CheckATrade any good?

Leif

Thanks Andrew. It is a problem to find decent trades people. A lot of colleagues do the work themselves, such as install kitchens, tile floors etc because they do not trust professionals. As far as the people I hired are concerned, I think they are good plumbers, as they did a nice job of the boiler installation, but there are issues. I filled the holes in the skirting and I have painted the skirting in the kitchen, and it looks good with holes not visible. But some jobs such as bathrooms are not small projects.

ziggyman99

Leif wrote: »

Can anyone confirm Keystone's statement, that traders can decide which reviews are shown? If so, then the site is worthless.

How many references does one need to check? I had a visit from two lads who get good CheckATrade reviews (ahem) and I asked for names I could contact. I was given two recent ones, and they seemed genuine.

They can't. The others are talking crap.
I'm a Checkatrade member and I know what happens. If a really bad feedback card comes into Checkatrade they will phone the trader to see if anything can be done to resolve the issues between the customer and trader. You certainly don't have any say on whats published. That would make a mockery of the whole idea of a reputation site.
Luckily I've never had a bad feedback (just a couple of niggly things) but I would let it ride anyway, even if I had some say in it being published. The reason being is everybody has a bad day. If anyone looking through your feedbacks sees 100 great reports and 1 bad one they will usually accept that as a bad day or a fussy customer....

Has the OP contacted Checkatrade? I would. I think you'll find them very helpful.

ziggyman99

Leif wrote: »

It is grossly misleading, and IMO a scam. The fact that it gives you the ratings for people is fraudulent.

I would be very careful what you say in public unless your sure of your facts.

anotherbaldrick

Checkatrade is probably the most reliable way of finding a good tradesman. The tradesmen are anxious to maintain their assesment and rating score and will most certainly not rip you off. I had very good service on a new boiler installation after S&ESWC made total horlicks of my previous Potterton. I always look them up on line now when I want anything done.

MARTINXXXXXX

Leif wrote: »

Can anyone confirm Keystone's statement, that traders can decide which reviews are shown? .

No they cannot they are given a stay of excecution, in order to rectify the customers dissatisfaction after which they can have a right of reply (just like ebay). Obviously exercising the right of reply can be more damaging than just leaving the comment as it is. Don't believe me. see

ElectricNeil page on checkatrade

Do you really think if he had a choice he would hve let all the 4 out of 10s to go through?

MARTINXXXXXX

As I can't send a link this is what it says.

Scores: 4 3 7 2 4
Re wire the house, new sockets, garden wiring also.

Re wire the house, new sockets, garden wiring also.

I would not recommend , work was finished 3 weeks late. Neil was not always the person working on the job as promised. There was live wire which I had seen I was then told that this was disconnected when In fact It was still * Live * . Nice polite guy but would not recommend.
Customer in Lee-On-The-Solent, 1 June 2011

ziggyman99

MARTINXXXXXX wrote: »

As I can't send a link this is what it says.

Scores: 4 3 7 2 4
Re wire the house, new sockets, garden wiring also.

Re wire the house, new sockets, garden wiring also.

I would not recommend , work was finished 3 weeks late. Neil was not always the person working on the job as promised. There was live wire which I had seen I was then told that this was disconnected when In fact It was still * Live * . Nice polite guy but would not recommend.
Customer in Lee-On-The-Solent, 1 June 2011

http://www.checkatrade.com/ElectricNeil/

Leif

ziggyman99 wrote: »

I would be very careful what you say in public unless your sure of your facts.

You took the quote out of context.

However, I contacted the founder of CheckATrade, and I am sure he will not mind if I post here an extract from his response:

"Our members do not control which messages are shown on their website and which are not.
The information you have been given by others is incorrect.
Except in exceptional circumstances all feedback given to us on our members is shown on our web site, good and bad ones."

Clearly several people here including Keystone have given incorrect information. Given the above, CheckATrade probably is quite a good way to find tradesmen, though word of mouth is probably better.

anotherbaldrick

Leif wrote: »

Given the above, CheckATrade probably is quite a good way to find tradesmen, though word of mouth is probably better.

Word of mouth is not always available or up to date .
I come back to my reccomendation for Check a Trade. Remember in the industry things do not always go plain sailing. Our next door neighbour also had his boiler changed on the basis of my experience , but it was a bit traumatic. It turned out the original builder had buried his electrical cable to the boiler in the wall and then when boxing around had driven a nail through the cable. It had existed like that for 15 years and it was not till new work was done that it threw a wobbly. Not the new installers fault but it meant things did not go smoothly, but he sorted it in the end which is the main thing.

ziggyman99

andrew-b wrote: »

I'm not dismissing checkatrade.

Yeah it read like that.;)