# I Pit Consumer Reports \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 24, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019 "2016-03-24T13:08:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/21 "2016-03-30T15:30:35Z")
I did this on my phone. If it was there I couldn’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/22 "2016-03-30T16:00:14Z")
And for that is CR pitted? I thought it was going to be more deserved, lately CR has been falling for anti-GMO woo woo and that is more harmful IMHO. They are willing to dump the trust that they gained in the past. > **[5 reasons how Consumer Reports rejects science on GMOs](https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/03/10/5-reasons-how-consumer-reports-rejects-science-on-gmos/)** > > Consumer Reports is escalating its opposition to GMO foods. Now, even responses to subscriber/customer inquiries are met with the a litany of scare claims hinting at possible health problems with GMOs. > [@](#): > > Consumers Union has also posted a video on YouTube promoting the discredited research by French Science Gilles-Éric Séralini, who had published a study that purported to show rats who got cancer for consuming GMOs. The study was eviscerated by mainstream scientists, reviewed and rejected by independent food safety authorities around the world, and subsequently retracted–yet it remains one of the talking points for Consumer Reports. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/23 "2016-04-05T21:50:08Z")
The latest issue of CR contains a two-page rant on the terrible things wrong with our food system. There is just one underlying cause for “severely obese children”, salmonella in beef, arsenic-laced apple juice and rice, manure from farms leaching into waterways etc. etc. etc. - it’s the dominance of Corporate Food. So if your kids are eating way too much and spending leisure time on video games instead of getting physical exercise, it’s not on you - Big Corporate is responsible. My state is wasting time passing laws to keep farmers from spreading manure on frozen fields so it runs off into lakes and streams. It’s Syngenta’s fault. Oh, and it’s raining glyphosate, the incredibly toxic herbicide we now have to cope with because of GMOs, instead of the fairy dust farmers used to sprinkle on their crops. The author of this piece is Eric Schlosser, the author of “Fast Food Nation” (who compared McDonald’s to the Nazis). CR really needs to get back to its core expertise, evaluating microwave ovens and telling us what ice cream was found the best by their expert tasters. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/24 "2016-04-06T13:50:02Z")
It took them a week to send thus utterly unresponsive reply: \*\*Dear Mr. XXXXXX, Thank you for taking the time to contact Consumer Reports®. I want to express how much we value your choice of our products and services to help you make informed purchasing decisions. Mr. XXXXXX (my name misspelled), we appreciate your taking the time to share your feedback on our website, specifically our Build and Buy service. Please know that from e-mails like yours, we get a great sense of how our readers think we are doing, as well as a first-hand feel of the type of information our readers want. Because of this I’d like you to know that I have forwarded your comments regarding TrueCar, Inc. to the appropriate staffers for their review and consideration. In addition, please know that if you have complaints about a specific dealership or the service, you can call TrueCar’s customer service at 1-877-924-2585. If your issue is still outstanding or for any future concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Care directly at 1-855-824-3506. A representative will be more than happy to assist you Monday - Friday 9:15am - 5:00pm EST. Corporate office mailing address is: …\*\* I’ve canceled my subscription. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/25 "2016-04-06T13:57:29Z")
For what it’s worth, January is generally the dead time for new car buying, with things steadily picking up moving into the year. So it’s not surprising that you got a better price then. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/26 "2016-04-06T14:02:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > For what it’s worth, January is generally the dead time for new car buying, with things steadily picking up moving into the year. So it’s not surprising that you got a better price then. Yeah, that’s why I was shopping at the time. I picked up my car the Dec 23. Merry Christmas to me! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/27 "2016-04-06T14:43:58Z")
Consumer Reports has seemed dodgy to me for years. It really took the cake, so to speak, when in 2015—the year that immediately followed a record (for automakers) criminal settlement where [Toyota was fined $1.2 billion](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/business/toyota-reaches-1-2-billion-settlement-in-criminal-inquiry.html?_r=0) for “hiding safety defects from the public,” in a “shameful” and “blatant disregard for the law”—Lexus (a Toyota brand) and Toyota were awarded the No. 1 and No. 2 brands of the year by Consumer Reports. Toyota has been forced to recall multiple waves of multi-millions of cars due to reliability problems over a dozen brands over the past decade. [FBI Assistant Director George Venizelos](http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-pay-12b-hiding-deadly-unintended-acceleration/story?id=22972214): “The disregard Toyota had for the safety of the public is outrageous …Not only did Toyota fail to recall cars with problem parts, they continued to manufacture new cars with the same parts they already knew were deadly. When media reports arose of Toyota hiding defects, they emphatically denied what they knew was true, assuring consumers that their cars were safe and reliable… More than speeding cars or a major fine, the ultimate tragedy has been the unwitting consumers who died behind the wheel of Toyota vehicles.” But did you ever see Toyota budge even slightly from its lofty position at the top of CR’s reports? No. Consumer advocacy, my buttocks. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/28 "2016-04-06T14:57:06Z")
The fine was for defects in 2009-10 model year vehicles. The ranking was for the 2015 model year. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/29 "2016-04-06T15:15:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The fine was for defects in 2009-10 model year vehicles. The ranking was for the 2015 model year. Toyota were levied the fine in 2014. The agreed upon changes were not fully implemented until later (some argue, still not). And, if you read the links, the problems persisted for a solid decade, popping up in the 2000s already. _Not once_ in all that time did CR move Toyota and Lexus from their top positions in their rankings: you especially did not see a significant drop in rankings at any time between 2010-present, as one might imagine would be warranted. Etc. “Toyota! No. 1 car manufacturer! Never mind the record $1.2 billion settlement for breaking the law and concealing reliability and safety records. No. 1!” CR is either totally incompetent, or on the payroll of Toyota. Either way, I wouldn’t trust them. Volkswagen takes it in the teeth (and rightly so.) Toyota walks. What gives? CR and its illusion of reliability and trustworthiness has something to do with this, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019/30 "2016-04-06T15:25:04Z")
Bottom line: whenever you think Consumer Reports _should_ have significantly lowered Toyota’s safety and reliability ratings, [due to persistent problems over multiple models and model years](https://www.toyotaelsettlement.com/Home/FAQ), and the eventual criminal investigation and $1.2 billion fine, **why didn’t they**? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-consumer-reports-edited-title/750019.md?page=1)