We were three days from signing when I searched the company on Roguelist. Two separate homeowners described the exact same pattern — large deposit, framing started, then radio silence. We walked. A month later a third review appeared saying the same thing.

We were about to bring on a recruiter who came with strong references. His previous agency had four reviews on Roguelist describing the same wage disputes he'd personally handled. That's not something a reference check surfaces. We pulled the offer.

Six reviews of the same landlord, all describing itemised deductions for 'normal wear' that swallowed the full deposit. We chose a smaller unit down the street with a claimed listing and a clean record. Got our deposit back in full.

The freelancer had a polished portfolio and glowing LinkedIn recommendations. Roguelist had four reviews describing missed deadlines and rebranded 'template' work sold as custom. We hired the second-choice candidate. Best decision of the quarter.