Many websites have a page with testimonials on them. These are statements by past customers saying how good the company has been. They often are full of praise for the company and state what good service has been given by them. You may think that this shows how good the company are, but beware.

If the comments are all good, then it could mean that the company have only got good comments form customers, but this is unlikely. It could mean that they have sifted through the comments and only published the good ones. It could even mean that they have made up the comments so that they seem better than they are. One way of being more sure that the comments are genuine is if they have some negative things in them. However, they could still be made up, with these things put in to make them seem more genuine. A way to tell if they are real is the way that they are put on the website.

If they are put up there by an administrator then they have a facility to alter them or control over what is and what is not published. If they are put up there using an automated system then this is a much better way of knowing that they are likely to be genuine. There is still likely to be some control as they will not want nonsense or obscenities published, but it is more likely that it will be truthful. Therefore do not assume that just because a website has testimonials on it, it means that it will be a good one. Take time to read them and decide whether you think they are genuine or not. If you are not sure, then telephone the company, ask them how the comments were chosen to go on the site and whether they also had bad feedback as well as good.