About The Guide

Welcome to The Good Service Guide website! This website, and its accompanying paper catalog, is a consumer directory designed to help you find proven service businesses—businesses recommended by local residents who have successfully used them. We’ve been publishing the Good Service Guide since 1987!

With so many services offered in the San Francisco Bay Area, you need to know who you can trust to fix your plumbing, change a lock, or mend your appliances. Who will clean your house, or repair your deck?

When compiling the Good Service Guide, we only include businesses which have been personally recommended to us. We talk to friends and neighbors, survey people in the street, and speak to trade associations and professional societies. We also ask businesses to provide us with the names of at least 10 customers whom we can call for a reference. Their comments form the testimonials you can see alongside each profile. You should be aware that businesses pay to be included; this is the only way that we can make this information free to you, the reader.

We actively monitor and reject businesses from The Good Service Guide which receive negative feedback. Our readers also tell us about many “good” businesses which, for one reason or another, do not wish to be included (often they’re already too busy). If you’re looking for a business that’s not listed, don’t hesitate to contact us. We can often help you find just what you’re looking for.

Thank you for visiting, and drop us a line if you have any comments, suggestions, or would like to recommend (or NOT recommend) a business. Always keep in mind, your input is what makes this service work.