Are you one of those people who seem to never find the right person to work with your horse? Is it the wrong trainer, farrier or vet? Never fear a new website has popped up just for you. Touted as a place to find the right horse professional instead of the wrong one, it will guide you to your dream trainer, vet or farrier......for a fee. That's right you have to join their little club to see what's behind door number 1. That website is called Rate My Horse PRO and it is being discussed on various message boards and blogs.
I first heard about the website back in June 2010 and it was just in its planning stages then. I had my doubts about the website but thought, hey this is a good idea. I thought it would be run like the BBB of the horse world....but I was wrong.
If you go to the website and click on trainers, it has a pop up which shows a list of trainers (why does it always show the wrong state for me I am not sure) then if you click on "go to PRO finder" takes you to a sign up page where you have to pay $5 just to see if the trainer you are trying to look up is even listed on the website. I was curious about a horse trainer in a neighboring state but I was not about to pay $5 just to see if they were even listed. Of course there is no telling if the website has horse trainers that sign up just to give glowing reviews about themselves. Let's face it I don't like having to be a "member" just to get information on a business.
Here is something from their FAQ page:
"What is the verification process?
A one time verification fee of $5 will apply to pay for this safe and secure process to ensure the ratings are accurate and reliable."
HOW IN THE HECK DOES $5 ENSURE ACCURATE AND RELIABLE RATINGS!!!
That is what I want to know. Money does not breed honesty.
Another item from their FAQ page:
"PROs who are listed on the site should take an active role in reviewing their ratings and inviting current customers to rate them."
Now there is a one sided rating system. I bet they never tell their unhappy customers they are even listed. Of course if the website is behind "closed doors" the trainer's listing and information is also hidden from Google so it will never show up in searches.
This is also from their website on their Terms of Use page, and quite frankly is a little scary:
"8. FEES
By registering on the Site, you are authorizing us to bill you in accordance with the fee schedule, and to automatically deduct one-time, monthly, annual, or other periodic fees from your credit card as set forth therein. Fees will not be pro-rated. You may terminate your registration by sending an email request to terminate to service@ratemyhorsepro.com. Please allow 30 days for termination to take effect. If you elect to make payments on the Service using a credit card, you hereby authorize us and any of our processors to charge all amounts owed as a result of your use of the Service to the credit card you provide us. You assume all responsibility for notifying us of changes in credit card numbers and/or expiration dates. We may also require a secondary credit card number to be used only if the payment to us by your primary credit card is declined. You shall additionally be responsible for and shall immediately pay us, on demand, any payments that are made to us that are subject to a subsequent reversal or chargeback. You represent and warrant that the credit card information supplied to us is true, correct, and complete, that that payments made by you will be honored by your credit card company, and that you shall pay for all charges incurred through use of your login credential. You are solely responsible for payment of all sales and other taxes arising from your use and access of the Service."
Now didn't they just mention a one time $5 sign up fee on their FAQ page? So what is this part about a fee schedule?
Has anyone used this website yet? I know that many people plan on steering clear of it (via message boards I have read) because they require a membership fee and the fact the information is hidden. If you have joined I would be curious to hear about your experiences with the website.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
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7 comments:
Rate My Horse Pro is ridiculous. I would never pay to have my identity "verified" (and the only way to make your money back is to sign up more people for teh site at $1 each...nor would I agree to that site's absurd terms of service. I disagree with their business practices. IMO, if you review someone's business, you should have to use your real name. None of this anonymous stuff. I would never recommend the site to anyone nor will I shop with the businesses that advertise on the site. IMO think that this company's claim that they are going to bring ethics and transparency back to the horse industry is hypocritical and they should review their own practices first. When I questioned their proceedures on their facebook site, they insinuated that I "must be working hard to hide something and being a bully" and then they removed my comments. There are several places where you can rate pros in the industry already. We don't need another one, especially one set out to make a profit through fees and advertising, one that is run by at least one party that was frauded and now has an axe to grind. The BBB doesn't allow anaonymous reviews nor does Angie's list. Vicky Nay, Illinois
I agree 100 percent. There are always 2 sides to every story. This site can seriously hurt someone business. for example, I boarded at a stable that didnt feed horses properly, to find out it was because some of the help was not up to par in equine knowledge, the problem was exposed by concerned boarders and the problem fixed, now if I had given them a bad review that would not be fair...we all make mistakes or have opinions that are not great at somepoint but allow people to correct their mistake and learn from it. Now that place is a great boarding stable.
Great post! When I read your article, I really agree with you about this. I hope you will share more with us. Thank you!
R.J.
Horse Classifieds
"HOW IN THE HECK DOES $5 ENSURE ACCURATE AND RELIABLE RATINGS!!!
That is what I want to know. Money does not breed honesty."
How does an open unregulated blog such as this, ensure honest and unbiased comments about horse trainers? How does it weed out vengeful people looking to ruin a person?
That's a more important question in my mind.
FYI- I've recently been blocked from this site (RMHP)for posting in defense for someone who has been torn apart by their little click. So, yes I do agree.... Waste of money and a very misleading site.
5 BUCKS ENSURES RUMORS! Yes, this site (RMHP)is a joke. I was recently blocked for defending someone their little click has been trashing for months now!
Do anyone know if there are other sites (other than Angies List and the BBB) where you can rate horse professionals? Just curious. I signed up for RMHP out of curiosity and it was absolutely useless.
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