Rated People any good?

[diyplumber1980]

Is the rated people website any good? Ive seen the add, but i'm unsure if its worth using traders from there. Ive got a lot of plumbing work i want done over summer like removing old water tanks etc and replacing system with combi boiler, new central heating etc and need good reliable tradespeople.

 

[swbjackson]

As a tradesmen it costs you money to join and you get sent business leads. If you want to follow these leads up you have to buy them and you are then sent details of the lead so that you can give the customer an estimate.

It's not really a business model that I like so I stay away from it.

Ideally you need to find people by recommendation. If you get people in to quote for you ask for references of previous satisfied customers. Talk to them about experience etc. I will always spend a bit of time with a customer to put them at ease when pricing work up, it's a big thing to most people having someone in tearing your house apart.

 

[ALEC1]

which local is the most equitable to all parties. i would use them...

 

[Nige F]

which local is the most equitable to all parties. i would use them...

indeed. support your local

 

[dcawkwell]

Just because they are on a website called rated people doesn't mean
they are any good.

A complete idiot can register and away you goes.

I joined and tried a few leads just for fun. Decided it was a complete
waste of time. The leads where unreliable and not vetted by ratedpeople
that is if they ever existed.

 

[SimonCzaban]

Exactly. Local is the way to go. Find out the best plumbing service in your area so that you'll know who to call immediately when a plumbing emergency does happen.

 

[OnceBitten]

STAY AWAY!!!! I used this once and after turning down one of the tradesmen got a mouthful of abuse and a text message telling me that "tradesmen have to pay for leads", true but apparently they get a credit if they don't get the job, I owed him "£5.75 to pay for his lead", which he got a credit for anyway. And that he didn't "like the p*ss taking" He then told me he knew my name and address..... nice threat!!!! I reported him to Rated People and they "apologised". They do not vet these tradesman, in fact, this particular one had been forced into liquidation twice before and simply created a new company and carried on trading. As i said STAY AWAY. Word of mouth is the only way to get a decent tradesman.

 

[ceecjc1]

Overall I'd say RatedPeople does not do what it says on the tin. I've had four tradesmen from this website: an absolutely excellent electrician, a reasonably good electrician, a plumber who left everything leaking but was very friendly and ultimately completed the job to a reasonable standard, and a poor carpenter.

I'd repeat everyone else's advice and go with a personal recommendation.

I also know from talking to my tradesmen that if a negative rating is left on their profile they can just call up RatedPeople and have it removed. After all, if you think about it, it's the tradesmen who are RatedPeople's customer, not you, so they need to keep them happy.

 

[ALEC1]

I think this is where Which Local scores... tradesmen have no financial interest in it..other than providing a good service...,

 

[theheatinghelper]

been on the site for a month quoted 4 boiler changes @ £20 + vat every lead not one boiler change over £1350.......... one had pro 28 magna clean honeywell wireless stat a powerflush and integral timer blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa rubbish site ,,,,blowssssssssssssss

 

[Agile]

I took up one of their cheap intro delas.

I did get a 400 pound job from it for someone who probably liked my communication.

Only problem was it was for an insurance claim and she wanted an invoice for more than my quote plus another job done within the price.

Cowboy customer!

 

[Sarahxxx]

I run a small gardening business and I am always receiving calls from this type of company wanting my trade. I avoid them as they (a) charge the tradesman a small fortune, (b) do not have any way of checking work and (c) have dubious feedback records. If you are looking for a genuine tradesman try asking Trading Standards, they have a scheme called 'Buy With Confidence.' i joined this and they checked me thoroughly with a 4 hour interview, checking all my qualifications, invoicing and quoting systems, CRB checks etc. They then took up references from a number of former customers and they have an honest feedback system.

 

[Deleted member 63160]

The best tradespeople don't need to join clubs like checkatrade, rated people etc. They are in demand because they are good. Word of mouth is the best way to find trades. Be prepared to wait though for the best.

 

[Tibbot]

The last thing these organisations are concerned about is the standard of their members work.

As a general guide to consumers, always assume the only people who are likely to care about a trade, are the people who directly work in that trade. Eg. If they are insurance salesman, comparison sites, finance or loan sharks, membership schemes etc, they won't give a t*ss beyond collecting their fee.

 

[hazetimesfive]

STAY AWAY!!!! I used this once and after turning down one of the tradesmen got a mouthful of abuse and a text message telling me that "tradesmen have to pay for leads", true but apparently they get a credit if they don't get the job, I owed him "£5.75 to pay for his lead", which he got a credit for anyway. And that he didn't "like the p*ss taking" He then told me he knew my name and address..... nice threat!!!! I reported him to Rated People and they "apologised". They do not vet these tradesman, in fact, this particular one had been forced into liquidation twice before and simply created a new company and carried on trading. As i said STAY AWAY. Word of mouth is the only way to get a decent tradesman.

they dont get a refund if they don't get the job, only if they are not allowed to quote.