Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!uunet!ig!daemon From: elliston@biovax.rutgers.edu Newsgroups: bionet.general Subject: RE: consumer reports.... Message-ID: <5922@ig.ig.com> Date: 16 Apr 88 22:36:24 GMT Sender: daemon@presto.ig.com Lines: 38 From: In a recent article, it was asked: > Is there any interest in a "Consumer's Reports" bulletin board which >would report about the quality of commercial research products? Should such >information be incorporated in the Methods-and-Reagents bulletin board? Some >examples of what might be included are: I see a *great* danger in this.....often one can get a product that is defective merely due to the failure of quality control (which is a statistical problem, some defective material will be released, it is inevitable), and not really under the direct control of the company. This can cause an individual to gripe about a good product, and cause that individual company a *GREAT* deal of harm. We all know that the most valuable commodity for the small biotech company is its reputation. Therefore, if this is to become a real service to the community, it must be taken as seriously as consumer reports, and rigorous experiments must be under- taken before any griping can be "published" on the BB's. I dont think that Bionet or any individuals want to face legal action due to unsubstantiated reports of product failure (or possibly......slander). Anyway, those are my two cents. Keith ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keith O. Elliston | Waksman Institute Bitnet: ELLISTON@BIOVAX | P.O. Box 759 Arpanet: ELLISTON@biovax.rutgers.edu | Rutgers, The State U. of NJ AT&T: (201)932-3801 | Piscataway, NJ 08855-0759 USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer: all the opinions expressed above are mine, and not anyone else's! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------