Best-Choices.com
Your definitive collection of the very best in-home services.
Why Best-Choices.com Exists
From carpet or pool cleaning to septic system maintenance to window, roof, or siding replacement, most homeowners have no idea how to tell the difference between an A+ company and a D- company. Both have pretty vehicles, advertise, and have many good reviews online that seem legitimate. In our experience, that’s not enough! There are too many sub-par companies that most people won’t check.
Your Private-Eye For Home Services
Best-Choices.com reviews home service providers regularly by category. All companies are ranked according to our proprietary algorithms. We consider information gleaned from many different sources, including trade references, manufacturer suppliers, and credit ratings, each of which speaks to the company’s quality, customer satisfaction, stability, value, and experience.
Too Many Good People Are Getting Screwed. Some Lose Their Savings With No Recourse.
We Decided To Help People Avoid Being Defrauded or Burned By Wholly Uninsured, Unqualified, Incompetent, Unscrupulous, Dishonest, Unethical, Unsafe, or Criminal “Home Service” Companies.
Our Rating Criteria
How do we rate companies in our home services database?
- Years in business by location
- Credit Rating and Trade Reputation
- Staff experience
- Reviews weighted by credibility
- Certifications and Credentials
- Safety Record and Compliance
- Awards and Recognition
- Responsiveness
- Simultaneous Concurrent Project Capacity
- Use of Technology/tools/ techniques
- Average Team Tenure
- Owner/Manager Accessibility
- Published Warranty
- Problem Resolution
- Seasonal Backlog / Wait List
Many Glowing Reviews Help, But…
A residential service company regionally ranking in the top 5 percent in their industry category on a single major customer review site will rank lower than a similar company ranked in the top 5 percent on multiple review sites. Does that guarantee one is better than the other? Strictly speaking, not necessarily, but not all review sites have the same quality or value. And reviews or review sites are not created equal. Homeowner reviews are typically snapshots during a narrow period as the job is completed and rarely revisited and updated five or ten years later. Too often, the homeowner reviews their experience, good or bad, but has no idea if they got a high-quality result or one that just seemed good once completed.
Fake Reviews Everywhere These Days
Reviews can be easily faked on most platforms. Numerous unscrupulous marketers will sell you 1000 reviews overnight for a modest fee. That’s a fact. And it doesn’t matter that the review says” verified” either; look it up. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore the reviews. Check out recently dated good ones and maybe a selection of not-so-good reviews for balance and to see how the companies respond to problems. Nobody is perfect. Nobody. Anyway, don’t rely too heavily on reviews. Reviews are merely another data point to help you choose a service provider.
Years in business
Can you get a quality job done by a newly opened home services business? Absolutely, but it comes with lots of risk. New businesses fail at an astonishing rate in the USA, meaning your manufacturer-backed warranty vanishes with the business for any installation mistakes. An HVAC or Foundation Repair business that has been around for decades is a much better bet and deserves to rank higher by this measure.
Awards and Certifications
Companies recognized for excellence deserve to outrank companies with little in the way of third-party achievements. Even awards for sales tell you something about the strength of a business going places. Community recognition tells you that your company cares and contributes as neighbors. Finally, quality and customer service awards tell you that your company takes pride in its work and cares about your satisfaction. Of course, not all awards and certifications equate to the same level of distinction, but we’ve got you covered as we take the time to assign a proper weighting to each credential claimed. We also pay attention to the dates credentials are earned. Over time, things change, and older recognition no longer applies in our system.
Our Ratings Are Not For Sale. Period.
Our ratings are based on solid research and a proprietary algorithm that cannot be purchased or influenced by money or favors. If a company wishes to be highly ranked, it merely needs to do better and prove it to us; it’s that simple. Can we make a mistake and overlook something? The answer is obviously yes. However, we do not respond directly to objections but will consider factual, verifiable evidence that we missed something important or made an error.
Financial Responsibility & Stability
A company that pays its bills on time will rank higher than one that is slower to pay its bills. Why? Good credit-worthy companies get better support and service from their suppliers, which usually translates to more responsiveness and better pricing. They also tend to pay their sub-contractors on time (and at higher than market rates), making them happier and more reliable people who don’t job-hop. This is an important indicator of a well-run business and an often overlooked measure. A solvent and fiscally responsible contractor will also remain in business for a long time. That bodes well when you may need them to remedy a long-term warranty claim on your behalf.
Know Of A Company You Think Qualifies?
By all means, submit using our application form, and we’ll consider them for inclusion into our home services database with our thanks for the tip.
Research Is Our Business
We are very good at our jobs. We work hard to vet sources of information for accuracy wherever possible. It takes a lot of time to check a company out and keep its file fresh. We believe you would want to carry out this level of background checks on big-ticket home service providers if you had the time and access. Simply put, we do the professional research and verification that you would do if you had the time and know-how to do it yourself. Our rankings cannot be bought or otherwise influenced.
Site Funding
Our funding comes from donations from people and businesses that want to support our efforts and advertising revenue. We ask homeowners who get value from our effort to consider donating to help us keep this going. The decision to donate and the amount is entirely up to you.
Our Terms Of Service Are Simple: It’s YOUR Decision
We cannot guarantee that a Highly-rated Best-Choices.com company won’t mess up. It’s Very Unlikely, But There’s Always A Non-zero Chance Of Problems. We Cannot Control Anything That Happens Between You And Your Choice Of Service Provider or Contractor. Do Not Rely Solely On Any Single Source Of Information As You Consider Companies To Handle Your Project. The Bigger The Ticket, The More Time You Should Spend Calling References And Driving Around Looking At Their Work. Don’t be lazy or complacent. It could cost you thousands, depending on the nature of your project. Do your part beyond surfing the internet and exchanging emails. Trust us, it’s worth your time before you choose. Beware of low-price bids that seem much lower than other bids. That’s a red flag! As a rule, you get what you pay for in home improvement and home services. The better companies are more expensive, and we believe they earn every cent as a rule. Sometimes, the best answer may be to wait and save up for the better quality companies or approach them at a slower time of year, if possible.