Best Thing Ever

Important to Know: Negative Reviews Are Not Published on BTE

I used The Best Thing Ever (BTE) to find an upholsterer in Cape Town and chose Washiela Solomons Interiors after finding her recommended through the platform. Unfortunately, my experience with the service provider was very disappointing. Because I had originally found her through BTE, I contacted BTE to share my experience so that other people considering the same recommendation could have the benefit of both positive and negative feedback. I was surprised to find the negative (honest) feedback is monitored and not posted on BTE and that I should post it on HelloPeter instead. I was also told that mine was the first complaint they had received about this service provider and that the recommendations on the group had been checked. This concerns me because, as a consumer, I assumed that the recommendations I was reading reflected customers' experiences with the businesses listed or recommended there. Had I been able to see a negative experience like mine before choosing the upholsterer, I would at least have had more information before deciding to hand over a substantial deposit. I completely understand that BTE may have its own rules about what it publishes. However, I think consumers should be aware that, based on what I was told, negative experiences are not published there and customers are instead directed to HelloPeter. For me, that changes how I would use the platform in future. I would not rely solely on the recommendations appearing on BTE when choosing a service provider. I would also search independent review platforms and Google for both positive and negative experiences before making a decision. I am posting this because I wish I had understood this distinction before I used a BTE recommendation.