GSM Cell Phones Shaking Up the Industry
Friday, June 17th, 2011Buying GSM cell phones online is one of the most popular daily activities of surfers around the world, according to industry analysts who track such data. It’s amazing what this little thing called the internet – of which the WWW comprises one of the most important parts, no matter that colloquially the two terms are treated as synonyms – is generally used for on a daily basis. Though initially devised to further academic endeavors (well, in truth the very first intention was for a means of communications that would survive a nuclear strike), one of its most popular uses everyday is to conduct business over great distances – namely, sales.
A range of GSM cell phones can thus be purchased easily, quickly. Consumers now can quickly access any amount of information to help them with their purchases. The reviews of fellow consumers really help empower shoppers like almost nothing else. These reviews are necessary since marketers can even manage to fool Google every so often. This means that a lot of what purport to be reviews of GSM cell phones (or anything else, really) are just plants – planted reviews, planted material, stuff that’s been planted to mislead at best and totally misinform more often than not! Yes, it’s a never-ending game of cat and mouse between consumers who are looking for honest reviews and the online marketers who keep trying to present the products they represent or the retailers they work for in the very best light possible, which in many cases is just an complete lie.
Even the most reputable consumer review sites are not immune to such manipulation. A commodity like cell phones is especially open to such ploys, given the sheer volume of business that involves it. Is there a way to defend oneself?
Indeed, many – many things. One of the best things to do is to contact the retailer. Yes, actually talk, over the phone. Do you notice the same person always picking up? Does anyone pick up at all? Is there even a telephone contact listed on their site? An address? A real one, or just one of those mail-forwarding places?
For all the plants, however, the most reputable consumer review sites are trustworthy and should be consulted. That’s because scammers and bad businesses don’t have the money it takes to sustain a first-class reputation management (that is, disinformation) campaign – they’d rather steal what they can shafting the unlucky passer-by! So reviews sites are still important; just make sure that those are reputable, too!