"Scam" videos claiming Honey is a scam

[smorgasbord]

There have been several videos these past several months about the company called "Honey" (or "JoinHoney") being a scam and ripping people off:



The above is just the most recent. Turns out what this is is just YouTube/Instagram/TikTok influencers complaining that Honey is sharing discount codes with consumers looking for the best deal. Say you watch Joe Blow tout a cordless drill and you click the link the description, you go to the store website, where the Honey extension asks if you want to look for additional discount codes. And you say yes, and it finds you a better code, so Joe Blow loses his commission. And the store complains that you're using a special existing customer code when you weren't an existing customer.

But, as a consumer, we're getting better prices. And Honey keeps a list you can edit of items you've looked at, and will, if you approve, email you when the price drops at any of the stores it monitors.

Anyway, at 30:33 in the video, they have a couple clips from influencers claiming things about Honey that turned out to not be true, which to me just shows how little these influencers often don't check their "facts" and instead provide misleading information. So yeah, sorry, not going to get much sympathy from me that Honey screws them. Stores need to devise better mechanisms, including providing checks that codes are used by people with the proper accounts on that store's website. Or, just be happy that they made a sale to a new customer they probably wouldn't have made without Honey.

 

[tjbnwi]

Don’t tell the bee’s.

Tom

 

[luvmytoolz]

I didn't watch the video because scam or not, Honey works. I've been using it the last few years and have redeemed around $600 or so to date.

And if their codes don't work, but you have one that does, Honey will ask you if it's alright to share that code.

I don't care if they're tracking what I buy because every other app on the computer including the OS is already doing far worse than that. It's real money for nothing in my book.

 

[guybo]

Don’t tell the bee’s.

Tom

beehive yourself

 

[festal]

I saw those videos. so what happens is influencers have specific urls for tracking refferals that sites assign them. Honey plugin in buyer's browser automatically overwrote the cookie file/url with its own when buyer clicked referal link

 

[smorgasbord]

I saw those videos. so what happens is influencers have specific urls for tracking refferals that sites assign them. Honey plugin in buyer's browser automatically overwrote the cookie file/url with its own when buyer clicked referal link

Right, and did so even when it didn’t have a cheaper code.
But, doesn’t hurt us consumers, just the influencers, many of whom had told us how great Honey was without doing any due diligence.

 

[Packard]

This from Google A.I.. The short answer is it seems to be safe to use.

Honey is a legitimate, free service for consumers, but it faces significant controversy and several ongoing class-action lawsuits. Accusations of a "scam" relate to its business practices, not its functionality as a basic security risk or outright fraud.

And here is the search. Lots written on the subject.

Google Search

 

[luvmytoolz]

Often when wanting to buy something I will put it in the cart with my details, and let it sit for a day or two. Nine times out of ten I get sent offers of up to 25% discount or a fixed dollar amount off using discount codes. I still run Honey for the free points and always share the code. If it works for someone else, that means it's a generic discount not specific to me, if it doesn't work, I tried to help.

For anything on Ebay this almost always results in a 5-10% discount.

 

[Mini Me]

I find myself no longer buying from Ebay because I comparison shopped prices and there was no benefit and half the stuff was drop shipped from China as well so I may as well buy directly and actually get a cheaper item.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I find myself no longer buying from Ebay because I comparison shopped prices and there was no benefit and half the stuff was drop shipped from China as well so I may as well buy directly and actually get a cheaper item.

Maybe depends on the sort of stuff being purchased, but I've always found Ebay to quite often be the cheapest available option of a product, and have rarely had an issue with drop shipping when the sellers state local stock. In 99% of purchases it's at my door within 2-4 days.

Given how long normal local post can take, I'm very happy with that.