Facebook yet, get on it, you’ll love sifting through family gathering photos from long lost elementary school peers you never speak to.

The information is out there  so there’s no excuse for a bad purchase.