The Trusted Regina directory team really care about the opinions and thoughts of YOU, the Regina public. WE work for you by finding the best locally accountable Regina businesses and promoting them as a community. We do this so you can find trustworthy companies really easily. We are just like you, and we have been burned in the past from disreputable companies who over promised and undelivered, in fact the founder Sara was ripped off and this prompted her to start Trusted!! ( read the story here)
The internet has really been a game changer for consumers and for businesses. On the positive side it means we can research companies and products much easier BEFORE we contact them, saving us time.....but what if you read reviews that are bias, misinformed or simply not the truth?? We have supported Trusted partners through this process and tried to guide them in how to deal with this sometimes devastating process, it’s something that most local businesses really do fear.
This time it is our turn.....Trevor took the time to leave a review for The Trusted Regina team today, so we wanted to make something positive out of a ‘ negative situation ‘ for the Trusted team. Read his review and our founder Sara Wheelwright’s response below.
We truly thank Trevor for allowing us an opportunity to speak about what we do , and hopefully explain that we are indeed the REAL DEAL, also this allows us the opportunity to use our experience to highlight one of the biggest things local and big businesses are having to deal with! Words are powerful and we all have a voice online, please be informed, be nice and be wise in how you use that voice.
Trevor- firstly thanks for sharing your thoughts with us and giving our team a chance to explain to you who we, what we do and why we are set up the way we are.
Firstly a business does't pay to be Trusted - they qualify to be Trusted after passing a strict verification process ( pass or fail) and signing an annual contract to uphold a specific standard and set of guarantees. We welcome feedback and you can contact us by phone, email or on our many social media pages . We are a local team with offices in Regina and Saskatoon.
We are not a ' review company ' you are correct - they are 10 a penny all over the web, most reviews online are not verified in any way. In addition evidence and data clearly proves that up to 40% of all reviews are false . Also, we know that many people who review businesses negatively are not interested in solving issues , but just use these review sites to complain. This can really effect local businesses who would otherwise have worked hard to rectify any wrongs they may have done! No one is perfect are they?
At Trusted - we are unique- the testimonials you see displayed on the feature listings are from real people that we spoke to personally as part of the verification process- we contact 25 previous clients and survey them in person and over the phone.
( See an example below)
We work with the businesses over the year - helping them with service questions, sharing info from the public, training them about the internet and social media and supporting their endeavors by promoting them as wonderful local companies that meet our high standards and believe in what we stand for. However who we really work for is YOU - the public. We also mystery shop a random selection of the businesses to check that they are doing a great job when they don't know we are looking!
If there are issues - We offer a hands on dispute resolution process that determines if the business has broken their contract with Trusted - if we find they have, we give them the opportunity to rectify their mistake - if they do not we remove them from the Trusted website(s) - we speak to both parties on the phone, on email and in person to ensure we know all the facts before making our decision.
The businesses pay an annual membership fee which is minimal, from that we invest heavily in marketing to promote them as a community. How else do we let people know about our service in the cities we serve? Also, of course our hardworking local team are compensated for the countless hours we put into providing the best possible on and offline experience for the public and the partners.
If you wish to complain about any Trusted business , you can contact us via any of the ways mentioned above and we will be happy to offer assistance, advice and even mediation if you feel you need it?
However by just reviewing Trusted negatively, like you have today with out truly knowing who we are and what we do, means you are again solidifying to our team that review sites are not what we ever want to be ...We offer a local service that is specialized, unique , personal , locally focused , accountable and absolutely trustworthy .
Many thanks again for the opportunity to educate you and any others that may have been feeling the same way. We hope you reconsider you 2 star review of our services, we would love nothing more than to be an asset in your life!
Sincerely on behalf of my team and the Trusted Partners across SK .
Sara Wheelwright , Owner S & E Trusted Online Directories
