Gone wrong / Post now or Post after it is settled
Post a review now or after it is settled?
To review a contractor during a dispute, post after it is settled if talks are moving, so your facts are complete. Post now if the firm has gone silent. Either way, keep to true, factual statements.
Updated . Sources are listed at the foot of this page.
Find your line
- If the firm is replying and a fix is scheduledPost after it is settledYou can then report how it ended. A mid-repair review may soon be stale.
- If the firm stopped answering your written requestsPost nowDated facts are enough. Say plainly what is still open.
- If you are furious todayPost after it is settledDraft it now, keep it, and check each sentence against your records in a few days.
- If a form contract charges a fee or penalty for reviewsPost nowThe FTC says form-contract review clauses are illegal. Keep a copy of the contract.
- If a settlement on the table mentions reviewsPost after it is settledRead the wording first and ask a lawyer before you sign or post.
What does each timing do for you and for the next reader?
| Post now | Post after it is settled | |
|---|---|---|
| What readers learn | The dispute so far | The whole story and its ending |
| Main risk | Facts change, so you must update | Others may hire without your information |
| Effect on talks | May harden positions | Keeps attention on the fix |
| What to write | Dates, scope, price, what remains open | Dates, scope, price, how it ended |
| Photos and video | Federal review law covers them too | Same; check nothing private shows |
| Removal | Private, unrelated or clearly false content may go | Same FTC description applies |
Sources for this table: FTC Consumer Review Fairness Act guidance, FTC home improvement advice
What should make you rewrite, wait or take advice first?
- A line guesses at motive, or calls someone a name: cut it. Say what happened, not why you think it happened.
- You signed a settlement with a review term: ask a lawyer before you post. The FTC page used here is about form contracts.
- A court case or lien is open: ask your lawyer before posting anything.
- The firm fixes the problem after you post: add a dated update, and say so fairly.
- You cannot show that something is true: leave it out.
Can a review cost you money, or get you any back?
No dated dollar figure for this decision was found. A review itself recovers nothing. If you want money back, the routes are the card company or small claims court. Please take this as general information, not legal advice.
The FTC says the Consumer Review Fairness Act makes clauses in form contracts illegal when they impose a penalty or fee on someone who gives a review. It reaches more than written reviews, including social media posts, uploaded photos and videos. No dollar limit is involved. If a firm points to such a clause, keep a copy of the contract.
Keep the review and the money apart. In this site's judgment, offering to delete a review for a refund, or threatening one to get paid, muddies a fair complaint. Say what you want from the firm in one letter, and say what happened in the review.
Who answers for what a review says?
You do. True, factual statements are the safer ground: the date, what was agreed and charged, what you saw, and what is still open. Leave out words like crook or fraud, and leave out anything a court or regulator has not said. No source on defamation law was read here, and that law is not something to guess at, so ask a lawyer if a firm threatens you.
Check license claims before you make them. California has a license look-up, and Washington has its own. Other states differ, so see state rules. Write what the look-up showed and on what date. Do not write a conclusion the look-up did not state.
A review is not a complaint. Offices such as California's licensing board and the Texas attorney general take complaints their own way, as read November 2026. The complaint page sets that out, and the FTC's order still starts with the firm.
Words to use
"A review will go up and will say only what happened. It is not part of these settlement talks."
"Does anything in the contract limit reviews? Please point to the exact wording."
"Is any date or amount in this draft wrong? Please send a correction in writing by Friday."
"The settlement mentions reviews. Please send that wording so it can be read before signing."
Also asked
- Can a plumber sue you over an honest review?
- This site has no source on defamation law, and it differs by state. Nobody can promise you will not be sued. Sticking to true, documented facts is the sensible protection. If you receive a demand or threat, keep it and ask a lawyer in your state.
- What counts as a factual statement in a contractor review?
- Something a reader could check against your records: the job, date, price, what was promised, what the invoice says, and what happened next. "The leak returned after six days" is factual. "They set out to cheat me" is a guess at motive. Leave that out.
- Can a contractor make you take down a review?
- A form-contract clause that penalizes reviews is illegal, the FTC says. A business may still remove some reviews, such as those with private information, unrelated content, or clearly false content. So leave out home addresses and personal details, and stay on the job itself.
- Should a review name the worker who came out?
- In this site's judgment, name the firm and describe the role, such as the technician or the office. A worker's personal details add nothing a reader needs, and private information is one reason a review may be removed. Keep the focus on the work.
Sources
- FTC, Consumer Review Fairness Act: What Businesses Need To Know Form-contract clauses, media covered, removal limits
- FTC, How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam Start with the firm before going further
- Contractors State License Board, Filing a Complaint California complaint route
- Check a California license Look it up before writing about a license
- Verify a Washington contractor The same check for Washington
- Texas Attorney General, File a Consumer Complaint Texas complaint route