What reviews say about a kitchen company
July 05, 2017Reviews and recommendations are where 83% of homeowners turn to when they’re looking to hire a professional to work on their home. And it makes sense. After all, who can you trust more than a person who’s facing some of the same choices as you, and is reporting back about how that choice went? It’s the best way to make a safe bet, but where do you start?
There are three options: awards, reviews and personal recommendations. They take different amounts of time to get, but they each have valuable information.
Awards are good indicators of quality overall, but Customer Service Awards are usually based on actual reviews and feedback from customers. Awards from sites like Houzz, and Angies List collect reviews on many professionals both locally and nationally, so are a good overview of what customers think of their experience with a company.
Online review sites – People post reviews of companies in several places online. Google itself collects reviews on all kinds of businesses, while sites like Houzz are industry-specific and sites like Angie’s List are service-specific. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the opinions that are on the internet. Here are a few guidelines to keep from getting lost:
- Check more than one site for a balanced view from different perspectives.
- Check for older or ‘hidden’ reviews – Each site sorts their reviews differently.
- And most importantly… Keep in mind the questions you want answered!
When you’re vetting a kitchen refacing company keep in mind what’s most important to you. Some reviews are more useful than others, and each person is looking for input on different topics. If you’re concerned about performance, be sure that the reviewer actually bought and used the service. Even negative reviews can give you important information about how the company handles problems. If you were curious about how a company handles unexpected occurrences, a review that talks about how much they love their new cabinet color wouldn’t be of much use to you. Consider taking notes on what you want to know, and what you learn as you go through the reviews.
Poll your friends and acquaintances – This is a fine time to pull out your contact book and ring up some old friends, or post your question to your social media circle. Some social media sites, like Facebook, have posting functions just for asking for recommendations. Others, like Twitter, let you make polls with the companies you’re considering.
Even without these more advanced features, just a simple question can be enough to get everyone you know sharing their experiences of remodeling or refacing their kitchen, and who they used. Does anyone you know work with the companies you’re considering? If not, you can sometimes ask companies for references, and talk to real people for whom they’ve done work. Also, it never hurts too ask to see a completed job or two in your area.
With all the advice you’ve gathered from these different sources, you can update your list of possible contractors. You can also use what you’ve learned to refine your list of questions to ask at your consultation.
If you’re ready to get started now, call one of the numbers above or fill out our form to get a free kitchen design consultation.
