In the local newsletters I know, the company that did the work wouldn't be mentioned. So I basically understand what you mean, but here in the countryside there are definitely lots of craft businesses that have little or nothing to do with the internet. But yes, maybe the newsletter mentions them, but not in the form of reviews. And reviews don't come flooding in either if the company doesn't explicitly ask for them.
If it’s a local company, then it’s definitely mentioned. If it’s an international corporation, it won’t be listed. Such newsletters also have the task of supporting local businesses. Usually, the newspapers are initiated by the business owners themselves. It doesn't matter at all whether the business is interested in the internet. If they do poor work, it ends up on the internet nowadays. Whether the business likes it or not. Then they can at most ask Google to remove the review or sue the person who wrote the negative feedback. Some customers get upset over every little thing. If the craftsman shows up at 8:05 instead of exactly 8:00, for some people the world is already ending and everything else is irrelevant. Read some of the reviews carefully and don’t just look at the stars. What is criticized there is sometimes breathtaking.
Also, I talked with neighbors about their photovoltaic installers etc. However, I found that it’s a difficult topic because everyone has different habits, consumption, priorities, etc.
And those are also important and basically decisive. What the neighbors have basically doesn’t matter; you have to look after yourself and cover your own wishes and concerns. That also includes the storage system. Although nowadays people are moving away from having no storage at all. Just last week there were more reports about storage systems and how important they are becoming. Up to a certain degree, you can certainly compensate for missing storage. You can run your washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, etc. during the day. Or if you’re at home during the day, it’s not a problem either. But if you leave the house in the morning and only come home in the afternoon/evening, then you only have longer sun exposure in summer. And even then, if I switch on all devices at once, my electricity production isn’t enough anymore. So your own behavior could/should probably be adjusted. Or you tailor it exactly. But a timer switch or a smart washing machine is certainly cheaper.