Why having been awarded a "Top 30" firm in Vancouver actually means nothing

(Update - March 23, 2023) You may or may not be aware that the advertising and retailer, Houzz Inc., utilizes the same paid-authority format in their advertising for HouzzPro accounts. Despite our multiple requests to be removed from their contact lists, telephone lists, and marketing campaigns, we continue to receive communications selling their advertising services for professionals. Here’s the latest situation:

This morning, I was contacted before 8:00am by Matt Moynan, Senior Strategic Account Executive, Industry Solutions as above. After being told not to contact my personal cellphone number and that I have made repeated attempts with him to stop being contacted, Matt then text messaged my personal cellphone number and followed up with an email. When I asked to speak to Matt’s manager about the aggressive behaviour and harassing me on my personal number, I was refused and hung up on. I called Matt back and asked again to speak to their manager, again was hung up on.

I then contacted Houzz on their listed toll-free number and after a 36 minute phone call without resolution. I asked for Liza Hausman’s, Senior VP of Industry Relations, email address and telephone number to express my frustration with their aggressive marketing tactics, I was thanked for my time and the call was terminated.

I will admit that in the past that have used HouzzPro advertising and spent over $10,000 in three years. It was ineffective, did not generate any leads, and it was very oversold. The service simply did not do what they claimed and that is false advertising. Although I had asked for a refund for advertising services, I still have not received a cheque.

While I wait for my Houzz data over the next seven days, I will be deleting our business profile.

If you have a similar situation, I would love to hear from you!

(Updated January 17, 2023) Yesterday, I received an email that we were awarded the 30 Best Interior Design Companies in Vancouver by a company called Point2. I use the term "awarded" loosely because there was not a submission or nomination process, judging criteria, or any qualifications from them. As much as it is nice to be given something, the validity of the gift is suspect and misaligned.

I asked a friend of mine who is a reputable realtor if they knew this firm; they knew nothing. I looked for a contact other than the email to validate the publication; again, nothing. Who is this company? How are the candidates selected? Who is in a qualified position to make a determination and write it on the interwebs? After digging around a little bit further, I found some issues that I needed to fact-check because I’m not even sure if this is something that we want. Here’s what I found out:

1. Point2 is a marketing company. And it is specifically for realtors to facility a sale and brokerage of a real property. The company is not associated with any interior design industry associations.

2. No nominating committee. One individual was the sole judge and jury. They did a search on the web, found some interior design firms, and formed an personal opinion.

3. No regard for copyright. The individual captured an image from each of the interior designers websites without permission or paying the photographer for publication rights. This is copyright infringement and against the law.

4. Inaccurate regional areas. Some of the firms listed are not in the City of Vancouver at all and they are in the surrounding cities and areas, bit one company is in a foreign country across the border.

5. Used before photos. After a bit of digging with a professional colleague that same morning, the before images aren't even of designed projects and are before photos.

6. No journalistic integrity. No one from the company contacted my company for a media inquiry or for permission, a bi-line, or comment.

Now, I performed a review of the Point2 website myself, and I consider that I am quite skilled at academic research and attributions from my years of teaching and writing professionally for publications, but I was flabbergasted as to how this type of business can publish unvalidated opinions of other interior design companies. I strongly felt that this was misinformation and was dissuading the public with false information, so I emailed them to remove our listing.

It took over a week for a response from the Communications Strategist at Point2 (by email, not even a telephone call), and they confirmed that they have removed our "listing" (as they called it) and outlined that we are one of the most-searched interior design firms in the Vancouver area. As I mentioned already, I was not contacted and did not approve of being listed, so I am still not sure how this oversight could occur, much less occur with such irresponsibility.

The strategist went on to explain how their methodology and algorithm selected the other Top 30; it was a bunch of gobblygoop, if I am to be honest, so I offer up a stern warning to anyone reading about top-awarded interior design companies on websites: Any company can compile a list of the most searched anything and offer up resources to their end-readers; however, it does not exempt Point2 from publishing our work without permission or inquiring if their branded media strategy aligns with our business goals. The site used our photography, which was obtained illegally, which was presumptuous of them to assume, and issued an award without any authority on the subject.

I really do not know how to end this article. Does this mean that this type of company and article, written without any authority or research and appearing as the top web search for “best interior designer” or “top interior designer," is really where we are at?

Where is the authority?

Sharing Our Insights