Review sites tell you very little about STC traders, because most installers only write one after something goes wrong. A trader with six five-star reviews and a trader with six one-star reviews may both be fine. What you want is evidence about how money moves.
What reviews can tell you
Read for repeated themes rather than scores. Three separate installers mentioning slow payment, rate changes after lodgement or unreturned calls is a pattern. One angry post about a rejected claim is usually a compliance issue that would have bounced with any trader.
Also check the date. A complaint from before the 2024 collapse of the former Greenbot platform, or from before the 2026 battery photo rules, says little about how a business runs today.
What to check instead
- Ask for the payment promise in writing. Days from complete claim to cash, and what counts as “complete”.
- Ask about the rate. Is it locked when you lodge, or can it move before settlement? Our rate card is on the pricing page so you can see how a published rate looks.
- Talk to peers. Two or three installers of a similar size, ideally ones who switched recently.
- Run a test claim. One job, timed from lodgement to funds. This beats any review.
- Check who you deal with. A named person, not a ticket queue.
A simple scoring sheet
Make a one-page sheet with your two shortlisted traders in columns and the same six rows: days to pay, rate lock point, fees, who answers the phone, how claims are pre-checked and what the contract says about failed claims. Fill it in from their answers, not their marketing. Then score each out of five. It takes twenty minutes and gives you something to show a business partner or bookkeeper. Reviews can then be used for what they are good at, which is spotting a tone problem, such as a trader that goes quiet when things go wrong.
What this means for installers
Use reviews to build a shortlist of two, then compare them on the checklist in choosing a certificate trader. If you are weighing a move, the switching guide covers how to change traders without stalling claims in flight. When you are ready to test one claim with us, start trading.