consumer complaints, consumer electronicsBefore you buy an expensive appliance, it's a good idea to check the Internet to see what sorts of consumer complaints are being written about the the appliance you want to buy. I was looking for a new refrigerator, and saw one this weekend at my warehouse shopping club, so I came home and looked it up online to see if and what kinds of complaints have been made about the refrigerator. I got an eyeful-not for the appliance I want-but for others that I had been looking at. Spending a lot of money on an appliance doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be dependable. There were consumer complaints about brand new appliances catching on fire, and the company treating the victims in a cavalier manner. When buying something big, read reviews about their customer service, too. Some of the stories I read about consumer electronics made me shudder. One person sent back a malfunctioning copy machine, and the company said they would replace it. Months later, they still had not received the replacement because, according to the customer service rep, they didn't have that particular model in stock yet. So read those consumer complaints online, and make your decision as to what brand to buy and what product, based on an educated decision.