Had a similar experience when I was looking to redo my siding. Roofer recommended some network I'd never heard of, claiming they were "certified" and all that. Decided to do my own digging:
- Checked reviews online—mixed bag, some glowing, some sketchy.
- Asked around locally; nobody had ever heard of them either.
- Looked into their supposed vetting process and it seemed pretty vague. Lots of buzzwords about "quality assurance" but no real details on what they actually check.
Ended up going with a local guy recommended by a neighbor—no fancy badges or certifications, just solid references and good examples of past work. He wasn't the cheapest, but the quality spoke for itself.
Not saying these contractor networks are always unreliable, but I'm skeptical about how rigorous their vetting actually is. Seems more marketing-driven than anything else. Would rather trust someone who's proven themselves locally over time than rely solely on a badge or affiliation.
Just my two cents based on personal experience...
Had a homeowner once who showed me some fancy "certified" badge from a network I'd never even heard of. When I asked him what exactly they certified, he couldn't really say either... makes you wonder how much weight these badges actually carry, huh?
Yeah, I've run into that a few times myself. Some of these "certifications" seem more like marketing gimmicks than anything else. I remember one contractor proudly showing me a badge from some obscure roofing network, and when I looked it up later, turns out all you had to do was pay a membership fee and watch a short video. Not exactly rigorous vetting, right?
On the other hand, there are legit certifications out there that require training, exams, and ongoing education. Those are usually backed by reputable industry organizations or manufacturers. So I guess the trick is knowing which ones actually mean something and which ones are just decoration... Easier said than done sometimes.
