Having done your research you should now have an idea about which models and manufacturers you may want to think about. Ideally you should have narrowed down your choices to three or four potential buys. The next step is to ask friends and relatives about new item you want to buy. You want a new washing machine? Ask those people you know about their new machine. Have they had any problems? Does it perform well etc? Does it exhibit any peculiarities? First hand knowledge is a powerful friend and to ignore it is to set yourself on a course to failure before you’ve even begun.

Having discussed it with friends and family, next step is to get back on net and search for those products. Any that have a bad or poor reputation will certainly show up on search engines but it depends on search terms you use. Try searching using make and model and adding word failure or problems.

If any of your chosen products appear to have a particularly bad reputation, discount them from your list. With what’s left on list it now comes down to simply deciding which gives best value for money. There’s an important distinction to draw between “cost” and “value for money”. If two similar items appear to have same features but one is 15% more expensive than other, it doesn’t mean that you should necessarily opt for cheaper one. Does more expensive one have a longer warranty or is delivery included in that price? If you can see a good reason why one is more expensive than other, you will have to consider whether additional features are worth cost.

If you follow guidelines I’ve set out above, you have a good chance of buying something new that will perform well and give good service over a reasonable period of time – good hunting!