December 15, 2005

OAKLAND, Calif. - (December 15, 2005) - Most people do more research on which Thai restaurant to dine at than they do when hiring a home repair professional who comes into their home, according to Lou Morsberger, CEO of ValueStar®. ValueStar publishes print and online directories offering confirmed consumer ratings of local service businesses.

According to Morsberger, following are the top five things consumers should ask before they hire a home-related service business:

1. Does the business have a current license specific to the service?
The two main websites where a California state license can be verified are the Contractors' State License Board and Department of Consumer Affairs. ValueStar ensures that all businesses in their directories that are required to be licensed have up-to-date state documentation.

2. Does the business have a current license specific to the service?
Ask to see a copy of the Certificate of Insurance and confirm that it is current and provides coverage appropriate for the type of business. ValueStar requires its Customer Rated businesses to have $1 million in general liability insurance, although that is not a state or statutory requirement.

3. How long has the business been operating?
ValueStar asks that question for inclusion in a business' profile at ValueStar.com, and confirms the business' stability with a financial status check.

4. Can the business provide 3-5 references of recent customers in the area who can be contacted for their feedback?
Questions to ask of references include: nature of job (to confirm relevance to work now being sought); quality of result; adherence to quotes and to delivery dates; communication regarding job status, price issues, and timing issues; skill and professionalism of staff; any aspects of job or process that were less than satisfying; would reference use again or recommend to a friend. ValueStar Customer-Rated businesses have a minimum of 25 ratings from customers of the business posted at ValueStar.com, reducing the need for consumers to do reference checks. Only those consumers who are confirmed to have actually used a listed business can provide a ValueStar review.

5. Will the business provide a written estimate? A prospective customer should ask for a written quote specifying: work to be performed, materials and quality thereof, conditions under which the quote might change, delivery date, confirmation that changes to the quote or delivery time will require customer's OK before further work proceeds, and timing of payments. A consumer should never pay in full until the job is completed in satisfaction of the original specifications.

American households spend nearly $700 billion annually on local business services, according to Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Home improvements and auto sales/repairs top the list of local service businesses generating the most consumer complaints; home repair contractors are the most likely to go out of business, as reported by Consumer Federation of America.

"During the winter months, we see more scams related to home insulation, furnace and chimney safety and energy efficiency," said Lou Morsberger, CEO and co-founder of ValueStar. "ValueStar takes the fear out of working with home improvement professionals and empowers the shopper with confirmed consumer ratings from others in the same community."

ValueStar currently serves the Bay Area and leads the region in consumer awareness for local service directories. The company has enlisted more than 80 Bay Area service businesses in categories ranging from home services such as roofing, painting and winterizing to auto repair and health professionals.

The ValueStar rating system significantly shortens the new customer sales cycle by harnessing the power of positive endorsements, offering a money-back satisfaction guarantee and providing a strong loyalty program in an easy-to-see, easy-to-search online and printed consumer directory.

About ValueStar
ValueStar is a leading publisher of online and printed local service directories providing confirmed consumer ratings of service businesses and professionals. ValueStar evaluates local service companies on a range of factors and uses a proprietary system to gather feedback from actual consumers. The company is owned by Service Ratings, LLC and headquartered in the Washington, DC, area, with operations in Oakland, Calif., which service consumers and businesses throughout the Bay Area.

For more information, go to www.ValueStar.com.