How to Read Reviews and Verify a Trade's Reputation
Online reviews are useful, but they're also easy to game. Here's how to read a trade's review history the way an experienced buyer would.
Look at the pattern, not just the average
A 4.6-star average built from 80 reviews spread over three years tells you far more than a 5.0-star average built from 6 reviews posted in the same fortnight. Consistency over time is a stronger signal than a perfect score.
Check for a mix of very positive and moderately positive reviews — an entirely uniform set of five-star reviews with near-identical phrasing is a known pattern for incentivised or fake reviews.
Read the specifics, skip the generic praise
Reviews that mention specific, checkable details — 'arrived within the quoted window', 'explained what was wrong before starting', 'came back to fix a small issue at no charge' — are far more reliable than generic praise like 'great service, highly recommend'.
Negative reviews are informative too: look at how the business responded. A professional, non-defensive response to a bad review (owning the issue, explaining what was done to fix it) is often a better signal than having zero negative reviews at all.
Cross-check across platforms
A business with glowing reviews in one place but no presence, or a very different reputation, elsewhere is worth a second look. Checking a business across a couple of sources (a directory listing, Google, a local community group) gives you a fuller picture than relying on one review page alone.
Combine reviews with hard verification
Reviews reflect other customers' experiences, but they don't confirm licensing, insurance, or that the business is legally registered. Use reviews to shortlist, then verify licensing and NZBN status before committing.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ignore a business with a few negative reviews?
Not necessarily — look at how old the negative reviews are, whether they're a pattern or a one-off, and how the business responded. A single dated negative review with a thoughtful response is far less concerning than several recent, unanswered ones.
Are reviews on a directory more trustworthy than social media reviews?
It depends on the platform's verification process — directories tied to a real booking or contact flow tend to have fewer fake reviews than open platforms with no barrier to posting. Either way, look for the specificity and pattern signals described above.
What's the single biggest review red flag?
A sudden burst of near-identical five-star reviews posted within days of each other, especially if the account profiles look new or generic. This is the most common pattern behind manufactured review campaigns.