RE: Fake Online Reviews

Niq with Q writes about fake online reviews and how the practice of bribing people for reviews has destroyed the trust factor on review platforms. Read their excellent post here: https://niqwithq.com/.

In a previous role I worked as a product designer for a now exctinct/acquired digital marketting company. Nothing destroyed my trust in online review platforms like that job. Everything was about pumping up review numbers, content stuffing websites and flooding the internet with targetted ads. Nothing was genuine, and it all served to erode the trust you usually place in small, local businesses.

After that role, I now specifically look for contractors that have 0 online precense. If they have a website and tons of reviews, they are probably spending a ton on marketting (trust me, that stuff isn't cheap), which means they pass those costs onto the customer. Even worse if they drive branded company vehicles, that's a sure way to know they are charging 2-3 times more than the actual small guys.

This lends itself to one of the most stressful parts of being a homeowner, finding honest/affordable/reliable contractors. It's near impossible to find somebody that'll lift a finger for under $1,000 USD. Thankfully we now have a network of contractors we trust, all from word of mouth. Not a single one of them has a website or Google reviews.