You need a pro, and the first thing in front of you is a row of stars. Five stars feels like proof that other people already took the risk. A long page of praise feels like a crowd on your side.
That feeling is easy to trust, and it is a weak way to hire someone for your home, your car, or your family. Those ratings ask you to believe people you don’t know about a job you did not see. A better start is people you actually know, a few follow-up questions, and a check of the license and the insurance.
A star rating is not a person
A rating is a number left by someone you do not know. You cannot tell whether their house, car, or budget looks like yours, or whether they hired the pro at all. Review sites average those numbers and sort businesses by the result. The sort looks fair because it is a number. It is not a record of the work.
A company that chases ratings can sit above a skilled pro whose clients already trust them, and who never posts anything.
Some of the praise was purchased
Some reviews are bought. A business can pay for glowing posts, or offer a discount or a gift for a high rating. The sentences may sound warm. The person who wrote them was finishing a transaction, not telling a friend about a job.
Purchased praise is written to pass as ordinary feedback. That is why paying for it works. A star count that includes those posts measures the budget behind the page, not only the quality of the work.
Some of it was written by the business
A review can come from the company itself, from someone on staff, or from a friend of the owner writing under another name. It uses a customer’s voice. It is an ad. There is no job behind the praise, and no person who will feel the cost if you hire on those words and the work goes badly. The post exists to move you toward a yes. It does not tell you what the yes was like.
Some of it was never written by a person
Reviews can be generated. A short prompt can produce a paragraph about showing up on time, explaining the problem, and leaving the place tidy. It has the shape of a memory and none of the memory. “Read carefully and trust your ear” is a poor defense. The text is built to sound like a person. You will not protect your home by becoming a better reader of anonymous reviews.
Nobody is accountable for an anonymous rating
When someone you know recommends a pro, their name is on it. If the crew does not show, or the bill doubles without a word, you can go back to that person. They will hear about it. That small cost is why people think twice before they send you to someone.
A username has no such cost. If the praise was paid for or never based on a job, nothing happens to the person who posted it. People also tend to write when they are thrilled or furious, so ordinary work often never appears. The page looks complete, and the middle is missing.
You cannot ask a follow-up question
Hiring turns on questions a star cannot answer. Did the final bill match the estimate? What happened when a part was backordered? Did the job grow once they were inside? Would that person hire them again?
A review is a finished message. You cannot ask a username any of that, or whether their idea of “clean,” “fast,” or “fair” matches yours. Even a sincere anonymous note is one-way. You cannot weigh it, because you cannot talk to the person who wrote it.
Start with people you actually know
Look for recommendations and promotions from people you actually know. Ask friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers who they trust for this kind of work. A name from someone whose standards you understand is worth more than stars from people you cannot question. If your circle does not have a name, ask them to ask around. A friend of a friend is still someone you can trace, and you can call them back.
Ask what the job was actually like
Do not stop at “they were great.” Ask the person who recommended the pro a few plain questions:
- What was the job, and was it like the one I need?
- Did the final bill match the estimate, and did they explain any change before the work went ahead?
- How did they handle a delay, a missing part, or something they found once they started?
- Would you hire them again, and would you send a family member?
A story about the job, the bill, and a delay is useful. A compliment with no detail is not. If the pro offers past clients as references, ask them the same things.
Check the license and the insurance yourself
A warm recommendation is not a substitute for the basics. For plumbing, electrical, roofing, and other licensed work, ask for the license number and look it up with your state or local board. Confirm that it is active and that the name matches the business. Ask about liability insurance and, where it applies, workers’ compensation, and ask to see proof on anything beyond a small repair. Get the scope and the price in writing before the work starts.
How MY PRO: TRUSTED PROS® can help
Most of us know more people than we remember to ask. You might not have an electrician, but a coworker might, and that coworker’s neighbor might be the one who just had a panel replaced.
MY PRO: TRUSTED PROS® is a social & professional networking app for that gap. You connect with service pros through people you actually know, rather than through anonymous ratings, and you can see which pros your connections stand behind, out to the second degree. Those are pros your network already trusts. Pros build visibility through real client relationships, not through a pile of stars.
FAQ
Are online reviews a good way to choose a service provider?
They are a weak one. You do not know who wrote them, whether the praise was purchased, self-written, or generated, or whether the job was like yours. You also cannot ask a follow-up question.
What should I do instead of relying on star ratings?
Ask people you know who they trust, then ask what the job was like. Check the license and the insurance yourself, and get a written estimate.
Should I still verify a pro a friend already loves?
Yes. A warm recommendation is a good start, not the last step. Look up the license where the work requires one, ask about insurance, and get the scope and price in writing.
Find a pro your network already trusts
Download MY PRO: TRUSTED PROS® on the App Store and Google Play, and see the pros your network already trusts. Learn more at my-pro.io or email hello@my-pro.io.