Tech reviews nail the hype cycle, unboxing, specs, day-one excitement. Nobody tests what happens after that: refund friction, warranty runarounds, support that goes cold once they've got your money, bugs that sit unfixed for months. Scroll through App Store or Amazon reviews on almost any major product and you'll find the same complaints repeated for years with no response.
It should cut both ways too. When a company fixes bugs fast or customer support actually owns the problem, that deserves credit. Right now that effort is invisible because nobody's tracking it. Companies of all sizes are preying on this.
Consumer Reports built its reputation testing that gap. Tech reviewers get evaluation units and early access, a different experience than the average customer gets post-purchase.
Simple ask: Score post-purchase support too, response times, refund friction, bug fix turnaround. Full cycle beats hype cycle. ⊜