You know, I don't know. I would probably be interested in interviewing them to see what is going on. I have a friend who had a competitor putting negative reviews...you just never know if they are accurate. I would proceed with caution, but I would not rule it out. 

I've had a great time and excellennt meal at several low ranking restaurants as far as stars. I wouldn't be surprised to see this "false perception by star ranking" happening within several industries.

Pam - I'd have to say that generally a referral is much stronger than some sort of 'rating' for a particular person or profession. Having said that, when it comes to restaurants, I do check out what has been posted on Yelp, Trip Advisor, Travel Zoo, etc.

It would depend on the situation. While reviews can be helpful sometime they do not tell the true picture. And I prefer to get recommendations from others who have used the vendor and not base a decision solely on a series of stars which can be so slanted

I do not go by any star system. I'm a reference kinda guy. I was once approach by a sub that I use and does good work for me. He suggested that I join Angie List just to help him get his rating for etc... for Angie List. That did not set well with me. It's just gaming the system. 

I am not a fan of any of these rating systems - including the ones for real estate agents. So I would consider them as I would a fiver!  Now a zero or one...nahh!

It depends.

Who do you try to hire?

I recently tried to research Yelp roofers, every single one of them have few bad reviews...I emailed few yelpers who left good reviews and they confirmed that they were happy with services.

p.s. The roofer that was referred to me by my trusted source, had glowing recommendations, he did terrible job for my client, took money, and did not answer his phone.

eh, I think I would do my own reasearch.  Mostly with being in AR, I go with personal recommendations.  If I don't know, I likely know someone who knows someone good any where.

Pay enough money and anyone can buy a rating. I like to do my own homework and ask trusted friends when looking for a professional.

Like others have stated I'll due my own due diligence. The same way 5 Stars doesnt mean anything in relation to almost everything.

Now that is a great question. Really. I don't know. In some areas I may not be looking at online ratings, but rather local word of mouth. That is a loaded question. 

I do not pay much attention to those ratings. I am more interested in references from people I know and trust.

I'd keep digging.  3 is as useless as 4 or 10; the system can be gamed.  So, I'd do more digging and that would include a specific question about this very rating.

Yes. I do not put that much stock in ratings. I know really pissed off people will zero out a rating and those that are very happy may never take the time to say so.

I don't know if the # of starts is a good indication of the professional.  I think a personal referral goes a long way.

It depends on the scale.  A 3/5 is average.  That might be alright for what I need but if I need top quality then no.

A 3 sounds pretty low, so probably not. 

Not generally without researching BBB, their local and state association if tha applies to that particular person/business...star ratings are a poor source of ranking

If you are referring to 3 out of 5....it would depend. I would go through the reviews and check the credibility of the negative reviews that caused the rating to drop. Short answer yes, if the research supported it.

Very intersting question.  I woud impulsively answer no but upon futher thought I know that sometimes these reviews are not always fair.  If someone is highly recommended and has 3 star rating I probably will give him a try.

One probably is not doing a great job if they have 3 star rating.  Most peope need to be pretty disappointed to provide a bad review.

I would. I think star systems are overrated. I look for review commentary, because reviews can be skewed. I've bought from 3 star people before because the rating was based on the product not the actual person working with. Comments matter more than stars.

Means 'average' to me. I would probably keep investigating.

Probably interview to here their side of the story.

I concur with my friend Richard Weisser here. Those reviews mean absolutely nothing to me. Reviews are nothing but a marketing gimmick and not reliable.

How does one verify the veracity of the reviews, especially when there are companies you can pay for all of the  5 star reviews you want.

I don't like 'star' reviews because many sites offer reviews and the only reviewers have been directed there and instructed to leave 5 stars.  Amazon is the worst with this - a bestselling book will often have hundreds of 5 star reviews the day the book is released, because the authors/publishers have people making fake reviews.

I do read reviews but also do my own due diligence.

No, not without doing due diligence...3 stars, four stars are meaningless. 

I would be more likely to hire someone only if someone I know, like or trust recommends them.  Doesn't matter what their rating says.

That really depends on the area and who that person is.  The rating may be low because of one persons belief that the job was bad and if there was only a few ratings it may not be accurate.  If I know the professional and haved used them before I would absolutely use them.

Out of...?

3 / 10 - Probably not

3 / 5 - Maybe... I would need to think about it; perhaps check out the circumstances of the score.  Sometimes people get a bad rap from a vindictive reviewer and sometimes people are just not as good as they should be.

All that being said, if there was, say, 30 reviews and the guy scores a 3 / 5, then I would likely move on.

I seldom look for ratings, too easy to fix.

No.

Depends on the availability in the field and potential of this person - if he/she can grow.

I will be skeptical.