Editorial policy

Three kinds of statement, kept separate

We treat published facts, patterns in customer reviews, and our own editorial opinion as three different things, and we label them differently on the page.

• ✓Facts: policies, dispute windows, specifications and delivery norms taken from published documentation.
• ✓Customer-feedback patterns: what large numbers of buyers consistently report, described as a pattern rather than as proof.
• ✓Editorial opinion: our scores and verdicts, which are judgements and are always attributed to us.

Research-based product reviews

Almost every product review on this site is research-based. That means the assessment is built from published and third-party material rather than from our own use of the product.

Research-based reviews do not represent personal ownership or hands-on testing unless the article explicitly says otherwise.

• ✓Manufacturer specifications
• ✓Product documentation
• ✓Reputable independent reviews
• ✓Recurring patterns across customer feedback
• ✓Warranty and return information
• ✓Price-positioning and competing products
• ✓Editorial judgment

Personally tested products

A review is labelled “Personally tested” only when the publisher has actually used the product and can document the testing period and the conditions it was used in. Where that label is absent, assume we have not used the product.

No existing review has been marked as personally tested retrospectively.

Customer-feedback patterns

Recurring themes in customer feedback can inform an editorial assessment — for example a repeated complaint about sizing or durability. Those themes are described in our own words and treated as signals, not evidence.

Amazon customer reviews, star ratings, review counts and copied review text are not displayed on this site unless they are supplied through an approved Amazon API. We currently have no such integration, so no Amazon rating or review count appears anywhere on the site.

How scoring works

Marketplaces are scored out of ten on shipping speed, trust and reputation, returns, authenticity and buyer protection. Products carry a separate Checking With You editorial score, explained on the product-review methodology page.

Scores are reviewed on a schedule and after any material change. The last editorial review date appears on every page that carries a score.

What we will never do

• ✓No invented testimonials, fabricated expert endorsements or fake testing claims.
• ✓No live-activity or scarcity theatre such as fake viewer counts or countdowns.
• ✓No paid placement in a ranking, and no score changed in exchange for a commission.
• ✓No prices or Amazon star ratings in reviews, because we have no approved API supplying them.

Corrections

If something here is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and note the change. Accuracy matters more to us than looking consistent.