AN OPEN LETTER FROM EVERYCONTRACTOR.COM PRESIDENT, DAVID JOHNSON

August 11th, 2009

Dear Partners, Professionals, Interested Parties, and Customers Past, Present and Future:

My name is David Johnson, and I am the 36-year-old President and Founder of Everycontractor.com (EC), a company that connects millions of residential and commercial customers with professionals worldwide since 1998.

I was forwarded an email recently from an individual who opted not to use our contractor service because of some negative comments he had read about our company online. This would, presumably, be distressing to any company that has worked hard over the years to build and sustain a business through hard work, determination, professionalism, and integrity. We value our partnerships with those contractors who share our goals and principles. Unfortunately, there are some who do not, and their views have been made public in a series of online rants. The fact is that EC's current online reputation dilemma is the product of an inaccurate portrayal of both our company’s business practices and the satisfaction of our clients, and a misrepresentation of the truth. As a result, I wanted to reach out to the public personally, and invite you to do your own research. Take a look at our history. Consider our satisfaction rate. And recognize the origin of the complaints. All 300 of them.

Yes, 300. The aforementioned email noted just a few. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I want to tell you that we actually found some 300 such negative comments online. Three hundred, as compared to 50,000 customers, millions of consumers, and thousands of successful trade relationships all over the globe. Is it comforting that 300 out of 50,000 equals a 99.994 percent rate? Yes. Any company would be pleased with that. However, what we find disturbing is the venomous and unwarranted nature of the complaints. Are they from homeowners? Not a one. In fact, we can provide more than 2,000 testimonial letters from our happy homeowner customers.

No, the online complaints are from contractors. Disgruntled contractors whose experience with EC was unfavorable due to their own lack of professionalism, to be precise. The vast majority of the complaints are from contractors that are in breach of contract with EC. The EC company/contractor relationship is a partnership—one that is undertaken according to stringent guidelines, and 99% of these contractors did not live up to their obligations; they didn't pick up their leads in time; they didn't contact the homeowner in time; they didn't follow the proper customer service protocol, etc. Imagine if you leased a car, and then didn’t change your oil, put water in it, or give it the right type of gas, and then went online to smear the auto company for the car’s lack of functionality when it broke down. Or if you employed a headhunter to find a job, and then forgot to send the headhunter your resume, didn’t return calls from potential employers, and refused to show up for interviews, only to blame that headhunter for your lack of employment.

The fact that a few upset contractors have chosen to publicly skewer us for not fulfilling their own duties, as laid out in our contract and as a matter of common sense and decency as well, would be laughable, if their actions were not defamatory and completely untrue. Regrettably, the Internet can sometimes act as a cloak and a weapon for those who choose to defame or otherwise harm individuals or companies. Thankfully, the law is on our side, and we are actively pursuing these folks in court.

This letter is not about souring the reputations of a few noncompliant contractors. We have not and will not name names in a public forum; we will let the law do the talking there. It is about reaching out to a public that is deserving of the truth, and of the excellent service that has always been our hallmark. We invite each and every one of you to do your due diligence. Check us out thoroughly. See the rantings for what they are. Read the testimonials that illustrate our commitment to our customers. And recognize that our unwillingness to work with contractors who refuse to live up to their contractual obligations is a reflection of that commitment; after all, we are only as strong as our weakest contractor, and the contractor industry as a whole, as you know, has not always been held in the highest regard. We can only hope that through our continued diligence and dedication, we play a significant role in changing that.

If anyone would like to discuss specific circumstances do not hesitate to contact me directly at 702-851-4730 ext. 2292.

Sincerely,