MN have used my quote to promote a product I’ve never bought 🤔

[Wondermoomin]

AIBU to expect MN recommendations, where they quote a poster/member, to be genuine?

I like being able to rely on recommendations in MN swears by and other emails. I excitedly opened an email with the subject “Big bargains for our most loyal Mumsnetters” wondering what MN could make me buy this time (I should probably get other hobbies).

Imagine my surprise to see my own username quoted there with a recommendation! Imagine my further surprise when I realised it was a post I wrote almost 8 years ago, and it was being used directly under a specific product to give the impression I was recommending it - and I’ve never even owned that particular thing mine was more expensive.

I don’t like posts being misrepresented as a recommendation for a specific product. It makes me question the credibility of other MN recommendations.

Hoping I’ll manage to attach screenshots.

PS my gazebo broke but I’ve replaced it. Still not with the brand I supposedly recommended according to the MN email.

Thanks. How do I get this to work? It doesn’t seem to load the thread for me?

Also NAL but this is a pretty blatant breach of that, right? It says advertised product, not advertised "category of product".

Just properly seen this thread, this is shocking.

And there's me genuinely considering nominating this thread for classics

https://archive.ph/u2Lop

Does this work for you @Wondermoomin ?
Works for me, but not sure it's the same for everyone.

Anyone who knows about the internet way back machine @Agapornis
I seem to be having trouble with it as I’d hoped to preserve a backup of the thread for ASA

Page 1 for example which I’ve just tried to save to their archive. The save looks successful but then it says that URL hasn’t been saved and they don’t have anything with the (thread) prefix. Attaching screenshots. I’ve never used that web archive site before so could be user error!

Oh that does, thank you. Must be user error on my part, I wonder where I’m going wrong.

This thread is showing in active for me, that’s how I got here.

Oh that's interesting. This morning it definitely wasn't showing in active. Each time someone posted on it, myself included I went back to active scrolled through from top to bottom and it was nowhere to be seen. It is however now showing again.

ETA - it is not however moving to the top of active when posted on which is what normally happens when a thread is added to.

I just looked on active straight after Spies post at 8.11 and I couldn't see it.

Oh I don’t think they’re having the weekend off. There was a lot of editing on the Swears By advertorials yesterday and no doubt more to do. Some underling has had their long weekend cancelled I reckon!

So, many generic reviews which didn’t relate to the brand have been altered from “Recommended” to “Recommended type of product”. Reviews which referred to a different product from the same brand have been changed to “Recommended brand”.

That’s fine - makes things clearer for future users (as long as they understand that the positioning of such a review under a product doesn’t mean the user has used that product). But let’s not pretend this hasn’t been a systemic problem for a long time.

Its definitely not moving to the top of active when posted on which happens to every other thread that I've ever posted on. I've only seen it in active once this morning and that was in the middle of active not at the top and it's 100% not in trending.

@Wondermoomin you might not want to answer this, but has anyone at MN reached out to you directly? I’d be raging and so upset in your shoes. Good on you for taking a stance with this.

That’s great to hear. It’s going to leave it looking a bit foolish I suspect when ‘recommended type of product’ is incredibly obvious. I can only assume they (finally) got a lawyer’s eyes on it.

I know @WaitWhatWhatWait has already helped you out, but if you search for this precise link (copy the text)
www.mumsnet.com/talk/amibeingunreasonable/5326652-mn-have-used-my-quote-to-promote-a-product-ive-never-bought
(so without the =1%2a2a your link has added on) on
https://web.archive.org/
it should work.

Edit: sorry it remove the quote, @Wondermoomin re 07:43. I also archived page 7 (this one) as it seems to have the most examples.

So
Swears By X brand model S toaster
Recommended type of product
Areviewer “makes life so quick in the morning rather than using the grill”

Means Areviewer thinks toasters make life easier - helps me narrow my choices of which to buy

😂😂 at least you know not to buy a grill!

All very interesting.

Last year, MN was using a supposedly informative article about electrolyte balance in pregnancy to underhandedly promote some expensive and unnecessary supplement, which I thought was preying on the worries of new mums and represented exactly the opposite of what this site purports to stand for. It was removed after I complained about it.

MN have used my quote to promote a product I’ve never bought.
That is so disappointing @Wondermoominand @JustineMumsnet

MN may need some help with this one.

Under the Swears By “Sex” topic (who knew?) is an article about nipple suction devices. The top choice, best overall and Mumsnet Best Buy, is apparently recommended by Mumsnet user Cluborange666 as per the attached.

Note: no reference to any device being used at all.

So what do you think - “Recommended erogenous zone”?

True 😀 I’d been planning on getting a grill before I clicked on the link recommending this toaster!

I have just had a look at the “Swears By” articles and almost every one was last updated on 1 or 2 May 2025.

How many have you edited to remove recommendations that weren’t for the actual item @JustineMumsnet ? And how many recommendations have you removed? I think you owe us an answer given that your pinned reply implies it was an isolated incident.

Nobody has the right to create a misleading advertisement. What’s objectionable and dishonest is using a quote to create a fake endorsement.

I have just had a look at the “Swears By” articles and almost every one was last updated on 1 or 2 May 2025.

Yeah, 1% of cases, my arse!