Diamond Certified Frequently Asked
Questions

Q. If I have a problem with a Diamond Certified professional what should I do?
A. First, contact the senior manager of that company, explain the problem and request a fair resolution. If, at that point, you do not feel that you were treated fairly, call us at (800) 738-1138.

Q. What questions are asked to determine a service provider's customer satisfaction rating?
A.Question #1: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being very satisfied and 1 being very dissatisfied, how did you feel about the quality that you most recently received from ___________________(name of company)? Question #2: If you needed  these services again would you use or recommend _________________ (name of company)? Question #3: What did you like best about _________________(name of company)?  Question #4:  What area do you think _________ (name of company) could improve?

Q. At what level does a company have to score on the customer satisfaction rating to earn Diamond Certified?
A. A rating score of 90 on a 100 scale is required. Most companies can’t pass the rating. This represents the highest quality level.

Q. Why don't you tell us what the exact rating of each company is?
A. Our goal is to identify for you those companies that provide the highest quality work as judged by their own customers. We use a methodology that assures a reliable result and continue customer satisfaction research at minnimum once a year thereafter to ensure each Diamond Certified company continues to perform for their customers. You are assured that all of the companies that earn Diamond Certified have scored in the highest level of quality. So, for example, if one plumber scores a 91.6 customer satisfaction rating and another scores a 94.2 the difference is not statistically significant. Both are top ranked and far surpass the non-qualifying plumber who received a 74.6. A bell curve illustrates the relative position of Diamond Certified companies versus others within their field.

Only those plumbers that score on the far right side of this bell curve can earn Diamond Certified. Thus, if you choose a Diamond Certified company, you'll most likely be happy with the resulting work.

Q. Can a company cheat to earn Diamond Certified?
A. Yes. But we believe it is highly unlikely for two key reasons. First, a company with low customer satisfaction has a real problem hiding that fact. Here's why. Several national studies have shown that for every one complaint a company receives there are another 15 - 19 dissatisfied customers that don't bother complaining to that company. So, even if a company could successfully pull a known customer complaint file out of their main customer data base prior to American Ratings Corporation drawing it's sample, the company won't be able to pull their "unknown" dissatisfied customers. These show up in our study and the company is disqualified.

Second, American Ratings Corporation re-rates each company’s satisfaction and monitors any complaints that the company receives through our 800 number. Companies that fail to keep their customers satisfied are disqualified from the Diamond Certified program.

Q. Why don't you tell us which companies don't pass your rating and certification?
A. We are not in the negative finger pointing business. All companies are guaranteed anonymity in the rating process so they are more likely to apply to be rated.

Q. Who pays for the rating? How does American Ratings Corporation generate money to cover costs?
A. Each company who goes through the rating process pays a fee to American Ratings pass or fail. All companies that qualify and earn Diamond Certified pay another fee which allows us to continue to police the use of Diamond Certified, continue ongoing customer satisfaction research, provide mediation services if needed and educate the public.

Q. Why don't you have more companies rated?
A. We are rating more companies on a daily basis. We believe in quality over quantity. Since most companies can’t pass our rating and certification process, you can have confidence in those that do.

Q: Why do you limit the number of companies that can earn Diamond Certified?
A: Only companies rated highest in quality earn Diamond Certified. In addition we limit the number of companies participating by industry so that while there are enough companies displayed to provide you with choice, the limited number allows us to closely monitor these companies to assure your satisfaction.

Q: Do you conduct criminal background checks?
A: The rating steps that we conduct are described on this page. We do not conduct criminal background checks. So, if this is important to you, when choosing your next service provider, do not hesitate to ask the company representative whether the employees who will be working in your home have passed criminal background checks and what additional measures will be undertaken to protect your family and your property while work is in process. If you have children, you may also want to check out the Megan’s Law website at www.meganslaw.com. Information is power.  It is our hope that this information has provided an added measure of decision-making power in your hands.