a warning about threebestrated.co.uk

startingout2016

I was a victim of a rogue trader last May who were reported to Trading Standards, Gas Safe etc.

It also turned out that they were listed on Threebestrated.co.uk

This is a website that says they go through a 50 point check of a company before they can be listed.

I contacted threebestrated.co.uk to inform them that they had a rogue trader listed and that they must have slipped through the checks.

I received a response a few weeks later forwarding me on a message from the rogue trader that denies any wrongdoing.

I had expected from an website advertising traders as checked and trusted that the checks would be more involved than this as its quite obvious a trader would respond to say they had no knowledge if confronted directly.

I have forwarded on the trading standards case reference and urged them to actually check them out properly to ensure other people don't get targeted by them in future.

It goes to show that these online 'trusted' listings pages can't often be trusted themselves so wanted to warn others.

Davesnave

If people like you aren't charged a fee to use the web site, you have imagine how it's paid for. From there, take a view on how impartial it's likely to be.

It's like trade assocations which pose as if they are champions of the consumer, but when the chips are down, they try their best to do nothing that might harm their funding.

A few years ago, I had a strong case against a company which had broken their own T&C. I wanted unbiased 3rd party input to the dispute. Far from helping me, the trade assocation decided my case 'wasn't suitable' for arbitration; no explanation as to why. I took this as a signal that I would win, so I refused to pay the final £4k to the company. Never heard another word from them or the trade association.


Edited to add that you shouldn't expect too much from Trading Standards, who are very under-funded.

ArtooDetoo

I also don't see the point of threebestrated, and certainly won't be trusting anyone they promote based on my experience with them. I used a trader they promote who had a low level of skills and did a really bad job, sub-standard for a standard DIYer, let alone someone claiming to provide a service. He has since then been rude and tried to get out of the refund he agreed to months ago. I contacted threebestrated many times about him, even sending a screenshot of the misogynistic abuse that he posted about me online, and they have not done much and still promote him. I won't be able to trust any trader they promote.

topknotch1

I personally think there is a big issue with Three Best Rated as although they say they do a 50 point check, it is pretty obvious that the companies we are personally in competition with would never pass those checks, yet they are listed! 
Also, it appears that companies use it as 'award winning' this means they can write very misleading information on their websites like - 'Award winning dog groomers' when they have not actually done anything to win those awards! 
Three best rated in your city sounds pretty impressive to the layman, until they look further into it! 

theonlywayisup

3 complaints a year isn't that bad, ironic maybe, but not bad. 

SmoothPink68

Three Best Rated say they do not accept payment and all listings are checked and free. This may be the case at the start but they do message companies they list to make a donation. No donation and the next year they are replaced so it is not a free business checking service.

Doozergirl

Has anyone looked at 50 point checklist? 

It's laughable, they'll phrase the same thing in positive and negative formats.  And it's barely in intelligible english, they're just made up.   

Section62

Doozergirl said:

Has anyone looked at 50 point checklist? 

It's laughable, they'll phrase the same thing in positive and negative formats.  And it's barely in intelligible english, they're just made up.   

The best bit about a newbie poster resurrecting a 5 year old thread to say how wonderful the company is is that it brings "a warning about threebestrated.co.uk" up to the top of the board and reminds us all of the warning.

A great public service by commonman10.  But personally I'd have left the thread in obscurity where it was, rather than bringing it fresh to everyone's attention.

Can't say that having "chatbots or live chat to connect with the customers and answer their queries right away" would be top of my list when looking for a builder... when they are working for me I want them to be working for me, not answering other people's queries "right away".

As for "Having a personalized, legitimate, creative and unique business logo"... how does that measure how good they are at doing the day job?

stuart45

I've just checked out the 3 best fish and chips in Brighton, and I'd say they've got that one right.