Forum Friday: Top forums in recent weeks

Washing machines: This has been the most popular appliances forum recently, with the least-repair-prone front-loading washer and LG washer smell among the hottest discussions. These topics have emerged as our other top forums.

Vacuums: Vacuum aficionados have been posting in our best vacuums topic, while picks and pans of deep and steam cleaners have drawn numerous reviews.

Refrigerators: A newer French-door refrigerator discussion has sprung up to replace the old discussion on the same topic, along with a call for the quietest refrigerator.

Mattresses: The hottest non-appliance forum has many folks chatting about latex mattresses. And thanks to the member who posted the last word on how to buy a mattress.

Dishwashers: The I love my dishwasher discussion continues with passionate posts. Can top one member’s tale of her 24-year-old dishwasher?

Central heat/air conditioning: Cold weather and energy prices probably stoked discussions, like Which gas furnace should I buy?, which ranks as our most viewed discussion. We're looking forward to responses to a member's call for opinions on integrated heating and hot-water systems.

Ranges: These kitchen appliances have seen more activity as the holiday-cooking season kicked off and Consumer Reports published new ratings. The pros and cons of induction cooking is especially useful.

Small appliances: Coffeemakers dominate here. As detailed in a recent Forum Friday, numerous threads are percolating away in the wake of our latest review of coffeemakers.

Dryers: You’ll find numerous discussions of particular brands and some interesting exchanges on ventless condensation dryers and ways to prevent clothes and sheets from “balling.”

While it didn't crack the Top 10 in traffic, the energy saving in your home forum has had some wonderful insights to put more green in your holidays.

Comments

[Steve M]

I gave up on the idea that CR cares about this topic. I researched & bought my first opener new Genie 1/2 HP screw drive on Craigslist for under $100 and it is great! It seems that there are only a few brands out there and they all have safety features for little ones & warranties. Sears has too many models to choose from. Just go for one. someday CR will read our comments & be embarrassed. Careful with installation; it is not as easy as it seems.

[Jan]

I too looking for garage door opener for my Mom.

[Sal]

Do you provide rating on garage door openers? I am in the market for one and not sure what get.

[Matt]

Evidently no one at CR reads this, bc there are still no opener review a year and a half after this thread started
>:(

[MARJORIE MCCALLUM]

I am purchasing a new home and I need to get a Garage Door Opener but there is nothing in Comsumer Report to help me. Not so happy about this. I guess I have to look elsewhere.

[TB]

Ditto. My Genie garage door opener's motor casing cracked about 4 months after the 3 year warranty expired. The money cost & time cost of installing a new one is high. Someone please analyze garage door openers for reliability.

[seth]

Another reader very disappointed in no garage door opener information. The one we had died. One contractor told us it was because it wasn't strong enough; another said that wasn't the problem. Prices vary wildly. This is exactly the type of information I want...and is the type of information that can not be gotten elsewhere.

[John W. Kitchenman]

There seem to be many inqiries re: garage door openers. I also checked for any information regarding openers to help in my purchasing decision, and was unhappy to find no information on your web site. Do you pay any attention to inquiries for information.?

[Eddy]

I'm looking for info on garage door openers...why aren't they reviewed on ythe site? Seems like I'm far from the only one looking for this info...

[jim huss]

I am also looking for garage door ratings. I am going to replace a garage door opener that is 30 years old and mechanically sound, but has electrical problems that can not be resolved by friends and a garage door company (waste of $90). I will probably purchase a Craftsman as the brand has been reliable for many years. JH

[Whitman]

Add me to the list of disappointed subscribers.

[Savant]

Well this seems redundant BUT I have used CR for years and have found almost everything... But WHY haven't Garage Door Openers been tested? Seems like lots of people have them so the information would be very useful.

I have the same results on Pet Insurance yesterday and thought it was just a fluke....

[Don Lewis]

Need to replace a water heater. Was quite disappointed there had been no comparisons or recommendation. I even read on oneof the pages the water heater is ranked high home purchases.

[Terise]

Wow! Another consumer here looking for advice on buying a garage door opener. Add me to the growing list who will not be renewing their subscriptions.

[FDA]

LOL somebody says they need a listing for openers and some other guy - a total of three weeks later - lambasts CR for not having posted a review. lol

I'd like to see the metal roll up garage doors rated while they're at it.

[Steve]

yeah, I need to replace my garage door opener; also not getting any help from CR. Guess I'll try elsewhere.

[Lynne]

I really need a garage door opener NOW. I am very disappointed as I have depended on Consumer Reports for most of my buying for the past 20 years.

[Steven Grossman]

I would appreciate information on garage doors as well.

[Ross]

Add me to the list who are looking for garage door opener reviews.

[Patti Erving]

Add another one to the list of disappointed CR customers. I was really hoping to find something that would help choose what type was most recommended. Guess I'm out of luck here at CR.

[tom]

Searching for garage door opener reviews and all I get is this thread of complaints about how there are no garage door opener reviews. Add me to the complaint list.

[Mike]

I need to purchase a garage door opener also and it would be great to have CR reviews.

[pb]

Add my name to the list of dissapointed subscribers who want reviews on garage door openers. If CR can review vacuum cleaners, it can certainly review garage door openers. Bah!

[Ryan]

I agree. Need garage door reviews.

[Wilson]

Just joined and like the numerous posters before me looking for information regarding garage door openers. What a major disappointment that CR has chosen to ignore one of the major household items for the safer, easier to report on dishwashers, microwaves and ranges. I will be asking for a refund.

[LM]

I subscribed this morning solely to obtain ratings for overhead garage doors. Found absolutely nothing. What a disappointment!

[Manuel]

I agree, there should be space for garage door openers

[ScottTheConsumer]

I subscribed to ConsumerReports today specifically to get info on garage doors and a garage door openers. Very dissapointed to find out there is no info on either of these major purchase items. It is estimated that there are over 50 million electric garage door and garage door openers in the USA. I am shocked that consumer reports does not cover such widely used items!

[BAC]

My wife and I are also looking for info on garage door openers. I'm disappointed.

[Tom Milligan]

Ditto on the garage door info. Every six months I can see what the best TV, can opener, or refrigerator; but not garage door openers. Four years ago I hoped CR would help me but they failed me again. I ended up rolling the dice on a Lowe's brand WAYNE DALTON opener. The first remote died after 2 weeks, and the other one died a month ago. Door still opens from the hard wired switch- WHICH IS LOCATED INSIDE THE GARAGE- little help on rainy days trying to get into the house. BOTTOM LINE: DO NOT BUY WAYNE DAlTON BRAND GARAGE DOOR OPENERS. I wonder if CR has a better costumer service rating than Wayne Dalton. I will wait and see. My continued paid membership depends on it.

[piskodrocho]

I want to listen good music!

[TU]

Uh, I my garage door remote just died today and the system is so old, I can't by a replacement remote that works with the old system I got so I need a new opener right now. I came up here to see what CR had about them and I see by all the comments they have nothing. I can't sit and wait until CR decides to do a review. Of all things not to review? What are they thinking up there????

[Robert Lawrence]

I just signed up today for online consumers reports
mainly to research garage door openers and can't believe not one piece of info on it. Thousands of consumers use this item and your research is really lacking by not having updated info on this.

[Ken]

I just signed up for CR online yesterday and was excited about seeing their analysis on garage door openers. NOTHING?!!! Seems to be a hot topic, I hope someone at CR is monitoring and sees the value of a review.

[KDubs]

I would also like some info on garage door openers (which is, by the way, how I landed in this blog). I'm writing now, however, to express my amazement at the number of people who are stark raving mad at CR for not having EVERYTHING they want. These people are acting like little children who aren't getting their way. They forget that CR does a fantastic and thorough job testing and reviewing thousands of products, and they just become fixated on that "so and so" item that hasn't been tested yet.

There are several things that I would like CR to review that haven't been reviewed yet, but I do understand that CR operates with a finite budget and with a finite number of people. I'm sure they are working hard to thoroughly review as much as they can - and in this case, garage door openers just haven't hit the top of the list, not yet.

It is also worthy to mention that, for those of you who say you subscribed just for "so and so" item, you can see if CR has reviewed that item BEFORE you subscribe.

[Gary Hintz]

Evidently there is a considerable group of us who would like to know about garage door openers. Perhaps this warrants some attention.

[KFW]

WOW - I am looking for a garage door opener, so I ordered this service so I could do a comparison, not even giving it a thought that there would not be a comparison!!

Hello CR they have been around for how many years and used by (my guess) the majority of consumers and your subscribers; what's up with that?

[Luis]

I am very disappointed CR does not have a review on garage door openers. Is there an explanation as to why?

[Chris Warbington]

I can understand CR not having reviewed something initially, but what I find much more upsetting than the lack of a review on garage door openers (which is what I need also) is that 10 pages of comments from their subscribers over the last year detailing this desire has not generated a review. CR I am more disappointed in your lack of customer concern than your lack of equipment review. I will most likely be canceling my subscription!!!

[MikeJN]

Kind of amazing how many people are interested in Garage Door Openers. Mine went on the fritz yesterday. Since I need one NOW, any action CR takes on this will be too late to help me, but I'd bet this will continue to be a hot item of interest.

[David Wertheim]

I can't believe you do not have ratings on garage doors and garage door openers. Time you got working on them - but it will be too late for me.

[Ruben]

I couldn't count on CU for air conditioning units. Now I find that it doesn't do garage door openers either. Well, well, well....

[Pat]

Another disappointed subscriber looking for info on garage door openers. I am even more disappointed in CR for not responding to all the posts over many months requesting this information. I would think better of CR if a staff member even acknowledged that this is an issue.

[KCG]

My wife wants a garage door opener for her birthday (pretty romantic, huh?). Is consumer reports afraid of these devices? Have they never conducted a review? I tried searching and came up with nothing. I also don't see a reply to the multitude crying out for guidance on these practical tools. I assume that when a "moderator" reviews a comment for appropriateness, they may also consider making a statement, like "Garage door opener technology is evolving so rapidly that the new toll tag versions are coming this fall. That's right, put the tag on your vehicle and as you come up the drive you are scanned just like on toll roads and your garage opens without a push of the button. So we're waiting for that, and the retina scanners. Also, one of our testers drove up the driveway like he was on the tollroad, and blasted through the garage door before it had time to open, thus further delaying our tests. We appreciate your patience and keen interest, stay tuned". That would be better than silence. Now I'm on my own!

[robin van gessel]

hadn't expected such a barrage of requests for garage door opener ratings, but here we are in july and still looking. thanks to those of you who posted the other reviews. we are also leaning towards the chamberlain 3/4hp (double door) after our genie (which came with the house that was built 25 years ago) packed it in this summer.

[Tim]

Come on CR, do a garage door opener review, jeez.

[David]

Add yet another person who is going to have to re-think their subscription to your service over the lack of garage door opener reviews...very dissapointing.

[Keith]

Another customer looking for garage door advice. I came here looking a year ago, ended up buying the standard Craftsman Sears model, and had the gears grind out in less than a year. Service guys says it happens on those models all the time. No help from CR there.

Now I'm back again, needing to buy yet another Garage Door opener, and CR still has not addressed nor compared the options. Can you at least open up a forum so that your users can post their own experiences?

[Rick]

WHAT? You must be joking! I've been a subscriber for more than 25 years, and until now I haven't needed to buy a garage door opener. But I do now...today, and it's more than shocking to learn that Consumer Reports doesn't report on these openers. With the variety of types and a whole range of prices you'd think that there would be on-going recommendations. You could at the very least have an article on the types and the benefits of each. I guess I'll need to do some internet searching for information. Hope I can find some unbiased reporting. Bottom line... I'm going to remember this at renewal time...and in the meantime I’ll let everyone I know that Consumer Reports has absolutely no information on these, and based on the number of comments on this topic it appears that it is going to stay that way. CONSUMER REPORTS...YOU’RE DOING YOUR SUBSCRIBERS A BIG DISSERVICE ON THIS ONE!

[Steve]

I also came to look for garage door opener reviews. I need to replace a 25 year old Stanley.

[Darryl]

Add me to the list of people who would like garage door opener reviews, heading to Sears this weekend with zero info.

[John]

What more disappointing than the fact that 8 months of requests has not motivated CR to conduct a test of garage door openers is that CR or its moderator has not even had the courtesy to respond to these requests.

I expect better from the industry leader.

[ggates]

Really disappointed that garage door openers are not reviewed. I have two and both just went bad. Really don't want to repeat mistake I made in purchasing them. How about asking members what they would like to see reviewed?

[Kathy]

yep, also need a garage door opener.... also disappointed that there are no reviews...

[welchk]

My Sears opener quit yesterday. Has a short in it somewhere. Not going to by another Sears, 3rd one in 12 years.
Consumer Reports' 2002 coverage is outdated, and unavailable for Garage Door openers. Try www.consumersearch.com.

[mikez]

I had to purchase a new garage door opener. CR doesn't have any info on it, but here is mine. I bought a Chamberlain 1/2 HP Whisper Belt Drive. Time to install (including taking down old opener) was about 3 hours. Easy to understand instructions with good diagrams. It is a little expensive at $218 at Lowe's, but it is the last garage door opener I will hopefully have to purchase. It is unbelievably quite. The only noise I hear in the garage is the sound of hinges on the bi-fold door. We will see how it's life is, but I have not seen anything negative about Chamberlain's garage door openers on other rating websites. Hope this helps.

[Steve]

nothing on garage doors or openers, come on CR LETS GET WITH IT????????

[herman elkins]

GARAGE DOOR OPENER WENT OUT TODAY 7-31-09, I LOOKED HERE FIRST AND FOUND THE SAME - NO RATINGS.

WHY NO RESPONSE FROM CR?

[Jan M.]

I was seeking a garage door opener review, too. And now I am irritated for having wasted time reading page after page reading posts trying to find the CR response.

If the comments are moderated, why hasn't CR moderator posted some kind of note, like "It will be brought up at our monthly meeting" or "Our product testing schedule is full until 2012" or are we just wasting our time posting to this board?

What is the proper channel for 'voting' or requesting particular products to be tested?

Meh!

[Steph]

I got to CR for EVERYTHING that I buy! Now I need a new garage door opener and I feel LOST>>>>>

[P Steffen]

I too came looking for a review of garage door openers. Very very surprised they don't have them. Even more surprised that this thread has been requesting them for months and is up to 10 pages and still nothing.

[Andy]

Ditto re: disappointed that CR doesn't have review of garage door openers. However, according to one site I found, not a lot of reviews are out there. This site is pretty good though and I use it quite a bit as it aggregates reviews. If the moderator allows it, the website is called consumersearch.com and here's a link for garage door openers page: http://www.consumersearch.com/garage-door-openers

[Antonio]

I cannot believe CR does not test garage door openers. Add me to the list complaining.

[laurel gregory]

I have been a subscriber for many years and rely on being able to find information needed. I am stunned there is no information on overhead garage doors and openers. Please do something in this area.

[Dean]

I am dissapointed that CR does not test garage door openers.Just kept up my subscription and this one of the first things I wanted to check

[Michele H]

Came looking for garage door opener compairisons and reviews...sadly, they are not here.

[Susan]

Holy cow. 10 pages (probably 150 to 200 people??) of requests for a garage door opener review and no response from CR. This will be my first purchase of a garage door opener and I didn't want to end up with something noisy and useless. VERY DISAPPOINTED that CR hasn't reviewed these.

How many subscribers need to request in order for CR to respond? I'm a subscriber for at least 10 years. I only use CR about once a year, if that, but when I do, I rely almost 100% on what they recommend.

[Kathy]

An article is needed about Home Warranties -- are they ever worth it? When do people generally get the best service -- some of the reviews on the web suggest the best service is provided when you are about renew. Is it regional? Some of the warranty plans seem to be nothing more than scams -- I think Consumer Reports should be able to provide some valuable guidance to their readers. (So far, I have found one company that has really positive feedback from its customers, but they serve only Colorado.) Does that mean all other states should consider this a waste of money?

[Bennet Yee]

It appears there has been no response from Consumer Reports to more than 8 months of customer requests for reviews on garage door openers.

It would appear that Consumer Reports should do a Consumer Report on itself. While it is more of a service organization than one selling a product, I find this situation surprising and alarming. Perhaps it is time to vote with my wallet and not renew my membership the next time it expires.

[bfreiberg]

Also looking for a new garage door opener and a new garage door. Unhappy that I haven't found anything on your site for ratings.

[Marsha]

I came here looking for garage door openers review, too. However, re: the Liftmaster comment, we bought this house 3 years ago with a Liftmaster opener-- I think it is quite old, and still "going strong." It's just I'm looking at models for a different garage door.
Marsha

[Jamileh]

Another request for garage door openers. I am surprised there is no info on CR???????

[Joe]

looking for garage door report too!

[John]

Add me to the list of disappointed people that thought garage door openers would be an obvious topic for CR. Looks to me like there is a ground swell of demand out here.

[Whitaker_walt]

Add my name to the list disappointed with CR on the garage door & opener testing.

[Jim]

Thanks go out to the poster who submitted the external links. I plan to try the Chamberlain 3/4hp Chain Drive. For others researching, beware Genie's chain drive products. Their guide rail basically mounts into a plastic base. Mine began cracking within 6mos and is now completely inoperable in less than a year. Its not even worth pursuing the warranty since its clear it won't last.

Re/ This thread...
I see the comments go back 8 months without a staff reply. That's surprising considering CR's typical customer's profile. You know, us picky demanding types who gladly spend days researching products before we buy. Regardless, this thread has helped me come to the conclusion that I've made a 2nd poor purchase decision. I'll be remedying that just as soon as I finish this post by canceling my subscription. Its not just the lack of garage door opener reviews or unresponsiveness, but several other products whose reviews either are outdated, non-existent, or just not very thorough.

Its sad to see a strong brand dying.

[Colleen]

Add me to the list of many. Lots of models to choose from out there and very confusing. I've always relied on CR to help out in these situations.

[JFK]

I have a Stanley garage door opener (~10 years old). The safety sensor at the bottom of the door is dying, and often prevents the door from closing when there's no obstruction. Stanley no longer supports any garage door openers, so I either need to replace the sensors with something similar or replace the opener. I wanted advice from CR. Lowes and Home Depot offer Genie and Chamberlain, and there are others out there, but I have absolutely no information on reliability and availability of replacement accessories such as sensors.

We need a report on garage door openers. I've been looking on CR for about 8 months, but have seen nothing yet, and I don't know why.

[Kristi]

Hey CR, I am also in the market for a garage door opener AND a water heater!!! Can you please test these items OR post why you are unable to run tests on these?

[Laurel]

Yes, I am looking for info on garage door openers! Thanks for comments from other CR customers on personal experiences with their own openers. I, too, wish CR would do some research on openers. Thank You!

[Jerry]

My 38 yr old home had a Chamberlian garage door opener that replacement parts became unavailable. Replace it with a new Chamberlian about 4 yrs ago from COSTCO. Saw one there a couple of months ago. Need I say more!

[Nathan Johnson]

I'm a subscriber and I came here looking for a review of garage door openers. I'm very disappointed. By the way, I only found this page by using an advanced google search. The consumerreports search engine leave a LOT to be desired.