No More Paid Reviews

July 15, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi Jones

Fellow frozen food lovers,

This last week I had to decide whether I would accept $50.00 for a paid review of an online culinary school. I spent a couple of days mulling over the offer, and in the end decided that the paid reviews just don’t work with the ethos of HeatEatReview.com.

Most of the things I’m paid to review are absolute crap. An online culinary school? Crazy-expensive tropical juice? A recipe site so laden with ads and lacking recipes that it is basically useless? Are you freaking kidding me?

This isn’t fair to you because you don’t come here to learn about that kind of junk. You come here because you want to find out what ridiculous things we ate for lunch and whether or not those Kashi meals are worth the money.

Speaking of Kashi meals, HeatEatReview.com will continue to accept free food from frozen food manufacturers and their PR companies. HeatEatReview.com has a terrific national reach, but our shopping is limited to the Mid-Atlantic. Accepting these meals lets us try and review new things and even get reviews to you before the items are in stores.

Plus, we love to play with dry ice.

In case you’re worried, please rest assured that we’ll never sell our opinions for free food. In fact, point #3 on our review policy firmly states:

We reserve the right to be honest in our reviews. If you’re willing to send us something, then you’re probably pretty confident in the deliciousness of your product, right?

Yes, we’ll still have ads on the far right sidebar, but these ads will never interfere with the articles.

In the coming weeks I’ll publish a sample rating methodology and rubric so that both reviewers and readers have a better idea of just what constitutes a 3 star meal. Also, the Kid Cuisine Deep Sea Adventure Video Review is in production. I have a ton of video to wade through and still need to buy some music off of iTunes. Also need to figure out how to make myself look hot even though I actually weigh 300 pounds. I kid, I kid.

I hope that all of you are having a terrific July and I can’t wait to hear your opinions on this decision.

Sincerely,
Abi Jones
Editor, HeatEatReview.com

comments

13 Responses to “No More Paid Reviews”

Crow on July 15th, 2007

“Also need to figure out how to make myself look hot even though I actually weigh 300 pounds. I kid, I kid.”

About making yourself look hot, or weighing 300 pounds…?
Abi Jones on July 15th, 2007

Both. While I do spend more time than I think necessary on my hair, I have no idea how to put on makeup. I can identify shoddy makeup application on other people, but every time I see eyeliner I picture me stabbing myself in the eye with said eyeliner pencil.

So, the video is of me looking the way I look in real life.
Crow on July 15th, 2007

Wait a sec, how do you have an online culinary school? Culinary schools are very hands on things, I gather. It’s not like a normal online college where pretty much everything is based on ideas and concepts. Solid food and tools don’t translate well over the internet. Out of all the disciplines I can think of, food, being about touch, sight and taste, is the most physically based there is.
Abi Jones on July 15th, 2007

Yes, you have accurately summed up the reason why I could not review an online cooking school, even for $50.00.
Marvo on July 15th, 2007

The paid reviews were definitely out of place. I had the opportunity to review those same things, but it just didn’t feel right to review them since, in the case of the expensive tropical juice, I didn’t have a tangible product in my hands.

Anyhoo, I wish I got to play with dry ice. No one has sent me anything that involves packing it with dry ice. I need dry ice for my haunted house.

PS - I think this comment box is a little too small for me.
Crow on July 15th, 2007

See, moar complaints about the size of the new comment box.
Abi Jones on July 15th, 2007

Argh. The code somehow magically reverts back to the small comment box every day. I have a permanent fix by Friday. For now, less is more.
chloe on July 16th, 2007

are you saying 300 pound people aren’t hot…?
Abi Jones on July 16th, 2007

No, I’m saying that I’m not 300 pounds and I will not be attempting to make myself look hot for the video.
amanda on July 17th, 2007

I just wanted to say I really respect your decision not to do the paid reviews, because turning down money is never easy. And as long as you’re willing to be completely honest about free products, more power to you.
Just wanted to be a voice from the massive silent readership out there.
mississippi don on July 18th, 2007

say it loud, sisterwoman!
Molly on July 18th, 2007

I think this is a good call. To be honest- I don’t read anything that isn’t accompanied by a picture. (I’m the lazy jerk to all your hard work…) I commend you for standing up for what this site was meant to be.
Abi Jones on July 18th, 2007

Amanda, Dan, and Molly: Thanks for the comments.

Molly: Yes, the photos are absolutely necessary. I think that’s one of the biggest pulls for HeatEatReview.com: we show people the actual food.