The title is somewhat misleading; the real reason for exclusion would be his reaction.
Here’s the situation:
A tradesperson offered me a service on MyHammer. He is new to the platform (or using a new account) and has zero reviews. So, I searched for his company on Google to check the reviews.
The reviews paint a very confusing picture. There are some very old reviews, all very negative (1 star). To me, these do not seem genuine. Almost all come from reviewers who only ever wrote that one review about this company and nothing else. I suspect these are either competitors’ work or other fake reviews. Following those, there is a whole batch of positive fake reviews. The company has over 40 reviews, and based on a quick sample, I would estimate over 90% are fake. This is clear especially because nearly all 5-star reviews are from “people” who a) find everything and everyone on Google absolutely great, and b) coincidentally all the people who rave about this tradesperson also rate the same ice cream shop in xyz and the erotic massage studio in Hannover as amazing. This is the classic pattern of a Google profile polished by some marketing company.
I confronted the tradesperson about the Google reviews.
His response was simply, “Like fake news, I know nothing about it.”
Somehow, my gut feeling now tells me it’s probably better not to hire him. If he reacts defensively to a simple question about his Google profile, I don’t know how easy it will be to deal with him if there are any issues with his work.
Besides, I don’t believe his answer is honest. People usually don’t write fake positive reviews for free. Companies generally pay for that, so I’m quite sure he knows about it.
Am I being too picky, or does this seem reasonable?
Here’s the situation:
A tradesperson offered me a service on MyHammer. He is new to the platform (or using a new account) and has zero reviews. So, I searched for his company on Google to check the reviews.
The reviews paint a very confusing picture. There are some very old reviews, all very negative (1 star). To me, these do not seem genuine. Almost all come from reviewers who only ever wrote that one review about this company and nothing else. I suspect these are either competitors’ work or other fake reviews. Following those, there is a whole batch of positive fake reviews. The company has over 40 reviews, and based on a quick sample, I would estimate over 90% are fake. This is clear especially because nearly all 5-star reviews are from “people” who a) find everything and everyone on Google absolutely great, and b) coincidentally all the people who rave about this tradesperson also rate the same ice cream shop in xyz and the erotic massage studio in Hannover as amazing. This is the classic pattern of a Google profile polished by some marketing company.
I confronted the tradesperson about the Google reviews.
His response was simply, “Like fake news, I know nothing about it.”
Somehow, my gut feeling now tells me it’s probably better not to hire him. If he reacts defensively to a simple question about his Google profile, I don’t know how easy it will be to deal with him if there are any issues with his work.
Besides, I don’t believe his answer is honest. People usually don’t write fake positive reviews for free. Companies generally pay for that, so I’m quite sure he knows about it.
Am I being too picky, or does this seem reasonable?
HilfeHilfe schrieb:
If you are a craftsman on MyHammer, you are not the cream of the crop. I would also be interested to know if that is really the case all the time?
I’ve actually had good experiences with it, though that was 10 years ago. Surely, many companies on there can do a bit of everything but not very well, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t also good companies. The rating system and the prior contact make it possible to filter quite well.
Certainly, due to the recent construction boom, the very best professionals are probably already well booked and might not need to look on MyHammer.
But there are also the “decent” tradespeople who maybe just don’t get the big contracts.
Especially for smaller jobs like the ones described by the original poster, it’s often hard to find a larger, well-established company.
For such work, MyHammer is actually well suited.
kati1337 schrieb:
We have an unpopular tender to install a vanity unit and sink, but we want to provide the materials ourselves (except for the fixing materials). I wouldn’t hesitate to hire a tradesperson for that work, but if you’re feeling uneasy, have a look again on the well-known classifieds site. There are often all-round handymen advertising their services there.
kati1337 schrieb:
I think 1000€ (about 1100 USD) is quite expensive for that, or am I naive? No, that’s too much and probably a defensive offer.
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nordanney28 Apr 2020 09:53HilfeHilfe schrieb:
Those who work as craftsmen on MyHammer are not the cream of the crop I have to disagree with you. A large portion of the "regular" tradespeople are also active on platforms. Some of them are even large companies with 30-40 employees. Of course, there are also many poor performers, that’s true.
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HilfeHilfe28 Apr 2020 10:05kati1337 schrieb:
Unfortunately, not yet. We have the unpopular task of installing a washbasin and sink, but we would like to supply the materials ourselves (except for the mounting hardware).
I had previously asked a craftsman’s company (which we know is reliable) for a complete service quote, but they wanted 1000€ and so far haven’t been able to clearly explain what exactly is included in the price. Basically, we just want to have two narrow “shelves” mounted on the long wall in the guest bathroom, with the washbasin installed on the upper shelf (cutouts to accommodate the connections need to be made from one of the boards).
I think 1000€ is quite expensive for that, or am I being naive? Depending on the size of the washbasin and vanity unit, and the type of wall (drywall, etc.), it can easily be a full day’s work with two people (for larger washbasins, two workers are needed).
A full day for installation, travel, silicone sealing, small parts, and so on.
1000€ including VAT is quite plausible.
A few years ago, I found my tiler through the well-known platform. It was a one-person business. He did an excellent job and even took me to a current construction site beforehand so I could decide whether or not to use stainless steel trim.
To be honest, you have a very unpopular job to assign right now. For many companies, it is not worthwhile to install supplied materials or accept very small jobs. That probably explains the 1000€ (about 1100 USD) quote.
And seriously, you could also do this yourself. As a craftsman, he will probably do it well enough.
To be honest, you have a very unpopular job to assign right now. For many companies, it is not worthwhile to install supplied materials or accept very small jobs. That probably explains the 1000€ (about 1100 USD) quote.
And seriously, you could also do this yourself. As a craftsman, he will probably do it well enough.
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Pinkiponk28 Apr 2020 10:21Joedreck schrieb:
For many companies, it is not worthwhile to install materials they have not supplied themselves, ...Do I understand correctly that craftsmen earn not only from the service but also from the price of the materials? I ask because until now, I assumed that craftsmen use better quality materials, which is why their materials are more expensive than those from the DIY store.Similar topics