Protecting you against shady contractors
TrustScore is a business rating system developed by TrustedPros using a unique grading structure based on our Ethical and Professional Code of Conduct. TrustScore rates contractors and other home service professionals in regards to how they fulfill their professional obligations to their customers, suppliers and employees. These obligations include a company's determination to complete the services they promise and honor all monetary obligations to their suppliers and employees. The firm must also possess integrity and quality control measures to drive their client relationship management strategies.
The rating system uses public information and data obtained directly from businesses. The scorecard ratings are from 0 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. TrustedPros will give the rating of N/A or 'Not Available' in instances when sufficient data for score is not available. TrustScore ratings can be obtained for businesses listed with TrustedPros through our contractor directory.
The rating system is reliable and a good starting point for making consumer decisions about a business however, TrustedPros recommends when evaluating a business, additional factors must be considered - due diligence is the key.
This score is calculated from all customer reviews and ratings received, with a heavier weighting for recent reviews and ratings. This TrustScore component will range between 2.5 for contractors that received great reviews and highest customer ratings and -2.3 for contractors that received poor reviews and lowest customer ratings. Complaints that are removed after they are shown to be unfounded, are not included in the calculation of the TrustScore. Please note, however, that complaints and poor reviews that are removed under threat of litigation or harrasment are still included in the calculation of the TrustScore until such time as these are withdrawn by the complainant or after they are shown to be unfounded. A contractor that compels removal of a review, rating or complaint under threat of litigation, will nullify any positive customer reviews it has received and these will not be included in terms of the calculation of such contractor’s TrustScore. A negative score is therefore attributed to a contractor that compels removal of a review, rating and/or complaint through threat of legal proceedings instead of choosing to challenge the legitimacy of such review, rating and/or complaint through the posting of a public reply or by presenting TrustedPros with sufficient evidence that such review, rating and/or complaint is unfounded.
This rating looks at unsubstantiated and questionable reviews. Unverified reviews are reviews, during screening on TrustedPros' website, are determined to provide a lack of information, causing TrustedPros staff to contact the customer to request additional information or documents to verify the review. If the review cannot be confirmed, it will be considered unverified. Reviews marked as unverified will have limited impact on a business's rating because some reviewers may be uncomfortable with providing the information or documents requested. However, if a company accumulates a large number of unverified reviews the business's score will receive a negative score. More than three unverified reviews results in a reduced score of -0.20.
Suspicious reviews are identified when TrustedPros believes a person, who is associated with the company, was not a client, was paid by the company or has financial interests in the company, posted the review. Suspicious reviews can account for up to a reduced score of -1.2
This rating examines the ability of a business to honor obligations and commitments to its employees and vendors. The TrustScore analyzes supplier and creditor complaints as well as employee complaints.
Supplier complaints are the number of claims filed with TrustedPros about the business such as unpaid or overdue invoices and loans. These complaints are scored as a loss of up to -1.5. If complaints were reversed to meet supplier's or creditor's satisfaction the score is also reversed.
Employee complaints are the number of complaints filed with TrustedPros against a business by an employee or former employee in regards to unpaid wages, unsafe working conditions or practices, or unethical business practices. Other workplace disputes will not be accepted. For workplace disputes we encourage such employees to contact the Provincial or Territorial labour boards. The resulting grade of employee complaints will receive a reduced score of up to -0.5. If complaints were reversed to meet employee's satisfaction the score is also reversed.
In this section the rating is based on the length of time a business has been in operation. TrustedPros relies on the business to provide accurate information related to the company's founding. If the firm fails to provide accurate information, it will be regarded as a false or misleading action in their TrustScore. Time in business can account for up to 0.50 points.
When a business provides the public with false or misleading statements including false claims on information, credentials, required licenses, photos, or inaccurate statements or advertisements on their TrustedPros profile page and/or company website that is accessible from their TrustedPros profile page, it will result in a loss of up to -0.80 per occurrence.
The TrustScore of a business can be improved if they post any of the following information on their public TrustedPros profile page:
This section is based on a company's ability to provide consumers with professional services that have been witnessed firsthand and endorsed by other contractors they have worked with. Points are only awarded for endorsements received by another TrustedPros member that has a minimum TrustScore of 3.5. Endorsements account for up to 0.15 points.
This rating is regarding the length of time a company has been listed on the TrustedPros website. Once a company has been listed with TrustedPros for 6 months without any complaints (supplier, creditor or employee), and maintains an overall customer rating above 3.4.
Government Actions result when a business (or one of its principals or employees) has been charged or convicted in relation to the Consumer Protection Act, Criminal Code or other applicable laws, or is being investigated in terms of non-compliance with applicable laws and other legal requirements.
A “questionable” affiliation or association is one where a contractor or vendor has ties, whether legal, business, familial, de facto or otherwise, with other contractors or vendors that have questionable credentials or a checkered past (as determined using reviews, ratings and the Trustscore of such third party contractors or vendors).
This chart shows the maximum number of points that can be earned or deducted in each element of the TrustScore system.
Please note that a TrustScore may be lower if a contractor or vendor has an incomplete profile, does not disclose certain information about its business, or fails to update such information. It is also possible that a TrustScore relating to a contractor or vendor who is not a business member of this Website has not had the opportunity to provide such information.
Likewise, the TrustScore of a business will be negatively impacted if they compel removal of reviews, ratings and/or complaints through the threat of litigation instead of choosing to challenge the legitimacy of such review, rating and/or complaint through the posting of a public reply or by presenting TrustedPros with sufficient evidence that such review, rating and/or complaint is unfounded.
TrustedPros does not validate certain information provided by contractors and vendors in conjunction with the creation or maintenance of their profile. The provision of false or misleading information by a contractor or vendor, or the failure to update profile information, may result in an inaccurate TrustScore. TrustScores are provided for informational purposes only and a high TrustScore should not be construed as an endorsement, guarantee or recommendation by TrustedPros of any contractor or vendor. Any reliance on a TrustScore is at your sole risk and TrustedPros is not liable in regards to the foregoing.
Disclaimer: TrustScore results are based on subjective criteria and are generated through automated tools. TrustScore results are based not only on Feedback (in terms of content, volumes and/or otherwise) but are also based on conduct relating to access to and use of the Website and Services (including, without limitation, the type and amount of information disclosed, available or made available by the entity being attributed the TrustScore, such entity’s association or affiliation (legal, business, familial, de facto or other) with third parties with questionable credentials or a checkered past (which in turn may be based on subjective criteria), as well as other information available to TrustedPros Inc. TrustScore results are provided for information purposes only and no representation or warranty of any kind is made or provided in regards to their accuracy, currency, completeness, usefulness, relevance, or reliability and TrustedPros Inc. disclaims any such representation, warranty or condition. This disclaimer is in addition to the other terms and conditions contained in the Terms of Use of this Website which continue to apply without modification or qualification.