Truthful Reviews

I would urge everyone looking for workmen to take their on line reviews with a pinch of salt and always check their credentials. Trusting glowing on line reviews has resulted in my employing a cowboy to work on my roof and a nightmare situation. Reviews are subjective, they can be written by people with a vestige interest in the workman you are employing as I've found to my cost. I would like to warn people about this firm, but am unsure of the repercussions.

I try to use [honest] word of mouth only, if I possibly can. [one has to read the person who is talking to us - too much flattery is probably a bit dodgy!]

I always try to be truthful if I leave a review. Just stick to the facts but it is better not to leave a review than give a false one as others may suffer due to inaccurate reviews.

I posted a negative review about something I bought online back in April. (I had previously contacted the company without any success). Had a look at the site this morning and it states "review awaiting approval"!

I've always left honest reviews - fair, but honest - on Amazon, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews etc. Sometimes this does involve saying that I was disappointed by the quality of the product or the standard of workmanship.

On Amazon, the seller has sometimes contacted me to offer a sum of money if I'll change my review. My reaction has always been to edit my review, adding "The seller has now offered me a sum of money if I'll change this review". I think people need to know what to expect when they are spending their hard-earned money.

I would not give a bad review, if i can't say anything good I wouldn't say anything on a review site. However if I had a problem with quality I would go straight back to the tradesman to correct their work... have always got a good result this way.

How disgusting for you nudejude it's a shame when it's the team doing the work we have had similar things happen I have left reviews try to be fair but honest .

I would not give a review at all. After all an employer is not allowed to give a bad reference for someone who is leaving their employment. Why would you want to give one at all as this will reflect on his future work. I think reviews need to be taken with a pinch of salt. The best way to find a good reliable workman is usually by word of mouth.

I would say I will withdraw the review if you ( meaning the snoddy workman) are going to pay for the work you had done to correct his bad workmanship! If not, back off or you'll report him for harassment!
If people don't complain and leave honest reviews then other people will be ripped off by this person too.

Moocow. I would never, from past experience, leave a review. Did you pay for this work without question ? then this should not need a pat on the back..It appears your contractor was not happy and wanted this pat on the back. A responsible contractor would refrain from throwing his toys out of the pram and question what is it that is not/ or was not to your satisfaction that compelled you to rate his work as fair. Of course their can, later, be problems concerning any services which is when the Supply of Goods and Services Act should be considered.

Meandashy
I would never advise any one to make threats.
You are not anothers keeper and the contractor could sue for defamation. A responsible contractor will put right any defects in his work .Citizens Advice give information what you should do in the event of finding shoddy work after payment and see my previous advice which protects the public against faulty goods & services .

Had a similar experience... hotel "bargain offer" from Groupon was so dreadful that we left after 1st night... (basically the whole hotel was being refurbish inside and out and every where was a building site...AND they hadn't mentioned it during the phone call the day before we arrived) complained to Groupon and the Hotel who agreed with our complaint but who did nothing for 2 - 3 weeks ... so after two / three phone calls i offered to publish an honest account on trip adviser... they immediately refunded all my money complaining that i was black mailing them...
but didn't care ... i'd got my money back...

We got new windows a few weeks ago. We were asked for feedback from the company. I said I was happy with the workmanship but disappointed that the windows were not cleaned. They were installed with marks from labels and lots of fingerprints. As these were on the outside, upstairs, I don't know how they expected us to clean them. They didn't respond to my complaint!

I hope you made it plain that you were not happy with the standard of his work before the question of payment arose & certainly way before you wrote your bad review. You should not accept shoddy, unsatisfactory workmanship

I would, and I have done. I tend to be constructive, so will state what was poor, and add anything that was done well e.g. puctual, tidy.

I left a negative review for a mattress and the review site said that they would not publish it as the company had asked them not to. I was livid and said I wanted it published whereupon they said they'd publish it if I amended it. I refused and then the mattress company got in touch with my review edited and offering to allow it to be published if I would accept the edits. I refused and said that my full review was honest, my opinion and experience. They eventually published it but put it under the date I'd written it so way down out of sight. Another person replyed to it stating that her experience was the same as mine. When I looked later my review was gone.
I contacted Trading Standards sending coies of all the correspondence but heard nothing more.

I don't leave reviews for small companies unless it positive. The reasons are so I don't get any of the above.

I have left positive and negative reviews for large companies on a product and service and not had any issues.

I left a polite but stinging review on a product I bought from a large company earlier this year which 8 returned. I wasn't sure if it would he printed or not. I was surprised that it was

Inishowen.
Write a formal letter of complaint to the company in question with photographs of the marks and how do they expect you to get them off in view they are on the outside of upstairs windows and what do they intend doing in putting this matter right. Advise they have (give them a time in which you expect their response) to respond
Go to the ombudsman website where they show how to write a formal complaint letter.

Always truthful, but hopefully not offensive. And I always try to find one thing good to say

I learned my lesson years ago now on Trip Advisor. I left a less-than-glowing review (nothing more than stating our experience and opinion) of a b & b, and received all kinds of personal abuse which I had to get Trip Advisor to remove.
I like to leave reviews because, on the whole, and taken with a pinch of salt, they can be very useful but now, if I'm not happy, I either say nothing or qualify it with things like 'while I know many other people haven't had this problem, our experience was.......'

I recently gave a very honest and respectful review of bad service I had received in a large shop (which had asked for feed-back). I then received an e-mail telling me they couldn't publish it because it was 'too specific'. I think what they meant was that it was too honest! I won't bother writing on-line reviews any more.

I def would be honest if I was getting no satisfaction or not having the issues rectified. My eldest son did this and even posted photos of the disgusting and shoddy workmanship. He had taken legal advice 1st to ensure this was ok to do so.

I have written one very negative review on TripAdvisor and it was published but with no response from the hotel - if only I had looked at TA before booking as I realised I wasn't the only one! I find TA's reviews very helpful personally.

We are currently decorating. Why? Previous poor workmanship, so we feel we are better doing it ourselves!

We are rather paint-splattered but keeping fit and having fun! I think.

Yes, I have left both positive and negative reviews. I am always honest and never vindictive.

I do take stock of a product or hotel and read reviews before I buy/book.

The greater the number of reviews, the better the chances of finding some accuracy, or so I thought before reading the experiences of some GNetter's. This thread has made me think that I should not be quite so trusting....

Trustpilot is one site I use which seems pukka but, who knows!