- Totally get the hesitation—been there myself. Had a roofer once who swore by some obscure contractor network I'd never heard of. My skeptical radar went off immediately.
- Did some digging, and turns out they were legit, just smaller and regional. Ended up giving them a shot, and honestly...they did solid work. Not perfect (who is?), but way better than some big-name outfits I've dealt with.
- Agree 100% on references and reviews being key. But even then, gotta take those with a grain of salt sometimes—I've seen glowing reviews for contractors who turned out to be total disasters. Makes you wonder who's writing these things...
- Bottom line: trust your gut, but verify everything. And maybe keep a bucket handy just in case your plumber decides to "fix" something again.
- Yep, been burned by glowing reviews too—sometimes they're friends or family padding the ratings.
- Also worth checking if they're licensed and insured...saved me headaches more than once.
- And honestly, smaller outfits often care more about reputation, so there's that.
- Learned the hard way myself about checking licenses. Had a roofer recommend some "trusted partner" for siding—turned out they weren't insured, and guess who footed the bill for damages...
- Agree on smaller businesses though. Had a small painting crew once; they went above and beyond to fix minor issues because their rep was everything.
- Bottom line: trust but verify, always.
Had a similar experience recently—my plumber recommended some "great tile guy" for my bathroom remodel. Seemed legit at first, but when I asked about insurance, he got weirdly evasive. Decided to go with someone else who was upfront about licenses and coverage. Definitely learned to trust my gut... and double-check credentials. Small businesses can be awesome, but gotta stay cautious either way.
Had a similar thing happen last year—my usual handyman recommended a painter who was part of some local contractor network I'd never heard of. Guy seemed nice enough, but when I asked about references, he kept dodging the question. Ended up going with someone else. Curious if anyone's ever had a positive experience with these contractor networks?
