Also from downstairs:

re: #262 Love-Child of Cassandra and Sisyphus

So I need to hire some movers, and I’m checking online for reviews and…

… I find myself wondering if the reviews I am reading are real or were generated by bots using AI.

We’ve reached that point, and it’s a bit scary.

I understand that there are a number of OnLine Review analyzers. I have not verified which are useful, but have seen a number of commenters using them when researching various services and products.

For services there are also some places that provide useful reviews. In the Washington DC area, I use Washington Checkbook. (They are also in the Bay area iirc.)

Also Angies List, although I take that with a grain of salt. On the other hand, they did get me a refund when a service provider did not end up providing me the promised service.

For my research, I find that word of mouth is best. The free listings, like Yelp, have always been quite uneven, but seem to have gone downhill in the past few years. Nextdoor, as mentioned, has been helpful if I know the reviewer. Otherwise, I tend to have some skepticism.