Reality and the Internet
Researching who you hire was once almost entirely a “word of mouth” affair. Then came the Yellow Pages. Mix in a little TV, print media, radio, mailers, and basically, any service provider could initiate their own “word of mouth”, self-aggrandizing recommendation.
Fast forward to the age of the internet. The emphasis these days is on the speed of the deal. Everyone wants to arrive and we all tend to give far too little attention to the journey along the way to the destination. Some thoughtful internet “add-ons” have arisen with regard to finding internet recommendations which approximate “word of mouth” recommendations. And, of course, and a trail of angry customers or clients can certainly litter the internet with bad PR for a provider giving poor customer service. But reputations are easy to start anew . . .just change the name and create another nifty website and you are back in business sans the baggage. It really pays to look on the website for how long the company has been in business and how long the website has existed and most importantly, to read the references that real former customers/clients have posted for the firm!
Have the proliferation of privacy laws and the spectre of slander lawsuits made honest references a thing of the past? Will no one tell you the truth about who you should hire but your own mother? While you ponder these deep questions of life, please also consider one more third party reference from EXPERTISE.COM for our firm naming us among the top 15% of real estate law firms in our area :
