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Personally, for many things I follow Consumer Reports' advice. But I look carefully at how a rating was achieved. For example, we had to buy a new refrigerator. We didn't buy the number 1 rated refrigerator, but we bought one within a few points of the highest rated. The one we bought was lower rated, even by other buyers, because it chimes if a door is left open too long. I grant it becomes annoying when after grocery shopping we are trying to rearrange the freezer to accomodate what was bought, but otherwise we appreciate it being there because on occasion a child has not closed the door completely and we were alerted. So we didn't see that as a negative (i.e., we didn't see the inability to turn off the chimes as a negative).
The refrigerator was also downrated by buyers who didn't like its icemaker. As we neither use an icemaker nor have a waterline to hook it up, such criticism didn't matter.
In the end, we are very pleased with the refrigerator. It keeps food as we had hoped and in line with how CR rated the refrigerator.
I am willing to ignore CR's advice when something costs a few hundred dollars but not when it costs a few thousand dollars. CR is far from perfect, but for household appliances, automobiles, and similar type goods, we have found it reliable.
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