Side by side
| Find My Roofer | NoCowboys | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A referral service: local roofers see each job, and one of them gets the homeowner's details | A site where people post jobs or search for businesses and read their reviews |
| Who chooses the business | Checked roofers in the area see the job, and the first to take it is the one who makes contact | The homeowner looks at businesses, compares them and decides which to contact |
| How businesses pay | Per job, with the price talked through on a call before you sign | A registration fee to have their reputation displayed |
| Commission on work won | None | None, it says |
| Reviews | None of our own yet, as we're new in New Zealand | Verified by email before publishing, from any customer of the preceding two years |
What does NoCowboys say about choice?
NoCowboys has published an article called "Why giving up your choice when hiring a tradie makes no sense", and its model follows that view: homeowners look at businesses, compare them and pick who to contact.
That's a fair position, and it's the real difference between us. Some homeowners like reading reviews and choosing. Others would rather hand the job over and deal with one roofer. Each approach suits some roofers better than others.
How do NoCowboys reviews work?
NoCowboys emails each reviewer to verify their review before it goes up. Any customer from the preceding two years can leave feedback, however they found the business, and registered businesses can invite past customers by emailed link, QR code or a dashboard template.
Its reviews can cover a business's work from anywhere, including jobs that never went through the site. That makes a profile there closer to a record of your whole reputation than a log of jobs from one source.
Whichever site shows your reviews, the rules are similar
The Commerce Commission says online reviews must be genuine and presented in a way that doesn't mislead. Google says a Business Profile is free and shows on Search and Maps, and its Maps policy bans paying for reviews, offering incentives for them, or asking only the customers you expect to be happy.
So the safe habit is the same everywhere: ask every customer, the grumpy ones included, and never offer anything in return.
Before you choose
Go back through a few months of work and note how each customer found you. If plenty came from homeowners who read your reviews and picked you, keep your reputation listings strong. If you've got room in the diary and want jobs where you're the only roofer holding the homeowner's details, that's where a per-job referral earns its place.