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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

To think that mumsnet should protect their product testers?

99 replies

lunar1 · 10/01/2015 09:25

I am one of the product testers mumsnet chose for the weight watchers product trial. As a part of the trial we had to sign up online and provide payment details. We were promised that no payments would be taken but that they couldn't change the system to avoid providing the details.

I used my paypal account and after the first month was charger the full months membership. I checked the feedback thread and saw that this had happened to lots of us.

We were promised that it wouldn't happen again, and wanting to believe the best in people I left it at that thinking is was a genuine mistake which was now rectified.

The product test ended in December and I along with lots of others have been charged again. As soon as people started reporting it in the feedback thread MNHQ closed the thread. I sent them a Pm and started a thread asking what was happening. replied that they were dealing with it so I didn't complain I waited for my refund. Annoyingly it goes back onto my paypal balance so takes me bloody ages to actually get my money.

OP posts:
Icimoi · 10/01/2015 10:09

Why on earth should you give account details for product testing? Aren't you doing the manufacturers a favour? If the reality is that this is just stealth selling, MN should have nothing to do with it.

SukieTuesday · 10/01/2015 10:09

Agreed Bakeoffcakes.

Ledkr · 10/01/2015 10:15

They've taken 3 payments from me. Refunded two and promised not to do it again but have now taken another.
I am dismayed at mn lack of any comment on this.
I have repeatedly had angelie arranging my refunds and apologising but not one remark or comment on the situation.
I even messaged and asked for their response but it was ignored.
As for the feedback thread being closed, that is unbelievable.

ChippingInLatteLover · 10/01/2015 10:15

Which MNHQer is dealing with it? It's not like MN at all. Why not email one of the others?

I agree it would be good for MN to only take on product testing for companies that bother to find away around the bank details issue.

Ledkr · 10/01/2015 10:16

It took mn 4 days to respond to my recent pm about unauthorised payment.
Payments ate on our debit cards so we can't even cancel the psyments.

Sparklingbrook · 10/01/2015 10:17

I have done a few product tests but never been asked for my bank details. I can't believe WW couldn't change the system they just didn't want to presumably.

How crap. Angry

ChippingInLatteLover · 10/01/2015 10:17

Maybe send Justine an email directly then?

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 10/01/2015 10:19

This is not good. I also agree, mn should refuse to take on product tests that require giving bank details. I've never had a bad experience with product testing (though have taken part in none that required bank details), shocked to here how badly this is being dealt with :(

HollyJollyDillydolly · 10/01/2015 10:20

That's awful people have been charged for taking part in a product test. Really naughty of WW, hope they pull their fingers out and arrange refunds to everyone.

Viviennemary · 10/01/2015 10:20

I don't think that any money should be handed over for trials or any bank card details given. It leaves people open to 'error' In other words it's a con I wouldn't take part in any test which involved handing over credit card details. Why would they need them if the product is free. Confused

RJnomore · 10/01/2015 10:22

Just a quick and inconvenient note - contact your bank and ask for a replacement debit card. The number will change. Not your fault but will stop any more payments bring taken?

ChasedByBees · 10/01/2015 10:22

That is really poor.

Viviennemary · 10/01/2015 10:24

This could be reported to Trading Standards and see what they have to say about it.

ChippingInLatteLover · 10/01/2015 10:24

A lot of companies are set up like that Sparlkingbrook, it's beneficial to them not to find a way around it, until someone like MN refuse to do product trials for them. Question is, would they change or just get someone else to do the trials?

Another solution is that MN provide a 'testing account' bank account for them to put in their system, but that doesn't 'hook' everyone in, leaving those who are ambivalent still paying, so the companies might not want to do that.

MN possibly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

People do need to stop complaining about MN 'making money'. It's a business with overheads. Of course they need to make money from advertisers, product trials etc.

MNHQ
AnnMumsnet · 10/01/2015 10:26

hi lunar1 - Angelie alerted me to this thread this morning and asked me to post a note to you (and anyone else affected by this).

Obvs this is not what MN or WeightWatchers intended when we launched this product test: having to give details to take part is not ideal and if we could avoid it, we would for sure. I will discuss with colleagues over the next week or so what we do if this sort of test arises again.

Believe me when I say we spend a lot of time preparing projects before they hit the site and MNers are always at the forefront of what we plan - it's very rare that MNers have to share with external companies anything more than just name and address to take part. This is the last thing we wanted with this test.

We have been working hard to try and sort it out - it's not always very straightforward unfortunately. I know Angelie has been in touch directly with you and we promise to be in touch again on Monday when we can find out what's happened.

best, Ann

Ledkr · 10/01/2015 10:26

I was considering trading standards yes.
Does anyone fancy tweeting a link to this thread, we can't or we'd be outed.

Sparklingbrook · 10/01/2015 10:27

I agree it's not MN's fault and they need revenue from somewhere like any business. But it would have been completely possible for the trial to run without giving bank details to WW presumably.

TheDoctorSandshoesAndGrandad · 10/01/2015 10:28

Personally, I would be more inclined to give out bank/card details for a product test via Mumsnet, as I would assume they'd have my back and it would all be above board.

Which is what makes this particularly poor...

Ledkr · 10/01/2015 10:29

Ann can you tell us why you closed the feedback thread?
Was your loyalty more to them than us?

XBoxTesting · 10/01/2015 10:32

Maybe give them a hard deadline of the end of next week and if it's not sorted out entirely satisfactorily by next Friday including a reimbursement of bank charges incurred at the very least then you absolutely will take to Twitter etc.

MNHQ
AnnMumsnet · 10/01/2015 10:33

Ledkr - it was closed because the feedback was all in - nothing more than that. "Closing" it doesn't stop folk posting on it.
We are working really hard to sort it out for MNers Ledkr.

Sparklingbrook · 10/01/2015 10:33

A direct debit would have been preferable (although still not great) because you could cancel that as soon as it's set up before payment is taken. But continuous card payments are a whole different matter. Sad

CanadianPacific · 10/01/2015 10:35

Hope you get this sorted soon OP x

CleanLinesSharpEdges · 10/01/2015 10:40

Hope this is sorted on Monday for you, I've read your thread in product testing and have to say MN response has been really poor.

fascicle · 10/01/2015 10:41

AnnMumsnet
having to give details to take part is not ideal and if we could avoid it, we would for sure.

That sounds weak. It's up to Mumsnet which products they test. If a company asks for payment details from participants then that's grounds for not testing a company's products. OP, hope this is sorted out for you imminently.