Noticed a pattern with homeowner reviews after 3 years of reading this sub

It seems like every bad review I see starts with "they showed up late" or "they didn't communicate", not actual shoddy work. Has anyone else noticed that good communication is the #1 thing people care about over quality?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai5646d ago

Big part of this is that most homeowners literally can't tell if the work is done right until months or years later. Like that new deck might look fine but the posts aren't set deep enough, or the flashing on the roof is wrong. By the time they realize there's a problem, the contractor is long gone. So they end up rating based on what they CAN see - did the guy show up when he said he would, did he text back, was he polite. Another thing nobody talks about is how bad communication usually means the work is bad too. A contractor who can't be bothered to call when running late probably isn't double checking their measurements either. Its almost always a red flag for overall sloppiness. People just notice the communication part first because its obvious right away. Plus good communication makes people feel safer spending all that money. If someone calls you back within an hour and explains what they're doing, you trust them more. Trust makes people overlook small issues in the finished work. Bad vibes from poor communication make people hyper aware of every little imperfection.

-1

aaronf406d ago

Honestly @kai564 I gotta push back on this one. A lot of homeowners just expect perfection and use communication as an excuse to nitpick when the work is totally fine. If a guy shows up, does the job solid, and cleans up after himself, who cares if he's a little late or doesn't text back within five minutes? Tbh the whole thing about bad communication meaning bad work is a bit of a stretch. Some of the best craftsmen I've seen are terrible with phones and email because they're actually busy working, not sitting in a truck scrolling. You can't judge a guy's carpentry by how fast he replies to a text. Ngl I think people just want a buddy they can trust more than they want quality work half the time. A guy who's a little rough around the edges but builds something that lasts 20 years is way better than a smooth talker who disappears after the check clears.