Declining a helpful offer

Text A: an original contemporary practice extract.

The restaurant owner offered to send a free meal while I wrote the neighbourhood dining column. I knew him slightly and believed the offer was friendly. He said it would help me describe the new menu accurately. I agreed that tasting would help, but booked a table and paid for the meal instead.

That did not make my review magically free of preference. I still liked some dishes more than others and knew that the owner would read what I wrote. Paying allowed me to describe the visit without also wondering whether a gift had quietly asked for a favourable sentence. I thanked him for the offer and explained the decision. We continued to speak politely when I passed the restaurant.

Text B: an original contemporary practice extract.

Before the club selected a venue for its concert, one hall manager offered the committee a complimentary rehearsal evening. The hall was a serious option, and the committee wanted to test its sound. Several members nevertheless proposed paying the ordinary rehearsal charge while they compared it with the other venues.

They accepted that paying would not remove every personal preference. Some members already knew the hall well. It would make the trial easier to explain to the membership, however, without needing to decide whether free use had created an obligation. The manager agreed to the paid booking. The committee tested the room and recorded its strengths and limitations alongside those of the alternatives.

Both texts describe the reasons for declining the offers.

What similarities do the reasons for declining the offers share in these extracts? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.