Should I write an online review in this situation? (details inside)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Over the past six years, I have used a local design-build firm to remodel my house. They did my kitchen, guest bath and laundry room. They also have done other work for me like exterior painting and a deck rebuild.

When I first started with the company, it was owned by two brothers. Jeff, in charge of the contracting/build, and Alan, in charge of the design side. For all of the projects I have had the same construction project manager and the same designer, Nina. I have had an outstanding relationship with everyone at the company and it has significantly grown in size. They have gotten a lot of referrals from me and have treated me very well.

A few months ago I started with them to do the final big project which is a master bath remodel. I was assigned the same team. I noticed that Alan wasn’t around but didn’t think much of it. Nina and I went to bathroom fixture store and the tile store and we came up with a plan. We were maybe 90% done and I was informed that Nina left the company and Gracie would finish the design. I know Gracie and she’s competent and I am happy with how it turned out. (The very noisy construction is going on now).

Nina and I have gotten friendly so I felt comfortable exchanging texts with her and we expressed how we enjoyed working together. She said that she was going to be doing design work on her own going forward.

Last week I got a handwritten note from Nina with a business card and apparently she and Alan have started a new company in direct competition with the original shop. Brother against brother! It’s kind of scandalous.

Today I got an email from Nina asking if I would write a Google review about her work as a designer. I am kind of torn. She is an outstanding designer and we had a lot of fun working together. From what little I have gathered, she left over philosophical differences with Jeff on how projects were to be managed, no one was an asshole. So I do want to help her out. I would say in the review that I worked with her at a previous firm.

On the other hand, I don’t want to ruin my relationship with the original company. They have been very good to me and done me favors. They are certainly keeping their eye on what is up with them and will see the review. If I ask it it’s ok, Jeff wouldn’t try to stop me but he probably wouldn’t be happy about it.

Bonus fact: When Nina and I were at the bathroom fixture place, I hit it off really well with the very cute salesperson. Nina texted me the next day and said that she was asking about me. I told Nina to give her my number and that I am down if she wants to text me which didn’t happen. Nina said in the email that after I write the review the three of us would go out for happy hour. (OK, that was a humble brag but I was impressed that Nina threw that in).

2

Not sure if this is a good idea or not, but: could you write a positive review for both Jeff’s business and Alan’s business?

ETA: Let us know if you get to go out with the cute salesperson! I hope that turns into something enjoyable.

3

I’ve already written reviews for Jeff’s company and let them put a huge sign out front when they do work here

4

I don’t see an issue with writing a positive review about Nina and mention that she now works for a new company. while you don’t want to get in the middle of a family squabble, you are entitled to express any opinion you want.

5

Yeah, I agree. Do it. But stress you are talking about Nina.

6

We live a review happy world. People expect it. People do it. People read them(or I do).

I say, do it. But yeah stress her name and what she did for you.

It’ll be fine. If your company reads it says something, I don’t believe they would. Just say well I liked her work and leave it at that.

7

That sounds a bit like blackmail to me !
eta.. or maybe bribery !

8

This absolutely is a quid pro quo, even if it’s incredibly minor. It would make me feel a bit lesser about Nina.

I’d still probably write an honest review.

9

I think that Nina is collaborating with the sales woman and that the happy hour offer is a business relationship between the two to manipulate you.

10

Nina sounds desperate for a good review.

Is she running a business or The Dating Game?

11

You may be right.

Easy enough for @hajario to go back there and talk up the salesperson and see what her version of extra-curricular interest looks like without Nina and a sale hanging over her.

Ordinarily it’s majorly impolite to mix business and pleasure with salespersons, but this smells like she started it. Is that truth or Nina BS? I know one good way to find out.

12

There is no way that I’m going to show up to a woman’s place of work and ask her if she’s interested in dating me. Yeah, we were having some fun banter while choosing the fixtures but it’s more likely that she is naturally vivacious and just doing her job than wanting an actual date. The sale is done and I’ll never have the need to buy a bunch of fixtures for a remodel project again. I have no reason to be there.

Nina and I had a five year working relationship and she would always tease me about needing a wife now that my house is so beautiful. I think that it’s more that she thinks that we’d make a cute couple and is trying to make it happen.

13

Thanks for the great advice from everyone so far.

Maybe this would be a good idea. I could write another review for the first place specifically calling out Gracie first and then a review for Nina.

14

This is absolutely true.

For businesses these days, business is driven by search engines. It used to be that businesses advertised in the phone book (ask a person in their 20s if they know what that is), or survived by word of mouth. Today, it’s your Google search. And, at least for Google, your business’s rank within a search is largely a function of your reviews.

It’s so important that my office tries to get 50 reviews each month (each month we are told of our tally, and it is used as a metric to determine if the office closes early on Fridays). It’s not just the number of reviews, either. They need to be from genuine sources, and the more detail the better.

For a new business especially, getting reviews can really make the difference in their survival.

So I’d do it if I were the OP, and I’d include details about how you worked with her before and liked her design process. Saying that it was “fun” would be an added bonus. But I wouldn’t state or imply that you had hired her or this new firm.

15

My guess is Nina gets sales woman to flirt in exchange for throwing business to tile sales woman. Nina gets clients, sales woman gets a commission.

I wouldn’t write the review because I really don’t like being manipulated.

16

'Zactly. The OP deserves to know which was going on.

If he’s thinking Nina is a “business friend” and she’s thinking he’s a mark, well …

17

It’s not like that. It’s a fancy wholesale bathroom and kitchen fixture showroom. It’s the place that Nina uses. It’s where I would have chosen the fixtures regardless of who was doing the sales. I didn’t need flirting to choose a specific line of faucets and a sink. I did naturally get along with the sales rep and that was that.

Nina and I have gotten to be friendly and she’s trying to fix up two friends.

18

I’m leaning heavily towards writing her a review and declining the happy hour. It’s not like I have trouble finding dates. If Angie (sales) wanted to hang out, she would have texted me by now and I don’t want her to feel obligated to go to an awkward happy hour.

Nina is an outstanding designer who focused the designs specifically to be modern and practical and suited to me. My main concern is negatively affecting my relationship with Jeff who has treated me exceptionally well. A job that the new company gets could be a loss to the old one.

19

Yeah, if you feel that you want to write the review, there’s no way to go to the happy hour without it feeling like a quid pro quo and awkward.

20

Boom. Write that, give 5 stars, and you’ve made Nina’s day.

Then go to Jeff’s website, give him his shout out (“I’ve used this company and have always been pleased with the results. They really bring their A game”), select 5 stars, and you’re done.