Anyone ever use Angie's List for a recommendation?

[dennis thompson]

Has anyone ever used Angie's List to get recommendations for home repairs/painting?
Thanks
Dennis

[Kent A Bathurst]

Yep. Exterior + interior painting. Insurance broker. Even a geotech engineer to evaluate some mysterious settling of front porch.

Very happy with the quality of work/recomendations every time - especially the painter - guy ended up doing 2 neighbors' houses after ours.

[Mike Zilis]

Yep. Angie's List as well as Service Magic. We found our deck builder, carpet cleaner and exterior house painter.

Mike

[David G Baker]

I used Service Magic to locate someone to install gutters on my home. The guy charged $1000 to do the work and furnish the material. He used plastic material that I didn't object to because I had used plastic before a couple of times. He did the work, I paid him and he left. The gutters were not supported correctly, they twisted, sagged and separated at the joints. Later I found that he installed gutter supports every 48 inches instead of 16 inches was the reason for the problems. I went to the Service Magic site and couldn't find any place to file a complaint against the guy. I paid another guy $1030 for aluminum seamless gutters. He did a great job and I am very happy with his work and recommend him to everyone that asks about gutters.
I have Angie's List saved on my desktop but haven't had the need to use the service yet.

[Jack Wilson]

Ok, I am biased. I am a contractor, I am thorough, conscientious, reliable, honest, clean... yes, I am. The other contractors I know are the same, could be the caliber of people I hang out with, but regardless, the adds I have seen for Angie's List imply that MOST contractors are lazy bum con-artists. No joke, I AM offended. We don't deserve or need that kind of publicity. There's bad cops, bad doctors, bad garbage men? I don't know, people are people, please don't lump me and all other contractors into the "thieving bandits" group. Sure there are some bad apples, but I don't think I am the exception, rather the rule.

[Jack Wilson]

Ok, this post has been viewed over 125 times, but no else has posted since my thoughtless rant. If anyone has had experiences with Angie's List, or bad experiences 'because you didn't use Angie's List', please don't let a grumpy old man like me slow you down from saying so.:)

Dennis, on another note, I recommend asking around, find out who has done good work and then find out how long the have been in business. Generally I have found that if anyone has been in the business for a long time it's because their work ethic and skills are good enough to sustain them. That's not to say a young guy can't do a good job, all of us older grumpy guys had to start somewhere.;)

[dennis thompson]

Jack
At 66 I guess you can lump me into the "grumpy old man" group with you.
However no where did I mention "thieving bandits," I think that was your term. I'm just looking for a good painter. I do have an estimate from a local guy who I'm sure is very good (he is also very expensive, $16,000 for a pretty big house that's 5 years old, so not in need of a great amount of prep work, but I'm willing to pay for good work). But of the 4 painters I called for estimates only one has provided an estimate. I did subscribe to Angies list. it's only $23 /yr, & I got a response from what sounds like a responsible painter, he spent a fair amount of time on the phone explaining his methods of work,let's see if he shows up for the estimate as he said he would. I always like to get 2 estimates for comparison, particulary for a project where I have no idea what a fair price would be.
Thanks
Grumpy old Dennis:)

[Phil Thien]

Love Angies List.

Present company excepted, there are a ton of crappy contractors out there.

Now, I will tell you that some of the most highly rated A-L contractors know they're highly rated and they try to take advantage of that rating by charging substantially more than anyone else. I ran into this with a painter that wanted $4,000 to paint three bedrooms and a hallway, with minimum prep required.

When I asked how long, he said it would take about two days. When I asked how many men, he said two.

When I noted that he was charging me about $900/ man/day (figuring $400 for materials) for non-union painters and asked how much he was paying his men, he realized I was onto his racket and I showed him the door.

So I read the reviews carefully, and always watch the price charged.

[Matt Meiser]

But of the 4 painters I called for estimates only one has provided an estimate.

There was a thread about this a while back. It seems to have become the norm. I'm glad to see that they have so much business that they don't have time to do proper quotes. Anymore I've decided that if its hard to get a quote from someone, I won't be using them.

[Jack Wilson]

Hey Dennis, honestly I wasn't referring to you or any of the other posts here per se, more towards concept I sometimes pick up from adds I have seen by Angie's List or others like it; that I am a bad person, and (one of the commercials actually said this) that I will be watching adult material on your cable while your gone, you won't find out about it till you get your cable bill next month. OH P-L-E-A-S-E:confused:

Lets all stop for a moment and think this one through...if any contractors did that, how long do you REALLY think they would last? What about lawsuits? I would take the friggen guy to court over that, believe me, in a heart beat. Reputation? I work VERY hard to maintain the reputation I have acquired, but it would be out the window before I was out the door. And money, I make money by getting done. If I sit around all day watching TV, or sleeping or going to restaurants or whatever how much of that will pay my bills, my laborers, my materials. They prey on peoples imagination to paint a worst case scenario which puts them, (the listing services), in the drivers seat.:mad:

Whoops, there I go again.:o

[Pat Germain]

Sorry, Jack. I fully believe you are a good, reliable and honest contractor. But I also believe you are, in fact, the exception. I would break down contractors as follows:

- Good, reliable and honest
- OK, somewhat reliable and mostly honest
- Unreliable, mediocre work and a bit dishonest
- Completely unreliable, shoddy work and completely dishonest
- Cons; only objective is to get money then disappear with no intention of doing any work at all

So, you see, considering all the contractors out there, you are in the minority. Almost everyone has horror stories about contractors. And when it comes to contractors, I don't think people say something only when things go bad. I hear people go on and on about how great their contractor was and how pleased they were with the job. That's why good contractors typically don't need to advertise.

Therefore, while I've never used Angie's list, I think it's great. A good contractor not only has nothing to fear from such a service, it makes him look even better. But bad contractors certainly do have much to fear. If a painter makes a habit of watching pay-per-view porn all day, how am I going to know about it unless I see it on something like Angie's list?

When I was in the Navy, I used to say it was tough to break the stereotype that sailors were a bunch of obnoxious, skirt chasing drunks because 80% of were just that. Similarly, it's hard to break the image that contractors are a bunch of slimey scammers when so many of them actually are.

[Mark Carlson]

I've been using Angies List for about 4 years now. I needed a new roof and I wasn't able to get any recommendations from neighbors or friends. Someone at work suggested Angies List. The roofer I picked had A's across the board and he did a really good job. I became a yearly member after that, and have used it for plumbers, electricians, floor refinishers, and heating A/C repairmen.

Some notes:
You still should get multiple quotes on big jobs. You should read reviews and look for trends. Not all reviews will be positive even for the best business. You need to submit a report after you get the work done. The service only works if users submit reports.

~mark

[Larry Frank]

I have not used Angie's list but prefer to use recommendations. I always ask for some references of jobs done close to me and go check out a couple to see how happy the people were with the work and how it looked. It is well worth the time and effort. I also always structure a contract to hold onto a per cent until the job is done per the contract. I have had a couple of contractors back out with my terms of payment and holding onto the last 25% until it is complete. I will make certain to make payments to cover materials to the jobsite and make them promptly. If the job is completed per the contract, I will pay immediately.

[Dan Mages]

Does anyone know what prevents the contractors from placing falsetestimonials on this site?

Dan

[Caspar Hauser]

Wow, I've just found out that there is a 4 in 5 chance that I'm a 'Slimey Scammer', well that curtails my inner search for personal truth.

Statistically likelihood puts me down there with second hand car salesmen and totters (pickers - used car salesmen who come to your house).

Thank you, what a time saver.

All this time I thought I was an honest capable reliable individual, the kind of bloke who just this week got out of his bed too soon after surgery to go back to work to hit a deadline so as not to disappoint a client, the kind of chap who gives a darn inspite of the client, but statistically that would seem unlikely.

Is there a web site where clients to avoid can be listed?

I'd subscribe to that.

[Pat Germain]

Wow, I've just found out that there is a 4 in 5 chance that I'm a 'Slimey Scammer',

You just now found this out? It should come as no surprise. It's not your fault. But the fact is if I just hire any contractor out of the phone book with no references, it's much more likely than not I'm going to end up hiring a slimey scammer. This is nothing new. Good contractors are hard to come by. Therefore, you should feel good about being a good contractor and expect to be appreciated. So, by all means, tell lousy clients to slag off and hire the lousy contractor.

And the car salesman analogy is a good one. If I just walk into any dealership without doing any research and say, "I'm here to buy a car and want my payment to be XXX dollars", I'm going to get ripped off. It's not a 4 in 5 chance. It's a 5 in 5 chance. It's the standard business practice at any modern dealership.

Welcome to the 21st century.

[Dave Sims]

As mentioned, I think referrals from friends and family is the best way to pick a business/contractor for a job. For instances when you can't get a referral from friends or family, then angies list is a good starting point.

I am still young and healthy so I try to do as much of my own work as possible. It has made my jaw drop to hear what some of the neighbors have paid to have work done around the house.:eek:

[Jason Roehl]

There was a thread about this a while back. It seems to have become the norm. I'm glad to see that they have so much business that they don't have time to do proper quotes. Anymore I've decided that if its hard to get a quote from someone, I won't be using them.

Not to excuse someone blowing you off, but I just want to give you a little perspective from someone who is a sole proprietor. Giving low-probability quotes is a waste of our time. Any quote is an expense--usually just time and gas. What pays is getting the work done. What that all means is that sometimes jobs take a little longer than expected and encroach on any time we may have set aside for taking/returning phone calls and giving quotes or estimates.

Jack--THANK YOU! I'm a little irritated with the Angie's List commercials as well. We already have a negative perception to overcome as contractors, as has been evidenced in this thread; we don't need commercials that reinforce it with contrived situations.

Having been around general contractors and their clients many times, I know one of the largest problems is that GCs are often not very adept at getting their clients to understand what reasonable expectations are with regards to schedule (especially how changes to the work affect this), quality standards vs. cost and so on.

Throw in the fact that more people are pinching pennies these days and a flood of unemployed people who are suddenly painters, carpenters and remodelers, and it has become a tough market. I have on numerous occasions, though, sold jobs based on my experience and quality over other bids that were lower. Many times, my happiest clients are the ones who paid the most because that gave me the time to go the extra mile or hundred.

[Pat Germain]

Jack--THANK YOU! I'm a little irritated with the Angie's List commercials as well. We already have a negative perception to overcome as contractors, as has been evidenced in this thread; we don't need commercials that reinforce it with contrived situations.

I would think a good contractor such as yourself would like Angie's list. It sorts out bad contractors for you. It makes it less likely you'll have to explain why your valid estimate is higher than the clown who low-balled just to get the job only to later screw it up run over way over budget.

Watching any episode of "Holmes on Homes" makes it very clear there is much to worry about when hiring a contractor. I think the negative perception comes from the large number of bad contractors. Angie's list really doesn't create that perception.

[Mike Henderson]

There are many good contractors out there, but there are also a lot of bad contractors. By bad, I mean they just don't do quality work. I've had both kinds working for me. While you might be able to sit on a bad contractor and get reasonable work, it's going to be a fight every step of the way. Better to find someone who has an ethic of doing good work in the first place.

And the best way to find a good contractor is to get the names of contractors who have done work for people you know, people who are knowledgeable and picky.

Mike

[Jason Roehl]

Pat, I didn't say I didn't like Angie's List--I'm still up in the air on that. I don't like their commercials, and that makes me hesitate to use them. Mostly, I sub work from other painters when they need help, but I do have a growing list of clients who are willing to wait for me to become available to do the work they have for me.