AIBU to think influencers should stop asking small businesses for freebies

[PigglyWiggle]

Binky Felstead of Made In Chelsea (hugely privileged, from generational wealth) has been exposed for asking a small independent bakery to create her sons third birthday cake in exchange for “exposure” by tagging the bakery on Instagram. These has also now prompted another woman to come forward who says Binky did the same to her with her 9 layer wedding cake and NEVER did the tagging/exposure. I feel like I really want this to start a bit of a movement of people calling this bollocks out and end this tiresome period of the “influencer” generation.

YABU - Leave her alone
YANBU - Expose them all, they are grabby desperados who need to get a job

this is how small (and large) businesses advertise and market now. The businesses are free to say no, its not hard is it?

But the girl who did her wedding cake said yes and was then ghosted

I was gob smacked that the influencer was very specific about what type of cake she required in return for 'exposure'. Also that she wouldn't cover the cake bakers delivery costs either!

What? do you mean the celebrity didn’t keep up her end of the agreement by advertising the cake agreed? If so that would be a contractual breach dealt with in the usual way.

Business should decline with a polite no. Problem solved.

Yes

Rahdi Devlukia - Jay Shetty’s wife asked us for a free roof light worth £2400 for her parents house in London.

theyre all scammers and freeloaders.
turns out she used to be a hoe back in the day in the alley way. Lol

I think Binky is well known for doing this. Almost every post on her instagram was a an ad when I looked. I think everything from the carpets in her house to the holidays they go on were gifted for exposure. Outrageous if she didn't keep up her end of the deal re wedding cake.

I suppose there's no harm in them asking.

I work for a small manufacturer. We get people asking for freebies regularly so we have a standard email - "Thank you for your interest but we do not offer products on loan. Please find enclosed our price list. Kind regards"

Works a treat.

Should have just thrown the grasping mare out of the shop as loudly as possible.

No such thing as bad publicity.

If you ever see anyone post "any recommendations for a hoover/new mattress/good hotel in Bath?" that is also them fishing to be offered a freebie. Voila! Next post is an ad for Shark or Emma Mattresses.

Oh they don't leave the house to go to a shop. They get 'one of their people' to draft an email asking for freebies. Which they expect to be delivered for free too.

I read that it was her team that asked and she apparently knew nothing about it, not that that makes it any better

I agree, except it should be all businesses not just small ones. Not sure how it could be done, but perhaps require all social media companies above a certain level to have to tell you if a so-called influencer has received freebies.

It’s funny how the ‘influencer’ never knows anything about the freebie request… 🤔

Of course it was 'one of her team' requesting a very specific cake......without her knowledge.

Expose these scroungers

Then forward it to the Daily Mail and get some free publicity.

Except if that influencer then goes on to give a negative review because they didn’t get a freebie.

i have seen small businesses challenging influencer reviews for doing just that.

saying no to someone with that power isn't always that simple.

Yes, she waited and waited as the Hello magazine pics were posted and Binky did not tag her, she followed up for months and was ignored. Her literal wedding cake. The woman spent an entire day making it in Binky’s kitchen and was refused to even have her travel expenses covered when she asked.

I’m not at all informed on this, so I’m wondering how can one argue a contractual breach if the contract is a verbal one? Or would the messages to and fro suffice?

3 little birds bakery had this with some actress/influencer over 2 birthday cakes/100 cupcakes for her and her husbands birthdays

The owner put the email up on sm and said she didnt know who it was that was asking but that she wasnt prepared to do it (she'd had other celebs order her cakes and they paid for them)

Turned out to be an ex corrie actress who had the cheek to claim she didnt know her agent had asked (I smell bullshit) and that the press where hounding her over it (well she shouldn't have demanded free cake!)

All that happened in that case was the bakery got a lot of free publicity (and good for them) and the actress did a video,whinging that she would never ask for a freebie but looked pissed off that her begging had been exposed

Why should the small business have to pay for this exposure, surely the celeb can pay and if they are impressed with the service/product they can post. If the celebrity really wants a collab, surely they can approach the business without asking for a freebie?

Catherine Tydesley? From Coronation Street and Scarborough?

Ah I wondered if it was Binky from the description. Very disappointing behaviour.

That's her!

For some reason I thought she was called Katy but knew that was wrong

I should have googled but its freezing where I am and I just want to get home!

Thank you