Request of new feature: a Consumer Reports forum

Could there be a forum created which would allow posts of praises, complaints, warnings, problems, recalls and deals, along with special discussion and extended feedback about miscellaneous ITEMS that may be incurred in the use/purchase of an item? (Other than the specific plant/gardening related ratings, praise & complaints as it currently exists in the Garden Watch Dog).

If there is an area within the site, that is similar to a Consumer Reports forum that has been overlooked - please give me direction or the applicable hyperlink.

Thank you
Sam

There's a forum called Garden Products where you can discuss things like that, and there's a thread here discussing a new feature that Dave's started working on which is a database for rating specific products
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/720304/

Thank you. I would not have found it.

What is referenced, is another database geared towards Garden Products. However, it too needs serious attention to expansion: such as additional fields for merchants, price (msrp), any applicable warranties, etc. The forum needs to be much more inclusive of Home, Farm, & Garden!

Besides an authors' rating using stars: there needs to be a field where warnings, problems, a vendor/merchants' method of handling a problem, recalls and deals, etc. may could be publicized.

In addition, additional fields for sub-divisions within the categories are definitely needed.

Additional fields for bird feeders and many other items: such as green houses (portable/stationary), green house parts & supplies (heat mats, thermometers, etc.), home & garden chemicals (insecticides, fungicides, etc.), tillers and tiller attachments (all types, along with several other garden implements and associated attachments), log splitters, roofing products, roofing repair, household tools & machinery. ie: hair clippers & trimmers (for pets also), sewing machines, scissors, vacuum cleaners (handheld, etc.), all types of water filter systems (related supplies & parts), irragation systems, laundry associated items & products, large appliances, and small appliances ..

Along with other yard tools and equipment (lawn mowers, trimmers, trimmer string types/sizes/strengths, etc.), and the variety of trimmer heads, etc.

Will categories that are needed for items such as live traps, fencing, gardening carts, etc. be added?

May prove somewhat difficult to compile and monitored & managed: but it would be superb to have a field that could be updated daily perhaps .. that could reveal any current (dates inserted & removed) of any applicable special prices offered/sales at a particular vendor, merchant store, or web site. This may could become a most valuable fringe benefit - particularly, for paying subscribers.

Wishful thinking..
Sam

Right now this is still in test mode, people are adding categories as they add items, if you put something in the database and there's not a category for it, you add it. So eventually as people add more things I'm sure there'll be all those categories you mention.

As far as warnings about bad performing products--people can enter comments on the item, that's where you would put any bad experiences. I think so far as people have been testing out the database they've mostly been adding their favorite products so you're probably seeing mostly positive comments, but I'm sure as time goes on people will also add ones that they didn't have a good experience with, or someone else will come along who had a bad experience with a product that's already in there and add their comments. Warnings about poor customer service from the place you bought it from belong in the Garden Watchdog not here though, this database is for the products themselves only. If the only way to get a product is direct from the manufacturer maybe comments along those lines would be appropriate, but in most cases you're buying it from someone who didn't make the product, so your comments about the place you bought it go in Garden Watchdog and your comments on the product itself go here.

Thank you ecrane3
Sam