Angie's List

[Tom Bender]

Anyone use Angie's List? Are the contractors well qualified as intended or are they just on the list because...

[Jeff Duncan]

Because they paid to be? Yes but that's how it goes these days, pretty much the same as those with an A rating from the BBB;)

[dennis thompson]

I've used it several times and have been happy with the people I have hired through them

[Frederick Skelly]

I use it often and get good people. Totally satisfied.

[Stan Calow]

I've used it many times. I've found contractors that way that I would not have otherwise come across. It does let you make quick comparisons between companies by looking at their detailed information. In the old days, you'd look things up in the Yellow Pages, and the only thing you could judge them by was the info in their ad. The reviews in Angies List have to be read carefully to get useful input, as some people just want to complain, and others are just hot air. But the thing is, the reviews are not anonymous, so the contractor can respond to your comments. So maybe some negative reviews get discouraged. It favors the bigger companies that have many ratings.

I have sent in reviews for contractors that were not previously listed. There just wont be any info (contact, insurance, years of experience, free estimates, discounts, etc.) unless they provide that info to Angies List as a member.

Not perfect, and only as reliable as the people who write reviews. I know there are a couple of alternatives, but I dont see any that would be inherently better.

[Jim Koepke]

Sometimes there are ads for another company like Angie's on TV, Home Advisor.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

I understood that Angie's list has not made a profit yet. But the stock price keeps going up. I have to wonder about the pressure to take payoffs for better reviews. They do take adds and the more expensive the adds the higher the company gets rated. But they claim it is not selling a higher ranking?
Bil lD

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I get several calls per month asking me to enroll our business as a "trusted" or "A grade" or whatever the best rating is, to Homeadvisor and BBB. Angies List is probably the same. All I have to do is pay a $50 a month fee to have them "help set up my profile".

There is no need to actually be a good contractor to get the rating, only pay the fee. You can make your own conclusions, but I wouldn't trust any of these services. Just call your local real lumber yard, the one where the pros shop, and ask them for a reference. They aren't going to recommend one of their bad customers to you.

[Stan Calow]

I dont believe they provide higher rankings or fake reviews for money. What they do is put sponsoring vendors at the top of search list, just like Google and Bing, etc. They send emails to their mailing list with promotional materials, special offers, etc. And when you call a business on the number they give you, the business always knows you're calling through Angies List, and presumably they give a kickback for the referral. That's how they make their money. But the reviews I think are genuine, or they wouldn't read so poorly.

But to the original question, they dont screen any of the businesses or review qualifications, they just pass on reviews and ratings from customers.

[Gary Ragatz]

Sometimes there are ads for another company like Angie's on TV, Home Advisor.

jtk

I think Angie's List and HomeAdvisor are owned by the same company now. I don't know whether their business models are the same now, or not.

[Doug Dawson]

I dont believe they provide higher rankings or fake reviews for money. What they do is put sponsoring vendors at the top of search list, just like Google and Bing, etc. They send emails to their mailing list with promotional materials, special offers, etc. And when you call a business on the number they give you, the business always knows you're calling through Angies List, and presumably they give a kickback for the referral. That's how they make their money. But the reviews I think are genuine, or they wouldn't read so poorly.

But to the original question, they dont screen any of the businesses or review qualifications, they just pass on reviews and ratings from customers.

Speaking of which: If you get a referral from one of these sites, ask them if they're insured, and do they have proof of that. My experience is that the answer is often, What? Otherwise, if something goes wrong on their part, they can own your house, etc.

[Jim Koepke]

Speaking of which: If you get a referral from one of these sites, ask them if they're insured, and do they have proof of that. My experience is that the answer is often, What? Otherwise, if something goes wrong on their part, they can own your house, etc.

If you are interviewing someone for a home improvement project you should always receive proof of insurance and lean releases from all of the suppliers with the bid for the insurance and releases when the material is delivered.

jtk

[Doug Dawson]

If you are interviewing someone for a home improvement project you should always receive proof of insurance and lean releases from all of the suppliers with the bid for the insurance and releases when the material is delivered.


Moreover, it's not just a matter of their intentions. They can be the most benign of people, but what matters is the chain of responsibility, and if the buck stops with _you_ because it happened on your property, you're the one who pays, the government could come after you for whatever damages they paid out.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Speaking of which: If you get a referral from one of these sites, ask them if they're insured, and do they have proof of that. My experience is that the answer is often, What? Otherwise, if something goes wrong on their part, they can own your house, etc.

For sure on the insurance. Most independent contractors probably have a simple liability policy, but there is a lot more that is required. Workers comp for example is stupidly expensive for carpenters so it is resisted. However, it's apparently pretty easy for an ambulance chasing lawyer to turn a contractor/customer relationship into a employee/employer and then come after the homeowner/employer if a contractor gets hurt or worse. I think the risk varies by state, but it's worth being aware of and checking into.

Our company carries 3 or 4 seperate policies to be fully insured, depending on the job. When a contractor says fully insured, they should mean something like that, not just a simple liability policy. Ask your insurance agent about what you should be asking for. Nebraska's contractor licensing is done through the department of labor, they database the info on contractors including licenses and insurance. Probably a similar system in most states.

Keep in mind, compliance and coverage is expensive. Nearly 12% on my companies payroll costs are workers comp insurance alone, over half of every hour billed goes to the various fees, mandated insurances, taxes and so forth, before we ever get to the part that the company can use and pass on to its employees. When a customer is complaining about how expensive work is compared to the guy operating illegally out of the back of a van, they need remember what they are actually paying for.

[Stan Calow]

Speaking of which: If you get a referral from one of these sites, ask them if they're insured, and do they have proof of that. My experience is that the answer is often, What? Otherwise, if something goes wrong on their part, they can own your house, etc.

Yes insurance and bonding are one of the pieces of information that is provided up front on the site, although it should be verified. But note, its not just a bunch of little one-man contractors on there: mostly its the bigger and medium-size companies, with names that would be locally recognizable. Essentially, its become what the Yellow Pages used to be. You still have to check them out.

I'm not a shill for Angie's List, I just don't see a better alternative out there now for getting a list of companies working in your area. If you want to know, for example, what plumber provides emergency services and is within 10 miles of your home, I dont know where else you could go.

[Doug Dawson]

For sure on the insurance. Most independent contractors probably have a simple liability policy, but there is a lot more that is required. Workers comp for example is stupidly expensive for carpenters so it is resisted. However, it's apparently pretty easy for an ambulance chasing lawyer to turn a contractor/customer relationship into a employee/employer and then come after the homeowner/employer if a contractor gets hurt or worse.

That's a good reason for the homeowner to have an umbrella insurance policy if there are significant assets at stake (like a house or retirement investments, etc.) They are cheap, and are a good line of defense, as the insured amounts are typically in the seven figures, the insurance company is legally bound to defend you, and we all know they _hate_ to pay out. :^)

[Scott Donley]

I tried Home Advisers, huge mistake, they gave me 3 leads closest one was 30 miles away. I emailed all 3 only one replied to tell me he no longer did construction work. I found someone that lived in my own city on my own and let HA know because I was getting 2/3 emails a day containing links to every thing from havac people to pool cleaners not even close to what I was asking for. Then I started to get phone calls from them using cloned # for caller ID. Finally after a month or so they all stopped. Never again.

[Jim Koepke]

I tried Home Advisers, huge mistake, they gave me 3 leads closest one was 30 miles away. I emailed all 3 only one replied to tell me he no longer did construction work. I found someone that lived in my own city on my own and let HA know because I was getting 2/3 emails a day containing links to every thing from havac people to pool cleaners not even close to what I was asking for. Then I started to get phone calls from them using cloned # for caller ID. Finally after a month or so they all stopped. Never again.

Thanks for that information Scott.

Apparently they must make some of their income from selling your information to telemarketers.

jtk

[Scott Donley]

Thanks for that information Scott.

Apparently they must make some of their income from selling your information to telemarketers.

jtk Just to make it clear, it was Home adviser sending all the e-mails and making the phone calls. I guess they were working overtime in making a sale. Hey maybe I needed a plumber or havac help and heck, I was going to need someone to put in the pool that I might need cleaned :)

Have to add to the above, just now got a call from some local company that does remodeling wanting to know if I needed any work done as in kitchen or bathroom, I told them I do but would not do anything with a company that breaks federal law by calling me as I was on the do not call list, he said he did not know as he got my number from Home Adviser
. I guess they do sell yor info.