The great Honey browser extension scam

[editor]

This really is something - Honey - a browser extension promising to get you the best coupon codes and reward influencers through affiliate payments, turns out to be one almighty scam with the company grabbing all the affiliate cash for itself and deceiving shoppers when it comes to the 'best' codes.

Shockingly it's owned by Pay Pal.

If you've got it, uninstall it.





Here's a quick, humorous summary: :

 

[Callie]

I misread the title as honey badger and now I'm sad I can't get a dodgy honey badger extension

 

[newme]

Well except I seem to have saved money using it? Plus I buy things for a living and it is literally cheaper some times. Not all of course cos what is but I can show I saved money on the platforms I used (cos I didn't when it wasn't cheaper) and the ones I was going to use. Plus I usually got donations to my local charity too.

 

[A380]

I misread the title as honey badger and now I'm sad I can't get a dodgy honey badger extension

Glad it wasn’t just me.

 

[editor]

Well except I seem to have saved money using it? Plus I buy things for a living and it is literally cheaper some times. Not all of course cos what is but I can show I saved money on the platforms I used (cos I didn't when it wasn't cheaper) and the ones I was going to use. Plus I usually got donations to my local charity too.

You're unlikely to be getting the best voucher code available, and if you followed a link off a website you like, you're absolutely depriving them of their affiliate reward. The whole thing is as crooked and as corrupt as fuck, and I want no part of it, even if it may make looking for voucher codes a bit harder.

 

[8ball]

I saw something about something that sounds similar to this, but it wasn’t available in the UK.

Will have a dig - maybe it’s the same people…

Edit: nope - the yt-er in question seems to mostly be sponsored by VPNs..

 

[newme]

You're unlikely to be getting the best voucher code available, and if you followed a link off a website you like, you're absolutely depriving them of their affiliate reward. The whole thing is as crooked and as corrupt as fuck, and I want no part of it, even if it may make looking for voucher codes a bit harder.

I had one price then the next one was less, say its not the cheapest, it is still less than I was about to pay cos well I can work that much out at least. So I saved money. I also never follow affiliate links, had old school internet like I know you must have, go to the actual address. I know urban being ad free was a very conscious decision. If its a store I like I just saved them affiliate links costing. I never use links from review sites, however if I have gone through my 5-6 places and picked the cheapest/best then a random addon says hang on this will save you x amount of course I'll use it.

 

[two sheds]

I thought they were taking their money from the ebay and other sellers though?

 

[WouldBe]

I misread the title as honey badger and now I'm sad I can't get a dodgy honey badger extension

You wouldn't have it for long as it would soon fight it's way back out.

 

[teuchter]

They are mainly scamming the youtubers and influencers who have been recommending them to all their followers. Not the people who install it.

It may be a lesson for some of those people in "recommending" stuff just because they are paid to. I'm getting fairly fed up of large chunks of youtube videos being spent telling me I really need to install this or sign up to that. Whether it's VPNs or browser extensions or whatever.

 

[8ball]

They are mainly scamming the youtubers and influencers who have been recommending them to all their followers. Not the people who install it.

It may be a lesson for some of those people in "recommending" stuff just because they are paid to. I'm getting fairly fed up of large chunks of youtube videos being spent telling me I really need to install this or sign up to that. Whether it's VPNs or browser extensions or whatever.

That’s not to say VPNs aren’t important if you care about your privacy or right to view media restricted by region by the evil legacy media corporations.

Use code 8BALLGRIFT at NordVPN.com for a 25% discount on your first three months.

 

[editor]

Honey does a deal with the companies offering voucher codes so that they can set the maximum discount, regardless of what coupon codes are available.

So if the company tells Honey to only apply a 10% discount when there are much higher discounts being offered available, that's what it will do, duping customers into thinking that they're getting the best possible deal (as their advertising claims).