A star rating is a useful shortcut, but the real value is in the words. Reading reviews well helps you tell a genuinely great provider from one that is simply good at collecting five-star clicks.
A 4.6 from 200 reviews means much more than a 5.0 from three. Check how many reviews there are and whether they are recent — a business can change a lot in a year.
Three- and four-star reviews are often the most honest. They usually explain what was good and what could have been better, which tells you what to expect in practice.
Not necessarily. A perfect score from very few reviews, or a burst of identical praise, can be less reliable than a strong average across many detailed reviews.
A verified badge indicates the reviewer had a genuine interaction with the provider, such as making an enquiry, which makes the review more trustworthy.