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?
Steven schrieb:
Hello
A little anecdote I found amusing.
A tradesperson (probably the worst I have ever had) was given negative reviews by me and others on golocal. He responded (quote) "Anyone who has left their reviews here must now expect consequences because some of them are defamatory."
And this tradesperson has no immigration background.
StevenHowever, negative reviews can have consequences if they are not substantiated.
Stay away from craftsmen found on MyHammer as well as those from Facebook. I really had a bad experience with one of them. It even got physical at one point. Fortunately, I am not easily intimidated and have the build to handle that.
It's better to hire someone from your circle of acquaintances or neighbors who has done work for you before. The few extra dollars are well worth saving yourself the stress and poor workmanship.
It's better to hire someone from your circle of acquaintances or neighbors who has done work for you before. The few extra dollars are well worth saving yourself the stress and poor workmanship.
I see it the same way. So far, I have always found all my tradespeople through personal contacts, and that has always worked out very well. Conversely, even I (not a tradesperson) get most of my jobs through personal contacts. When using online platforms, you are operating in a completely uncertain environment. It can work, but the risk of encountering problems is too high for me.
H
HilfeHilfe28 Apr 2020 11:13tumaa schrieb:
Probably a case for the Serbian mafia .......
So he attacked first?Hello
Please keep Serbia out of this.
tomtom79 schrieb:
Stay away from craftsmen found on MyHammer [...]. I really had a bad experience with one of them. It even escalated to physical confrontation. Fortunately, I'm not easily intimidated and physically able. That is certainly serious. But to conclude from this that such incidents happen more frequently with craftsmen booked through MyHammer—or only with them—I think is a mistaken assumption.
tomtom79 schrieb:
Better choose someone who has done work for people you know or in your neighborhood. The few extra dollars you spend are saved in nerves and poor workmanship. Assuming this person comes recommended by your acquaintance or neighbor, that is probably the best approach. TE has likely already tried that? At least that would be my first point of contact...
HilfeHilfe schrieb:
hello
please keep Serbia out of this Otherwise, I only know of the Russian and Italian mafia in Germany.