I've been with HomeStars for about two years now. First as a free listing and then as a paying member. It has been a rocky road at times but there's been improvement of late. My first rep was a bit of a "dudd" and of very little help to me. It was very difficult then, but like I'd said: that has changed and I keep my fingers crossed. And NO it is not easy to gather reviews at even the best of times.
Promises are made but rarely kept. People are busy with their own lives and even a top quality service rendered is viewed as completed with the final payment of the invoice. A review is over and above that! Besides, there's a lot of mistrust when people are asked to go on line, give up some of their personal information (emails and phone #'s) in order to file a review. Still, I find HomeStars a valuable service for homeowners and contractors. Of course common sense and the old "customer beware!" does enter the picture. No system is perfect! I will keep my eyes on things and see how HomeStars develops in the future. For now its an invaluable tool for my business, it helps me serve my customers better. And to all homeowners out there that use this site I like to say that there are still a lot of honest, professional and worthwhile contractors out there, such as myself! We all pay the price for the "fly by nighters", the "rip-off artists" in the world. As a side note: I do find the site a little difficult to navigate at times, maybe that could be looked into?
In closing I like to say that is vital to guard this website and its process from those who are trying to corrupt it by using fake IP addresses in order to further themselves with fraudulent reviews. Credibility needs to be foremost if this service is to work in the way that its founders had invisioned.