Ever bought software, then found out it doesn't do what you wanted it to do? People get targeted every day with advertisement trying to convince them to purchase a particular product or service. But people who do not research before making the final purchase are more susceptible to disappointment and scam. In this article I will demonstrate some very basic resources from where to begin your research. This research should take no more than one relaxed weekend.

I am just going to give a typical example, but the same research applies to any product or service you are considering purchasing. This is how it begins. You get an email that basically says "Buy Mega Antivirus 2009. Rated 9/10. #1 Software Technology*..." Now say your antivirus is expiring or expired and you need to get the best antivirus of course.

The first resource is online reviews. This could quickly save you time if you find bad reviews. Just use your favorite search engine and type the name of your product and the word "reviews" at the end. Compare the reviews of five sites featuring your product. Some third-party websites that sell your product allow customers to post their reviews read these reviews but be critical. A review that says "I hate this software. It froze my computer" is not very useful. A review that includes the product's strengths and weaknesses means the product was given a fair try.

The next resource is forums. Here you will find discussions organized by topics. However most of the discussions are indexed by search engines, and therefore you might find a discussion on a forum that is related to the product you are interested in by searching for you product on your favorite search engine. Your query should look similar to "Mega Antivirus 2009 forum." Discussions provide you information like future updates (you don't want to buy a product and find out a newer version is being released next week), current issues, and competing products.

The last resource is people you know. Friends, family, co-workers, they will probably make you aware of things you might not have thought about. "I bought Ultra Antivirus 2009 because it has a game mode feature." Then you should ask yourself, "Do I need that feature? Does my product have that feature?" Again be critical of information the people you know provide you with.

I hope I have enlighten you, and that you will become a "critical customer," that is a customer who believes in nothing it hasn't proven (my definition).