Fully vetting each Best Pick company is something we take a lot of pride in. We know you trust our recommendations, and we work hard to ensure that our Certified Best Picks truly are the best of the best. Only companies that meet our qualification criteria are invited to participate in the Best Pick program.
Here’s what we check during our due diligence and qualification process:
Customer reviews
Every Best Pick company must maintain extremely high satisfaction rates. Each company new to Best Pick Reports must have at least 25 all-time Google or internal reviews, along with a 4.0 or greater rating based on reviews from the past three years.
If a company doesn’t meet our Google review threshold, they must send us a list of customer names and contact information. We use this information to survey the company’s customers, and at least 80 percent of customers must state that they were satisfied with their experience with the company.
To maintain qualification each year after qualifying, companies must continue to achieve a 4.0 or greater rating based on reviews from the past three years.
The all-time review count and overall review score for each company can be found in the company’s digital or guidebook profile.
Local service area
Companies new to Best Pick Reports must have a minimum of one year of service in their book area. This ensures that the company has a local presence. All Certified Best Picks must have an active website. For each category they appear in with Best Pick Reports, the company must advertise that type of work.
Financial stability
We verify each company’s financial standing by generating a credit report on every new company considered for participation. We look for basic but critical information including, but not limited to, bankruptcy history, liens or judgments history, a credit history score, credit limit, and charting histories. All Best Pick companies must be active and in good standing with their Secretary of State.
Customer complaints
Best Pick companies that receive 3 or more help desk complaints and/or guarantee claims in a 12-month period will go through an internal review process to determine whether they are still a good fit for Best Pick Reports.
Licenses and insurance
All Best Pick companies must have active general liability insurance and, when required by the state, workers’ compensation insurance. We verify these policies annually with the insurance carriers. We also verify directly with the state all state-required trade licenses.