Many Bay Area consumers had great experiences with Diamond Certified companies this summer, and they’ve been letting us know about them.

The Breens from Walnut Creek recently completed a major project with Kodiak Construction, replacing a circular driveway, walkways, a porch and a patio at their home. They found Kodiak’s estimator “very easy to work with,” adding, “he came to our home several times to better understand what we wanted, he helped educate us about our options and the final estimate was easy to understand.” The Breens described the work crew as “the hardest working we’ve ever encountered” and praised their respectful treatment of pre-existing landscape features. “A lot of their business comes from repeat customers and we can see why,” wrote the Breens. Read more

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, close to 25 percent of all employed Americans work from home at least some of the time. This is hardly surprising given increasingly longer commutes and the growth of the gig economy. If you’re part of this trend of telecommuters, you probably already know that working from home has its upsides and downsides. The key to staying on task while surrounded by the distractions of home is to create a home office where you can be your most productive. Let’s go through the steps.

Step 1: Establish Your Work Station

If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated room for a home office, Read more

While part of preparing a rental property for market is getting the physical space move-in ready, the other part is addressing non-physical details such as tenant screening. Due to the potential consequences of oversights or poor decisions in this area, it’s important to take a meticulous, preventative approach. To learn a few critical steps, read the following tip sheet by Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Sam LaPlaca of CM Property Management Inc.:

1. Verify income. Accepting a tenant who can’t afford the rent is a mistake that can cost you a lot of time, money and frustration. That’s why, in addition to asking for pay stubs and bank statements, Read more

Delivering feedback isn’t always easy. Before deciding to speak up, you may wrestle with competing goals of social responsibility versus a desire to avoid conflict. We believe that constructive feedback delivered directly to the company in a timely manner can benefit small business owners, their employees and consumers.

In speaking to thousands of consumers over the years, I’ve found that the desire to avoid a confrontation may prompt many people to quietly move on and not use that company’s services again.  In those cases, both sides lose.  Armed with the following tips, you may feel empowered to turn an unsatisfactory situation around and experience increased goodwill and satisfaction.

Case Example:  A customer named Bob had a disappointing exchange with an electrical technician who charged him to flip a breaker.  Read more

While we love receiving all kinds of feedback from consumers about Diamond Certified companies, we particularly love hearing the kudos! Here’s what some happy customers have to say about their recent experiences with Diamond Certified companies.

Linda emailed to tell us she’s been using the Diamond Certified Directory for years. She hired Atlas Landscapes last fall and says “…they were exceptional in every way and truly surpassed my expectations. The customer service and quality of work were what I thought I’d get and more.” Read more

I’ll be the first to admit that I really like getting good deals and saving money, but like most of you, I also like to splurge on some things. Sometimes I find that saving money can actually mean spending more on a quality product that will last a long time. For example, during a kitchen remodel, I bought a faucet that was on sale and it failed in the first year. The second faucet I purchased was three times more expensive, and so far it has lasted seven years. I’m so happy that I decided to splurge for a quality product. Read more

“I thought you don’t need air conditioning in San Francisco,” we’ve all heard someone say (usually an out-of-towner). But anyone who lives beyond the city limits knows the truth: that cool and foggy peninsula is surrounded by areas that stay hot and dry well into October. The key to staying comfortable and sane during the summer is a properly functioning air conditioning system. Before you flip the thermostat from “heat” to “cool,” take some simple steps to make sure your system is ready to go. With the Bay Area’s changeable spring weather, be sure to check your system early—you don’t want to be one of dozens of desperate customers contacting HVAC technicians when the first heatwave of the season hits. Read more