I am writing to share an untold story about a very popular website review site called the Wirecutter. This site is one of the most popular websites in the US – with over 8.6 million visits per month according to Alexa. This is a story about deception and kickbacks. It’s a story about making advertisements look like journalism, known as commerce journalism. Like millions of people, we had never heard this term until recently.
The Wirecutter once gave NextDesk products a glowing review. The Wirecutter standing desk review named the NextDesk Terra “The Best Standing Desk”. Then the CEO of the Wirecutter sent the NextDesk CEO an email to solicit kickbacks. (Wirecutter CEO even used the word “kickbacks” in his email. See copy of that email below. NextDesk believes it makes the best product on the market (others agree, see actual reviews by truly independent sources like Digital Trends and PC Gamer) and did not need to pay any affiliate site kickbacks for standing desk reviews so it refused to pay the Wirecutter any money.
The Wirecutter boasts that their standing desk reviews and all reviews are “Independently Chosen Editorial Picks”. That’s why we were shocked by this email from the CEO of The Wirecutter:
I am writing to share an untold story about a very popular website review site called the Wirecutter. This site is one of the most popular websites in the US – with over 8.6 million visits per month according to Alexa. This is a story about deception and kickbacks. It’s a story about making advertisements look like journalism, known as commerce journalism. Like millions of people, we had never heard this term until recently.
Back in 2013, Time said this about the Wirecutter:
At the surface, the Wirecutter does look like a smart, reliable buying guide. That’s exactly what we thought when our company was first contacted by the Wirecutter back in 2013. But when you begin peeling back the layers, it’s something entirely different.
The Wirecutter is a paid affiliate site that pushes kickbacks like a used car salesman from the 80’s.
In 2012 NextDesk was approached by the wirecutter, founded by Brian Lam. Our small company, NextDesk is a manufacturer of standing desks. Our products have earned significant applause and accolades from many trusted sources over the years. For legitimate unpaid standing desk reviews, see www.nextdesks.com/reviews.
Based on our initial research, we agreed to send them a Terra standing desk for review. They reviewed NextDesk and 6 other standing desks.
We received the following email from the Wirecutter a few days before the article:
This was the first time our company had ever been asked to pay someone for reviewing our product. We thought it was odd, and had to research what “affiliate program” actually meant. The pay to play model was not one that we had ever used before and we had no intention of paying for standing desk reviews. This seemed like a major conflict of interest.
August 29, 2013, Wirecutter published their standing desk review. Here’s what they said:
Here’s what the Wirecutter writer of the article said:
The Wirecutter ultimately said: The best electronic adjustable height desk is the NextDesk Terra.
Also important is what the Wirecutter said about another desk, the Ergo Depot Jarvis Fully desk (later name changed to Fully:
They are noisier and clunkier. It’s a more basic technology, so it’s cheaper.
NextDesk declined to pay.
NextDesk declined to pay.
NextDesk declined to pay.
NextDesk declined to pay.
At this point, the Wirecutter has attempted to get paid and get kickbacks from NextDesk on at least 6 times. NextDesk does not wish to pay for standing desk reviews. The Wirecutter now flips their pick to a competing product. Here is the update to their website article on standing desks:
After NextDesk declined the Wirecutter’s “Pay to Play” offers, the Wirecutter flipped the recommendation to the Ergodepot Jarvis (now called Fully). In an Ergodepot Jarvis desk review, it called the Ergodepot desk “noiser and clunkier”. Now it’s the top pick and you can purchase it by clicking one of their 8 links to buy the desk. Many of these links were to Amazon, who pays the Wirecutter each every time a product is purchased.
Independent reviews are extremely valuable to the community, but all reviews should be fair, unbiased and honest. We believe that millions of people are being mislead by the Wirecutter each and every month. We believe that consumers have no idea the review their reading may be motivated by much more than a desire to write about great products.
Please contact us if The Wirecutter has solicited kickbacks from your company.
I am writing to address several points and correct some factual inaccuracies. You call our claims false but they are backed by emails from your employees, including your own CEO, plus historical records of your website as archived in the Way Back Time Machine. The only one making false claims is you.
First, you attempt to build the illusion that your “business team” and “editorial team” are independent. In your response you claim, “our editorial staff makes recommendations without knowledge of affiliate relationships or fees.” This is blatantly false. The truth is your editorial staff and your business salespeople work very closely together and in fact, it’s sometimes the exact same person.
“Dan, thanks for your phone call. Helluva week here with me doing everything from writing to editing to being ceo. I’m sure you know what its like. Small business problems. I’m glad that Jacqui connected you with our writer. He’s a special guy for the project, since as you know, few editorial outlets have the guts to really look at standing desks. That’s part of something I wanted to talk to you about. We’re having problems figuring out how to cover the costs for this standing desk guide going forward after crunching the numbers. Our site thrives on a model that is basically that if we do high quality content and feature high quality gear, and readers buy it, we support the work through kickbacks.”
I believe most would interpret this statement as:
We offered a review desk to your CEO and the response was basically “pay us a kickback”. So, the only NextDesk you’ve ever reviewed was our original model that is now 4 years old (2-3 versions ago) when we’ve made many improvements and added 4-5 new models to our lineup.
If the “business team” and “editorial teams” are truly independent, then why are they working together in tandem, even before the article was ever published to extract kickbacks from our company? Before the Wirecutter published the Standing Desk guide, we received an email from your “business team” member Christopher Mascari where he says “Mark Lukach, who is writing our Best Standing Desk guide, passed me your contact info. I wanted to reach out to you before we published our guide and ask if you guys offer any affiliate program on nextdesks.com?” Now why would your writer “editorial team” tell your “business team” contact us right before the review published. Maybe to exert some pressure and get a kickback?
Second, you seem to place significance on the fact that the Wirecutter recommended NextDesk product until February 2015. That’s because the Wirecutter spent an entire year attempting to get kickbacks/affiliate fees from NextDesk. In fact, we were asked 6 times. Then you finally found another company that paid you affiliate fees and you switched your pick. But you didn’t want to make it look obvious. So you slowly made changes over a period of time to make our product appear worse, and the competitor (source of kickbacks) appear better. Furthermore, you were always certain to test the latest generation of the Ergot Depot Jarvis, but always compared it to the 4 year old version of the NextDesk Terra. Yes, we offered to provide new updated models but you refused unless we paid a kickback.
Third, in your response you say “another company had entered the field with something nearly as good but for half the price” and “We kept NextDesk’s offering as an alternate recommendation within the guide due to its quality and aesthetics, but we could no longer justify recommending it to “most people” once a high-quality, lower-cost alternative existed.”
Funny how the Wirecutter can flip-flop when there’s money involved. I could spend an hour discussing the quality and performance differences in the built in USA NextDesk product and the Chinese product you’re recommending, but you actually say it best in your previous reviews.
Here is what the Wirecutter said about each product before kickbacks started:
Pre-Kickback Wirecutter Writer Statements about the Ergo Depot Jarvis desk:
* These (Ergo Depot) are cheaper desks first and foremost because of the motors.
* The motors are louder than those on the NextDesk Terra and dont start as smoothly.
* Either the packaging or the paint job on the legs is also subpar compared with the Terra; the legs on our review desk arrived slightly scuffed in places.
* The digital height readout on the upgrade control panel never turns off, which could be distracting if you sleep in the same room as your desk.
* Ergo Depots laminate tops arent great either.
* Its not the prettiest standing desk
Pre-Kickback Wirecutter Writer Statements about the NextDesk Terra desk:
* The NextDesk Terra is the best-looking sit/stand desk you can get.
* Nothing yet comes close to its fit and finish. Its aluminum frame and bamboo top are much nicer than the steel and laminate of the Ergo Depot Jarvis, and its motors are quieter.
* It has a sleek aluminum frame, solid bamboo top, and beautiful, refined accessories.
* The NextDesk Terra is the best adjustable standing desk. In a nutshell, it’s beautiful. And when you see what other desks are like, you really appreciate beauty. Sure it starts at $1,500, but it feels like it’s worth every penny whereas competitors in the $1,000 range don’t quite feel like $1,000 desks. It's still head and shoulders above most competitors when it comes to fit and finish.
* The frame is made of recycled aluminum, which I think looks much better than the black steel of most adjustable desks. Steel is cheaper than aluminum, but aluminum has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal.
* As for the motor itself: It’s great. It’s very reliable. In three months of working at it, I’ve never had it fail to respond. It hums away at 1.7 inches per second, and has a nice cushioned start and stop to it so that it doesn’t jerk.
* I don’t part with that kind of money easily, but after seeing all the desks out there, I bought a NextDesk Terra. That’s how much I liked it. My justification is consistent with how we look at all our products on The Wirecutter: I’m okay spending that much money because I use this desk every day for hours at a time. This is not some novelty item here. You will log serious hours at your desk. I have been working at this desk for months and I still find it a gorgeous desk, one that I enjoy working at. I’ve found it’s worth paying for the best.
* If you can fit it into your budget and want the best, this is it.
All of your comments are archived on the Way Back Time Machine. Here’s an example: http://web.archive.org/web/20140106154033/http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-standing-desks/
Note that you changed the URL between the flip and the flop. In a subtle change, “the” was dropped from the URL. By changing the URL, it makes it more difficult for readers to find these older comments.
Finally, you said “we recommended the NextDesk product when there wasn’t an affiliate relationship, up until February 2015. And when we changed our recommendation to a new product from another manufacturer, we didn’t have an affiliate relationship with the maker of that new recommendation, either, making NextDesk’s allegation all the more baseless.”
Your statement that “we didn’t have an affiliate relationship with the maker of the new recommendation is blatantly false. Here’s the Way Back Time Machine Link where you have an on-page Ergo Depot Jarvis link so readers can buy it on Amazon: http://web.archive.org/web/20150603092537/http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-standing-desk/
Are you going to tell your readers you didn’t have an affiliate relationship with Amazon?
New York Times, we understand you recently paid over $30 million for the Wirecutter website. You might want to get that check back.