Help & advice

FAQ


How to post your job

Posting a job on Rated People is free. You complete a short form telling us the type of work, a description and an approximate, but realistic, budget for the job. The budget is required so that we can charge the tradesman the right price when they request to contact you and quote. Receiving up to 3 quotes ensures that you are able to select a tradesman based on price and quality.

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How do I update a job?

  1. Login
  2. Find the page in My Account
  3. Update your job with more information
  4. Submit the changes

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Getting your 3 quotes

After your job has been posted we’ll do a quick check on your phone number and e-mail address to ensure the jobs we’re passing on to tradesmen are of good quality. We’ll then notify all of our tradesmen who have the right skills and location to be able to quote. Up to 3 tradesmen will then request to contact you and we’ll provide your contact details. You’ll receive a phone call or message (via Rated People) from the tradesmen so that they can proceed with the quote.

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Choosing a tradesman

Once you have received 3 quotes you can choose which tradesman to proceed with. Every Rated People tradesman has a website showing their business description, qualifications, accreditations and any previous ratings from past customers. We advise using all of this information together with the quote to make a decision on who to proceed with. This way you get good quality at a fair price.

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Giving feedback and ratings

After the work has been completed we ask you to give feedback on the quality, value and reliability of the tradesman. This feedback is invaluable for future customers to choose the right tradesman and is really important to help good tradesmen grow their businesses.

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What should I do if I don’t want 3 quotes?

If you’ve decided to proceed with the work before being contacted by 3 tradesmen we ask you to update the job so we don’t pass it on to any more tradesmen.

  1. Login
  2. Open up the job in your account
  3. Click on “no more quotes”

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What should I do if no tradesmen contact me?

The job that you posted may not have had enough detail in the description, or the budget was unrealistic. Repost the job with more information in the description, and try a slightly higher budget. With multiple quotes you can be confident of finding a fair price, so you do not need to be cautious about putting in a high budget.

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Why have I been asked to update a job?

Jobs with an unrealistic budget or very short descriptions may not get a response from tradesmen. If no tradesmen have responded in 3 days we ask you to update the job.

  1. Login
  2. Find the ‘jobs’ page in ‘My account’
  3. Update your job with more information
  4. Submit the changes

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How can I get or stop text alerts?

If you give us your mobile number when you submit your job, we’ll automatically send you text alerts when we find tradesmen for you.

To change your text alert setting

  1. Login
  2. Go to ‘my account’
  3. Change the ‘please send text messages’ box

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How do you screen your tradesmen?

When tradesmen sign up to Rated People they are:

  • ID checked against electoral rolls, credit reference agencies, UK DL and/or passport
  • Checked for Gas Safe certification (heating engineers and plumbers cannot access gas-related work unless they are Gas Safe registered)
  • Asked about their Public Liability Insurance
  • Asked about their Part P qualifications

We encourage all homeowners to ask about these credentials before hiring a tradesman, if applicable.

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How can you guarantee the quality of the tradesman’s work?

Tradesmen signed up to Rated People operate as independent companies and are not working on behalf of Rated People, therefore we cannot guarantee the quality of their work.

We can however guarantee that tradesmen go through a screening process (see How do you screen your tradesmen?) before they become members of Rated People.

Tradesmen are also rated by previous customers. The ratings are based on:

  • Quality of work
  • Reliability
  • Value for money

These ratings are used by other homeowners to make a more informed decision about which tradesman to hire. Over 200,000 customer ratings have been submitted to date.

All tradesmen who join our service agree to abide by our minimum standards and codes of conduct. Tradesmen not doing so are permanently removed from our community.

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How do you know that the homeowner ratings are genuine?

Unlike other recommendation sites, we operate a closed ratings system. Only homeowners who have hired a tradesman via Rated People can submit a rating of that specific tradesman after the job has been finished. Homeowners are able to amend their rating at any time and the tradesman can comment/respond. We additionally screen ratings for offensive language.

As of 2012 we now conduct random spot checks on both positive and negative ratings to further ensure that homeowners can confidently hire a tradesman.

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What happens if I’m not happy with the tradesman’s work?

First, we encourage you and the tradesman to remedy the situation between yourselves. However, if asked to do so, our Performance Audit Team (PAT) can act as mediator. The role of the PAT is to investigate and resolve concerns or disputes. Complaints are handled on a case by case basis.

If you’re not happy with the quality of workmanship you should leave a rating stating why the tradesman didn’t live up to your expectations. Tradesmen who fail to deliver quality work can be permanently suspended from Rated People.

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When tradesmen sign up to Rated People they have no ratings, how do I know I will get a quality tradesman?

A good, quality tradesman should have a portfolio of previous work. Tradesmen can also upload photos of past projects, qualifications and a description of their services on Rated People so you can get a company overview. We always advise you to ask for previous customer references.

Tradesmen without ratings have most likely just joined Rated People. Although they don’t have any ratings yet, it doesn’t mean they’re not quality tradesmen. In fact, this means that tradesmen are incentivised to do a quality job to ensure they get a brilliant first rating, allowing them to start building their reputation online and gain more work in the future.

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Do you blacklist/suspend accounts?

In the unlikely event that a tradesman has acted unscrupulously, we can suspend an account. Our policy is to close accounts under the following circumstances:

  • Tradesman receives any serious complaints from a homeowner in their first month of having joined our service
  • Tradesman has received a total of 3 medium to high level complaints from a homeowner
  • Tradesman is acting unscrupulously: including inappropriate language, racism, sexism, threats, bullying and abusing the trust of the homeowner

It is important to note that each complaint must be dealt on a case by case basis as circumstances vary. Our Performance Audit Team (PAT) conducts each investigation, usually within 5-10 business days.

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I’ve always relied on word of mouth or directories before, why should I use Rated People?

Our service is better than word of mouth and directories for five reasons:

  • Our tradesmen average 5 ratings each, which means that you don’t have to rely on only one recommendation
  • We check credentials before a tradesman can sign up to the service
  • Tradesmen have paid for your lead so they are genuinely interested in helping you. Instead of wasting time calling tradesmen without availability, these tradesmen are contacting you to quote
  • Tradesmen must perform well to get rated well, which ensures good work
  • Over 30,000 tradesmen are members of Rated People, covering over 20 trades across the UK

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What should I think about when hiring a tradesman?

On Rated People you will be able to read previous customer reviews, look at photos of past projects and check qualifications and certificates. We also recommend talking to the tradesman over the phone or meet him/her in person. If someone offers a deal that’s too good to be true, it probably is.

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The tradesman I have hired has asked me to pay a deposit up front – what should I do?

We never recommend paying the entire amount up front; you shouldn’t part with a substantial sum without knowing what you’re getting. The deposit should not be more than 20% of the overall job price and the tradesmen should be able to explain what it’s covering: any upfront costs before the job starts.

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Will you publish my contact details when I submit a job?

No, your contact details will never be made public on the site. When a tradesman buys your job s/he will then get access to your details so they can call to quote.

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0800 953 3002 / 0207 198 8500
(Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)

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