Readers defend, deride Consumer Reports

Users of our message boards had a lot to day about Consumer Report retracting a story about unsafe infant car seats Thursday.   To read the full discussion and add your own messages, click here.

Here is a sampling of edited posts:

Speeding
So the results are not wrong but the speed is. So what they are saying is that at highway speeds their claims are true. And the car seat manufacturers are up in arms because car seats are not meant for highway speeds . So why don't the car manufacturers put a note saying "These seats are meant as a way of spending money and might protect your child from a minor fender bender. For higher speeds we suggest you contact your priest."
— allblnd

Biased, unfair
Consumer Reports is the most biased, unfair unscientific resource out there.  Having worked in the auto industry and watched other reports, they do not have any scientific process, and most of their tests are subjective. In addition, their quality ratings from red to dark black circle have no scaling.  In that, it's subjective again.  I do not and never will trust Consumer Reports. This article and retraction are no surprise and there should be many, many more.  Those who rely on Consumer Reports are a misleading themselves and are true followers, not leaders.
— GTO Rocks

Terrified me
Yes!  This hurts Consumer Reports' credibility.  Especially with me.  I'm eight months pregnant with my first child, and need to purchase a car seat not only for our vehicle, but for my mother and mother-in-law who will both be watching our son after I go back to work. This report terrified me, especially since one of the car seats I have (got as a gift) is the one with the base and infant carrier that performed so poorly, which I was going to give to my mom to use (my car is too small for it)!  So now I'm really confused and don't know what's safe and what isn't.
— english_queen2001

Outsourcing a problem
They outsource studies. That is problematic to me, and should be to those who trust the magazine. Even if you assume that they are scientific in their studies, and unbiased in their reporting, and the jury is clearly still out on that, how can you assume that the outsourcing firms do the same? How can you tell which studies are outsourced, and which are not?
— evil_robots

Only a guide
Consumer Reports is only a guide. Only we consumers can decide how to use that guide. I think it is ridiculous to judge because we are gullible and seem incapable of making up our own minds. Consumer Reports is subject to errors just like anyone else.  I'm sure that every newspaper or magazine in the country have made mistakes, and had to print retractions at some point. Why should it be any different for Consumer Reports? Evening newscasts everywhere have made mistakes. Does that make them any more unreliable? How many times has 60 minutes made mistakes or some biography made mistakes? They are only as good as the people behind them. And people make mistakes, no matter how perfect you try to be.
— betterdayz

Valuable information
I am actually glad that Consumer Reports released the true speeds that their tests had.  It gives us parents the valuable information needed to buy a safe car seat.  I personally believe that having a test speed at 35 mph is flawed.  I am sure that most Americans travel at speeds higher than that with their children in their car every day.  I will be sure to purchase one of the car seats that passed at the 70 mph test with complete confidence in Consumer Reports. In fact, I think they should continue to test all seats at both a 35 mph and at 50 mph or higher to give us true everyday results on these products.
— seileen

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