Reviewer Policy

FauxRhino’s review standards — written so viewers, sponsors, and partners all know exactly what to expect.

The Customer Comes First

It is my intention to provide the most honest review possible for my viewers so that they can make an informed decision on potential purchases. To meet this aim, the following principles apply.

I will not provide paid promotions in exchange for a positive review. All sponsored content will be clearly identified and will not influence the final outcome or opinion of the review. The provided item must be the equivalent of what a regular customer would receive after making their purchase. If I suspect an item has been specially prepared to receive a favorable review, at the very least this will be disclosed in the video and likely be interpreted unfavorably by viewers. I also reserve the right to cancel the review.

When encountering difficulties, I may initially attempt to consult user manuals, support documentation, and community groups before contacting the company representative that supplied the review item. This will allow my experience to be more in line with a typical customer. Even when difficulties are resolved, it is relevant to include this part of the review experience in the final video. If it is clear the problem was an anomaly, this will be clearly stated so viewers can see the positive response from the company in rectifying such circumstances. If the issues are not rectified, this is also important to disclose to the viewer so they can see what type of experience to expect as a customer.

Once the review is agreed upon, a poor experience during my review period is not grounds for the review to be canceled or deleted to avoid negative publicity. As such, it is particularly important in these cases for the review to be publicly available to warn customers of less-than-desirable products.

Customers expect to buy products that are adequately developed and tested to ensure performance, reliability, and safety. In the case that I make a verified mistake in my process, I will delete the original video at the company’s request and upload an altered version to be fair and accurate. Reference to the problems of the original video will be made in the description to inform users of my error.

I will not be held liable for any negative publicity, loss of sales, investment, etc., that comes from any review. It is the company’s responsibility to create a product that performs well against its competitors. If the product is not of sufficient quality, the review will reflect this.

Timeline and Communication

Any company agreeing to have an item reviewed by me does so with the knowledge that I am an individual with work, family, and social responsibilities outside of my YouTube channel.

A typical time frame from receiving an item to releasing the review is approximately 6 weeks. This is a target, however, and actual time frames may be shorter or longer than this, depending on the complexity of the product and difficulties encountered. Issues that require replacement components to be sent will slow down the timeframe and extend the release date. Unless explicitly stated and agreed upon by all parties, there is no defined deadline for a review to be released.

The company is welcome to contact me to ask how my review is progressing, and I will endeavor to reply to them in a timely manner. For any major issues, I will contact the company and seek their direction on how to rectify the problem.

Review Process – Tech Products and Services

The following is a list of typical, but not guaranteed, steps undertaken when reviewing tech products or services that are likely to be included in the final video:

Summary of the advertised features and capabilities based on product pages where the item is for sale. Content and multimedia made publicly available on the company’s website and/or social media channels may be included in the video.
Unboxing, assembly, and first setup.
Evaluation of provided instructions, tools, and digital materials.
Installation of the item if it is a modification part for existing equipment.
Testing the performance, repeatability, and reliability of the primary and additional purposes of the item.
Testing of any applicable safety items or features.
Analysis of relevant consumables and ongoing costs required to maintain the item.
Analysis of the support documentation and community groups available for the item.
Analysis of modifications and improvements publicly and freely available.

Review Summaries – Ensuring Fairness

My aim is to be fair and transparent when summarizing my opinion of a review item. To achieve this, the following principles will apply:

A summary of all of the positives of the experience will be provided.
A summary of all of the negatives of the experience will be provided.
I will assess the performance of the item against what is advertised by the seller of the product.
I will assess the performance of the item against relevant competitors based on my experience using them.
I will try to avoid comparing the review item against competitors that I have not used firsthand. It may be relevant to compare the publicly available specifications of each item, but speculation involving performance comparisons will be avoided.
I will evaluate the performance of the review item in terms of its price point in the market.
I may attempt to describe a customer demographic that will or will not be suitable for the review item.
My opinion will not be altered by whether I purchased the product or received it for free. My opinion will be formed using the criteria in this document as a guide to assessing the performance of the item on merit.

Sponsorships and Creative Control

Sponsorships are accepted on my channel as a way to support the creation of high-quality content. However, it is paramount that all sponsored content and product reviews remain honest and unbiased.

No Editorial Oversight: The company providing the product or sponsorship will have no creative or editorial control over the final video. This includes the script, content, and final opinion expressed.
No Script Approval: I will not submit my video script or review to the company for approval or feedback prior to publication. My review will be my own, based on my authentic experience.
Clear Disclosure: Any product that has been provided for free or any video that has been sponsored will be clearly and prominently disclosed to the audience, in compliance with all relevant regulations and platform policies.

Publishing

In order to make the content of the video accessible and clear to viewers, and to maintain the financial viability of the channel, standard practices apply when publishing.

The name of the company, the name of the contact from the company, and the name of the product may be included in the title, thumbnail, description, tags, and any other metadata. Images of the product and company logo may be used on the thumbnail. A range of links to sites where the product is for sale may be included in the description. These will often be affiliate links, as is standard practice on technology-based channels.

Videos on my channel are monetized via YouTube advertisements, as is standard practice for most YouTube channels. This will occur on the review video unless the company explicitly requests the video be demonetized before the review is agreed upon.

By proceeding with the review process, you agree to all of the terms presented in this document. To start a conversation, head over to the Contact page.