checkatrade.com - is it a fake?

[Amunamun]

Hi all. Do you think that checkatrade is reliable? I was delighted to see so many companies with great reviews, pictures etc... But today I discovered that you basically can't give them a bad review. If you do, the website will not post it and instead, they will pass your review to the company. So no wonder everyone is doing great there. I chose this company: www.checkatrade.com/RefurbishmentSpecialist/Reviews.aspx They were really good and nice... but I can't help it but all the reviews seem to be in a very similar writing. What do you think?

With enough evidence, they will post a bad review, but it is a real hassle. I've had several terrible tradespeople through checkatrade, but only one that was so bad I fought to get my bad review published. Can't beat a reliable local recommendation...

My ex is on there as a top notch mechanic /vehicle recovery business.
He is a joiner.

I don’t trust them because;

A known criminal is on there it’s hundreds is good reviews. Every now and then a bad review comes up but rarely. He came to my mothers house (a vulnerable disabled woman in her 60s) and after some dispute about money, took her fuse box away and left her with no electricity. My mum didn’t like his manner and googled him, found he had been jailed for gbh against a women.

I contacted checkatrade and they confirmed they do not do a DBS check. So all of those checks they do and all of the interviews etc are all bollox because they don’t do one of the most fundamental checks of all. My DM was alone with a violent criminal because they vouched for him.

I don't know. I'm only guessing but I suspect the trades have to pay to get on the list, and I doubt there's much research goes on to verify that they're good at what they do.

Lots of these type of review websites are full of reviews done by family and friends......

With hundreds of*

Just to add that obviously DM could not leave a bad review after that. The man would know instantly who it was, and had a history of violence. It’s a massively flawed process.

Thanks everyone. I just realized it might be confusing - the company mentioned in OP did only the quoting so far, not the work. That's why I'm so worried about the similar reviews.

A firm which makes its money from selling advertising to traders will seek to maintain its profits.

Such a firm employs solicitors who scour the internet for unfavourable comment and send frightening letters to websites which carry them. This usually leads to unfavourable comments being removed. This one, for example.

If you want to know about them, Google "websitename complaints" and see what you find.

Ask for details of work they've done with names and addresses so that you can go and check it out for yourself

Oh!! I've used checkatrade on a couple of occasions and can honestly say that both times we had a very positive experience.

Although you make a good point about bad reviews. I once left an honest review about our conveyancing solicitors and was threatened with legal action to remove it. Really!

PigletJohn
Thanks for the tip, just Googled as suggested.

So, I decided to update this post. I fired the company I mentioned, it was a total disaster. My new contractor told me that a few years ago, he worked for a company on checkatrade, and that all these reviews were made up. If they knew the customer wasn't happy, they simply did not ask for a review and a few weeks later, they submitted a fake one. And it is a paid membership. So avoid this website if you can.

A company I used once asked for a review, I left a broadly positive one but not full marks. They put me under extraordinary pressure to call Checkatrade and "update it" to perfect scores and told me to say my finger slipped and I pressed the wrong score accidentally the first time as anything less than perfect would ruin their reputation. They even called Checkatrade to tell them I wanted to change it. I declined and my review is still up there.

I'm embarrassed to say one of DHs friends asked him to put up a top review for a mate if his. DH agreed. We've never used the guy. Yes I told DH what I thought of that.

Hi I can tell you from personal experience you can definitely 100% leave negotiate reviews but whether or not you can rely on them is another matter.i will explain I am a small builder who after being phoned by a customer was accused of all sorts,and when I refused to be blackmail (because that's what it is) had a terrible review about me put on checkatrade.but here's the amazing bit.my business calls are recorded on my phone with a call recording app to stop this type of thing from rogue customers (and yes believe it or not they do exist) I then gave checkatrade the recording they completely proved I was innocent and telling the truth, checkatrade STILL published the terrible review !.so to answer your question they do publish negative reviews but whether or not they are accurate is another matter.thanks