A: Short answer--no. With exceptions.

Here's the problem with those ever-present customer testimonials that appear on websites: they are almost always anonymous. True, they may have a first name or a last name but rarely both. And even when you have both first and last names on the bylines, unless you have some other identifying measure the posts remain anonymous for all practical purposes. After all, how many William Smiths are there in the world? In Ohio? In New York City?

And if anonymous, the feedback simply can't be trusted. The problem is, it's an awfully big temptation for companies to just make this stuff up. I'm not suggesting that all do, and I'm not saying that some particular testimonial somewhere isn't true, or that there wasn't a William Smith from New York City who sang the praises of some particular company. I'm just saying that without the means of verifying the identify and accuracy of said posting, I'd be skeptical.

BTW, here's what verifiable testimonials look like - GreatResumesFast.com

That said, the more reputable the company the more likely such testimony and feedback is accurate. Plus, there are legitimate reasons that some companies might post actual testimonials without identifying the clients--privacy concerns come to mind. Not every customer would be pleased knowing his or her email compliment is being hoisted up on an online platform for all the world to see.

Bottom line: Don't trust'em unless you can verify'em, or unless the company that stands behind those testimonials has a track record that supports such high praise (i.e. minimal customer complaints on the web, high BBB score, Facebook postings, etc.).

FYI: Postings on a company's Facebook Wall are another story altogether. Because every posting on a Wall is a link back to the writer's own Facebook account, verification is quick and easy and difficult to fake.