In-person check with a homeowner of past project.
We look out for common complaints filed by homeowners against the renovation industry, as reported by Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE).
Common complaints such as:
- Failing to complete projects on schedule
- Unsatisfactory workmanship
- Including extra items which raised final costs
Social Media Ad to seek people who have “renovation horror stories” to share.
Using various means from various sources.
For example, we do advertisements on social media to seek people who have “renovation horror stories” to share. We offer rewards to incentivise these people to reach out and allow us to share their stories on social media.
Most importantly, their information allows us to actively filter out bad Interior Designers/Renovators on an ongoing basis.
Another mean includes scouring online forums and reaching out to people with bad renovation experience.
Regardless of where the information is sourced, documents (such as invoices) must be provided by the informants before we treat the information as credible.
Post-reno feedback from homeowners
We ask for post-reno feedback with the people whom we have linked with an Interior Designer or a Renovator.
If feedback is poor for an Interior Designer or a Renovator, we may remove the company from our list.
Under these schemes, businesses are audited under a set of stringent and comprehensive criteria, covering various aspects of store policies, ethical advertising and dispute resolution procedures, staff capabilities as well as staff training.
Based on our experience, even if an Interior Design / Renovation firm is Case-Trust / Case-Trust-RCMA accredited, it doesn't give you a 100% Guarantee that the firm is good.
We still conduct our own checks to make sure we refer Reliable & Competent Interior Design / Renovation firms to you.
Directory to check whether a business is registered with ACRA.
We check whether the company is registered with ACRA. There are 2 reasons why you should opt for a renovation company registered with ACRA:
- You can file a complaint against a registered company, instead of an “anonymous person”, in the event of a dispute.
- You can make payment to a business bank account, instead of a personal bank account.
Sample of BizFile issued by ACRA ($5.50/report). This enables us to know the “Years of Business” of a renovation company by knowing its registration date.
We also check the “Years of Business” of the company. Only companies with more than 2 “Years of Business” are shortlisted.
Sample of People Profile issued by ACRA ($33/report). This is an electronic report that tracks the business entities a person is / was involved in.
We check the background of the owner/partners/shareholders of a company if its “Years of Business” are less than 3 years.
It is a red flag:
- If an owner, a partner, or a shareholder has a history of opening and closing multiple renovation companies within a short span of time.
- If an owner, a partner, or a shareholder has many active renovation companies under his/her name.
We want to filter out such companies from our list.
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