Authenticated reviews are a fantastic barometer of a tradesperson’s work and the best way for a potential customer to get a sense of whether that tradie is one to choose or one to avoid. The star reviews by themselves are merely the starting point and it is very important to dig deeper and to understand what the reviews mean and what they represent. For instance – are the reviews for work completed, or merely work quoted on? Have the reviews been verified? Are the reviews presented independent from the business? Are they recent and consistent over time? Can they be challenged and evidence supplied, if requested? 

A tradie review should be an account of an experience, with observations about the work completed, timeliness, cost, customer service etc. A review with 5 stars that represents a quote only for work that was never done is of little value for ascertaining the worth of a business. You need to get an idea of the whole range of the work – from start to finish. That’s what consumers want to read and that’s what gives them trust.

Recent reviews are essential – you could see a business with 5 stars then find out their last review was years ago. Consumers want recent because recent says that business is operating now and being evaluated now. Currency is everything. The best review profiles are ones where a business has accumulated regular feedback over time, without huge gaps. Historically consistent reviews remove doubt and create self-assuredness that sets in motion the trust to want to engage with a business.

Verified reviews, published online independently of the business are the gold standard. Verified reviews mean there is a chain, a trail, with a real customer behind it. When reviews are authenticated it avoids the collection of dubious reviews with no provenance and little value. Verification processes create a trust platform because they prevent fake bad and fake good reviews. If reviews can’t be trusted or look suspicious then they are essentially worthless. They do not create trust and thus do not attract customers.

NoCowboys reviews are verified and NoCowboys is an independent review platform  – where tradies and businesses build their online reputations from legitimate customers for completed work and projects. Every review submission requires email verification unless the reviewer already has a verified account; reviews must relate to completed work; suspicious patterns can trigger an audit; evidence of custom can be requested.

Importantly, NoCowboys reviews submission requires email verification unless the reviewer already has a verified account; reviews must relate to completed work; suspicious patterns of feedback can trigger an audit; evidence of custom can be requested; and both positive and negative reviews can be published. It is imperative that our reviews are trusted by the consumers who rely on them before engaging a tradie.