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.

Technically I would say it's fraud though.

Deliberate or otherwise, imagine if you went to a hotel with wonderful reviews, and people were actually reviewing the hotel next door, and from 8 years ago.

Quotes would be fine if about the product in question, but the OP explicitly said in her post that she didn't buy that one, talked about hers and they cut that bit out. That seems off as she wasn't recommending the product.

I agree with you there, it's not quite the same situation as the mower where suggesting a posters comment is an accurate endorsement for a specific brand.

At the same time though, using a 5 year old post to support an email last week does feel a bit off.

To me it does anyway.

I despair at how many people on here see no difference between these two scenarios:

MN using a quote praising x to recommend x (obviously legitimate)
MN using a quote praising x to recommend y (obviously illegal)

And sorry, using AI as an excuse makes scenario 2 no better or more excusable.

Mumsnet are appalling at monetisation. From bundling up threads for journalists to having one in five posts in active now promoted nonsense to the low quality of ad targeting and acceptance of poor creatives.

The owners deserve to make money but just seem to go about it in ways which negatively impact UX.

It was a brilliant idea.

But from relying on volunteers to mod out of hours to now fake reviews it's not run competently.

🤣🤣🤣

I didn’t read the actual user quote, so who knows.

@JellyNellyKat I don't understand the point of posting a link to a thread on that thread. 😕

Really disappointed! I’ve always trusted Mumsnet recommendations and bought loads of products off the back of them. Never again

Oh, for goodness sake! Bloody deal with the issue at hand instead of just piling on and calling them the devil! Jeezy peeps! It’s AI gone wrong, which is a bigger issue. But calm your beans, they’re not betraying you.

Ask for their AI policy, including their client AI policies and how they work. Mumsnet aren’t sitting at home like a Bond villian right now.

Yes, I get that. I’m saying that a lot of quotes on websites are misleading, like the OP’s quote used.

It reminds me of quotes on films or books where a reviewer says “it’s about as amazing as watching paint dry” and you only get “amazing” as the quote.

Like I said though, not sure if it’s illegal but it certainly is very misleading. And yes, feels off.

And actually pay people for working overnight? They would never.

@Blackdow Indeed.

Which is a ridiculous state of affairs for a business that has a wage bill of over a million quid a year (which is what was said by Justine on a thread about Covid, furlough and companies costs).

Yep this.

No comment from HQ yet? And no response on site stuff to your thread @JellyNellyKat either. They're normally shit hot on TAAT. Surprisingly quiet atm 🤔🤔🤣🤣

Could I ask, if this is down to AI, why has the spelling been corrected in the first email I shared? There was a typo in the original quote.

It's fucking midnight

It’s midnight. It’s bad but it’s not a life and death emergency. They’ll respond tomorrow.

Oh dear! That's bad!

No OP, you’ve misunderstood. They haven’t used an old comment to recommend a particular item….not as such. They’ve shown a comment where you were talking about a TYPE of gazebo and how good they are. Not that specific brand/model. Like if I’d been raving about cars with automatic boot doors and they quoted it in an ad for an SUV with an automatic boot door - they’d not be using my quote to say that I’d bought THAT PARTICULAR VEHICLE but that the feature it has, along with hundreds of other cars, is good….

Yes I know @BottleBlondeMachiavelli and @kittensinthekitchen but the nightwatchers are normally pretty quick to hide a TAAT. And I was placemarking 🤣🤣

We’re ALL placemarking, natch. 😁

And I’m not sure Site Stuff is such a bad idea.

Do you work for MN?

My guess is that an intern/temporary/made up/whatever hire made A Slight Mistake, this does not represent what MN stands for, MN completely understand your concerns and will endeavour - nay, strive - to ensure that a similar situation does not arise again.

Or something.