Don’t trust people’s opinion on a product just because they own something

I see this happen over and over again.  Someone buys something new.  You are intrigued by it and ask them how they like it.  And then they boast about it and recommend you get it as well because it’s working for them.  But more often than not these people are just repping that product because they bought it, not because they researched everything from A to Z and made the best decision!

For example, someone may ask, “How do you like your bicycle? I’m thinking of getting one.”  And let’s say it’s a $3,000 bicycle in question.

  1. First of all, it’s very possible that this person has NOT owned many $3k bikes in their lifetime to be able to make a great judgment of comparison.  It takes weeks of experience with a bike to really get the feel for it after adjusting it to fit you perfectly.
  2. They’re very likely going to justify the money they’ve spent by magically forgetting the little gripes they have with the product for that moment by saying how much they LOVE the thing.  And the greater the cost, the greater their bias.  Feel me?

So while they probably do love their bike (or whatever we are talking about)… it doesn’t mean it’s right for you.  So ask for opinions, but take everything with a grain of salt, especially if they have nothing but good things to say about it.  Ask them what gripes you have with the product!  And most importantly, do your own research from top to bottom and keep asking around.