How we evaluate: the process behind every page

An evaluation is not an opinion piece with a number on the end. It is the output of a fixed procedure: the same pages, in the same order, scored against the same written definitions, with the page and date recorded for every claim. This is the procedure.

Step 1: the reading list

For each program we open, in this order, and save a dated copy of:

1. The weight-loss or GLP-1 program landing page.
2. The pricing page, or the section of the landing page that carries prices.
3. The "how it works" page or FAQ.
4. Terms of service, or terms of use.
5. The refund, return or cancellation policy, wherever it lives.
6. The privacy policy and, if separate, the HIPAA notice of privacy practices.
7. Help-centre articles on cancelling, refunds, shipping and contacting support, found by searching the help centre for those four words.
8. Any page that names a pharmacy, describes compounding, or describes testing.

We stop there. We do not create an account, start an intake, or chat with sales. If a fact only appears after that point, the criterion is scored as if the fact does not exist, because for a buyer deciding whether to proceed, it does not.

Step 2: extraction

From those pages we fill a fixed sheet: what is offered, medications and whether brand or compounded, prices as printed, prescriber model, pharmacy statements, refund terms, support channels and hours, privacy statements, and licensure references. Each cell carries the URL and the access date. A cell we cannot fill is written as unknown, and it stays unknown on the published page. We do not fill gaps from memory, press coverage, review sites or forums.

Step 3: scoring

Each criterion is scored by reading the four level definitions on the rubric page and picking the one that matches the sheet. The justification printed next to each score names the page that earned it. Where two definitions could apply, the lower one is used and the justification says why.

A second reader on the editorial team checks every score against the sheet before publication. Where the two readers disagree, the lower score is published with both readings noted.

Step 4: the regulatory section

Separately from the score, we search primary sources for the company's legal name: the FDA warning letters database, FDA press announcements, the FTC's case and rules pages, state attorney general releases, and SEC filings for public companies. Anything found is reported as a dated document with a link and a neutral one-sentence summary of what the document says. It does not change a score. We do not report allegations from news articles, lawsuits that have not produced a public filing we can link, or anything we cannot show you.

Step 5: publication and the change log

The evaluation goes live with the evaluation date, the rubric version, the source list, and the disclosure that FormBlends competes with the program. From that point every change to a score or a fact is added to a change log at the foot of the page with the date and the reason.

Re-checks

Websites change faster than reviews. Pricing and refund pages are re-read at least quarterly. Any reader, including the company, can trigger a re-check by emailing hello@formblends.com with the URL that changed. A re-check re-reads the whole list in Step 1, not just the page reported, because a pricing change often moves a refund term too.

What "unknown" means on an evaluation

It means we looked in the places listed in Step 1 on the date shown and did not find it. It is not a euphemism for "bad". Some of the best-run programs publish less than they should. The right response to an unknown is to ask the company before paying, and the questions to ask before paying guide gives you the wording.

What we will never do

• Publish user reviews, testimonials, star ratings, or aggregate scores from other sites.
• Score a program we have not read in full on the date shown.
• Accept payment, free product, affiliate commission or advertising from any evaluated program, including from FormBlends' own program. The site earns nothing from any link on it.
• Rank programs. The comparison tool shows rows side by side and refuses to pick.
• Describe compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide as approved, generic, or equivalent to Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound or Mounjaro. They are not FDA approved and are not interchangeable with the brand products.

Limits you should keep in mind

A score reflects public disclosure on one date. It cannot see the clinician you will actually talk to, the pharmacy that will actually fill your prescription next month, or the customer-service agent who answers your ticket. Treat a high score as "this company told you enough to check" and a low score as "you have more questions to ask", and then ask them.