Read the Reviews

My brain in now totally fried. I've spent the last several days conducting research online for my significant other, and I am now more confused than ever. One of the many claims advocates make regarding online shopping is our ability to obtain very precise information as well as reviews covering any product or service we might wish to purchase. In the old RL (real life) days we would ask a neighbor, relative or perhaps someone we regarded as knowledgeable for their recommendations. Today we can ask that same question and get a fire hydrant stream of opinions, AI 'research', reviews by consumers, and more data than we could possibly consume. All of which contributes to paralysis of analysis.

It started out innocently. It was time to replace the tires on my SO's car, hopefully with something that would last a bit longer, might be somewhat quieter, and handle decently. Armed with this criteria I consulted Mr. Google which offered its opinion and gave me links to a number of online retailers where I could get more in depth information and pricing. Several hours later, I emerged from my digital stupor with half a dozen possible choices from three different manufacturers.

On the surface it should have been fairly simple to compare the options and reach a decision, but if you thought that you'd be in for a big surprise. First, all these resources do not necessarily agree. They offer comparisons and the results of their testing, but reach different conclusions. So, once I narrowed down further to just a few possibilities I decided to direct my question to folks who own the same model vehicle. What did they choose? And here, things went completely off the track.

To my dismay there was as little agreement among end users as there was among retailers. I should have known. Some folks drive like maniacs; fast off the block and wild on the road. For them performance is everything and who cares if the tires only last a year. Others are more conservative and price and efficiency are the key drivers of their decision, while still others are safety conscious and get excited about traction and stopping distance. You get the picture. I slogged on, determined to arrive at some rational basis for deciding and I thought I had found the optimal choice. There were tradeoffs to be sure, because there is no perfect choice--even if money is no object and it most certainly figured into the calculus.

Foolishly I consulted with my SO, what qualities were the most important to her; a superb all weather handler that is a bit noisier than competitors, a runner up that is quieter and more efficient but not as good in snow or a good all around performer with awful tread wear? I got an answer.."whatever you think is best". What did I think? At this point I no longer knew or frankly cared, I just wanted to reach a decision. But that would have been impolitic so I went back to the computer and made another attempt --this time asking my question of the entire car driving community on a social media website I frequent.

In a word, that was an even bigger mistake, I should have known by now but hope springs eternal. The choice I was leaning toward did not get the endorsement I thought it would. I had hoped that by increasing the sample size the wisdom of crowds would prevail. I found out that crowds have no wisdom--at least none that I could discern. Looking for a tie breaker I decided to look at pricing for the first time and include that in the criteria. If I thought it was hard up to this point it was about to get much harder.

Every retailer--bricks and mortar shops, national chains, and exclusively online merchants offers a price match. Just show them a quote from another legit retailer and they'll match it. Hours later with a massive spreadsheet in hand I was approaching entropy. Retailers really don't want us to comparison shop, so they make it difficult. First you must have an account, so before you can actually check the price you must create a new account, and go through a checklist to identify the specs on the tires you are looking for. But the price shown is not the out the door price. To find that information you must pretend to purchase the tires to see the installation costs, fees, and taxes-not trivial added costs. Wash and repeat for each contender and move on to the next retailer.

Adding another layer of difficulty to the mix, tire manufacturers offer a dizzying array of choices within their own brand, many with very similar names. The Knudle Performa A/S plus 4, is not the same as the Knudle Zero Performa A/S or the Knudle Performa plus 3 HP. And then you will find out that the tire in your size can be had with different load and speed ratings: 101H, or 105V, SL or XL and so on--each of which are priced differently. Clearly an advanced degree is required to make sense of all this.

Late into the evening I finally came up for air and had all the information in hand, only to find that not every shop had the tires in stock and that would affect how soon they could schedule the work. I went to bed. There was nothing more I could do. I was in information overload and felt a migraine coming on. Too much information is as useless as not enough. In our AI mediated world everyone may not be famous for 15 seconds but everyone has an opinion and consulting this amorphous mash of psuedo information is like wading through data quicksand. Every time you try to get out they suck you back with the promise of clarity only to confront you with limitless drivel.

The next time you are tempted to read the reviews or go online in the belief you'll find the answers to your own questions, take my advice. Call your cousin Joe, who knows a guy, who knows a guy who once worked in a tire store and ask him. Trust me you'll save your sanity and a lot of time.