Buying GSM cell phones is easy these days thanks to the worldwide web. It’s beautiful what the internet – of which the WWW comprises one of the most important parts, no matter that colloquially the two terms are treated as synonyms – has done to transform the world. Though initially devised to further academic endeavors (well, in truth the very first intention was for a means of communications that would survive a nuclear strike), it’s now become a popular way to buy and sell, all over the world.

A assortment of GSM cell phones are available as a result. Because of the web, shopping is faster, easier, and sometimes even safer than ever. Word-of-mouth is viral online and a whole lot more powerful. That’s because the marketers have all but spammed the hell out of things online, and even mighty Google employing some of the smartest folks in the world can’t stop them. This means that a lot of what purport to be reviews of GSM cell phones (or anything else, really) are just plants – planted reviews, planted material, stuff that’s been planted to mislead at best and totally misinform more often than not! Yes, it’s a never-ending game of cat and mouse between consumers who are looking for honest reviews and the online marketers who keep trying to present the products they represent or the retailers they work for in the very best light possible, which in many cases is just an complete lie.

Things have gotten so bad that even otherwise reputable consumer review sites have been subject to such efforts at misleading shoppers. Something like GSM cell phones are particularly vulnerable as there is a lot of money to be made all-around. How can one combat this?

Quite a few things, actually. The most important thing to do is to talk to the retailer. It can be helpful to talk on the phone. Do you notice the same person always picking up? Do they answer the phones at all? Is there even a telephone contact listed on their site? An address? A real one, or just one of those mail-forwarding places?

For all the plants, however, the most reputable consumer review sites are trustworthy and should be consulted. That’s because scammers and bad businesses don’t have the money it takes to sustain a first-class reputation management (that is, disinformation) campaign – they’d rather steal what they can shafting the unlucky passer-by! So reviews sites are still important; just make sure that those are reputable, too!