RateMe is New Zealand's locally-owned platform for business reviews. We've built a straightforward system that helps customers share their experiences and businesses build their reputation through genuine feedback.
Finding a Business
Use the search bar to find any New Zealand business. Search by name, location, or type of service. If you're looking for a plumber in Christchurch or a cafe in Ponsonby, just type it in. Browse through different categories or look at businesses in your area.
Can't find the business you're after? You can request to add them to our platform.
Writing Your Review
Click the "Write a Review" button on the business page. You'll need to create a free account first - this just needs your email address.
Give the business a star rating from one to five. One star means poor service, five stars means excellent. Pick what honestly reflects your experience.
Then write your review. The most useful reviews include specific details: what product or service you used, when you dealt with the business, what happened, and whether you'd recommend them.
If you've got photos that show your experience - the finished work, the product you bought, or relevant documentation - you can add those too. Just make sure you're not including other people's personal details.
After You Submit
Your review goes into our verification system. We check that it's a genuine review from a real customer, not spam or fake content. This usually takes 24-48 hours.
Once verified, your review appears on the business page and counts towards their overall rating. The business can respond to your review if they want to, and you'll get notified if they do.
You can edit or delete your review any time through your account.
Getting Started
If your business isn't on RateMe yet, you can claim your free listing. Search for your business name, then click "Claim this business". You'll need to verify that you actually own or manage the business through official documentation.
Once verified, you can update your business details - opening hours, contact information, photos, and a description of what you do.
Managing Reviews
When customers leave reviews, you'll get notified. You can respond to any review, whether it's positive or negative.
Good responses thank customers for positive feedback and address concerns professionally when things haven't gone well. This shows potential customers that you're actively engaged and care about service quality.
You can't delete negative reviews - that's not how honest review platforms work. But you can respond and explain your side, offer to resolve issues, or simply acknowledge the feedback.
Building Your Reputation
The more genuine reviews you get, the more information potential customers have to make their decision. A good track record of reviews and professional responses builds trust with people who are considering using your business.
Businesses can't game the system by buying reviews or hiding negative feedback. What you see is what you get - real experiences from real customers.
Verification Checks
Every review submitted to RateMe goes through several checks:
We look at the reviewer's account. New accounts submitting multiple reviews quickly get flagged for manual review. We check whether multiple reviews are coming from the same location or device. We scan the content for patterns that suggest it's not a genuine review - generic language, copied text, or content that appears across multiple reviews.
Reviews that look suspicious get manually checked by our team before they're published.
Our Standards
Reviews must be based on actual experiences with the business. You can't review a business you haven't used, you can't review your own business, and you can't be paid or incentivized to leave a review.
Reviews need to focus on facts, not personal attacks. You can say the plumber was three hours late and didn't fix the problem. You can't use offensive language or make threats.
Business responses need to be professional. Businesses can explain their side or apologize for issues, but they can't harass reviewers or make false claims.
What We Don't Allow
Fake reviews get removed and the accounts behind them get banned. This applies whether the fake review is positive (posted by the business or their mates) or negative (posted by competitors).
Businesses can't offer discounts or freebies in exchange for reviews. Reviews have to be voluntary.
We don't let businesses pay to hide negative reviews or boost their ranking. Every legitimate review gets published, and overall ratings are calculated fairly from all reviews.
We're a New Zealand-owned platform focused solely on New Zealand businesses. We understand the local market and we're not trying to apply overseas standards to Kiwi businesses.
The platform is free to use for customers. Businesses get a free basic listing. We make money through premium features for businesses, not by manipulating reviews or hiding negative feedback.
We're transparent about how everything works. There's no algorithm hiding certain reviews or pushing others to the top based on who's paid us. Recent reviews and helpful reviews are prioritized, but that's it.