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  Andy Cole May 24, 2013 at 7:31am

  Rated people is not worth doing as the clients budgets are usually no where near the costs required to do the work eg 6 fence panels to replace budget £100. We have used service magic with slightly better results but haven't updated our account credits yet as nothing has come in warranting the purchase of 20 credits
• PRO

  Craig McGinty May 24, 2013 at 7:35am

  Hi Dean,
  The Rated People website has come up a couple of times in the past, for example:
  http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/rated-people
  Hope this helps,
  Craig
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  F. Keith May 24, 2013 at 7:37am

  I tried Rated People and did get a few jobs through them as there are a lot advertised but unfortunely I found that most people had unrealistic budgets and therefore the jobs were not worth going for, especially as you are paying for the lead, (as an exampple someone wants 10 fence panels, and the posts, replaced) all done for £250 which would include everything Labour, travel, waste disposal etc etc. Now you do get some people who seem to have a realistic idea of what material and labour costs are but the majority of them the budget wouldnt even cover the materials let alone your time to do the job. It was really frustrating and I told Rated People this, saying that they needed to do something about it and have some sort of budget calculator for their customers so that realistic budgets can be set. It may work for others in other parts of the country but here in greater London its become a bit of a joke. Personally for the cost of subscribing and paying for the job leads I would rather spend the money on my business elsewhere. There are also a lot of cowboys on there, ie a pest control guy who was short of work so told a client he was a gardener and could do the work cheaply. who should be vetted by Rated People but dont seem to be, for example I went to do a quote for a lady who had been told by a guy that he could do what was basically a £1300 job for £500, which wouldnt have covered the materials.....

  I cant comment on other websites and Im sure that Rated People and other sites work for others but for me it wasnt worth it. Yes they do send you lots of job leads, and some have genuine budgets but most are way out. If you do garden maintenance then it may work for you as the leads do not cost much and therefore could be worth it (but dont quote me on that)!.
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  David Cox May 24, 2013 at 9:41am

  Its a total waste of time, tried is 2-3 years ago, even the leads with a realistic budget (10sqm patio, at 70£ a m) or fence panels fitted at £60 a panel - you would get their and they would say "the max im paying is £500" and explaining that doesnt even cover materials was always met with "its supposed to be cheaper" or some other bumpf about take is or leave it thats all your getting... obviously walked away from all of them!
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  Brendan McHale May 25, 2013 at 3:51pm

  tried a 3 month free trial with £50 free credit got one job but had to drop a small amount off to beat another quote which wasn't too bad but if I had to pay for the membership and the lead would have meant doing for next to nothing. rang to cancel before the free trial ended and they gave me another couple of months free.
  but basically the budgets are unrealistically low or you have to risk £30 +vat for anything that may have potential to make a profit but from my experience is not worth the risk - bought a £30 paving lead and once quoted never heard anything from then.
  The problem also is (especially larger jobs) they are sourcing quotes outside of rated people from people not paying a quarterly fee or for the lead in the first place.
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  Dean@TheGreenRoomEssex May 27, 2013 at 7:02pm

  Thanks Craig, have had a look at link you directed me to.

  General consensus seems to be it's not worth it. Am living in Essex, majority of my work is in/around N London (though word of mouth/recommendation), trying to raise profile in Essex/surrounding areas to where I live (particularly for maintenance to help get me though autumn/winter) & thought maybe rated people or similar would be worth a try.
  
  Craig McGinty said:

  Hi Dean,
  The Rated People website has come up a couple of times in the past, for example:
  http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/rated-people
  Hope this helps,
  Craig
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  Dean@TheGreenRoomEssex May 27, 2013 at 7:04pm

  Thanks for your feedback guys
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  Landscape Juice May 27, 2013 at 8:07pm

  Hi Dean,
  If you do a quick search of the site, top right hand corner, using 'marketing' for example, you'll see quite a few hints and tips.
  Small local magazines, such as those produced by churches, have also proven lucrative for some.
  Hope this helps,
  Craig
  
  Dean Linkson said:

  Thanks Craig, have had a look at link you directed me to.

  General consensus seems to be it's not worth it. Am living in Essex, majority of my work is in/around N London (though word of mouth/recommendation), trying to raise profile in Essex/surrounding areas to where I live (particularly for maintenance to help get me though autumn/winter) & thought maybe rated people or similar would be worth a try.
  
  Craig McGinty said:

  Hi Dean,
  The Rated People website has come up a couple of times in the past, for example:
  http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/rated-people
  Hope this helps,
  Craig