What is localtop.com all about?

LocalTop's goal is to help people find a good quality local business with less time and effort. When you search on localtop.com for a type of business in your area, our goal is to show you three to five candidates. This "short list" of companies on our list have been pre-researched by our team. We think they have track records of providing good customer service (see "How did you pick which companies to list" below). We also obtain from the company many details about their business and we summarize those for you on one easy to read profile page for each service provider. Once you decide who you want to talk to, our system will automatically arrange the phone call between you and your requested businesses.

You can find long lists of businesses on many web sites. Some of them have star ratings and consumer reviews. On those lists, many of the businesses have only a few reviews or no reviews. Others have so many reviews you have to do a lot of reading to sort out the believable reviews and get an accurate picture of the company being reviewed. We think that takes too much time and our goal at LocalTop is to list only a few good companies so you can determine faster and more easily who you want to work with.

How did you pick which companies to list?

The goal of our research is to identify a few good companies in any area who have a track record of doing good work and providing good customer service. We look at their licenses, their professional and community associations and certifications, and their general online reputation. Of course, our research cannot replace your judgment about who to hire or use for your local services. We hope to save you time in the research process and then connect you so you can talk to the business directly and decide who is right for you. You can read about the research we do in our Terms of Service agreement here.

What do I have to do to use the service? Do I have to pay for it?

LocalTop is free to use. There is no registration process. After you search for and select the companies you want to talk to, we ask for your first name, phone number and email so we can connect you with the companies you request and so we can follow up with you to determine your satisfaction.

How does LocalTop make money?

We make money by charging the businesses we list an industry standard referral fee if and when they get a paying customer from our web site. They don't pay a fee just to be listed and they don't pay just to talk to people we refer to them. We think this approach makes things simple. The listed businesses don't get pressured by LocalTop to put the hard sell on you. You and they can have a relaxed discussion about whether to work together.

This arrangement is also simple for the local businesses listed with LocalTop. We help local businesses minimize their marketing expenses by only charging them when we connect them with a paying customer. Many other marketing programs have fixed fees or fees unrelated to the effectiveness of the program which can lead to higher expenses overall for the business.

Is LocalTop responsible for the work these companies do?

No. You have to talk to any companies you find on localtop.com and determine for yourself if you want to work with them. If you do, you and they have a business agreement that is independent of LocalTop. They are independent businesses and they are not employed or contracted by LocalTop. You can read more on this in our Terms of Service.

What do I do if I have a bad experience with one of the companies I contact through LocalTop?

Your best recourse is to work directly with the company to resolve any problems because you have a direct business relationship with them. Most reputable local businesses want to resolve problems and make you a satisfied customer. You can also tell us about the problems and, if you request it, we will call the company to let them know. We do not offer formal dispute resolution services and ultimately it is up to you to resolve any disputes directly with the company or with the various organizations that do offer formal dispute resolution services.

Why do you call me back after my service request?

We call you after you talk to the companies you select. We do this to check your satisfaction level with the business(es) and the LocalTop service. We try to keep this phone call as short as possible. What you tell us in these phone calls helps us tune the LocalTop service and determine whether or not the companies you worked with should remain on our list.

Why don't you publish the companies' phone numbers?

localtop.com is able to automatically arrange a call between you and the businesses you select. We can do this whenever you schedule it - immediately or for a certain day and time. The businesses tell us the various phone numbers we can call to reach them and they tell us the hours they are available. We use our technical ability to arrange the phone call with this knowledge of the business when letting you select the best time to call. Our setting up the call also lets us track for the business that the call originated from someone using the LocalTop web site.

How do you use my personal information and do you give it to others?

We are careful with your personal information and do not give it to others for marketing purposes. You can read our complete Privacy Policy here. We use your name (usually just your first name) and phone number to connect you with the Service Providers you request and we use your name, phone number and email to follow up with you for satisfaction surveys related to the Service Request. We give a copy of your name, email and phone number to the businesses you request so they can follow up with you on that particular service request.

What categories and cities do you cover?

Right now we serve the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Alameda. The list of business categories we cover can be viewed on our home page. We will be expanding the business categories and the number of communities we cover in the Bay Area.

I know a great company in my area, why are they not on the list? How do I recommend a good company for you to list?

We would be happy to hear your recommendations. You can send us a message via a form on the Contact Us page or call us at the phone numbers listed there.