Ratings and Feedback Policy

eContractorBids.com’s ratings and feedback policies are rules and guidelines that create a safe and fair environment for all contractors and consumers to research local businesses in the construction industry. To promote a safe and accurate environment, eContractorBids.com has some basic rules and policies that must be followed.

Members and consumers should use caution and good judgment when leaving Feedback and Ratings for another member. Submitted ratings and feedback will be a permanent part of that member’s record on eContractorBids.com.

eContractorBids.com’s Ratings and Feedback related policies are designed to encourage open and honest relations and transactions. However, to ensure that the Ratings and Feedback system is used for the proper purpose and not abused, eContractorBids.com has specific policies that must be followed.

Feedback Extortion:

Threatening to leave negative or neutral feedback for another member unless the other member provides goods or services not included in the original agreement will not be permitted.

Consumers are not allowed to threaten members with negative Feedback, neutral Feedback or low Ratings in order to obtain any goods or services, special treatment, or any other means of unintended use or publication.

Members may not require buyers to leave specific Feedback or Detailed Ratings.  Members also may not demand that buyers withdraw existing Ratings and/or Feedback.  These prohibitions apply to all Ratings and Feedback activity, whether prior to, during, or after delivery of goods or services.

Feedback Manipulation:

Feedback left or received, including Ratings, where the feedback’s primary value is to artificially enhance a member’s reputation rather than provide commentary and ratings on genuine transactional experience is not permitted.

Consequently, offering to sell, buy or barter Feedback or Ratings is not permitted. In addition, registering multiple accounts (or working with others) in order to exchange feedback to artificially increase your Feedback or Ratings score is not permitted.

Members are not permitted to include in their bids/estimates or terms of sale any conditions that limits or restricts the buyer from leaving Feedback or submitting Ratings.

eContractorBids.com will view the recurrence of listings which are uncharacteristic of a reasonable business model to be in violation.

Removing Feedback and Ratings:

“Exclusive Members” are able to delete 1 of every 10 ratings submitted. “Exclusive Members” may delete any rating at any time, but only for 1 of 10 ratings submitted. A total of 10 ratings must be submitted before a second rating can be deleted. All other members will not have the option of deleting Ratings and Feedback if determined the Rating and/or Feedback is legitimate.

Each “Exclusive Member” and “Member” will have the ability to use the “Rebuttal” function and respond to any feedback or ratings submitted by a customer. All rebuttal statements will be published below the consumer comment. All rebuttal responses must be sent via email with the appropriate job number and customer response. Rebuttal statements will follow the posted rating and/or customer feedback.

Pre-Populating Ratings:

Any Member regardless of type may submit ratings from past customers to pre-populate their ratings. A minimum of 10 ratings/references must be submitted and confirmed to pre-populate any member’s rating. Any and all pre-populated ratings submitted must be from legitimate customers within the past 3 years. Any pre-populated ratings will be required to contain all the required fields and will be verified. Members may download several different types of Ratings and Feedback forms online from their member account home page.

Submitting Ratings:

All submitted ratings must contain all the required fields and be in an approved format from eContractorBids.com. Users may submit ratings and feedback by approved paper forms, approved emails, or done so online.

eContractorBids.com requires a first and last name, email address, phone number, the date when the work was performed, and a work/service description for any submitted rating and/or feedback. All ratings will be published immediately and placed in the contractor’s profile. Members are notified via email when new activity occurs within their ratings and have the ability to object or report abuse for any Rating(s) or Feedback submitted.

Anyone can obtain a “Ratings & Feedback Form” or “Ratings & Feedback Email Form” in their member account. All paper forms must be submitted it to 1052 Oak Forest Drive #240  Onalaska, WI 54650. Submitting Ratings and Feedback online is encouraged but not required.

Resolving Ratings and Feedback Conflicts:

To maintain the integrity of the Feedback and Rating system, Feedback or Ratings left for a member generally becomes a permanent part of that member’s record. Comments cannot be edited and eContractorBids.com will not censor these opinions, however if you feel that an invalid Rating or Feedback was submitted you may “Report Abuse” and it will be immediately removed until an investigation has been resolved.

All members may leave rebuttals to any posted Feedback a consumer submits. Your rebuttal will follow the consumer’s feedback and will be displayed within 72 hours.

In addition, eContractorBids.com will occasionally remove Feedback and Ratings submitted. eContractorBids.com will remove individual Feedback, Ratings and comments only in very exceptional circumstances, when they violate specific policies.

However, there may be times when you may be unhappy with Feedback you have received or regret Feedback that you left for another member. If you wish to change or edit the Ratings or Feedback you have submitted please visit our support page here.

While leaving Feedback is voluntary, eContractorBids.com encourages all members and consumers to leave Feedback and Ratings after each transaction is complete. eContractorBids.com will actively pursue past, current, and future customers of all contractors, service providers, and suppliers.

Verifying Ratings and Feedback:

eContractorBids.com requires a first and last name, email address, phone number, the date when the work was performed, what contractor was used, and a work/service description for any submitted rating and/or feedback. All ratings will be published immediately and placed in the contractor’s profile. Members are notified via email when new activity occurs within their ratings and have the ability to object or report abuse for any Rating(s) or Feedback submitted.

eContractorBids.com does not monitor any submitted Ratings and/or Feedback and makes no guarantees about the accuracy of submitted ratings. It is up to the Members and eContractorBids.com community to police and supervise submitted ratings.

In the event that abuse occurs any user is able to “Report Abuse” and it will be removed immediately. eContractorBids.com will then conduct an investigation and determine corrective action. eContractorBids.com will remove individual Feedback, Ratings and comments only in very exceptional circumstances, when they violate specific policies.

Rating Fields:

A) Quality

B) Value

C) Professionalism

D) Timeliness

eContractorBids.com ratings system includes four fields for determining member’s ratings. The average of the four fields will determine your Overall Rating and be displayed in each member’s profile. Each submitted rating will appear in the members Ratings and Feedback history.

Response Time:

Member response times are based on the number of 24 hour periods it takes the member to respond to the survey at the bottom of job leads. Selected responses will automatically be sent to the customer. This is a required action by all members, regardless of type. This is simply to provide initial feedback to the customer’s request and give job posters more information when selecting a contractor.

Approval Rating:

Member profiles also calculate an “Approval Rating” number. This is determined by the percentage of customers who would do business with that member again. Customers are asked if they would do business with you again and that approval percentage number is displayed in each member’s profile.

Feedback Containing Any of the Following Are Not Permitted:

• Links or scripts
• References to eContractorBids.com investigations
• Negative statements left for a buyer that conflict with the positive rating
• Personally identifying information about another member, including real name, address, phone number, or email address
• Political, religious, or social commentary rather than a genuine comment about the transaction
• The comment, reply, or follow-up references a completely separate transaction or unrelated experience
• Profane, vulgar, obscene, or racist language, or adult material
• Inflammatory language, such as fraud, liar, cheater, scam artist, con man, while strongly discouraged, will not be removed unless found to be in violation of one of the above guidelines
• Fraudulent ratings or feedback submitted
• Rating or feedback submitted pertains to a contract or relationship more than 3 years old.

Violations:

Violations of eContractorBids.com policies may result in a range of actions including:

• Listing cancellation
• Limits on account privileges
• Account suspension
• Forfeit of eContractorBids.com membership dues
• Fines and Penalties
• Removal or Publication of Feedback or Rating

You may contact eContractorBids.com to report violations or by using the “Report Abuse” or “Contact Us” links found next to all ratings and on most pages.

Why leave Feedback?

Leaving honest comments gives members a good idea of what to expect when dealing with other members. Leaving Feedback is also a way to increase the goodwill of the eContractorBids.com community by expressing your appreciation for a job well done.

Finally, if you are a customer, you can help spread the word about a contractor you like, and if you are a contractor, you can help recognize and reward loyal customers, which encourages them to buy from you again.

Questions:

Please visit our support page here.

Note: terms and conditions of this policy are subject to change at any time. Notification of any changes will be given to all members via email and available at all times online.