How client reviews work
Reviews on a seat holder's profile come from their clients, are collected by Aurelle and are published whole. These rules are the same for every seat holder.
Who is asked
Every client the seat holder invoiced for this work in the last 24 months. The seat holder gives Aurelle the list. If it holds more than 20 clients, Aurelle draws 20 at random, and the seat holder does not choose. Aurelle may ask for an invoice, with the client's details covered, for any name on the list, and checks a sample.
What a client is asked
Aurelle emails each client, names itself and the seat holder who listed them, and says that seat holders pay Aurelle. It asks whether they were a client, for a short review in their own words, whether the fees matched what was quoted, and whether Aurelle may publish the review and under what name. A client can say no and hear nothing more. Aurelle sends at most two emails.
What is published
A review is published only with the client's permission, whole and with its date. The client chooses the name shown: first name and last initial, or "a client". Aurelle does not edit the words.
When a review is held back
Only for these reasons, and the same for every seat holder:
- the client withdrew permission;
- it contains another person's personal details, such as an account number;
- it is not about the seat holder's work; or
- the writer was not a client.
A held-back review is still counted. Every profile shows how many clients were asked, replied, were published and were held back, with the reason for each one held back.
No rewards
Nobody is paid or given anything for a review, by Aurelle or by the seat holder. A seat holder may not ask a client to change, delay or take down a review. A seat holder who does breaks criterion 5 and may lose the seat.
The seat holder's reply
A seat holder may answer a published review once, in public. The answer is labelled as the seat holder's.
What a review is not
A review is a client's opinion. Aurelle confirms that it came from the person it invited. It does not judge whether the opinion is right, and a review is not a recommendation by Aurelle. A poor review does not end a seat. A pattern of complaints goes through the complaints process.