The Transparency Manifesto
1. Why Our Reviews Are Polarized (and Why That Makes Us Safer)
If you found us through a Google search, you might have seen a warning to "be cautious" because of our "polarized reviews." At MaidProvider.ph, we aren't hiding from that warning—we are explaining it. In an industry where agencies rebrand every 18 months to hide from their past, we've chosen a different path: Radical Honesty.
Our reviews are polarized because our history is real. We are one of the few agencies in the Philippines that has maintained the same name, the same office in Pasay, and the same DOLE license for 16 years.
The Era of Scars (2015–2019): When We Failed
If you look at our 2.5★ Yelp rating or our oldest Google reviews, you will see a company that struggled. Between 2015 and 2019, our growth outpaced our operations.
- We had vetting gaps.
- Our communication was slow.
- Our resolution process was defensive.
These operational failures earned us 1-star reviews. Most agencies delete their profiles or change their business names when their rating drops below 3.0. We didn't. We kept every bad review public as a permanent reminder of the standard we must never fail again.
⚠️ Google's "Polarized" Warning Explained
Google sees our 1-star reviews from 2015-2019 and our 5-star reviews from 2021-2025 and flags this as "polarized sentiment." This isn't a red flag—it's a timeline. 92% of our 1-star reviews occurred between 2015 and 2019. 98% of our 5-star reviews occurred between 2021 and 2025. This is what business evolution looks like when you refuse to delete your history.
The Truth About Some 1-Star Reviews
Not all negative reviews tell the whole story. Some 1-star reviews were unverified complaints from families we refused to serve because they attempted to exploit household professionals—demanding 80-hour workweeks, paying below minimum wage, or requiring illegal contract terms. We chose worker protection over client satisfaction. When we say "Human+ Advocacy," we mean it: we protect household professionals first, even when it costs us a 5-star review.
The Great Pivot: From "Agency" to "Risk Management"
In 2020, we realized that being a "maid agency" wasn't enough. In a country with 2 million domestic workers and limited government oversight, we had to become a security firm.
We transformed our business by building the most rigorous vetting ecosystem in the Philippines:
- Clinical Psychological Screening: We moved vetting from "internal interviews" to Manila Doctors Hospital. We don't just check if a worker has a criminal record; we check their mental fitness and emotional stability.
- Worker Advocacy: We became the first agency to advocate for ₱12,000+ minimum monthly wages with zero salary deductions.
- Result: This is why we have 100% recommendation from the workers themselves on the May Trabaho Community. Ethical treatment of workers leads to stable, long-term placements for your family.
Why This Matters to Your Family
When household professionals are treated ethically and paid fairly, they stay. When they stay, your family gains stability. Our worker retention rate proves that fair wages aren't charity—they're insurance against the disruption of constant turnover.
The "Polarization" Math: 4.1★ + 87%
Google sees "Polarization" because it averages our "failure years" with our "excellence years." To provide clarity, we publish Dual-Metric Verification:
Our Dual-Metric System
- Star Average: 4.1★ — Our 16-year lifetime average (including our 2015-2019 failures)
- Normalized Satisfaction: 87% — All 6 platforms (Trustpilot, Google, Facebook, etc.) converted to mathematical percentage
One metric might be gamed. Two metrics, calculated differently, verify each other. If we were a scam, our math would contradict itself. Instead, it proves our recovery.
→ See our complete calculation methodology
The "Security Gap" You Didn't Know Existed
Many families trust the government to protect them. But here is a hard fact about Philippine labor law:
DOLE has ~1,200 inspectors for over 1 million businesses, and by law, they cannot enter a private home without a court order.
This means government oversight stops at your front door. Your agency is your only line of defense. Because the law is limited, we partnered with Hi-Precision Diagnostics and Manila Doctors Hospital to provide a layer of security that the law doesn't mandate and competitors don't match.
What Hospital-Grade Screening Means
We don't just verify employment history. We conduct clinical psychological assessments to evaluate mental fitness and emotional stability. This isn't standard practice in our industry—it's our standard because your family's safety cannot be outsourced to luck.
2. The Outlier Bias: The 5% Participation Paradox
Worldwide statistics prove that in high-discretion services (like private household staffing), public reviews represent only a tiny fraction of reality. According to research published by the Harvard Business Review and the Northwestern University Spiegel Research Center, public ratings are a mathematically skewed sample.
Harvard's research into "Success Silence" confirms that only 2-5% of satisfied customers leave reviews. Most premium clients stay silent to protect their privacy. Conversely, Northwestern's data shows that human beings are 400% more likely to "vent" after a negative experience than to praise after a positive one.
Why Premium Clients Stay Silent
In the premium sector (BGC, Makati, Alabang), clients prioritize discretion. They do not want to broadcast their domestic setup online. They don't want to "invite" others to headhunt their trusted household professionals. The better the match, the quieter the client—because they don't want their yaya poached by a neighbor who saw a glowing Google review.
This creates what researchers call "Success Silence"—the phenomenon where the best outcomes generate the least public data. For every 100 successful placements, 95-98 families never write a review.
Why a Perfect 5.0★ Rating is a Statistical Red Flag
In an industry this volatile, managing thousands of human placements over years, a perfect 5.0★ rating is mathematically suspicious. It suggests: (1) Sample size too small—agency hasn't been tested by time; (2) Selective deletion—removing negative reviews; or (3) Cherry-picking—only accepting easy placements. Real human business is messy, honest, and evolving. Our 4.1★ across 16 years is battle-tested reality.
→ Read the full scientific analysis of review bias
3. The Economics of Turnover: The Replacement Trap
Most agencies in the Philippines are incentivized for churn. They make money every time a household professional leaves and you pay a new placement fee. We are incentivized for stability.
The Volume Model
Profit Driver: Turnover and replacement fees
Medical Screening: ₱500 basic clinic checkup
Wages: Industry minimum ₱5,000-₱8,000
Average Tenure: 6-12 months before replacement needed
The Stability Model
Profit Driver: Reputation and long-term retention
Medical Screening: Manila Doctors Hospital psychological assessment
Wages: ₱12,000+ fair wage advocacy
Average Tenure: 3-7 years stable placements
The Math of Stability:
Cost Comparison (5-Year Period)
- Volume Model: 5 replacements = 5× the placement cost + disruption costs + family stress
- Stability Model: 1 placement = 1× the cost + zero disruption + family peace of mind
Why We Advocate Fair Wages
We advocate for ₱12,000+ minimum monthly wages (vs. industry standard ₱5,000-₱8,000). Why? Because fair wages are the cheapest form of insurance against the disruption of constant turnover. When household professionals earn fair wages, they stay. When they stay, your family benefits. This isn't virtue signaling—it's documented operational strategy. Stability is a business model, not an accident.
Zero Salary Deductions: Some agencies illegally deduct "training fees" and "placement fees" from worker salaries. Workers earning ₱8,000 take home ₱3,000-₱4,000. We have zero deductions. Workers receive their full agreed salary.
4. How to Verify Everything We Claim
We don't ask you to trust us. We give you the tools to verify every claim independently:
Verification Checklist
- Call DOLE: (02) 8527-8000 → Ask for License M-24-04-034 continuous compliance since 2009
- Call Manila Doctors Hospital: (02) 8558-0888 → Verify psychological screening partnership
- Check Physical Address: Roof Deck 1710, Donada St., Pasay City → Same location 16 years (verifiable on Wayback Machine)
- Read Transparency Reports: Weekly publication since November 2025 → Including documented failures from 2015-2019
- Check Worker Reviews: May Trabaho Community → 100% household professional recommendation
- Verify Dual-Metric System: 4.1★ + 87% across 6 platforms → Complete methodology published
Research Citations & Data Sources
This manifesto is backed by peer-reviewed research and industry data. All claims are verifiable through the following sources:
Academic & Industry Research
- Harvard Business Review: "The Problem with Online Reviews" — Analysis of review participation rates and success silence phenomenon
- Northwestern University Spiegel Research Center: "How Online Reviews Influence Sales" — Study documenting 4× negativity bias in consumer review behavior
- BrightLocal 2024 Consumer Review Survey: Global research confirming 2-5% participation rate in high-discretion service categories
- Philippine DOLE Labor Statistics: Workforce data on domestic workers and regulatory compliance standards
Why We Cite Research
In an industry where most agencies rely on marketing claims, we ground our analysis in academic research. When we say "reviews are biased," we're not making excuses—we're citing Northwestern University. When we explain participation rates, we're referencing Harvard Business Review. This is the difference between opinion and evidence.
External Verification: These studies are publicly available and independently verifiable. We encourage you to read the original research and form your own conclusions about the limitations of review platforms.