Consumers

Welcome Aboard!

We’re pleased to announce that the following companies have recently been awarded Diamond Certified. That means they’ve passed our rigorous 12-step rating process and scored Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Read more

I bet a lot of you have stayed in Airbnbs in the past, so you know how the quality of the accommodations can vary widely. Even when you carefully read the reviews and compare properties, you can still end up renting a real stinker. One time our apartment was in the attic of an old Virginian mansion that smelled like mothballs. Another place looked inviting in the pictures but really needed a deep cleaning. And the worst one was located right next to a fire station! We didn’t sleep too well in Savannah, Georgia.

Mostly though, I’ve had great experiences with Airbnb properties, and my recent stay in San Antonio, Texas was the best one ever. Read more

My husband and I try to eat seafood at least twice a week and look for what is fresh at the market. But the labeling can be confusing and is often misleading. In fact, if you eat a lot of seafood, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve eaten mislabeled fish in the past 12 months. Seafood fraud is a common problem, according to the nonprofit group Oceana, which conducted an investigation across the United States last year. Over six months, Oceana collected 400 samples from seafood markets and found that about 21 percent of them were mislabeled. Read more

Since the beginning of April, the 2019 Diamond Certified Directory has been arriving at the homes and businesses of consumers throughout the Greater Bay Area. We mailed more than 800,000 directories and we’ve been thrilled with the response! (If you didn’t get your FREE copy, click here.)

We wanted to take a moment to remind you of all the great features the Diamond Certified Directory contains.

Every company listed in each county-specific directory has earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award, which means they’ve been independently rated Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Our ratings team works year-round vetting local companies. They phone past customers, verify licenses, and ensure that things like certifications and insurance are up-to-date. Read more

Welcome Aboard!

We’re pleased to announce that the following companies have recently been awarded Diamond Certified. That means they’ve passed our rigorous 12-step ratings process and scored Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Read more

I was at my public library picking up a book for my book club when I noticed that the woman ahead of me was checking out a pass to the Exploratorium for her family. I asked the librarian for more information and found out that San Francisco libraries and others in the Bay Area have a “Discover & Go” pass, which offers free and discounted tickets to attractions such as the California Academy of Sciences, the Legion of Honor, the Oakland Zoo, the Lawrence Hall of Science, and the Pacific Pinball Museum. You log in with your library card and the listings include details about the conditions and how to make online reservations. The passes can be printed at home. Read more

It often surprises me how little it takes to brighten someone’s day. I wish more businesses understood that sometimes even a tiny thing can perk you up or just make you smile.

For example, I was window-shopping at an outdoor mall when I came across free organic lemons outside of a storefront. The owner had more bowls of fruit at the sales counter. This small gesture wasn’t just a conversation starter—I was lured inside to see the merchandise and left with a positive feeling about the place. I didn’t buy anything that day, but I will return. Read more