ConsFirst / Research
Which products do owners regret most?
We compiled the recurring owner complaints for 1,026 popular products in 123 categories, from 1,952 sources (mostly retailer review summaries and independent expert tests), plus the share of 1–2 star ratings on each product's Amazon.com page. Here is what the data shows.
Key findings
- The typical product has about 10% 1–2 star ratings (median of 871 products whose star breakdown we could see; mean 11.7%).
- Automatic pet feeders (22.3%), Self-cleaning litter boxes (22.1%), Pet GPS trackers (21.7%), Smart locks (21.1%) have the highest average 1–2 star shares. Chef's knives (3.0%), Cordless drills (4.3%), Desk lamps & monitor light bars (4.8%) have the lowest.
- Products with app, connectivity or subscription complaints average 13.7% 1–2 star ratings, versus 11.2% for the rest (157 vs 714 products).
- Pricier models had more 1–2 star ratings on average, not fewer. 9.9% in the $ tier (182 products), 11.6% in the $$ tier (434 products), 13.1% in the $$$ tier (255 products). Within the same category, the $$$ models averaged higher than the $ models in 75 of 99 categories that have both.
- Durability problems are the most common complaint type in our tagging. Breaking, leaking or stopping working comes up in 106 of 123 categories.
- Subscriptions are a recurring catch in 19 categories, including Smartwatches & fitness trackers, Mesh Wi-Fi systems, Home security cameras, Video doorbells, Baby monitors.
Categories with the highest 1–2 star share
Average share of 1–2 star Amazon ratings across the products we track (categories with at least 5 products with visible ratings).
| Category | Avg. 1–2 star share | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic pet feeders | 22.3% | 7 |
| Self-cleaning litter boxes | 22.1% | 7 |
| Pet GPS trackers | 21.7% | 6 |
| Smart locks | 21.1% | 8 |
| Dehumidifiers | 21.0% | 8 |
| Smart rings | 20.1% | 7 |
| Walking pads | 19.5% | 6 |
| Humidifiers | 19.4% | 8 |
| Countertop ice makers | 19.4% | 8 |
| Window-cleaning robots | 18.4% | 5 |
Categories with the lowest 1–2 star share
| Category | Avg. 1–2 star share | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Chef's knives | 3.0% | 7 |
| Cordless drills | 4.3% | 8 |
| Desk lamps & monitor light bars | 4.8% | 6 |
| Air fryers | 4.9% | 12 |
| Electric fireplaces | 5.1% | 7 |
| Tire inflators | 5.5% | 8 |
| Air purifiers | 5.6% | 7 |
| Weighted blankets | 5.6% | 5 |
| Rice cookers | 5.9% | 8 |
| Portable power stations | 6.0% | 8 |
What owners complain about most
We sorted all 3,078 recurring complaints by the words in their titles. A complaint can fall into more than one group.
| Complaint type | Complaints | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Breaks, leaks or stops working | 321 | 106 |
| Price or ongoing cost | 259 | 111 |
| Size or weight | 221 | 91 |
| Battery or charging | 195 | 53 |
| App, Wi-Fi or connectivity | 188 | 55 |
| Noise | 134 | 61 |
| Customer service or warranty | 52 | 35 |
| Cleaning or upkeep | 46 | 19 |
| Subscription or paid features | 41 | 19 |
How we did this
- Products are the popular models we cover in each category, not a random sample of everything on sale.
- The 1–2 star share is what each product's Amazon.com page showed when we checked it (2026-10-10 to 2026-10-14). It can include shipping problems and unit defects, so treat it as a rough "regret signal".
- Complaints are the problems that come up repeatedly across sources. Each one links to its sources on the product's page. See how we research.
- These are correlations, not causes. We update the numbers when we refresh a category.
Using this data
You're welcome to cite or chart these numbers. Please link to this page as the source: https://consfirst.com/research/owner-complaints-2026/
Related: product recalls by category, 2025–2026 (CPSC data).