Today so many people use online business reviews to help them find a good company or service. Most online companies that post business reviews try to do a good job of verification. Unfortunately it is easy to game the system and create false reviews. Using Google as an example all you need is a Google account to post a review of a business. It can be easy to get friends and family to post positive reviews. For someone with some computer skills it is not a difficult task to post multiple ads using different accounts. Even worse than that there are people advertising on Craigslist offering people money to post some positive reviews about their company.
Then there is always the ten to one review problem. A company can provide a great service for a client and ask for a positive review. The clients always say “Sure you deserve a positive review”. Sadly very few clients follow through and take the time to post a good review. If on the other hand you have a client that you just can’t seem to please, there will be a negative review the next day. In many cases the upset client will go even further and report you to the better business bureau. I have been self employed for over thirty years. I can tell you from experience that if you deal with enough clients you are going to run into people who just cannot be satisfied. When I was younger and felt that I was in the right I would push back against this type of client. Today I just hold my tongue and do everything I can possibly do to avoid a confrontation.
So where can a consumer look when trying to find a reliable company to work with! My advice is not to look but to ask. Ask your friends, family and coworkers if they can give you a referral or recommendation. As a business man I can say without exception that there is nothing better than a referral from a satisfied client. Chances are you will probably use the company more than once. Having someone you can trust when you need them is a good feeling. If they do a good job for you please take the time to give them a good review. It’s kind of like paying it forward!
Larry McCann larry@computerdoctorboise