It happens all the time. I go to the supermarket, try out some new brands or food products, and they just rot in the fridge because they taste so bad no one wants a second bite. How wasteful.
I buy household items like electric fans and they conk out just a short time after the warranty expires. How convenient.
I buy insect spray and it can’t kill roaches unless I spray a roach continuously for ten seconds while my nose is already stinging from the kerosene-like smell.
Some brands work; others don’t.
The thing is we mothers spend a lot of money trying to find the brands that do work. And we can’t help it if we happen to waste a chunk of our budget because there are A LOT of substandard products in the market. We simply have no way of knowing which is good and which is bad until we have actually tried them.
This never ending process of selection can be a drain on the budget.
I want to do something about it. Not by lodging complaints with the Department of Trade and Industry which either moves too slow or turns a blind eye and a deaf ear when the complaint is against a company that is too well-connected.
I will use my blog and assert my rights and prerogatives as a consumer. Not just as an individual consumer but as a mother who buys big and small household items that my family uses every single day.
Every item we buy — from insect sprays to laundry detergent to bath soaps and shampoos and everything else in between — I will review. Does it work? Does it deliver what it promised to? Or was it a lemon? Was there misrepresentation and exaggeration in the product ads?
Perhaps, every mother who blogs should consider doing the same. We might be able to help one another in a big, big way.
that’s a good idea ms connie. one risk though, is that you also have to earn and keep the trust of readers. there might come times when what you say might not hold true for others who use the same product, or other such similar situations. some readers might doubt you as a product endorser too. and are you willing to promote a product that does you well without being paid for it?
hehe
oh, i lke this new project of yours. very interesting and helpful too. sige, i will participate too once you get started with it here. anyway, just want to greet you, your family and the rest of your readers a Happy Easter!
Bikoy, right, I should post three permanent notices:
1) Reviews do not constitute endorsements;
2) Assessments are based on my family’s experience and I make no claim that ours should serve as a universal standard; and
3) Products reviewed were bought by me or a member of my family as ordinary consumers and we do NOT accept sample products for review.
Am I willing to recommend a product I find good without getting paid for it? I’ve been doing it for years in Pinoy Food Talk.
Thanks, elit. It will be good if we can make honest assessments to serve as panabla sa mga celebrity endorsements. Kainis na eh.
butch should make his own reviews as well. He is the one buying all our groceries and inspects our inventory. hehe.
love the idea! like you, i’ve wasted so much money on junk. can i “copy, borrow, steal” the idea?;-)
LOL Noemi. Speedy ought to make his own too cause he buys half the stuff we use. hehehe
purplegirl, of course you may! that’s the fun part. everyone comparing notes.
Wow…count me in! Ako din gusto ko ganyan..ive wasted so much money na din on substandard products. Kse naman sa mga magazines..the products they sometimes feature, you know they are paid to give rave reviews on it kaya kakaduda. I love this idea of yours!
That would be great, Connie. You’ll be helping a lot of us! Let’s compare notes.
I don’t really like trying out new brands. Kung alin yung nakasanayan ko na, at tested, doon na ako. But of course, can’t help trying new products in the market. But what I do is – I don’t immediately buy. When I hear good reviews from others, that is the time I check out those new products.
Dapat nga, may loyalty award ako sa mga sumusunod: Del Monte ketchup or nothing… Modess sanitary pads or nothing… (well, depends on the situation though, when there’s no other choice and I’m in a remote place..no can do.. heheh..)…Silver Swan soy sauce, Purefoods hotdogs, Royal spaghetti, Joy Bathroom tissues, Purefoods chunky corned beef…Naku, tama na, adverts na ito! Baka pagmultahin ako ni Sassy! LOL!
O, Nadia, start blogging na.
Toni, yah I think it’s the comparison part that will really be informative. At least totoong users tayo and NOT product endorsers. That should say a lot about credibility.
Rhoroda, nabanggit mo yang Modess hehehe. Ako rin dapat may loyalty award na dyan. And now there are three of us in the family using Modess.
i think i know that insect spray
that brand i didnt buy since i realized it doesnt work, but i still see it on the racks.
Another great idea. Here’s just a thought: To prevent the endorsing part, why not just blog about the items that don’t work. Maybe, just maybe, the producers will give their products a “back-to-the-drawing-board” rating and give it a notch?
lady cess, LOL actually there are at least two brands that don’t work but are still on the racks.
tito rolly, okay lang naman ako to make personal recommendations so long as it is clear that i did not get paid — in cash or in kind — to make the recommendation but, rather, that i bought the goods in the course of my usual shopping routine. good products and services deserve positive feedback din naman, di ba? it’s encouraging for the manufacturers and some sort of non-monetary incentive. parang… nakakataba ng puso, ganun.
Ate Connie,
First of, I want to thank you for the link-up(Mommy Talks). I haven’t blogged for 2 weeks and I was so pleasantly surprised by the stats from your link during my absense.
I started my blog(mygoodfinds) to make my reviews about products and services. It is so tiring to complain to deaf ears at the same time I would like to promote products and services that I had good experience with. I believe if consumers unite we can put pressure on the suppliers to give us the quality that we deserve.
That’s great, KK! Let’s do it!
maybe someone can put up a website for this purpose? it will really save moms a lot of time and money.
Like Rhoda, I also use most of the items she uses. I am very wary of new products so I stick to those that I have been using and just change when I notice changes. That’s why going to the grocery is not a tedious task for me because I already know what to get. I’m not one to think about what brand to get for (ketchup) just because there are several brands displayed on a shelf.