Review methodology
How Gruntled reviews online shops
Our desk-based process is designed to answer a shopper’s practical questions, show its limits and leave a trail back to current source material.
Method last reviewed: 20 July 2026
1. Choose a useful subject
We look for UK-facing retailers, products and services where a structured review can reduce uncertainty. We avoid publishing another article when the site already has substantially the same review, and we do not chase volume at the expense of a clear shopper need.
2. Establish what is being reviewed
We identify the business, its official website, the main range or service, the intended UK customer and any important distinction between a retailer, marketplace, manufacturer, booking agent or subscription.
3. Inspect the practical buying information
Depending on the subject, we check product or service range, price presentation, UK delivery, collection, returns, cancellation, subscription terms, custom-order limits, warranties, customer-support routes, company details and other material conditions shown publicly at the time.
4. Apply category-specific checks
A cottage booking needs different questions from a supplement, bike component or personalised gift. Reviews flag issues such as booking contracts, compatibility, sizing, age suitability, medical limits, auto-renewal or the restricted return rights that can apply to customised goods.
5. Use an evidence hierarchy
We prefer the merchant’s current policy and contact pages for its own terms, then appropriate primary sources such as GOV.UK, Companies House, regulators or manufacturers where a claim needs external confirmation. Third-party review platforms can be a signal, but ratings change and are not proof that every order will go well.
6. State what we did not do
Most Gruntled reviews are desk-based. Unless an article expressly says that a purchase, visit or physical test took place, readers should assume it did not. We do not invent first-hand experience, customer-service conversations or product performance.
7. Write a balanced verdict
The conclusion should say who may find the business useful, who may need a different option and which facts should be checked again before buying. A verdict is editorial judgement, not a guarantee about stock, service or an individual outcome.
8. Label and maintain the article
Reviews include a publication or update date and link to the subject’s website. Material errors can be reported through the contact page. When a policy, destination or business materially changes, we may update, redirect or retire the article rather than leave misleading advice live.
Automation and AI assistance
Automated and AI-assisted tools may help discover candidates, organise sources, draft text, create editorial illustrations, check duplication and publish. They must not fabricate facts, experience, quotations or professional authority. Each article remains subject to Gruntled’s standards and the publisher remains accountable for it.
Affiliate relationships
Affiliate eligibility is not a positive quality signal. A commissionable link does not buy coverage, approval or a favourable conclusion. Where links can earn commission they should be treated as commercial links. Read our affiliate disclosure.