Signing in

You need an account to write a review. Vendors need one to use the vendor portal. Browsing the directory needs no account. There is no password. You sign in with a link we email you, or with your Google account.

Choose Sign in at the top right of any page. On a phone, open the menu (Open menu, at the top left) and choose Sign in there. The sign-in page offers two ways in:

• Continue with Google. Google asks you to approve, then sends you back to us.
• Email me a sign-in link. Enter your email address under Your email and choose the button. The page changes to "Check your email". Open the link in that email to finish.

Either way, you come back to the page you were on when you chose Sign in.

The first time you sign in with an address, we create your account. There is no separate sign-up step. If you used Google, your account menu shows your Google name and photo. If you used an emailed link, it shows your email address. You can set a display name on your account page.

Your account belongs to the email address you sign in with. If you sign in with Google using a different address, you are in a different account, with none of your reviews.

The email has not arrived. Check your spam or junk folder. Check the address shown on the "Check your email" page. If it is wrong, choose Use a different email and enter it again.

"Sign-in didn't go through." An emailed link works once and expires soon after we send it. If yours has expired or was already used, the sign-in page says so. Ask for a new link there and use it straight away.

You opened the link in a different browser. An emailed link only works on the device and in the browser where you asked for it. Opened anywhere else, it shows "Sign-in didn't go through". Ask for a new link in the browser you want to use, and open it there.

"We couldn't finish setting up your account." Sign-in worked, but we could not set up your account on our side, so you are not signed in yet. Wait a minute, then sign in again.

"Sign-in is temporarily unavailable." Sign-in is down on our side. Try again later.

You stay signed in between visits. When you come back after a while, the site renews your sign-in as the page loads, and you carry on. Sometimes you see "Restoring your session" for a moment before the page you wanted opens.

If your sign-in has fully ended, most pages simply show you as signed out. Pages that need an account, such as your account page or the review form, ask you to sign in again. Once you do, you return to where you were. If your account page shows "We couldn't load your account. Your session may have expired.", choose Sign in again.

Open the account menu, the round button at the top right of any page. On a phone, open the menu at the top left instead. Choose Sign out. You are signed out and taken to the home page. If it shows "Couldn't sign out. Try again.", choose Sign out again.

• Next: Your account and your data.
• Writing a review.
• Privacy Policy.