Certain words are banned and I know how risky Facebook is.
Hey everyone,
I don’t usually post here, but I really value that this space gives everyone a voice, including those who don’t agree with how Monj works, or even with Monj existing at all. Unlike Facebook, posts here aren’t taken down just for being honest or critical, and that’s something I genuinely respect.
I’m sharing this now because so many of you have kindly shared the site with others, and I never want anyone to feel misled or duped. Transparency is really important to me, and I want everyone to understand what’s happening as we make a few changes.
Since launching back in August last year, Monj has grown far more than I expected, all thanks to your support across social media. Together, we’ve helped people find fairer prices and better access across a range of pharmacies.
We’re now making a few updates to help keep things sustainable. Over the coming weeks, Pharmacies will start paying a small commission when codes are used through the site. This helps cover running costs, donates money to charity and allows us to grow, but just to be clear, your personal referral codes will still be shared.
This isn’t the end of the system. Going forward, any codes we can no longer show publicly on the site to avoid your credit being wiped. Instead, you’ll be able to leave a post in the Monjour forum asking others to DM for a code, and we’ll link directly from Monj to that pharmacy code category. I think this keeps things simple and fair, and still gives everyone a chance to get a credit without needing to spam. That said, we’ve had reports of at least one large pharmacy asking users who referred them, and this has come out of the blue.
Some users, like those using Voy, for example, haven’t had any issues, so those links and codes will stay on Monj. We’re also in talks with a few pharmacies to agree on lower commission rates, with the goal of keeping prices as low as possible.
Over the past few months, a few companies, some with deep pockets, have reached out with offers to buy the site. While that’s flattering, I’ve turned them down. Selling Monj would risk losing the independence and community focus that made this what it is and I also feel I would be betraying those who’ve worked so hard with me. This project was always about helping people, not building something to sell off and not for some quick buck to be made.
We’re also committed to giving back. 20% of profits will be donated to two charities, one supporting obesity and nutrition, and another focused on mntal health (m word is not allowed) . We reached out to Obesity UK but didn’t hear back, so we’ll confirm the organisations in the coming week.
A good chunk of the rest will go toward expanding the site to include treatments that are often overlooked simply because they’re not seen as profitable and, even though they matter and of course the Monjour community forum. The remainder will be fairly split between the small team working hard behind the scenes. They’ve put in a lot of hours and effort, and unfortunately, have had to deal with some pretty awful stuff along the way. I want to acknowledge that and thank them for sticking with it.
I’ll be honest, there were moments I really considered shutting the site down. The pressure, the stress, and the attempts to discredit Monj, even from people I supported, have been tough.
But your support, across platforms, is what’s kept this going. I’m proud of what we’ve built together and hopeful for where it can go next. Thanks for being part of it.
The contact form is on the site if you ever want to get in touch, any person who’s spoken to me on the phone or message knows I can waffle on but I genuinely do want to help if I can.
