Extremely unhelpful

Top researchers suggest we shouldn't trust online reviews. Dave is, like, soooo surprised

I was shaken to my very core this week to discover that we shouldn't necessarily put all our faith in online customer reviews.

Research published in the Economic Journal, and reported by The Guardian, concludes that, given the chance, internet users are liable to pen "extreme reviews".

Dr Kohei Kawamura, economics lecturer at Edinburgh University, reckons that, on sites like Amazon, the sheer volume of would-be reviewers makes web users more likely to espouse vehemently pro or anti opinions in a bid to make their voice heard. A more valuable gauge would come from giving reviewers a two-option question, such as "for or against?", according to Kawamura.

"Since they have no chance to exaggerate, the outcome is completely trustworthy," writes the venerable Doc

I've been known to make the odd ill-advised impulse purchase over the years, and I only wish I'd been able to benefit from the complex research methodologies of these brainboxes. I always assumed that, if there was any consumer advice I could trust, it was the poorly-spelled rantings of an internet nutjob (pictured).