Honey (browser extension) does not scam its users; I have saved money using it.
A few months ago, a video was uploaded to YouTube claiming that Honey is a scam. Now, it's everywhere—if you search "is Honey a scam Reddit," you'll see it all over the place. At first, I couldn't bring myself to watch the video because it's just won't get to the point, and it never explains how it's a "loss" for me.
After watching part of the video, I can see that it's a loss for the creators because Honey takes credit for their coupon codes. I can see that it steals from creators, and in that sense, I agree that it scams them, BUT not a scam to me. That's the entire point of my post, it doesn't scam the end user like everyone think.
I see people making half-baked arguments all the time, such as:
_ "I'm pretty sure Honey is just another way to gather analytics about people, that's why I don't use it."
_ "Honestly anymore if I see a company sponsoring a ton of youtubers I assume it's a scam. (Raid shadow legends, better help, that weird company where you could buy a lord or lady title... etc)"
_ "Honey is scamming creator and you"
_ "Honey is useless. It just gathers your data to sell ads."
_ "The scam is mostly around swapping affiliate cookies and the fact it let the retailer curate the coupons that were shared with honey users"
_ "Right, but the problem is: You are the product no matter what. Free service? Your data is getting harvested and sold. Paid service? Your data is getting harvested and sold."
_ "A) a product is free and is providing you service B) does not require any form of transaction to get this service. Then YOU are the product"
Okay, let me put it simply:
I use Honey → I buy stuff → I earn Honey Gold -> So far, I've accumulated over 8,000 Gold, which I have already redeemed for a $40 Amazon gift card to buy a book.
In conclusion: I use Honey → I get $40 at no loss.
Meanwhile:
If I didn't use Honey → I wouldn't get the $40.
Now explain to me—how exactly is using Honey a scam for me? How is gaining an additional $40 a scam while gaining nothing considered a "smart" move?
If you say it sells my data—yeah, what data? Do I lose anything from them selling my data? No. Do I get $40? Yes. By the way, it's non-invasive data, mostly for target ads.
If you say it’s used for targeted ads, well, I never even look at ads or recommendations section. When I need something, I search through online communities like Reddit, asking for recommendations on good books, courses, or products in general from REAL Reddit users. Once I find a product with good feedback, I go straight to the website, search for it, and buy it. Targeted ads have literally zero effect on me because I never browse the recommendation sections—I already know what I'm looking for to begin with. Besides, if they really collect my data for target ads, they must have done a sh**** job because the recommendation page is so unappealing to me that it pissed me off. I want to buy some cool stuff, but nothing cool show up.
So, explain to me how "gaining $40 while losing nothing" is a scam for me. It's funny because people are so proud of not using it and acting all analytical and smart, yet they end up losing money.
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Btw, I'm going to counter the most popular yet flaw argument:
People go with the assumption that:
1. If a company gives you free money
2. You lose nothing in return.
-> It must mean they are stealing from you one way or another because it's a zero-sum game. Except, pal, that's a flaw argument. You're assuming that it's just you and the organization, but the reality is more complex. The situation involves you, the organization, the partners who collaborate with the organization, and the non-users. The organization doesn't need to steal from you; they can earn money from other parties involved, and it does not necessarily need to be a loss for you. That's how most free things work in life. For example:
- Social media platforms offer free services but earn revenue from advertisers.
- Credit card companies offer cashback rewards, but they recover the cost from retailers, who, in turn, compensate by raising prices. In the end, it's the non-users who are at a disadvantage in this zero-sum scenario. Card user neutralize the raised price via the credit card, but non-users don't.
If you think it's unethical, I can agree with you on that.
But if you say they are scamming you, I can't agree.
Something can be unethical without being a scam to you at the same time—otherwise, explain the "magic" $40 that I got and the $40 you didn't get by not using Honey. I'm not sponsored by anyone, but I just hate it when people spread misinformation and yet remain so confident about it. Honey isn't scamming you; you're scamming yourself by missing out on the money you could have gained otherwise. You're not being critical, you're just unaware of how free service work.