I had some decorating done. The job wasn’t very good. I’m now having to lose my holiday of taking my daughter to the pictures and am instead instead redoing half the work the deorator was supposed to do. He’s away on another job down south until February and I’ve already paid him. (I didn’t see the half job he’d done until closer inspection in the daylight. Plus the paint on the window sill has just peeled off in my hand today – it looked really good when he’d finished.

I want to leave a fair online review. Not destroy the guys reputation – but give people an idea of what they are paying for.

He’s not on google, trustatrader, checkatrde or similar. In all cases it seems the trader has to add themselves first before people can review them. That seems to defeat the object of the review site IMO.

How do I review someone who doesn’t seem to have an online prescence?

Facebook? How did you find him?

Neighbour gave us his no. Said he did a really good job. Either he’s rushed mine, or they have low standards. Not on facebook, but h doesn’t seem to come up when I do a search through facebook. The whole thing seems to rely on the trader being online. So if they don’t want to be reviewed (i.e. because they don’t think much of their own work) then no one else can review them either. That seems odd to me.

Think of it the other way round. If you only choose Traders who have put themselves up for review then you are more likely to get a broader range of feedback than just “from your neighbour”.

The whole thing seems to rely on the trader being online. So if they don’t want to be reviewed (i.e. because they don’t think much of their own work) then no one else can review them either. That seems odd to me.

Tradesmen have to pay a few hundred quid a year to be on Check-a-trade etc.
If you have sufficient work throough word of mouth why would you bother?
As someone said though, people have different standards and expectations. Did you go and see for youself your neighbour’s job?

How on earth did we manage in the old days..?

I tried all the check-a-trder sites. However, there is no one anywhere near me listed. Presumably because the review websites are charging the traders to be listed. The wife looked the neighbours house, said it looked fine. But then it’s difficult to inspect someones house when they have all their stuff in it.

Everyone else I asked for recommendations just said “why would you pay someone to do a job you can do yourself?” I think they missed the point.

Everyone else I asked for recommendations just said “why would you pay someone to do a job you can do yourself?”

They are often the ones with low expectations. After all, we’ve all been painting since we were three. How difficult can it be..?

What did he say when you spoke to him to complain ?