Review Guidelines

Last updated: September 27, 2026

Shop-Rate.com (“Website”) is designed to help technicians and mechanics of all kinds — whether you work on cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, buses, heavy equipment, aircraft, boats, or anything else — share honest, first-hand experiences about the shops they work for, or have worked for, so that other technicians can make informed decisions about where to work. Reviews are valuable when they are honest, accurate, and based on real experiences.

These Review Guidelines apply to all reviews, ratings, questionnaire answers, poll comments, pay submissions, and other content submitted to Shop-Rate.com.

1. Reviews Must Be Based on Personal Experience

Reviews must be based on the reviewer’s own experience working at, or interviewing with, the shop being reviewed.

The review questionnaire asks about the following areas, and reviews may describe experiences with any of them:

  • Pay & benefits
  • Income predictability
  • Management
  • Equipment & resources
  • Workplace culture
  • Teamwork
  • Workload & scheduling
  • Overtime
  • Training & advancement
  • Safety & shop conditions

Reviewers are also asked whether they would work at the shop again and whether they would recommend it to other technicians, and may describe their overall experience as an employee.

Reviews should not be based solely on rumors, information from others, or assumptions.

2. Reviews Must Be Honest and Accurate

Users must provide truthful information to the best of their knowledge.

Users may not:

  • Create fake reviews
  • Submit reviews for shops they have not worked at or interviewed with
  • Exaggerate or intentionally misrepresent events
  • Submit reviews on behalf of another person
  • Manipulate ratings or rankings

3. Prohibited Review Content

Shop-Rate.com may remove content that includes:

False or Misleading Information

Content that knowingly contains false claims or fabricated experiences.

Personal Attacks

Reviews should address the business experience, not personally attack individuals. Examples of prohibited content:

  • Threats
  • Harassment
  • Hate speech
  • Discriminatory remarks
  • Targeted insults

Private Information

Reviews may not include personal information about managers, coworkers, owners, customers, or other individuals, including:

  • Phone numbers
  • Home addresses
  • Private email addresses
  • Financial information
  • Sensitive personal information

Illegal Content

Content promoting or describing illegal activity may be removed.

Spam and Advertising

Reviews may not be used to:

  • Promote unrelated businesses
  • Advertise products or services
  • Post repeated content

4. Conflicts of Interest

Because Shop-Rate.com is built for technicians to review their own current or former employers, reviewing a shop you work at or worked at is expected and encouraged. However, certain conflicts of interest are not permitted, including:

  • Shop owners, managers, or their representatives posting reviews about their own shop
  • Competing shops or their staff posting negative reviews about a rival
  • Posting reviews in exchange for undisclosed payment or other incentives

Shop-Rate.com may remove reviews that appear to involve a prohibited conflict of interest.

5. Responses From Shop Owners

Verified shop owners may respond to reviews about their shop through approved account features, subject to our Business Owner Response Policy. Responses should:

  • Remain professional
  • Address the concerns raised in the review
  • Avoid revealing private information about any individual
  • Avoid harassment or retaliation

Shop owners may not:

  • Threaten reviewers
  • Attempt to identify anonymous reviewers
  • Offer incentives for positive reviews

6. Review Removal Requests

Businesses and users may request review investigation if they believe content violates these guidelines. Requests may be considered for:

  • Fake reviews
  • Fraudulent activity
  • Policy violations
  • Legal concerns

Shop Rate Solutions LLC does not remove reviews solely because a business disagrees with a review or receives criticism.

7. Ratings and Rankings

Ratings on Shop-Rate.com are based on user submissions and platform calculations. Every review counts equally in a shop’s overall rating. Shops cannot pay to change their ratings. Shop Rate Solutions LLC does not guarantee that ratings represent the experience of every current or former employee. Ratings may change as new reviews are submitted. See our Consumer Notice for details.

8. Moderation Rights

Shop Rate Solutions LLC reserves the right to:

  • Remove content violating these guidelines
  • Restrict accounts engaging in abuse
  • Investigate suspicious activity
  • Modify or limit platform features

We are not obligated to remove content solely due to a disagreement between a business and a reviewer.

For broader expectations about respectful participation across the platform, see our Community Guidelines.