Massive Distribution of the 2012 Diamond Certified Directory Begins

Online, April 4, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The 2012 Diamond Certified Directory has started mailing to more than 800,000 homeowners, select local business owners, property and apartment managers, and insurance and real estate agents throughout the Greater Bay Area. There are nine different versions available: Sonoma County, Marin County, San Francisco/Daly City, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Solano County, and Monterey/San Benito/Santa Cruz Counties. Each top-rated Diamond Certified company is represented with a full-page profile that features a researched article, owner's philosophy, listing of services and geographic areas served, graphical depiction of actual ratings results, and verbatim survey responses from real customers.

In recent years, the increase in online reviews has also given rise to rampant gaming of reviews and ratings, which has led to flawed and fake reviews littering the Web. That's why the Diamond Certified Directory has become an increasingly important resource for consumers who are seeking local top-rated companies. Only companies that score "Highest in Quality" in the most accurate ratings anywhere earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award and are profiled within this directory. What really separates Diamond Certified ratings from all others is that a large, random sample of each company's customers are surveyed by telephone to get the most accurate ratings and verify only REAL customers are responding. By surveying from a company's entire customer base, American Ratings Corporation ensures that each company's research results, good or bad, truly represent its customer satisfaction level. And, each Diamond Certified company is backed by mediation and the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee.

American Ratings Corporation CEO Jim Stein credits much of the Diamond Certified Directory's success to its physical presence in an increasingly digital world. "People love our bound, four-color print directories because they can hold them in their hands, turn pages and find local top-rated companies that are a pleasure to do business with," he says. "The striking, gold-embossed Diamond Certified seal on the cover is a powerful signal of the quality companies that are presented inside."

Consumers throughout the Bay Area find the Diamond Certified Directory to be a useful resource for quickly finding high-quality service companies. "I'm in the process of doing some remodeling and my neighbor loaned me her copy of the 2011 Santa Clara County Diamond Certified Directory," says Novato resident Betty Mashburn. "I selected a certified company from the book and they're coming out soon for an estimate. I was (and still am) very impressed with the ratings and descriptions of reliable companies, and I'd love a copy of the Diamond Certified Directory for future input."

Many Diamond Certified companies see an immediate increase in calling activity when the Diamond Certified Directory is released each year, which ultimately translates to more business transactions. "When the 2011 Diamond Certified Directory came out, we got a flood of calls," says James Stephens, owner of Heavenly Touch in San Jose. "I went into new clients' homes and saw the Diamond Certified Directory by the phone. Every year, the Diamond Certified Directory is a real boost for my business."

About American Ratings Corporation
American Ratings Corporation's team has pioneered the development of the most accurate customer satisfaction ratings of local companies. All research is performed by live telephone interviews that verify only real customers are surveyed. Diamond Certified is only awarded to local companies rated "Highest in Quality" in statistically rigorous ongoing research studies performed by American Ratings Corporation.

Local consumers access complete updated ratings information and capability profiles at www.diamondcertified.org and benefit from added assurance from the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. A full-color Diamond Certified Directory is published annually, with 815,000 copies being mailed free to homeowners and companies each April (copies can be ordered for free at www.diamondcertified.org). The Diamond Certified list of top-rated local companies is also presented to the public two to four times per month within all main daily newspapers in the following Northern California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma. Free online access to the Diamond Certified directory of top rated companies is also available on KNBR.com, KTVU.com, KICU.com, KION.com, PrimeBuyersReport.org and SFGate.com.