Trying to find a 5 star company, or just a reputable company that can do either commercial property maintenance or commercial landscaping or residential maintenance or landscaping can be complicated. The star system has become the cornerstone of advertising, and as a result is becoming less and less reliable source of information for homeowners and property managers. As a company in a competitive field, Landcare knows only too well how hard it is to maintain the top position in a Google Search. As the digital world gets more and more competitive, trades including Toronto landscaping and property management companies are putting more and more of their money towards SEO companies and Star based rating systems. In the early years this was effective, but recently you’ll see that almost every company has 5 stars. Many companies are feeling the pressure to pad the true customer service score with false stars generated by false customers. In fact, new companies that write fake reviews have been born out of this system. Landcare regularly receives emails offering for a fee to remove bad reviews or add false good reviews. Things have gotten so bad out there that you’ll also find companies writing false negative reviews of their competitors. This pressure to create the illusion of a perfect company is keeping in step with the pressure people feel to present themselves as perfect on social media. So what’s the solution?

A reputable company is more than a star system, they have guarantees, accreditations, education certificates, degree or diplomas, insurance, affiliations with governing bodies and associations and awards/industry recognitions. Don’t let the illusions of five stars create the illusion of skilled labour or guaranteed quality service.

It may be “old school” but any company that’s worth its salt should be able to provide homeowners and property managers a list of recent references from happy customers. Whether a 5 star company or otherwise, this is where you will learn the pluses and minuses of a particular company. Once you know these things you can make an informed decision. You can also anticipate and address any concerns those references might highlight. A company shouldn’t be afraid to offer the whole picture of themselves through a reference rather than a partial picture through a star system.