Afternoon all,

My watch buying process is always the same. I see something, fall in love with it, imagine how it will look on wrist, pop it in a basket, then start reading the reviews/watch videos, before finally buying it.

Now most of the time the reviews leave me convinced I need to have whatever watch I'm looking at, but is there anything more disappointing than reviews that burst your bubble. Sucking the fun out of it and tainting the object of your desire.

Now granted I don't have to listen to them, or believe them all, but once I read about shoogly bracelets, mineral crystals scratching or time loss i cant stops seeing it. Meaning that if I buy it, it'll never last. Bloody reviews, hate and value the buggers.

The solution is simple. Miss out Step 5 and stop letting other people make your decisions for you.

And yes, there is something worse than a bad review: a badly written or presented review.

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:09 pm The solution is simple. Miss out Step 5 and stop letting other people make your decisions for you.

And yes, there is something worse than a bad review: a badly written or presented review.

That would work, but I suppose that I am looking for comfort that it's a sound or sensible purchase, and been doing it so long it's second nature now.

One solution is to buy ‘impulsively’ enough that you only remember to read the reviews once the watch is on your wrist and you’re loving it. Then confirmation bias is your friend - anything negative in the review will just be defeated effortlessly by your subconscious while you remember and magnify the good things they say. This is fiendish clever!

missF wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:29 pm One solution is to buy ‘impulsively’ enough that you only remember to read the reviews once the watch is on your wrist and you’re loving it. Then confirmation bias is your friend - anything negative in the review will just be defeated effortlessly by your subconscious while you remember and magnify the good things they say. This is fiendish clever!

Sounds like you employ this tactic

Yes indeed. But don’t believe a word I say about anything- what I’ve just said is a slick way of justifying in my own mind why I buy watches without any due diligence and without even reading a single review!

How much do you know about the people who write or present these reviews?

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:41 pm How much do you know about the people who write or present these reviews?

No more than any journalist or YouTuber I suppose, but past performance has suggested they know their subject matter, or at least enough for me to trust them.

missF wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 4:29 pm One solution is to buy ‘impulsively’ enough that you only remember to read the reviews once the watch is on your wrist and you’re loving it. Then confirmation bias is your friend - anything negative in the review will just be defeated effortlessly by your subconscious while you remember and magnify the good things they say. This is fiendish clever!

I took your advice

vokeyuk wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 5:19 pm I took your advice

Nice one

I think it's nice to find reviews that are generally supportive of a buying decision. A few poor reviews might give you pause to think more carefully about a decision to buy. Not necessarily dissuade you from buying, but certainly advise the process.

In the end the only reviewer that counts is you and whether you are enjoying the watch.
Our rational brain enjoys the good reviews, but this is not an entirely rational game we play, is it? The time can be found on our phones.

Although @missF found a more interesting way of expressing it

vokeyuk wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 3:55 pm …but is there anything more disappointing than reviews that burst your bubble. Sucking the fun out of it and tainting the object of your desire.

Now granted I don't have to listen to them, or believe them all, but once I read about shoogly bracelets, mineral crystals scratching or time loss i cant stops seeing it. Meaning that if I buy it, it'll never last. Bloody reviews, hate and value the buggers.

But isn’t that the whole point of seeking out reviews? I don’t seek out reviews to confirm and justify desires but to inform my purchase.

The challenge however, is finding reviews one can trust.

jkbarnes wrote: ↑Mon Jan 16, 2023 3:08 pm

vokeyuk wrote: ↑Sun Jan 15, 2023 3:55 pm …but is there anything more disappointing than reviews that burst your bubble. Sucking the fun out of it and tainting the object of your desire.

Now granted I don't have to listen to them, or believe them all, but once I read about shoogly bracelets, mineral crystals scratching or time loss i cant stops seeing it. Meaning that if I buy it, it'll never last. Bloody reviews, hate and value the buggers.

But isn’t that the whole point of seeking out reviews? I don’t seek out reviews to confirm and justify desires but to inform my purchase.

The challenge however, is finding reviews one can trust.

agreed, but when the ones you trust say things you don't want to hear, it tends to dissuade me from my purchase (which is both right and wrong i suppose).

vokeyuk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 16, 2023 3:33 pm …but when the ones you trust say things you don't want to hear, it tends to dissuade me from my purchase (which is both right and wrong i suppose).

The catch-22 of reading reviews! I deal with this by always waiting a reasonable amount of time before making any purchases. If I still want it in a month or so, then I’m not being swayed by good reviews or dissuaded (<— that’s a word, right?) by outlier bad reviews.