I will never buy from.. (fill in the blank) because they gift so much to social media influencers.

[Pinkii]

Jo Malone ( i have one perfume from them but that was before the influencer trend)
And Desenio but thats mostly because i hate their prints

 

[Italy2]

Dyson!! Took months to decide to buy a Dyson as it's so expensive and paid nearly a grand of my hard earned money and saw influencers get it for free next month and get paid to sell it to me. Wtf!!

 

[hrh89]

My god I agree with Daniel Wellington. They will literally gift to anyone so desperate for the publicity makes me cringe

 

[Londoncailín]

Iconic London

This is the saddest one for me. I used to love their products. They have been shameful throughout this lockdown. Never again buying from them.

 

[Lonewolf]

Gousto!!!

 

[coconochanel]

Charlotte Tilbury
Jo Malone
Benefit
Asos

 

[Nellyboy]

Yep. They gifted (sorry, it was payment for an advert on her grid and stories in her words) Elle from Feathering The Empty Nest a Miele washing machine which was worth over a grand.

Her husband is a trader in oil commodities. He must earn £200,000 pa conservatively (she came on here to deny that figure and told me I shouldn't believe Google but I worked in mortgages for 24 years - I've seen plenty of applications from bankers/traders, I've looked at their payslips, I've assessed their bank statements, I've approved their mortgages - I know what they fucking earn) As a couple, they are extremely well off.

She tried to defend the decision to accept this "payment" - basically, we paid £100,000+ for our kitchen extension out of our own money and this was the only thing we accepted. Good for you. You can more than afford it. And so a measly extra grand wouldn't have broken the bank then would it?

I was on holiday when she replied and I forgot about it and, by the time I remembered, it was too late to reply to her and it would just look like cheap point scoring (which is probably what this is )

But I was really angry about it at the time.

I can’t stand her. She is really fake believe me. She’s only interested in upping her own profile. Sad what she has gone through but I contacted her a while back and mentioned my own baby loss/ivf journey and because I don’t have many followers she was so abrupt and rude and unsympathetic. No help or support at all to me. All that glistens isn’t gold.

 

[Crisps]

Lounge Underwear/Apparel - couldn’t believe the price of a pair of jogging bottoms and top when they literally send loads to every influencer.

and Benefit. Sending all those influencers to places like the Maldives, Mexico, Tokyo etc just to launch a mascara or blush. No, can’t give them my money.

 

[urghmummybloggers]

Sarah’s Creative Kitchen
I’m loathe to book a place called Bethnal and Bec even though I stayed there 2 years ago - pisses me off they give £250 nights to scabs like the fat funny one
Scrub Daddy or P&G if I can help it
Wax Melts - Ava May particularly
Dunhelm
Elomi Lingerie

 

[tarahalls]

Not that I’ve ever been in Matalan but I would never shop in there after they sent a load of ‘influencers’ to a luxury retreat (can’t remember where), kitted them out for the stay & then sent them home fully kitted out for their family too to promote a campaign they were running...with a CHARITY So they could give all of that for free, yet muggins everyone else had to fork out for the pyjamas Unbelievable!

Any company that gives an ‘influencer’ anything for free to promote a charity & any ‘influencer’ who accepts items for free to promote a charity fully aware the public will then have to go & buy those items really need to rethink their campaign imo If ‘influencers’ had an ounce of integrity they’d make a financial contribution to offset their freebies!

 

[Disgossting]

Lounge underwear

 

[KerChing]

I honestly avoid any company that gives their stuff to the popular girls for free but expects me to pay.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

Missoma jewellery. So expensive for what it is and so many influencers get paid to advertise it.

 

[Bizziebody]

I won't buy anything I see being flogged off by any influencer, mummy flogger or kid seller.
More so now when money is tight for lots of people and these morons want you to buy crap so they can take their cut.

 

[illuminating truth serum]

Hi! Excellent idea for a thread Top of my list is Jo Malone, after they gifted LEM $,$$$ worth of those giant candles for her wedding. Haven't bought/sniffed anything of theirs since. ByTerrible, Laura Mercier, Estee Lauder, H&M... list goes on.

I DID buy the Victoria Beckham priming moisturizer (on sale + a free sample) recently just because LEM shunned it. I was already on the VB beauty mailing list and frankly relieved LEM didn't even bother to try it.

Here's my problem though... I do want honest reviews. There is nothing worse than wanting to buy an eyeshadow palette (for example) and then finding out after spending hard earned cash on one that the matte shades are patchy or don't blend nicely but the satin shades are really nice, I hate to return stuff like that because I know it just gets trashed. But, I can't really trust/ believe YT influencers any more. During this lockdown they were cleaning out their beauty rooms and they had *at least* 50 eyeshadow palettes each. That is C-R-A-Z-Y do they not see that?

Remember, these companies also send out units to physical stores. So there isn't much difference in expense to sending out another 100 on top of a unit for every department store in the world to demo/ set out on the counter space (also paid for). Whether its washer/ dryers, cosmetics, or perfumes.

I do understand that companies need to get the word out, and sending some units out for pr is how it's always been done to get eyeballs on products which they apparently feel is the only way to go during a lockdown. Clearly one issue is who it's being sent to... I mean the reason we're all here on tattle is that some of these influencers are just the worst.

The whole influencer gifting needs an overhaul. Maybe they could vet the influencers better? Only send out a certain number of sets (like 10?)

Maybe they could send out mini versions to test/ show, or borrow for a few months (where appropriate). That way we can have the ultimate experience of buying/owning the actual full size thing. Did anyone else receive the UD Vice tiny lipstick samples in the mail back in 2016? All the crazy colors? That was amazing. I think it was because I was an Ulta whatever the top tier was then. So maybe reward (even with samples or a voucher) our loyalty rather than a sub count?

Anywho - hope things change after this. Especially the stupid pr trips I mean.... it used to be to provide influencers new content but honestly it's just made them all lazy and the same.

 

[Crunky_Snack]

Hello Fresh! Seems like every influencer and their granny is being gifted Hello Fresh boxes. Never understood the appeal, definitely won’t be subscribing no matter how many LOSER10 codes pop up online

 

[OriginalAntiInfluencer]

Great thread, can't wait for the Instagram bubble to burst like Bebo did and l these beggers will have be to live in the real world. I challenged a few if them asking why they've never done a bad review? Was told by one that she's never been sent something she didn't like, how does that work????? All the brands mentioned above on this thread I will never buy from. Marks and Spencer really annoy me as a customer who collects sparks card points for absolutely nothing, why not send paying customers new stuff too try....?

 

[TheScarletgirl]

Oh, how could I forget Charlotte Tilbury! I think she has been one of the worst offenders. I'm sure I remember reading that her prices are so steep because they decided to put so much money into advertising/buying influencers and not the actual products which are so hit and miss. I bought one of the lipsticks a few years ago (think it was called glaston-berry) and it was the so unbelievably dry to the point of being unusable.
I think the final straw with her was seeing her doing the in the bathroom series with Sali hughes and it was such a constant push of her own products it was laughable. I would have been too ashamed to put that video up if I had been sali!

I have seen small 'influencers' get £300 worth every time a new line comes out . I have used almost every brand of lipstick and hers was one of worst. Kiko entry lipsticks have a better formula. I will never buy from her again !

 

[Trafalgar]

I have found my people on this thread! I despise "influencers" completely. I opened my insta account in 2013 and I closed it a couple of years ago due to all this fake shit reviews.

I just won't buy products peddled by these people, so this thread has been a great help! I wish more people would see these influencers for what they are so this type of PR would die a death.

 

[quietlyobserving]

Scamp & Dude !!!