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.

It's because they're all hands on deck changing everything to comply!

I have emailed to request that all my posts are taken down as I did not give consent for the content I provided to be used to promote products and services that I did not use or recommend. I do not have trust that they will use content (or in fact data) I provided respectfully or legally. So far they are ignoring me, maybe because they’re away for the bank holiday weekend. I will pick it up again next week.

Yes, excellent spot @JessyCarr - so Mumsnet can and do suppress a thread from Active or make it appear lower down Active.

Mumsnet Doesn’t In Fact Swear By must be a meaningful source of revenue if they are so keen to hide it from scrutiny.

By the way, for those interested: I am a lawyer, and a very senior litigation lawyer at that. I CBA to go through and discuss all the potential causes of action but it’s a clear breach of the ASA guidelines in my view. And, as I have frequently had cause to say in my practice over the years, the cover up is often much worse than the initial wrongdoing. Apart from anything else it tends to make it really obvious that you know you’re bang to rights.

And by the way I posted on the “why was third thread deleted” thread in Site Stuff just now and it immediately went to about the 5th thread on Active.

I’ll try. I am prepping for a heavy hearing but it might offer some light relief. I should say I have huge admiration for @JustineMumsnet for keeping the lights on to enable women to discuss sex based rights, and I know that has cost them advertising revenue. I understand the need to make money from affiliated links and suchlike. But you just can’t do this kind of thing.

I also understand why they might not come back, or why we might never get a candid admission of wrongdoing. But seriously guys, don’t pop up and make an apology that is in itself demonstrably untrue - all that guff about it being inadvertent and in a tiny minority of cases.

This thread is one where MN has underestimated the intelligence and tenacity of its readership.

I am a sucker for a genuine apology and admission of mistakes. I have not seen that on this thread from the bosses.

Given the fines the ASA could impose, they may well be advised not to admit wrongdoing.

Perhaps we all need to make sure to return to this thread 9am Tuesday to bump it back up the ranks

Not just its readership. It’s content providers.

I'm actually hoping this one fills up soon. it would probably be better for Wondermoomin to make another thread when this one is full because the new thread, unlike this one, will show in active threads so more people will see it.

Good point @Spies. Happy to contribute to that.

Weirdly this thread now shows as not having any new comments in my I’m On tab. I thought it was weird, clicked on and there’s loads. Anyone else have this?

I’m going to add a statement to every active thread I am on that I will not be providing any further content to Mumsnet until I am confident that it will not be used to misrepresent my words to, potentially fraudulently, promote goods and services.

It shows there's me posts for me on both I'm Watching and I'm On.

Not showing in Active though - oh now it is, but have to scroll.... scroll.... scroll...

Indeed it would be interesting to see if a new thread appeared because despite MNs claim I simply don't for a minute believe this to be true.

The thread was not removed from Active - what appears there is determined on popularity and how new the thread is.

This thread no matter what they say is not appearing in active when people comment on it like every other thread I've ever posted on.

Yes Spies, that bit you’ve quoted is another lie. When people post on zombie threads, they jump back up again. Those are neither popular nor new.

I don’t know why MN are stating so many things as fact when they’re so easy to disprove and leave them even more exposed.

I have checked “I’m on” and “I’m watching” and it’s there.

But post on any other thread and it will shoot straight up to the top few active threads (even if a quiet or an old thread), and even if it then moves down quite quickly as people post elsewhere on the site. This thread is way, way down the list, despite having heavy traffic over the last couple of days - and if you post on it, it won’t go up to the top few.

You did give consent when signing up.

Even if the chat around this dies down, we’ll effectively have an alarm clock reminder when the ASA updates all the open cases they now have.

Would be good for posters to return with updates then. If this thread gets close to full, I’ll set up and link another one so that we can easily find the responses etc.

I did not consent to fraudulent use.

You can also withdraw consent at any time

It's absolutely a lie and like you said it's such a clear lie that it's almost laughable they thought people wouldn't question it.

By deregistration...