...until proven... NOT!

In America, we have this strange custom... we do not just accuse someone of something then proceed to punish them. The accused must be proven guilty after, as the Constitution states, having been informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; is confronted with the witnesses against him; has a compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and if desired - the assistance of Counsel for his defense, etc.

Why, then are entities like Angie's List so popular? In one of their TV commercials, a painting contractor is black-listed because one of his employees behaved stupidly and tracked paint across a customers floor. This contractor may be the best in his community. (Has their ever been a business, large or small, that did not experience an employee behaving badly?) Surely he would have cleaned up the mistake if informed... perhaps his other employees already did! No matter - Angie's List says to blacklist him!

In another commercial, a plumber is lauded because he walked the customer's dog. A nice man, but did he know anything about plumbing? Maybe he was a skilled plumber, but the demand for a skilled plumber's time is such that one can hardly imagine him having time to walk someone's dog. I think I would like a little more information before calling this guy for a plumbing job.

With Angie's List, Service Magic, Super Pages, even the Better Business Bureau, consumers are given, not useful facts, but uncontested opinions which may or may not be accurate, truthful and pertinent.

I have seen many cases of good, legitimate business operations penalized - even forced out of business - by false accusations. I recall one contractor who was sued on what I know to have been a phoney charge. The customer wanted to not pay for $10,000. worth of work. The contractor surely could have won his case in court. But, his attorney calculated the time and grief that defense would require, the actual estimated cost of legal expenses, and told the contractor that his lowest cost option was to settle and give the disgruntled customer his work for free.

So, before relying on any of these consumer protection outfits, first read the Sixth Amendment, then find a more reliable way to confirm the qualifications of a company or individual you are considering for work.