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Submitted by greggles on
Note: "sucks" is a pretty strong and immature word, but it's the word to use online when you think someone has a bad idea. So, if that's off-putting, get over it. Or start a "sucks sucks" site.
Recently I was asked what I thought of Angie's List. Frankly, I had no idea. I was told it was a pretty neat list that has good ratings of local retailers. The idea is that you are looking for advice on a company to hire for a service (e.g. car repair) so you check Angie's List and see the advice and ideas of other users who have used the site. It's basically like Better Business Bureau, City Search, or one of thousands of other local directories. Many of these directories are broken: biased reviews, paid inclusion, incomplete information, etc. This is where Angie's List claims to be different. They use "only" consumer generated content and require a "small fee" to keep the reviews unbiased.
Here's a bit on the policy:
Consumer support means it's honest: Companies don't pay to be on Angie's List. Only Angie's List members report on the companies they've hired. View the list of services rated in your area. Additionally, members make sure the ratings are clean and honest by supporting Angie's List. They pay a MEMBERSHIP FEE because we work for them (not the contractors) to keep the list growing with the most accurate information about the companies in their area.
Why This Angies List Policy is Dumb
Let's say that I'm a consumer. If Angie's list charges me $5/month I have to get a lot of value out of the list for it to be worth that membership fee. They have millions of customers though, so apparently it's compelling to some folks. Let's say that I'm the business owner, though. If I can create a fake email account and use my home address (or my neighbors address) so that Angie's List doesn't know who I am, then $5/month is a pittance for being able to enter a review of my own business.
So, their whole "we charge a small fee to keep the reviews honest" thing doesn't work for the stated policy, but it sure does help them bring in revenue without worrying about advertising.
Paid Position/Advertising on Angie's List?
Here's the worst part - after your company gets added they contact you and say something like "your company has been added and reviewed. If you'd like you have an enhanced listing you can pay us for that."
So the whole "we are acting in our members best interests" thing is bullshit! They have one interest in mind: their own.
The Review Problem is Real
The thing is - it's really hard to run a review site. Really hard. Getting valuable metrics is difficult. How does each user know if they should be trusting the other users of the site. Angie's List's paid membership program clearly doesn't make sense (though it may work than other current options). So, what's the future? Fortunately, it's the online corollary to the system you already use in real life: you ask your friends and colleagues via social bookmarking that helps guide you to the best local plumber. This is the clear way to solve the problem in the future.
Sorry, Angie's List. You could implement these features in your site, but don't pretend that the $5 is for anything other than your own pockets.
Edit: For an update and details as far as why you have to login to write comments see www.angieslist.com update post
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List Sucks for another reason too.. they are sneaky
I just called them up to cancel my membership, not for any of the reasons listed above... although they sound quite valid, instead it is was because they automatically renewed my membership without asking me.
Oh they state that it is quite clear when you sign up online that this will happen but that is, of course, crap. There are not other options but automatic renewal for online memberships no opt out unless you talk to an operator when joining. The operator then continued to say, "well since you already paid for this do you really want me to cancel your membership?"
After getting a bit testy I explained that without that opt-out option, I mentioned, for the online membership it seems very sneaky and that Angie was trying to pull a fast one over on its busy members.
Did I mention that my initial fee for membership was $50 but the new fee was going to be $63 and change. Which they did not notify me about! I guess they have lots of wealthy folks looking for contractors and services that would just shrug it off.
In the end they gave me back my money but it took a major push push push.
So, not only to they suck but they're sneaks too.
Chris replied on Permalink
Sneaky, Deceptive, but Legal
I, too, am cancelling my membership because of the automatic renewal without notification policy. I've spoken with customer service three times in the past, but my concerns have been ignored every time.
I find the policy of charging customer's/member's credit cards without notification to be inexcusable and deceptive. The customer service rep informed me that I could "opt-in" to a notification process that would send reminders by U.S. Mail. Um, I'd prefer an email before you hit my credit card for $79, but that isn't an option.
I spoke with our attorney general's office today and was told that automatic renewals are legitimate as long as the policy is clearly defined in the member agreement. It is. But the attorney to whom I spoke agreed that it doesn't make sense to do business with any entity that has such shady and deceptive practices.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
A Good Resource
Let me just say that I no longer have any work done on my home without first checking Angie's List. I learned this the hard way when I hired a landscape contractor a few years ago who turned out to be a night mare. I could have hired a bunch of kids and tossed them a few thousand dollars to do the work he did. As it turns out, had I first checked up on this guy on the list, I would have seen five other reviews from people who had exactly the same experieince as I. As a matter of fact, this guy has been successfully sued by several people for breach of contract, among other things. (That information was not on Angie's List...it's on public court records that are found on the internet.) I see Angie's list as an "investment" for me...if you are going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on home improvement, why would you be concerned about the nominal fee that Angie charges for this service? And no, I do not work for Angie's List. I have no ties to this company other than it provides me with a lot of peace of mind and I have not been disappointed with the individuals that I have used based on other's recommendations.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Falls short of the mark…
This fad will die just as quick as it started because they have completely lost sight of what fuels it in the first place. The customers! They could really care less about their customer base. The pricing is so far past stupid it hurts. Bottom line, a flawed concept. They offer no incentive or promotions to existing customers at all. Once you are in their system they simply forget about you (at least until it is time for them to AUTO renew you). They will pour all of their effort into new sign-ups and basically ignore their existing base, which by the way provided all of the content to begin with.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Wrong info hurts my business
Angies list has an address and phone # for my business that has not existed for 5 years, we moved and changed numbers 5 years ago.
New or old customers think I'm out of business when they use Angie's list, we have grown 10 fold.
That kind of misinformation is as bad as slander.........
Mimi replied on Permalink
of course they suck.....
Listen, any time a business figures out a way to profit from the user, and the list they are PROFIT driven, hence irrelevant, you might as well flush the money down the crapper, because all this place is about is getting subscribers and new businesses on their list; that's how they make their money.
My issue is that the web page is often not responsive. And they want my money? I don't think so. Sorry Angie, you'll have to put off buying that new Benz for awhile if I have anything to say about the site. SUCKS sounds perfect to me.
Rob Chatham replied on Permalink
Angies List Contractor Relations
I am a Seattle area exterior services specialty contractor well familiar with Angies List. We believe they do provide a valuable service to the consumer. HOWEVER;
They do charge very high advertising rates to contractors for monthly advertising. Their advertising service for contractors is so poor that it would rate a beware or an F--.
They are hard sell and deceptive. They do not follow up and they demonstrate a total lack of interest in the contractor once they have a contractor signed up. It is also true that the more you spend with Angies List the better your position.
Advertising copy changes can require three months lead time and there is an aditional charge for copy change. It is also true that they take so long to change advertising that by the time the contractor is contacted with a revised proof there is no time to correct.
Should you wish to stop your advertising campaign, you will be charged a huge penalty thus forcing the continuation of a poorly written or useless campaign.
Yes, Angies List does provide a valuable consumer service but fellow contractors beware before signing on to an expensive advertising campaign.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I agree with the writer.
I agree with the writer. Angie's List is no help to consumers if they have to pay for the service. The yellow pages can do the same job. Hard core references is really the only way to be sure -- and look at the work they are referencing before letting strangers in your house. And, need I say this, use a money order, not cash! Sadly, this is all from personal experience.
PLUMBER replied on Permalink
Stopping their latest design
I moderate numerous plumbing forums across the internet and I've solved the problem with spammers that are posting a link to the main page of categories for plumbing at their website for Angie's List.
The user gets suspended, blocked IP and I then rewrite the URL to point right to this page.
David Price replied on Permalink
former employee of Angie's List for 6 1/2 years
Here's my take after having been employed at Angie's List for 6 1/2 years (April 2004-August 31, 2010) here in Indianapolis Indiana. I am now pursuing my master of arts in missiology at Regent University but now support myself advising consulting companies looking for business from Angie's List free and paid options www.nightanddayincome.com
I could respond to existing comments on this post but felt just sharing my own experience would add to the conversation. To say that Angie's List is perfect would be a lie. Nothing in life is perfect. The real question in my mind is: Does AL work? Does it produce quality that homeowners benefit from??? Do companies generate revenue from quality, high paying leads. My 6.5 years of experience is yes, it does. Thanks for allowing me to participate.
HOMEOWNER MEMBERS: I sold memberships to homeowners for the 1st 19 months of my employement there, I sold over 4,000 homeowner memberships, with each conversation ranging from 9 minutes for those that wanted to sign up and get off the phone to locate companies to 1 hour for those wanting assistance over the phone. Real people join and most were very pleased. Of course nothing in life is perfect so Angie's List like any other lead system has pros and cons depending on your perspective. Some homeowners wanted to use Angie's List for free and when they discovered they had to pay they got off the phone, those that wanted to use the service for free were the minority, the majority were happy to pay and after using the service were glad they did. If someone did not like the service they cancelled. Very few cancelled because when they did I would get a chargeback, i did not get chargbacked that often so most kept their membership. Most kept it for around 4 years. Often people would call in with names of 3 companies they had gotten referalls about prior to joining, once they joined I was able to check on those companies ratings, often 2 of the 3 or 1 of the 3 were some of the worst rated companies on Angie's List. So due to joining they were spared potential heartbreak and financial loss, so they were extremely appreciative of the services. Angie's List does not have to replace BBB or Service Magic, can be a great addition to complement what you are using, because when it comes to your home, a very expensive thing, you don't want just anyone to have access to your house and life.
As of my last day of employment there at Angie's List, less than 1% of the companies on AL advertise. 99% don't advertise.
Advertisers as a whole nationwide have a 10 to 1 advantage over non advertisers. Advertising is via web positional coupon ad, print/publication, monthly publication mailed to members each month, call center positioning ad, where homeowner members call in and ask for a HVAC company, painter, etc and 4 are given over the phone, keyword, and a few others.
Fetch a report- this is a great FREE service, for matching your client base against Angie's List membership base, via phone number and last name, address and other personal info not necessary, if last name and phone match then it is a member, other non matches are discarded, matches mean AL possesses their info, an employee of AL calls that member and solicits a report, reports is the culture of Angie's List and so members are used to being contacted by AL and this can result in some extra reports for your business and REPORTS are key to doing well on AL whether you advertise or not.
I know of many companies that never advertised that love AL and generate a lot of revenue from them.
FREE: you can update your company profile
USE TO BE PAID NOW A FREE OPTION: you can upload up to 3 pictures, company logo, pictures of staff/crew, before and after work
RECENT CHANGE THIS YEAR: Non members still do not affect your standing, BUT now non members can report on your company without grading you. Members do read these and can cause them to be more likely to hire you.
DON'T do as some companies and ONLY reply to negative reports. This only makes your bad reports stand out all the more. Reply to both positive and negative reports.
members rate you not just so other members can read your reports but so that you will get more exposure so make sure to reply to reports, this will demonstrate your appreciation and more members will be likely to read reports with company response.
There are many other nuances to AL, but hopefully that has helped.
Take care.
David Price
David Price replied on Permalink
remaining 4 1/2 years employed at Angie's List sold advertising
First 19 months I sold memberships to homeowners (from April 2004-November 2005), then from December 2005 until my last day August 31, 2010 I sold advertising to the companies on Angie's List.
Always make sure to work on reports, this will assist your ad in working as it should. Members see your ad, then check your rating and reports. So always work on those. Before and after every job ask for reports and also use the "Fetch a Report service. It is free at least as of my last day of employment August 31st 2010.
When I began in the advertising dept at AL we were in less markets and so there were only 12 of us. Now there are around 100 ad reps.
Once you buy an ad you will be assigned an account manager, so whoever you bought the ad from will not be your rep, their pay is 100% commission based on new ads they sell, account managers are paid on existing advertisers and keeping them happy, helping them learn how to maximize their place on AL and their ad to perform well, if it did then of course renewing their ad, so retention and upselling of the ad was the acct manager's job and pay.
Company connect: if you are not an advertiser, this is where and who you contact to update your company profile: www.company.angieslist.com toll free number is: 1-866-843-5478. Be kind and polite to these folks and it will go a long way, be rude and disrespectful to them and like any relationship, good luck.
I saw some companies take their free listing for granted and not update their company record, not respond to BOTH positive and negative reports and not ask for reports before and after every job and wondered why they stopped gettting free leads from AL. Go figure.
Statistically, most members file good reports.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
...those poor companies who's
...those poor companies who's privilege of a free listing is taking away...how can they survive?? Everything revolves around these stupid maningless referral sites.
My company is one of those free loading leaches. Most of the other companies that I compete with on AL are "not very good". I think the day I get a bad review will be my last day on AL.
I never asked to be on that list anyway. In my area the guy that holds the top referral spot...is some guy that I wouldn't hire for the job...but hey...he's paying AL most likely about 500 or more a year to be up there...lol...that it is funny...
Most of my reputable quality competitiors are not on the site,...for good reason! Like I said...first bad review and I'm off.. So far I got only A reviews. But it's a bad world on both sides customers and service providers so it's just a matter of time before somebody has something bad to say about you...
..even if you are a genius in what your doing and everybod y "seems" to love you...!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
...those poor companies who's
They will not give you a choice. They will keep the bad comment on the list and try to hurt your business with it They will not remove it or you from the list.
lily replied on Permalink
bottom line
When I discovered that Angie's List had automatically billed me because hidden in their mumbo jumbo legal fine print it was somehow allowed I cancelled ....How about notifying us when our membeship is due and asking us how all is going and if we want to remain members..
I use Yelp and word of mouth and as to the comments by the former employees who have worked there 6.5 years and 4.5 years your comments are so complex and somewhat flat lined that they miss the point.
The point is that this company once a mom and pop's type of business has joined the corporate sector and now is big business filled with all the deceit, false truths and other components which take advantage of society.
Being nice unfortunately does not work in this day and age...being forceful and knowing your options in order not to be taken advantage of is essential.
David Price replied on Permalink
wrong post
Sorry Bottom Line, new to this post and did not intend to reply to yours was intended for another post.
Take care.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
You did me a big favor, David !
It's ok ! You actually did me a favor bc it led me to see the nasty post someone wrote who couldn't udnerstand my message. My heart sank . But next I saw the very nice post in response to the nasty one- responder #2 actually understood my situation and did a very nice thing by responding to that jerk. So, David, I'm glad you mixed me up with someone else . :-)
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List telemarketing to contractors
I am a contractor with 2 reviews on Angie's List; both are very favorable. I buy advertise elsewhere but still get most of my business from Craig's List or direct referrals from customers. I very seldom get a call from someone who says they saw my on Angie's List
Last Thursday I got another sales call from Angie's list. They have called several times over the last year urging me to buy advertising on their site. I said I seldom got phone calls from people who found me on Angie's List and saw no reason to advertise there. I listened to part of their sales spiel and said I was very busy at the moment and couldn't talk now - maybe later.
That following Saturday morning I got an odd call from someone who said he saw me on Angie's List. He was very flattering to me and was impressed by the reviews of my company. He proceeded to ask me a very simple question about fluorescent tubes. I told him don't try to do that; it's not safe and probably wouldn't work anyways. He thanked me and hung up.
The call was quite unusual in both content and style. This was not a call about hiring me or anyone else to do electrical work. It was more about telling me how much he liked me based on the Angie's List reviews. The coincidence of it occurring 2 days after the sales call was most striking. In sum, it didn't seem like a real phone call from a genuine Angie's List user. I suspect it was from another Angie's List salesman.
I don't like to jump to these kinds of conclusion but I'm wondering if other contractors have had similar experiences. Does Angie's List make phony calls to contractors or other businesses in order to make Angie's List seem to be more useful than it really is? What are your experiences?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
That would be fraud, a
That would be fraud, a criminal offense.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I believe the tactics they
I believe the tactics they use is to write their own glowing reviews on a contractor, then let it sink for a few days. They will make their call to contractors and tell you someone has put one or two reviews for you, now it is your time to pay $x000 for advertisement.
anyone think that their first one or two reviews are from actual customer?
why would I pay $100 to write a review for a contractor I like? I'd rather give him/her my number for reference or tip them $100 more. At least you know the $ are put in the right hands.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thank you all for your
Thank you all for your comments. I was very close to signing up and had one of those "thump your head moments" and realized I should do an internet search on AL. Wow, am I glad I did and I will not be joining AL. The fact I have to stay in on locale doesn't help me if I have a second home, I'm not joining (paying) twice. I have also read the reviews dating back a couple of years and am definitely turned off by the automatic renewal, the hitting of the credit card w/out prior authorization. That has such a slime feel to me. I also was concerned about the number of complaints by businesses that felt their advertising dollars were wasted. But even more off-putting, was the "fetch a report" ability by the businesses, that AL is selling my information to the businesses.
Overall, the negative posts have persuaded me not to join, even with my discount code to join.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List's False Claims
There is currently a Angie's List "Big Deal" for a home energy audit for the Chicago area. I have been interested in getting one and saw that for $249 it seemed like a good deal as I had only seen them for $399 previously. The deal claimed the place, Building Energy Experts, was "a highly rated service provider on Angie's List" but it showed on the side that the place only had 2 reviews and a grade of "B". I don't know how you can conclude a place is "highly rated" with two reviews, so that was the first thing that made me skeptical. It showed a glowing review on the page, but didn't show access to the other review. I wanted to see the other review, but I apparently had to join Angie's List to do so. I paid the subscription fee and tried to find the place in Angies' List. This was difficult as I could not find a place where you can search by name and this place didn't even come up as an option for the city of Chicago. Once I changed my location to the suburb where the place is located I finally found it. It turns out while the first review was an "A", the 2nd review was an "F". I don't know what math they use, but in my book an "A" and and "F" average to a "C", not a "B". So, unless there are some hidden glowing reviews they are not sharing, they are trying to sell people on a "highly rated" company that in reality has only 2 reviews, one of them being terrible. Clearly Angie's List cares much more about making money than providing honest feedback. How they can claim a place is "highly rated" with one good and one terrible rating is beyond me, but I can no longer trust Angie's List.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Every business is listed on
Every business is listed on Angie's list once a consumer writes a review good or bad but the business is only highly rated if they have 2 or more reviews with a or b grades. So you will find any business that received a review to keep it from businesses being able to take down post. This keeps it legit.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Yes... It DOES Suck
Yes folks.... Angie's List DOES suck. Big time.
I was searching, via Google, for reviews of doctors for my dad. One hit came from Angie's List saying they had reviews of this doctor and a "letter grade" -- Given this doctor practices in a very specialized area (oncology) I thought "Cool! Let's give it a try!" -- So I joined.
I joined and tried to look the doctor up. No record. Why? Because my dad lives in a different state than I do -- a different service area. So I had to join THAT area. More money. Fine.... because, you know, I'm seriously focused on getting this info quickly for my dad.
Checked for this doctor in my dad's location: Yes, he's listed. NO, there are NO RATINGS.
I call that deceptive advertising.
So, after being a member for -- oh, less than 20 minutes for sure -- and doing a single lookup... can I cancel? No.
Why not? You can SIGN UP on line, but you can't CANCEL online. I sent email, requesting my membership be cancelled. It took them two days to reply, and all they would do is stop FUTURE charges.
Then I started getting email from these fools. All sorts of solicitations: Deal of the Day, whatever. I went and changed my preferences to "unsubscribe me from all mailings."
Comes Cyber-Monday 2010 -- today, in fact -- MORE EMAIL from Angie's list.
Can you actually DELETE your membership record? No. So, I changed all my info on the site to bogus information -- including the email address. Time-consuming and childish? Yes. But what's my choice?
I hate Angie's List. Angie's List sucks, plain and simple. In these days, any site that lets you join online needs to let you quit online. Any site that SAYS they'll take you off their email list, SHOULD immediately take you off their email list. Any site that SAYS they have info on a particular topic, SHOULD have info on that topic. Anything else is really bad network citizenship.
These sites will learn to play nice when people stop using them because of their bad business practices.
Fred Farkle
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I also joined for information about a medical specialist. Unlike FREE review sites there was just one review which was over-the-top positive. The free sites included negative and positive reviews. I expected MORE info on a paid site and the ONE review fely very false. i think it is all a scam with a great ad campaign.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Contractors post for themselves
I am of the opinion that the contractors and their family and friends do post reviews for themselves as attested to on postings on this site. Why not? For the cost of a membership, it is pretty cheap advertising. Now Angie is offering gifts from members for $15.00. How cheap can advertising be? Pretty easy to beat the system!
Personally, I am a current member but will not continue to be a member. My husband and I have gotten some kooks off the service; mostly owner-operated operations. The last one, highly recommended on Angies , ruined a wood refinishing job of 1100 sq ft by allowing a worker who never put down stain to stain the floors. He walked out on the job when he saw the floors and I had to hire someone else to re-sand.
Here is the point - how many people report bad jobs. Personally, this guy did not act with any integrity, as well as, acting strangely ( I won't go into details) . I would be afraid to post a complaint because he would know who it is that is posting and he may retaliate against me in some way. After all - it is his lively hood. He has already done his damage to my house - I have nothing to gain by sharing the experience. I wonder how many people like me decide not to post? The lack of customer information due to fear of posting bad experiences makes the whole evaluation of a contractor an imbalanced conclusion. I am sure I am not the only one that this contractor did a bad job for.
That is why I won't use it any more.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
"A BBB Accredited business
"A BBB Accredited business since 1/20/2001"
Accredited business SIMPLY HAVE TO PAY FOR ACCREDITATION. ---- GOOGLE and research
"BBB processed a total of 47 complaint(s) about this business in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 47 complaint(s) closed in the last 36 months, 19 were closed in the last 12 months. "
"These complaints concerned:
7 regarding Advertising Issues
19 regarding Billing or Collection Issues
4 regarding Contract Disputes
5 regarding Customer Services Issues
4 regarding Refund Or Exchange Issues
3 regarding Selling Practices
5 regarding Service Issues"
SOURCE (if link displays properly):
http://www.prem... replied on Permalink
Should a website recommend either?
I found this forum looking for reviews on Angie's list or Service Magic. I have a kitchen design site that is informational and wanted to recommend one of them. I have skimmed through some of these comments not realizing there were so many. Most of what I read about either of the companies in pretty negative.
I have read several of the comments here but not all. Are either of these companies useful at all? Would it be wise to recommend either one of these companies to website visitors?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Joe Nolan, Joe's Plumbing on Angie's List
This company is a nightmare. They promote Joe Nolan of Joe's Plumbing in Saugerties, NY. This mean spirited so called plumber is not only the laughing stock of the region by other plumbers, but he installed a boiler with the exhaust going onto the patio area and thus into open windows of my home. The fumes were making me so sick and dizzy that one day I actually fainted and hit my head on the pavement and blacked out. This scoundral wouldn't re-direct the exhaust into the chimney..he lied and said it couldn't be done. I had to have it re-done by another plumber..no problem! What really happened was that he gave a low ball price and neglected to say it would be an inferior installation and to save money he vented it into an area where people sit and where my dog would lounge and use the yard. She developed a cough from the fumes and died shortly after that from unknown causes...a horrid, traumatic and painful death at only 10 years old..a perfectly healthy dog prior to this boiler being installed. I will curse the ground that Joe's plumbing walks on until the day I die.
Angie's List - Plumber from Hell
This company is a nightmare. They promote Joe Nolan of Joe's Plumbing in Saugerties, NY. This mean spirited so called plumber is not only the laughing stock of the region by other plumbers, but he installed a boiler with the exhaust going onto the patio area and thus into open windows of my home. The fumes were making me so sick and dizzy that one day I actually fainted and hit my head on the pavement and blacked out. This scoundral wouldn't re-direct the exhaust into the chimney..he lied and said it couldn't be done. I had to have it re-done by another plumber..no problem! What really happened was that he gave a low ball price and neglected to say it would be an inferior installation and to save money he vented it into an area where people sit and where my dog would lounge and use the yard. She developed a cough from the fumes and died shortly after that from unknown causes...a horrid, traumatic and painful death at only 10 years old..a perfectly healthy dog prior to this boiler being installed. I will curse the ground that Joe's plumbing walks on until the day I die.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Here's why Angie's List REALLY sucks
The sign of a scam is when the options to cancel out of a membership are less available than the options to JOIN a membership.
Once you join Angie's List, they have you. You will immediately start receiving Angie's List spam emails asking you to sign up your friends - despite the fact that you have set your email contacts to "NO EMAILS". Spam, spam, spam. You will get spam several times a week. Each time go in and check your account settings - and they are set to "NO EMAILS". Apparently they feel that if they spam you enough, you will think you are receiving value. They are their own worst enemies - the spam overwhelmed my opinion of the quality of the recommendation service they provide.
Then, go ahead and TRY to cancel your membership. You can apparently add your credit card information and join INSTANTLY, but to cancel requires a personal contact via phone, FAQ, web site form (that takes two days to respond to), etc. I called to cancel and was told that I was #3 in line and was put on hold. Twenty minutes later I was still on hold. I called back on a second line (while I was still on hold on the first) and was told I was #1 in line. So they were lying to me about how long the wait was (since to be #1 in line would have put my other call in with a telesales rep).
This site is a scam and I was lied to when I talked to them personally. That is enough reason for me to say my personal opinion of ANGIE'S LIST SUCKS.
you are not alone!!
Wow. I didn't know there are so many ppl think a like. Another post about angie's list sucks I came across is from another blog 6 Reasons why Angie's List sucks?
Shannon Cole replied on Permalink
Why Angie's List Sucks for businesses
I'm a founder of a local Pet Business related networking group. We were told about Angies list as a way to get new business by a member who got 3 reviews from clients & has gotten a ton of business out of it. The entire process was VERY confusing & I spent 1 hour on the phone with the local consultant & 45 minutes w/ the Deal of the Day Consultant trying to get it all straight.
Bottom line if you don't have clients or customers who are Angie's list members this site will do you no good. They want a TON of money to advertise. As a sole proprietor I dont have the budget or funds to give then $200/month!
And they put up a review for you can print for non members to fill out & send in - BUT these dont count towards your grade or rank! it a numbers game on Angie's list & it starts with $$ then followed y who can get the most reviews moves up to the top of the list!
Angies list
Angies list sucks. Seems like a scam to me. There should be a freee service out there like this.
However, that is not why I'm here. I'm here because I think the site sucks because it don't work half the time. When I tried to set up an account to check them out it said there was an error in the time stamp and I couldn't view the page. Now that I have an account it goes to the user agreement and when I hit agree it reloads the page. I don't get it. I have signed in before.
But anyway, as a contractor, I would never pay for that service myself. but thats a whole, different, long story of why.
But experience ... replied on Permalink
Cyber Sponsorin... replied on Permalink
Alex c replied on Permalink
Hmmmm jealous.
Ok so I am a business owner in Dallas TX, I am an agieslist advertiser.
It took a while to get people to trust us, but after a couple good reviews it started to roll in.
As people have said in the past you can weed out the crazies. If your confused by the service it's because you
Are dumb. But to be fair we have messed up as a business and still got A+ all across the board because we take care of
Our customer even when we are wrong, they seem to appreciate that we own up to our mistakes.
I have tried every advertising possible from service magic door fliers and google clicks, from organic listing on google
Bing yahoo.
All have failed at one thing, no trust on me and my companies rep, only "how much does it cost" or " why so much" or " this other company will do it for less". Angies list cost me $253 a month fro 23000 members in my area. Profit last year from Angies list $25000. And I do pest pest control so the average job is $100 to $400 you do the math.
Our integrity is what people notice Wichita is what most people on here are jealous of and know deep Down inside that if Angie s list did not work for them is because they messed up somewhere and got lazy.
So look at yourself and your company before judging something you know nothing about.
P.S Don't join Angies list so that the true companies can be profitable. If we are all wrong why are they growing approximately 33% a year.
Alex c replied on Permalink
Hmmmm jealous.
Ok so I am a business owner in Dallas TX, I am an agieslist advertiser.
It took a while to get people to trust us, but after a couple good reviews it started to roll in.
As people have said in the past you can weed out the crazies. If your confused by the service it's because you
Are dumb. But to be fair we have messed up as a business and still got A+ all across the board because we take care of
Our customer even when we are wrong, they seem to appreciate that we own up to our mistakes.
I have tried every advertising possible from service magic door fliers and google clicks, from organic listing on google
Bing yahoo.
All have failed at one thing, no trust on me and my companies rep, only "how much does it cost" or " why so much" or " this other company will do it for less". Angies list cost me $253 a month fro 23000 members in my area. Profit last year from Angies list $25000. And I do pest pest control so the average job is $100 to $400 you do the math.
Our integrity is what people notice Wichita is what most people on here are jealous of and know deep Down inside that if Angie s list did not work for them is because they messed up somewhere and got lazy.
So look at yourself and your company before judging something you know nothing about.
P.S Don't join Angies list so that the true companies can be profitable. If we are all wrong why are they growing approximately 33% a year.
sara replied on Permalink
It's always strange when people say something that shines a bright light on their own hypocrisies. 1) it's Angie's list not " agieslist" 2) it's you're not "your confused by the service" 3) it's company's rep not "companies rep" (I won't even get into what you could have possibly meant by "no trust on me") 4) what did you mean by "Wichita is what most people on here are jealous of" ? Did you mean "which"?
Wow, that's why spell check isn't enough. You gotta know a bit of English if you're going to try to write crap about someone else's crap. So when you say Jealous it's probably more of the same, pot calling the kettle black. But you probably don't have a clue what I mean.
small business owner replied on Permalink
if your going to get off the
if your going to get off the subject be funny about it, tell a joke or show some personality, you can't start spell checking peoples work on a forum because, well you'll be here all day. The point is did you get the writers point?
We're all proud of oyur english grammer, don't forget what you country you live, it's very possible english was the 2nd language. angielist sucks
Kitashie replied on Permalink
This is a very good argumentation, but I would like to see Angie list for myself. I run a website for Anime. Never heard of it? Then look it up. And I'd have to ask. How can you back up Angie List, if it clearly dose not stick to its policy? Seeing both sides from the view points and edvidence, this is something more of an ethical thing then bussiness.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
angies list
this is the best blog that i have run accross lately. when will the contractors realize that they are being suckers, it just plain SUCKS! I have been a service tech for a long time , now a contractor and have seen what can happen when you deal with a customer who had a bad day or nothing that you do can satisfy them unless you do it for free. sometimes customers just suck! what happens is that you complete 50 or 100 service calls and 1 customer complains. well look at the ratio , i think that is a good ratio of happy customers , but the one that is never happy will complain about you on a site like angies list and now you have a bad reputation. how is this? 99% were happy with your work. people just need to be informed i guess? and by the way ANGIES LISTS SUCKS!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Word to the wise
Heres one for you. I have been a service provider on Angies List since last spring of 2010. I did a coupon for a full days work of service for a liitle less than 30% of my normal rate. Unbeknownst to me they have service fees. They wanted 13% of the every two hundred dollars for administration costs. I was very upset that they didnt explain this completely. Anyway I went along with the deal and had coupon customers from hell. By the way the service fee is now 28%)On top of that most kept asking me to do more than was asked and I being a new Angie's List customer was afraid to say no in fear of a bad report. One customer did not quit asking for more and threatened me with a bad report. I litterally had to tell him f-off and go for it because it was a lie. Heres the catch. Angie's List does not screen the customers so they can write as many inaccuracies and you have no defense but a rebuttal. Angie's List service people admitted that a recent bad report will cause you to immediately lose business because a most recent report that is bad, people go to the next person that doesnt have a recent bad report. That is very discomforting. Angie's List also will solicit past customers from your past and try to get a report from them. The problem with that is memories fade and inconsistencies will most happen. Again you have to defend yourself.
Has it worked for me. Yes it has and full paying customers have done me well at times but unfortunately in these times you cant depend on Angie's List for all your work. If I had business like three years ago when people actually felt it important to spend money on their home I probably would not do Angie's List especially from the fear of having some freak customer that they draw in as members say bull...... about my business and taint my reputation.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies List
Yes Angies List sucks! I heard of the site via local TV ads. I thought I could post on the site with a bad experience (nightmare really) with a house cleaner ironically named "Angie" Miller from Botetourt Virginia. It was a surprise that I would have had to pay money to another to post a bad review when I lost money to the person to be reviewed to begin with. I think having to pay money for this is a scam however the premise is darn good. I wish there was another site out there that didn't have a so called "membership" fee.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list is GARBAGE
One review for my shop for a customer who didn't even have any work done in my shop and I get a "D" rating......funny, I'm an A+ rated BBB accreditied company, and when I pointed out that this "customer" never even had work performed in my shop, all they (Angies list) could say was "sorry". Well, I wouldn't give you two cents for Angie's list because they don't care what anyone posts as long as they get their fee. I also wouldn't put any stock in any company who PAYS to be included in an advertising program that is supposed to tell their customers how great the paying company is. You get what you "pay" for, and in other circles, this would be called a "bribe".
Angies list does SUCK!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Do they require their contractors to carry Insurance?
Just wanted to know what the policy was for Angie's list about making sure the contractors have insurance in place? It looks like a contractor can just said they have insurance.. Does anyone at Angie's list check this? I hired a contractor once to cut down a tree in my yard; he provided me with proof of coverage that he had in his truck so I thought I was all good. Till the tree landed on my house and later found out he had no coverage and that he had not paid his policy premiums for 7 months... THAT SUCKS..
small business owner replied on Permalink
contractors don't have to have a license
at least not all of them, gardeners and landscapers usually don't carry insurance because they dont charge that much.
In California as long as you don't charge more than $700 for a job you don't need a license. Even if you charge $1400 total you just charge them $ 700 twice...not a problem, I have never had anyone ask me for a license. Other things like Roffing and electric sure you need to see the contractors license number and make sure it's legit.
as for angies list, who would use it when there's Google? I mean Google is free and no one reads the negative shit anyway because it's bullshit, someone got mad and decided to spew there crap on the internet. It's a passive agressive way to vent. Anyway you get business from word of mouth and legit advertising not from angies list. I posted a few flyers and I get more customers from previous clients than anything.
This is a capitolist country so have at it but for angie I smell a lawsuit coming soon! it always happends. it's the other edge of the sward people forget when money get's in the way of reality.
so you'll be getting you class action card in the mail soon.
I have to say I am happy...I went to angies list just to see if anyone had an negative comments about my services...as any professional business ownershould and was glad to realize it really doesn't matter because angies list was really not as impressive as i thought and has no way to back up what's posted on thier. If the company (inside hint here angie) wants to be legit, only post possitive feedback and don't charge for the site, you will make enough off advetising, it's one thing to be greedy, its another to have no shame, classic example of "less is more"
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies List
I joined Angies List for a month, and while I live in a major city, there were very few reviews for my area. Total waste of money - then they renewed my membership without my consent. Not a fan of Angies list, as I felt as though I was paying to review a few companies I've done business with. There were rarely any service providers in my area that had reviews.
Total waste unless you happen to be in an area where there are reivews. There are plenty of free reivews online !
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Totally agree. Joined for a
Totally agree. Joined for a month to see, since we are in need of several different contractors after the hit we took this winter. In need of carpenter, painter, roofer, exterior power washing... thought the list would help us better than good judgement and the yellow pages or local advertising. HUGE mistake. After spending way too much time navigating a poorly devised site, I figured I'd take the opportunity to review great service providers we've used. So basically, I paid their service to enter reviews. And the sorry part of that is one of the contractors absolutely does not want to be listed and there is now no way to remove their name.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies list: They renewed my membership after 6 months, I complained on their facebook page, they refunded my fees.
They continually call me to post local reviews: we do all our own work we have no reivews.
They continue to re add my email address onto their mailing list. I have opted'out many times to no avail. I'm tried of Angie Spam.
Of course they're in it for the money, it's a business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Too Easy To Spoof!
Seems like a easy way to promote your own business or destroying someone else by simply using false email accounts and reviews. :-(
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The Wolves Are Eating Away at the Pack Contractors Beware
Here's one for you. I have been a contractor on Angies List since last spring of 2010. I did a coupon blast for 8 hours of service work for a liitle less than 30% of my normal rate. Unbeknownst to me they have service fees. They wanted 13% of the every two hundred dollars for administration costs. I was very upset that they didnt explain this completely. Anyway I went along with the deal and had coupon customers from hell who use you for the coupon and never again for repeat business. On top of that most kept asking me to do more than was asked and I being a new Angie's List customer was afraid to say no in fear of a bad report. One customer did not quit asking for more and threatened me with a bad report. I litterally had to tell him f-off and go for it because it was a lie. Heres the catch. Angie's List does not screen the customers so they can write as many inaccuracies and you have no defense but a rebuttal. Angie's List service people admitted that a recent bad report will cause you to immediately lose business because a most recent report that is bad, people go to the next person that doesnt have a recent bad report. That is very discomforting. Angie's List also will solicit past customers from your past and try to get a report from them. The problem with that is memories fade and inconsistencies will most happen. Again you have to defend yourself. They will not remove the report even if it it false and misleading. Scary huh!!!!!!!
Has it worked for me. Yes it has (partly because I know when to walk away when it doesnt feel right) and full paying customers have done me well at times but unfortunately in these times you cant depend on Angie's List for all your work. If I had business like three years ago when people actually felt it important to spend money on their home I probably would not do Angie's List especially from the fear of having some freak customer that they draw in as members say bull...... about my business and taint my reputation. Very stressfull and life shortening just to get business coming your way.
The people that work there are very helpful and they do what they do because they HAVE A JOB. IT IS THE CONCEPT THAT THEY BENEFIT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE SO IT IS HARD TO BE IMPARTIAL AND THEY PROFIT THE MOST. IN GOOD TIMES THEY WONT SURVIVE AND UNLESS THEY CHANGE/IMPROVE SOME OF THEIR POLICIES. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL EXPOUND ON THEIR MISSTEPS. I WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO FEEL GOOD AT TIMES WORKING THERE KNOWING THAT THEIR CONCEPT IS NOT REALLY ON HELPING PEOPLE BUT MAKING HUGE PROFITS AT WHOSE EXPENSE.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List sucks because
That site sucks for one clear reason.
It does not support DJ companies as vendors. They even have a wedding section, but no DJ companies are listed. I guess Angie doesn't think DJ's are a professional business.
computor.instructor replied on Permalink
Some simple tips, and don't trust the radio.
If a company advertises on AM radio in a major market such as NYC (as Angie's list does) it is a scam.
I challenge you to give me one example of a company that advertises on AM radio that is not a scam. You can't. For the most part, this applies to other forms of radio. But for AM radio, it is 100% of the time. If you are a standup person, and are conscientious, don't advertise on AM radio. You'll lose your shirt, or become a scammer.
Customers: Don't pay for this kind of nonsense no matter what. Whether you are looking for a contractor, a retailer, a college, or credit scores (OMG), or anything else, there are plenty of free tools, namely Google (for web services), and plenty of free walk-in agencies.
Want to find a good contractor? Do the following:
1. Ask neighbors. There's no shame in it. Watch how long contractors take at your neighbor's houses.
2. Ask people at your work, your church, or other organizations you are a member of.
3. Ask your local municipality, they might even have their own list of contractors they use for municipal work. They will probably be expensive, but they will do a supreme job for you, they can't afford to lose that municipal contract!
4. Use the yellow pages and call companies! It's the old fashioned way! (But don't just go buy the biggest baddest ads.)
5. Ask your local insurance person, mechanic, or other contractor you have successfully used in the past. If they want your continued business, they will give you good referrals.
Most importantly!!!!!! **** When you speak to a contractor on the phone tell them that when they arrive to bid on your project you want them to have the following:
- Copy of proper licenses
- Copy of insurance
- Pictures of past work with accompanying letters of recommendation (should be within the past year). I ask for two or three that I can call or e-mail.
If they can't furnish these things, move on to the next guy. Seriously, if you are a contractor and don't have a camera and take pics of your work, and can't get letters of recommendation, then what are you doing?
If they don't bring these things when they come to bid, tell them to leave. If they don't have them, then you don't want their services, because you have zero proof of their history. If they forgot them, then you don't want their services because they are not organized and will probably screw up your permit.
In the contract, be sure to have everthing to be done specifically listed and itemized. TYPED, not hand-written. Two-part or three-part paper. State when work will commence, and approximately how long the job will take. The contract should also state that work will not begin until a permit has been obtained. Also, final payment will not be made until inspection has been completed (contractors will fight on this one, but be strong!) Visually inspect the work closeup for yourself. Be sure it is exactly what you want. Don't let anyone rush you. If a contractor is in a rush, tell that person to slow down. Everybody's in a rush. The contractor should be more patient than you.
Contractors: Don't get involved with these fools: Angie's list, ServiceMagic, BBB. They are scammers. Complete and utter scammers. On the level of Ukrainian e-mail spammers. If you pay into a service like these you are OUT OF YOUR MIND. Good work is self-sustaining.
Just get those letters of recommendations from recent customers who will take phone calls (or e-mails) from prospective customers. And take pics of your work. Keep a portfolio! I don't care if you are a roofer, plumber, sheetrocker, whatever. a picture says it all, and a letter of recommendation (or three) is the final word.
If your work is good, you will get referrals, and repeat customers, and you will be set with no advertising. If your work is not good or you have complaints (and I don't mean fake complaints on a stupid paid website), get out of the business because you piss me and everybody else off.
BBB: I registered for the BBB 10 years ago in North NJ. Total scam. Lot of money, no support. A customer of mine saw my sticker and told me that they don't take complaints and laughed at my BBB membership (he didn't have a complaint, he was just making fun of the fact that I paid them). My associate and I tested the BBB by calling anonymously, and attempting to place a compaint against ourselves, and the customer was right. Complete foolishness on my part. I was raised to believe that the BBB should be called if there is a problem. No, if there is a problem, and the contractor doesn't resolve it, you call small claims court (or big claims court and a lawyer!).
Anonymous replied on Permalink
boy dude you must not have a
boy dude you must not have a job!!!! should go get one and spend less time on the computer
Sara replied on Permalink
Angie's list does suck
I'm glad someone can think for themselves for a change and state the fact, "Angie's list sucks." That's why all you guys clicked on this site. I just wanted to go on Angie's list to tell everyone how amazing my dentist is and why. But I can't do that without paying Angie money. That's great that she can quit her old job and make money doing her list, we live in a capitalistic society after all, but I didn't get the impression it WAS a pay site from the 50+ commercials she has running on a daily basis. Commercials which her members pay for. So she doesn't charge in order to keep everyone "honest," she's not honest, she charges to put her misleading commercials out. So Angie's list does suck and that's the best, most fitting word for it.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
What a disgrace "ANGIES LIST" I will make sure I tell all my friends & family about your bogus business and spread the word! Finally I thought I had found a great honest site with honest reviews about companies, however, upon reading this it seems like its all about your own profit. I cannot believe you have companies actually paying you to get good reviews on your site. Hence, your telling consumers that they are the best company with the highest ranking and best reviews. Pretty much this are just leads to the company, consumers shouldn't be paying.
Smart idea, Ms. Angie! ps. Just be careful someone doesn't sue you for false advertisement, cause the way you make it seem on tv is real but once going into detail on what your company does, your stealing peoples money and making profit. WE WANT REAL CONSUMER REPORTS NOT FAKE!!!!!
JEENA SMITH replied on Permalink
What a disgrace "ANGIES LIST" I will make sure I tell all my friends & family about your bogus business and spread the word! Finally I thought I had found a great honest site with honest reviews about companies, however, upon reading this it seems like its all about your own profit. I cannot believe you have companies actually paying you to get good reviews on your site. Hence, your telling consumers that they are the best company with the highest ranking and best reviews. Pretty much this are just leads to the company, consumers shouldn't be paying.
Smart idea, Ms. Angie! ps. Just be careful someone doesn't sue you for false advertisement, cause the way you make it seem on tv is real but once going into detail on what your company does, your stealing peoples money and making profit. WE WANT REAL CONSUMER REPORTS NOT FAKE!
JEENA SMITH replied on Permalink
What a disgrace "ANGIES LIST" I will make sure I tell all my friends & family about your bogus business and spread the word! Finally I thought I had found a great honest site with honest reviews about companies, however, upon reading this it seems like its all about your own profit. I cannot believe you have companies actually paying you to get good reviews on your site. Hence, your telling consumers that they are the best company with the highest ranking and best reviews. Pretty much this are just leads to the company, consumers shouldn't be paying.
Smart idea, Ms. Angie! ps. Just be careful someone doesn't sue you for false advertisement, cause the way you make it seem on tv is real but once going into detail on what your company does, your stealing peoples money and making profit. WE WANT REAL CONSUMER REPORTS NOT FAKE!
JEENA SMITH replied on Permalink
What a disgrace "ANGIES LIST" I will make sure I tell all my friends & family about your bogus business and spread the word! Finally I thought I had found a great honest site with honest reviews about companies, however, upon reading this it seems like its all about your own profit. I cannot believe you have companies actually paying you to get good reviews on your site. Hence, your telling consumers that they are the best company with the highest ranking and best reviews. Pretty much this are just leads to the company, consumers shouldn't be paying.
Smart idea, Ms. Angie! ps. Just be careful someone doesn't sue you for false advertisement, cause the way you make it seem on tv is real but once going into detail on what your company does, your stealing peoples money and making profit. WE WANT REAL CONSUMER REPORTS NOT FAKE!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Former member - consumer
I joined angies list long ago when it started, and was free. I researched a couple of items, then didn't go back to the site for a few years. The fee had by then been established at about $50. I thought it was excessive, and didn't rejoin.
In reading the comments from all the business people here, I am glad I do not contribute to this scheme. While I realize these people need to attract customers, I do not appreciate an organization that purports to be a consumer advocate site selling my name and contact information . I get all too many cold calls to my house - mostly from builders. I am on the do not call list - a feel nice product of the government - which is totally worthless.
Calls keep coming, and it is companies like angie's list that distribute my personal information.
small business owner replied on Permalink
your not going to get a true opinion on such one sided scheme.
It looks like Angie may be making tons of cash but...your better off researching for something yourself.
We all have access to the wonderful resource of the web, so why stop at Angies list? do the research yourself and avoid the shattered hopes of finding out people have complaints to post. People will complian faster than they will praise at least on the internet. I thought angies list was like Craiglist...free! and you can find anything. oops! sorry its not free and im not going to look thru tons of rants when I can save time actually looking for what I want on my own. I have to give angie credit, she probably has a nice house but im not going to help her pay for it.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Before you join consider this
I "joined" Angie's List some weeks back. Once they have your membership fee only then do they provide you a set of terms of membership that you have to agree to in order to access reviews. That in itself raised the eyebrow - those terms should have been disclosed BEFORE my credit card was charged. One of the terms is that you agree to their automatically renewing your membership by charging your card. To stop the automatic renewal process you have to write them a letter by snail mail specifically telling them to stop your membership renewal. And get this - that piece of snail mail has to be CERTIFIED mail. Hmm - I thought the Angie FAQ said you could opt out with a simple email. Internet service company, automatic renewal, certified letter, visit to the post office .... what's that smell?
I declined to agree to the terms and requested Angie reverse the charge on my card. To their credit they did that promptly.
Angie Hicks replied on Permalink
Suck my balls you moron! Welcome to the interwebs!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Empty Promises
Angie's List is a horrible company. As a contractor I sign up with Angie's list to help my business. Well I didn't get one referral. When I tried to contact them to cancel I couldn't get through to anyone and I couldn't get a call back. I tried via email also no response. BUT they were happy to keep taking money out of my account. I am still fighting with them to get them out of my checking account because I just want to get free of them!!! All I received from Angies's list was a lot of empty promises!!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Most of you "bloggers" on here are obviously not educated
I know and see the value of Angie's List from a consumer and business owners view. It works but it won't work for people who cheat or try. As a business owner Angie's List is the only company that will black list you from there website if they find out you are self-reporting or bashing your competitor. That is a fact! Also read the news. Angie's List just got 55 million from venture capitalist to grow consumer membership in smaller markets. As an investor, if you didn't see the value in what a company does, would you put a 55 million dollar risk on them??? NO.. have some sense and intelligence people. Not to mention they already had about 40 million previously invested from some of the smartest people in the world. If these smart investors didn't take the time to research AL and see the value in what they do for consumers and helping businesses grow, then that is the biggest gamble they are taking. Believe me these investors are far smarter than any of us responding to this. Again the only businesses AL hasn't worked for, is the businesses that are cheaters anyway and they deserve all the bad remarks they get and probably don't stay in business. I'll bet the businesses that say AL doesn't work, probably has an excuse as to why there businesses is failing instead of admitting that they could be working harder and provide better quality. Bottom line!!!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Well thats funny because a simple search into their financials on hwir own site or on any financial site shows that they are millions in debt with no profits in years. If you seriously also believe that it is "just business" to lie and scam people...you are the one with the problem. Did you read about the dentist that made people sign forms agreeing not to give any negative reviews? They then billed $100 per day for bad reviews? Did you read about the dentist that made negligent mistakes and overcharged? He admitted to wrongdoing and payed the money back and Angie's List refused to publish a bad review because they claimed that was a settlenent. It is not just bloggers. It is cimpanies and customers and peolle with real experience. You know. The people AL claims make the system work.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Bogust HORRIBLE SITE
We need to shut this horrible company down!!!! Do you know that after I didnt agree to their terms, they posted all over their site that I dont pay my bills. Well I am going tpo sue them. What a scam this Angie Hicks is!!!
Jeremy Miller replied on Permalink
So what do I do?
I want to thank everyone for their comments above, I was strongly considering angies list until I read (above) that they were charging contractors aswell as reviewers. Seems wrong.
This leads to my question, So what do I do if I am looking for a quality roofer in phoenix.
Now this sound like a pretty easy question that makes me look ignorent. So let me explain the complexity of my question.
In October of 2010 Phoenix of all places was hit by a Hail storm, Yes a real hail storm. And in doing research about the variety of conrtactors handing out cards and flyers all trying to cash in on homeowners insurance claims, I found out there are such things as fly by night traving roofers (as well as other types of contractors) who are affectionately known by insurance companies as "storm chasers". These companies literely move from state to state following storms trying to cash in on the buisness. And often times they will even collude with already exsisting roofing companies in the area to use their name and reputation of being local to provide some level of legitimacy to their operation, while providing plenty of kick backs to the "new local partner" in exchange for their name.
With that stated, so besides going door to door in my neighbor or useing angies (corrupted) list. How can I know whos who and whats what, when dealing with a contractor.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
wouldn't it be easier and
wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to have your own website with reviews, like HSN or QVC, etc.
they have good and bad reviews, and you can always add a rebuttal system to explain what happened.
timmymacdd replied on Permalink
Angies list.....where do they get their money to stay on TV?
Great post.....I have been waiting for this site to go under.....I think a lot of investors are going to lose all of their money when this ship actually sinks......those TV commercials have to cost a ton of money. I know of no one who pays for this lame service.....but it IS a great idea for a site if it were free!
And 'SUCK' is the perfect word to describe Angie's list......IMHO~
Anonymous replied on Permalink
First, Wow, dont get such a
First, Wow, dont get such a boner, your overreacting about such a small.
Second, why u outta' the kitchen?
Ted Pearlman replied on Permalink
You never need to use Angie's List again...
Try Kuamua – When good recommendations aren't good enough.
Your first recommendation is free.
Best regards,
Ted Pearlman
Angie is a tatt... replied on Permalink
I can't believe this site
I can't believe this site even exists today. From my experience years ago, I came to the conclusion there are a bunch of busy bodies frequenting the site. To think they want a person to pay money to read the ramblings of tattletales.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List
I'm actually curious as to who pays to join this site? Anyone can write anything they want, especially when two entities disagree on something, you can actually defame someone without them knowing as there are no real measures in place to prevent this, but more importantly; paying to obtain a reference? Why? The BBB can provide the same with no charge, as such why would you pay unless you have more money than good sense. Imagine all the businesses that people use and don't use Angie's List to refer them, does this make the business not worth contracting with? Any good business would be more than willing to provide references from past work, combine this with what the BBB has to offer and you have more than what Angie's List has to offer. This is simply someone who contrived this idea as a means in which to make money rather than a good deed and only fools would travel down this road.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Whether or not Angie's List Sucks
Here is my personal review of Angie's List in relation tot he comment about Angie's List Sucks:
I suspect the reason that the above author (Jenny Gray) was so grouchy about seeing the words AngiesList.Com Sucks is because she must be somehow affiliated with them. C'mon -- really --who else would take the time to write about whether or not Angie's List sucks -- especially when, in my opinion, Angie's List really does suck.
Besides, YP.Com and Google have reviews too. I truly don't see the need for Angie's List (whether they suck or not!) to exist. In my opinion, they are a waste of cyberspace.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The mastermind behind Angie's
The mastermind behind Angie's List is a genius. They realize that the world is full of gullible people who will actually piss away $5.00 a month (or more) to spend on information that can be found for FREE elsewhere.
Btw, feel free to pass me your $5.00 a month as well. I promise that I will not use it to get fat, buy my own jet, live in 10 million dollar mansion, own 20 cars and a pool the size of a small town. Instead, I will be productive and donate to schools (so we can better educate our children), food banks (so we can feed people who need to eat), medical research (a cure for AIDS and cancer would be nice), or even help shelters (the homeless deserve places to live).
Small Business Owner replied on Permalink
Angie's List Sucks!
I recently tried advertising on Angie's List, I started around the first of the year and just had my account closed. The initial contact (sales rep) was very nice and explained that because I have some great reviews on the site that I was eligible for sponsored advertising. I completed the sign up process and paid for the service and then was assigned someone else (you never hear from your sales rep again). My listing was moved up and I waited for business and nothing came so I contacted my account rep and he explained that in order for the service to actually get me business that I should give him a complete list of my customers so he can call them and ask for reviews at which point I explained that I was never told about the need for my customer list and had I know about it I would have never signed up as I will not give out my customer information. He was not able to do anything for me so I asked for a supervisor and he pretty much said the same thing. They will not do anything to help and would not release me from the contract without the early termination fee. It seems like another bait and switch type of business so I am going to attempt to tell as many people as I can to avoid Angie's List. I am thinking of starting a blog like Angie's List Sucks or something and offering a discount to my customers that cancel their Angie's List Membership. The only thing Angie's List seems to care about is getting small business owners to send them a check every month. four months and nothing to show for it but a few thousand dollars poorer. Please tell your friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers, & strangers to stay away from Angie's List unless they want to waste money and time!.
p.s. If you want a good laugh check out the very long complaint list on the Better Business Bureau Site that Angieslist.com has.
Edward replied on Permalink
Angies list
I agree. And for the people who think it's a good idea, are simply blind Americans who are zombies to this economy, and will follow or do anything that is shown to them. The people who started angies list and that work there, hardly do anything while reeling in massive profits. I'm sorry, but IMO people should physically work and get their hands dirty to make a living. I bet the people employed there are fat as hell, and just stare at the computer monitor all day. And make money, like I said.
CL replied on Permalink
Angie's List
For a consumer who just need a small job or two done around the house, say I'm looking for a good painter...what is the point in me paying $60 to join Angie's List for a whole year? Unless I am going to be using it consistently that is a very high price for one or two referrals or reviews.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The fee is a very, very smart idea
You see, Al could very well allow for free searches of service providers. Al claims that all reviews are checked to make sue they are real. Well that is just plain old bullshit. By chatging a "member fee" they know that service providers will open multiple email accounts and sign on AL as members and post fake reviews that pertain to thier business in hopes that a real member will see this review and select them for service. A vicious circle, but AL makes out this way as well as when they approach the service provider and offer to place them at the top of the list with advertisements. In essence, you are paying to be listed too. Smart lady that Angie is, but it will probably fail sooner or later.
Just do you rsearches the old fashion way and ask around for references. Can't get better than that
Prudential replied on Permalink
Thank you for saving me from AL! I saw AL advertised on TV and thought it sounded so sweet and helpful. I should have known- how could they afford a national TV commercial unless they are raking in millions? Thanks to you guys I realize it is a rip off to get your money to refer you to businesses just because they pay them to recommend them to fools who actually pay a monthly fee to see businesses you could look up in your phone directory for free!
jimmyev replied on Permalink
I joined Angie's List a week
I joined Angie's List a week ago. Then I find out that I can only see contractors in the city I'm moving from, not the city that I'm moving to. If they can't be honest when selling a membership, why would I trust their reviews?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thanks for the headsup!
I had a similar question on this subject. We live in a mountain town about 45 miles in either direction from the nearest Angieslist market area. I didn't know if I would be able to select from either market area or choose one. You answered that question. Thank you. However, after reading all that I have read here, I can see that this is just another slick marketing scam and won't be wasting anymore time on Angieslist.
Joe replied on Permalink
Angies List is full of crap
I am a consumer, I tried to get on angies list to check out possible contractors and I don't feel like I need to have to pay a monthly service fee to get basic info on a company, for example Name and their rating, I never go by what alot of people say about a company because I look into them my self. But Angie's list want to start their charging rates at $3.25/month all the way up to $38.00 for a 4 yr contract + $5.00 activation fee. They claim 110% money back guarantee which is a line of BS because I do know some people that have paid for a contract and did not like it and Angie's list refused to refund the 110% like they claimed they even refused to refund the prorated amount.
So I say they are thieves and liers
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list, service master, service, pro etc
I don't understand why all these contractor's don't get together and file A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT........Between the thousands of contractor's in the U.S.A getting SCAMMED, AND defamation of character and bullshit I have spoken to a few attorneys that have stated it is a matter of time before I see hundreds suing these companies. Franchise companies have done the same corrupt things and have had huge amounts of class action suits and won because they deceive people and took contractor's money. In Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia 1, 670 people filed class action lawsuits and 1,200 got all their money back!. Different type of business but doesn't matter. Laws are laws! Angie's List and all the referral companies out there mislead most! I used to be a contractor and gave up due to all the crooked customers, cheap customers, all the referral companies Out there (I used them all) I sued them and got every penny back and now I just flip homes (no customers to deal with) not saying all customers are bad some are great but there is ALOT of bad apples that want you to work for pennies on the dollar but do work as if you were paid top dollar. Then there is psycho customers..... Then there is angie's (reputable list) lmao ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY. They are worse than the mob and getting away with breaking civil laws. It is against the law to make someone pay money for a opinion and if you don't pay you cannot put a review. I have talked to the attorney general and he stated what Angie's list does is a hairline above the law but if people or contractor's would contact their local atty generals office and file complaints on deceptive trade practices and we got enough complaints then Angie's list and all these referral companies would be out of business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list, service master, service, pro etc
I don't understand why all these contractor's don't get together and file A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT........Between the thousands of contractor's in the U.S.A getting SCAMMED, AND defamation of character and bullshit I have spoken to a few attorneys that have stated it is a matter of time before I see hundreds suing these companies. Franchise companies have done the same corrupt things and have had huge amounts of class action suits and won because they deceive people and took contractor's money. In Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia 1, 670 people filed class action lawsuits and 1,200 got all their money back!. Different type of business but doesn't matter. Laws are laws! Angie's List and all the referral companies out there mislead most! I used to be a contractor and gave up due to all the crooked customers, cheap customers, all the referral companies Out there (I used them all) I sued them and got every penny back and now I just flip homes (no customers to deal with) not saying all customers are bad some are great but there is ALOT of bad apples that want you to work for pennies on the dollar but do work as if you were paid top dollar. Then there is psycho customers..... Then there is angie's (reputable list) lmao ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY. They are worse than the mob and getting away with breaking civil laws. It is against the law to make someone pay money for a opinion and if you don't pay you cannot put a review. I have talked to the attorney general and he stated what Angie's list does is a hairline above the law but if people or contractor's would contact their local atty generals office and file complaints on deceptive trade practices and we got enough complaints then Angie's list and all these referral companies would be out of business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list, service master, service, pro etc
I don't understand why all these contractor's don't get together and file A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT........Between the thousands of contractor's in the U.S.A getting SCAMMED, AND defamation of character and bullshit I have spoken to a few attorneys that have stated it is a matter of time before I see hundreds suing these companies. Franchise companies have done the same corrupt things and have had huge amounts of class action suits and won because they deceive people and took contractor's money. In Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia 1, 670 people filed class action lawsuits and 1,200 got all their money back!. Different type of business but doesn't matter. Laws are laws! Angie's List and all the referral companies out there mislead most! I used to be a contractor and gave up due to all the crooked customers, cheap customers, all the referral companies Out there (I used them all) I sued them and got every penny back and now I just flip homes (no customers to deal with) not saying all customers are bad some are great but there is ALOT of bad apples that want you to work for pennies on the dollar but do work as if you were paid top dollar. Then there is psycho customers..... Then there is angie's (reputable list) lmao ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY. They are worse than the mob and getting away with breaking civil laws. It is against the law to make someone pay money for a opinion and if you don't pay you cannot put a review. I have talked to the attorney general and he stated what Angie's list does is a hairline above the law but if people or contractor's would contact their local atty generals office and file complaints on deceptive trade practices and we got enough complaints then Angie's list and all these referral companies would be out of business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list, service master, service, pro etc
I don't understand why all these contractor's don't get together and file A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT........Between the thousands of contractor's in the U.S.A getting SCAMMED, AND defamation of character and bullshit I have spoken to a few attorneys that have stated it is a matter of time before I see hundreds suing these companies. Franchise companies have done the same corrupt things and have had huge amounts of class action suits and won because they deceive people and took contractor's money. In Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia 1, 670 people filed class action lawsuits and 1,200 got all their money back!. Different type of business but doesn't matter. Laws are laws! Angie's List and all the referral companies out there mislead most! I used to be a contractor and gave up due to all the crooked customers, cheap customers, all the referral companies Out there (I used them all) I sued them and got every penny back and now I just flip homes (no customers to deal with) not saying all customers are bad some are great but there is ALOT of bad apples that want you to work for pennies on the dollar but do work as if you were paid top dollar. Then there is psycho customers..... Then there is angie's (reputable list) lmao ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY. They are worse than the mob and getting away with breaking civil laws. It is against the law to make someone pay money for a opinion and if you don't pay you cannot put a review. I have talked to the attorney general and he stated what Angie's list does is a hairline above the law but if people or contractor's would contact their local atty generals office and file complaints on deceptive trade practices and we got enough complaints then Angie's list and all these referral companies would be out of business.
JOE replied on Permalink
Im ready lets do it
Its up to us as a collective to shut down buisness that lie and cheat for profit. Meanwhile good honest hard working people struggle to get by. angies list is making millions taking advantage of peoples trust. First of all I want all the good folks out there to understand what I want to say. the best and safest way to find out about a service is simple and free and straight from the horses mouth and the horse will be a neighbor frend or frend of a freind. These will be people who have nothing to gain by misleading you they will only have your best intrests in mind.So when you are curious about a service ask a friend and ask the friend to ask there friends.do a local bbb research also look up company complaints and follow up on the info. to be sure its accurate.All of this is free and when there is no profit involved you have a better chance of honest info.Please allways remember that when a company profits from info. They will allways put there profit in front of your needs.If you look at it from your gut and be honest with your common sence you will realise these companies Dont care about YOU. They will say they do so heres a test you can give them. Ask them if there service is to protect you and your needs and they are sincere about helping others then why are they making millions.. A person or persons that truley have concern for others will do it for free. When you go to a neighbor to borrow something DO THEY CHARGE YOU? When you ask a friend for help DO THEY SAY YES BUT A FEE IS REQUIRED? People are being lied to and taken advantage of from all directions because the ones doing it think YOU ARE ALL STUPID. In the internet age one of the few good things is the abundence of free knowlege.. USE IT. GREED has been the main culpret for a long time when it comes to taking advantage of others with no cocern for what you really need. ASK your self , is it fair that your mother of father you or your children have worked so hard for so little doing honest hard work only to barley get by and someone like angies list and millions of others become extremely wealthy in a few years.You should already know that they took advantage of ,In angies case the internet and marketing potential with no reguard to the true purpose of helping others the way it was meant to be.So next time you see your mother father or a frined come home exausted from working there butt of for barley anything,Think about someone like angie who doesent know the meaning of honest hard work thinking of you as the little people because she has become rich off misleading you STEALING FROM YOU and all without a care. By the way I was recently put on her list with a good review.I found a contact number and actually got the vice pres. on the phone.I told her I dont want to be on her list and help them profit from my over 30 years of hard work and sweat.I earned my place and ill be dammed if I would allow all ive done to be shared with a company that stands for everything im against..So I called my customer and had him take me off the list..I honestly care about all the good people out there and I would give up everything I have and live in a tent I some how I could reach you and make a difference.It bothers me constantly to see the same people who made everything we have being taken advantage of.If I was able I would start a redio station or something just so I could spend my time sharing every thing I have learned to shut the bad guys down.The one thing that people sometimes forget is that they are in controll of what happens but it does require some effort but mostly a collective effort.So whatta say lets show them whos in charge one bad guy at a time.If what I can share appeals to you and you are curious about learning more all you need to do is ask That will tell me Maybe I can help make a difference in stopping the a holes out there from treating and looking at all of you as fools for profit. If you decide by asking to have me go further the info I will share will most likely get you very very angry knowing the truthes behing the corruption, but ill tell you what It will make you and I feel sooo good about shutting it down and showing them who the boss really is.Take a chance and let me show you how to stop being lied to and stolen from.This is not what I intended to do today so the only way I will go further depends on the type of responce.If there is enough intrest I will drop everything including my means of income and hit it head on,but I will need your help so I guess no I will wait and watch.Im curious how many of you out there are tired of knowing deep down inside what fools we have been seen as and are finally pis.ed of enough to show your power thru numbers..
Dan replied on Permalink
Angies List not so hot in small markets
If one lives outside large market regions Angies List is of little value. There are too few close-by listings to be useful. Also, like so many things these days, the real emphasis is on maximiziing Angie's profit not customer service. It's a slick marketing con job in my book. Ask your friends is the best way to go.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
i tried to get on your
i tried to get on your "jennys list" but was veeerrry disappointed b/c too hard to find local jobs in my area.; PLUS!!!someone trying to find a job on your site should not have to pay! Please make it easier for us. A POSSIBLE future subscriber if you can meet my needs.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
i tried to get on your
i tried to get on your "jennys list" but was veeerrry disappointed b/c too hard to find local jobs in my area.; PLUS!!!someone trying to find a job on your site should not have to pay! Please make it easier for us. A POSSIBLE future subscriber if you can meet my needs.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list does suck
I joined Angie's list this afternoon. They don't tell you until you're way into the subscription process that the renewal process is automatic -- don't like that, but I just put a note on my calendar next year to cancel. Anyway, I used Shopsafe and the credit card number is only good for 2 months and $75 bucks -- ha!
Then after I joined, I found out that I can't get any other cities unless I pay more. I'm doing work on my house here in and on my Mom's house 1 1/2 hours away and have to pay more to get the info for my Mom's house? That just sucks! My husband works 1 1/2 hours in the other direction and I wanted to see how his business is ranked -- oh, no -- mo money.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
From what I have read the commercials sound as if their lieing to the public. With that out of the way I do know of several contractors that use this angies list and I can honestly say from working around these guys on occasions that if they worked for me I would have fired them on the first day. When these contractors informed me they were on angies list and that I should try them I knew right then and there that angies list will use anyone for their clients but unfortunately people that use this are not aware of what real quality work is and they fall prey to such companies. I'm sure they do have great contractors that do know what they are doing and also do great work but I would say all the top notch contractors of their trade will not be found on this angies list.
More ball to Inglis, they have a heavy left side with Inglis and Taylor yet never got any ball. Bulldogs give Idris an all you can eat buffet on the ball yet souths hit up with 80+kg fellas.
Like Oikee said they must of looked on in amazement as Luke, Sandow and Talanoa hit the ball up.
Tigers got off light and the Souths … well there just being Souths again.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Are there Angie's List agents commenting in here?
The truth isn't out there on the web.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
It does SUCK
Not $5 to try it they also tack on a little $10 activation fee to just check it out $15.00 WHAT?!! for get it, if it was truely good they would atleast let you have a limmited look at it beforwe you buy into THE SUCK SCAM they are running.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list and blacklisting
Since Angie's list doesn't allow it's users to be anonymous, doctors find out which patients "give them a bad name" and sue for slander or libel. Patients are scared to report negative things about doctors because they don't want to be blacklisted in the doctor community.
Angie's list states that they don't use anonymous reviewing because it's more legit. How does that make it more legit? Patients are scared to give a negative review about a particular doctor, so they don't give a review at all. Then, what's left, is a doctor who has a friend sign up and give him a good review. It's not a good site with legit reviews and it's not unbiased.
Maybe it's a good site to find a contractor or plumber, but a poor site to find a good doctor.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
How much does it cost to find out how much it costs to get somet
In my opinion it boils down to this:
Pay Angie before you pay anyone else. Angie, you are a scammer!!!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
you're right
Angie's list blows ass. If you can't figure out that they just want to nickel and dime you then maybe you deserve to get ripped off.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Very glad to have the benefit of your fantastic effort in ...
A good thing your site is in the first page on the search
Rupert Cwiklinski replied on Permalink
Great info!, I
Great info!, I usedsaveabreakup.com and it did a lot of help to get back together with my love, we've been together for some timenow, highly recommended.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
opinions opinions opinions
Just like Angie's List this forum is full of a bunch of different people's opinions! If a contractor on Angie's list pleases one person it certainly doesn't mean that they will please the next. Everybody is different and everybody likes different things and has different OPINIONS and this is one of the big reasons that a list like Angie's doesn't work very well. Seriously, look at all the different opinions on this forum can you imagine the different opinions on the list? And by the way I didn't join simply because of the ridiculous price they are charging for opinions from people you don't even know! Also I must admit the man that wrote the article is right because the first thing I thought I would do after joining the list was to go and rate my brother's auto mechanic business and tell the world how great he is. I need lots of work done on my house and contractors are hard to find but I think I can ask around my neighborhood (where there are lots of home projects going on all the time) and find some good workers and actually see what the work looks like (FOR FREE.) But this is just MY OPINION, and you know what they say everybody has one!
Angys list | Pr... replied on Permalink
MarkM replied on Permalink
Thank you
A thank you collectively to everyone who posted their experience with AL to this page. I came within moments of joining (paying a fee) this morning, but after reading what I have here, I have decided to pass. I don't have a problem with them making money. But I do not want to do anything to encourage the duplicitous behavior they appear to be engaging in: trying to portray to their customers that search results on their site are not influenced by cash being paid to them by the providers, while from the numerous comments here, it is clear that is EXACTLY what they are trying to do, to garner increased profits.
What a shame, it is such a good idea. We are fortunate that craigslist was founded by a man with the vision and integrity that Craig Newmark has, and not by someone willing to compromise their original good idea for the sake of more $ for themselves, as it sounds like this Angie woman has done ... although it sounds like ironically she is really not the founder, just the public face, it's really a guy named Bill Oesterle ... they just wanted to capitalize on Craig Newmark's rep & create a good association by naming this company similarly I guess.
Wes replied on Permalink
FORCED recurring renewal fees
I signed up early this morning for a 2 Year Angie's List Health and Home Improvement subscription. I have been looking for a variety of services consisting of window and siding replacement, dental, lasik and skin care. I've been planning on having a lot of services performed over the next two years. The public online information from the BBB, yahoo, google, etc seemed adequate. Angie's List advertised so much on television, I was given the impression they have extensive and AUTHENTICATED reviews from actual customers. I had assumed Angie's List requested invoice numbers, dates, amounts, details of specific jobs or medical procedures, follow ups of after care and long term results of services rendered. It does NOT. I began my initial search for Lasik eye surgery. SHOCK. I was surprised at how few people had written reviews and how many lasik surgeons are OMITTED from their list. Most of the reviews were 2-3+ years old. The reviews themselves lacked any detailed information. All you will read is, "He was thorough and did a good job." These personal reviews are amateurly written in haste. Strike one. I went on to find a dentist for fillings replacement and possible crown work when the time comes. I performed multiple searches for dentist, dentistry, etc. I searched the maps. I could not find any LOCAL dentists within 10 miles of my location. WTF? I looked up some local dentists in Orono, Minnetonka, Wayzata all in Minnesota. None of the dentists I searched by name had any reviews. Strike 2. I searched for window and siding replacement as my third search. Holy cow. Way too many listings. The reviews seemed so incredibly incompetent and fictitious, I wish I had legal permission to repost them here. There is no way you could filter through all the listings. Remodeling companies travel up to 40-50 miles for jobs. Again, the reviews are outdated 2-4 years old. Employees leave, are terminated, replaced. You never know WHO you will get to work on your home. You can hire a one name handyman, but he may have assistants to do most of the work while he runs around to get more bids, never actually doing any work. Strike 3. If there were a Strike 4, it would be the FORCED RECURRING RENEWAL FEE!!!! AFTER you pay by PayPal, you are sent back to the website to begin your search. But what does the pop up window do? It FORCES you to answer a few things before you can even begin. Asks to verify your name, phone number and forces you to click to accept their terms of recurring renewal fees. You have no opting out of that. You cannot even use the site until you accept that as terms of your use!!! F*CK YOU, Angies List! Try finding a way to cancel. It takes a while but I found it. I sent an email. But I will end up sending a Certified USPS Letter to Angie, demanding a cancellation and refund. Yes, Angie's List is a SCAM.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
i agree
I got DUPED by the down-home, ""we're super ethical and have info on EVERYTHING" ads. In reality all i find is info I've seen other places on line. I also wonder about some of the reviews because they sound like PR rather than customer input. Most disturbing is that every business or service I was trying to evaluate had zero reviews. Also the renewal wording sounds a little shady and I'm concerned about that. In general A.L. membership makes me feel like a rube and i regret joining.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List deserves an "F" rating
As I was leaving my dentist's office a few weeks ago, I noticed an Angie's List questionnaire form to be completed on behalf of my dentist. I think he is top-notch and so I took home a form, spent considerable time composing a quite favorable review and mailed it in.
This morning I went to Angie's List website to look up a roofer and discovered that I had to pay for access to reading any review. So a few weeks ago, I when I had completed the questionnaire on behalf of my dentist, I got scammed into spending my time (I should say "scammed into donating" my time) only to profit Angie's List. I will never complete another questionnaire for Angie's List now knowing they take valuable information from consumers and then they turn around and "sell" this information to other consumers via their website.
I agree Angie's List sucks and I feel they should be banned from the internet. Was the name "Angie" selected because it sounds like "angel"??? That, they are not !!! I also agree that good, honest busineses could be greatly damaged by crazy nuts who write damaging reviews. I rate Angie's List an "F"... Angie's List is a "taker"... plain and simple they are thieves... and to read that they are charging businesses an outrageous fee to "jump the list" is unethical. Shame on Angie's List.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List is for Their Own Gain
Okaaay! Just experienced what Angie's List is all about. Yes, I'm a contractor, been in business for 16 years. 95% of my business is word of mouth. THANK GOD! I was reported to Angie's List by a customer who put false information about my company and my services and then posted photos of things she tampered with to make me look like I did horrible work. She ranted and raved on the job site about how impressed she was, how beautiful my work was, and that i would come highly recommended. Paid me in full for the job.
I don't know how they can get away with allowing lying, revengeful, misleading consumers who want something for nothing, to post derogatory comments and put false information online before hearing the other side of the story? They don't let the business respond to the derogatory comments of the consumer right away. The business has to endure the negative online publicity, until the business is able to sit down and fax or email them their side of the story. How is that fair to the business? You know what else is pathetic? Angie's list offers a service, but you can't go on their website and put reviews about them. HMMM, I wonder why? When I talked to the person who contacted me about the complaint she stated that I needed to tell all my happy customers to join Angie's List and post positive comments to bring my grade up. So, let me get this right? You want me to promote your business, in which my clients will have to pay a fee, so you can make money, to give me positive comments? My comment to her was, "That will NEVER happen!" After the biased and false information that lingers across the screen of Angie's List and that many businesses are victim to, I will make sure I do my part to lead people away from this money making scam. As with anything, almost everything starts with good intentions. But any good business would not try to line their pockets at the expense of someone else, with lies and deceitfulness. Angie's List F!
Tom replied on Permalink
Poor lamenting contractors
The enemy of contractor reputation is not Angie's list, it is their brethren. Any given contractor always says he is the best, followed by cutting corners, overcharging, abandonning, and not correctling obvious flaws and complaints. To be a customer with a complaint is to be a nut job. No matter what the flaws of referral/review agencies are, the reviews are better than the contractor touting himself. Bids are rarely reasonable in my neighborhood, usually in the range of hundreds of dollars an hour, much more than any customer, other than a lawyer, earns themselves. When forced to hire, you can bet the customer will be concerned about such things as infrequent visits after the bulk of the job is paid, follow-up afterwards, cutting corners, etc.
Sorry, contractors, the net is very useful to the consumer. The more avenues for investigation and the more feedback available, the better off the consumer is. So for all of you tarnished diamonds out there, get over it; the age of knowledge for all has dawned. If the current trend continues, you will learn the wisdom of "the customer is always right."
Anonymous replied on Permalink
angie of course
Well I can understand how having to pay to be on angie's list limits spamming or fake reviews but there is one flaw. If people have to pay to put a review then this means customers might not even bother to review their experience with the business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thanks for the info
I was trying to decide if angies's list is worth the $$. after reading all the whiny businesses crying, I have decided this is list will help me avoid exactly what I am trying to avoid. well worth the bucks.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
My daughter was an administrative assistant for a contractor who made her type positive reviews about his company on Angie's List. I met one woman who hired him and he totally scammed her out of thousands and left her kitchen without a roof! My daughter ended up quitting her job, befriended this woman and stood beside her while she went through court proceedings, but she will never get her money back. He filed for bankruptcy and just heard he started a new contracting business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Yes it sucks
Angies list wants unbiased honest reviews. I gave a few and they reported me to the company. This severely violated my privacy and basically nullifies the accuracy of the reports. I had all my contacts removed and dropped it. If they want honest reports, that's not how to get them.
Jonathan in USA-NH replied on Permalink
AngieCash promos in 2006 = purchasing reviews from anyone
Surprised I don't see talk about the AngieCash promos of 2005/6. They paid all comers to create & submit reviews. The Wayback Machine has a page preserved.
greggles - maybe host a screen shot here?
I agree with those who advocate doing their own research before patronizing a service or retailer. Consumer skills are important for a healthy community. I'm aware that wading through the interwebs is a challenge for many. So ask friends or, in the case of building contractors, impose yourself upon neighbors, church members, lumber yard staff, the guy on the next bar stool, anyone who appears to not be in a hurry and might talk to you about their experiences. Keep at it until you've heard the same references over & over from disparate sources. Discount those who emphasize "he's such a nice guy." Your no buying a friend.
Most of us could use a little sharpening of real-world social skills and the payback is huge when dropping cash on local businesses. Yeah, it's work but it's healthy on several levels.
dadsnave replied on Permalink
In a Nutshell
So I can pay AL to work for them by paying to submit a review?
Will they send me a W-2 so I can deduct their fees from my income for tax purposes?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Yelp is just as bad. Their
Yelp is just as bad. Their demographic is the whining new professionals who use the word awsome to describe toilet paper , shoes , rainbows, frenchfries, traffice conditions. etc.....Theirs is a generation of entitled complainers.www
ServiceMagic is a factory of brand new businessess (we had a contractor show up who had only been in business 2 months.
YamaKing replied on Permalink
This review is terrible. You
This review is terrible. You say Angie's list sucks yet you never even used the service so you cannot definitively say whether or not the website yields it's intended results. You have a problem with their policies, that's fine, but to base an opinion entirely on the policy and fee is nothing short of extreme laziness (and irresponsibility too). Anybody can look up the website as I just did, find the policy and fee and form an opinion. Totally worthless review.
Anti-Angie replied on Permalink
Never Trust A Website With The Founder's Picture On The Homepage
There's nothing scientific about this comment, nor is it based on any quantifiable metrics; it's simply personal opinion, but anyway...
Never trust a website or periodical that has the company founder's picture taking up as much space as the other content on the homepage. (Oprah's "O" magazine is another sterling example.) To me, it's off-putting. Make all the claims you want about brand marketing, it's her right (of course it is!), etc., but it's an inadvertent insight into where the company is focused.
It's all about her, and everyone has to pay her to play. Very self-serving and egotistical, if you ask me. And oh-so-gameable.
Caveat emptor.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List
I, too, thought Angie's list would be a great place to start with regard to some home improvements i need on my house.
But I also had a very bad experience with one business, who damaged my property and refused to make it right. "So sue me", the owner stated. Tried to get compensation from insurance, but my home owners insurance looked into it and we discovered that the business was not insured or bonded. When I checked them on Angie's List, they had all top grades and not a single bad review. (From talking to one other person later, I discovered that he used them but fired them when he discovered what that had done. He had worked in home construction before, but in his current job he did not have time to do it himself. But he did know proper work when he saw it.) So I tried to put up my review with my experience. For some reason it was either removed or screened before it got on the list. Right then I figured this Angie's List idea was suspect. Never figured it out, but I suspect some businesses must be 'protected' for one reason or another.
Needless, to say I just let my membership lapse and never used it. I didn't trust it after that.
Paul Broadbent replied on Permalink
why don't worry about getting business
We love angieslist. We live in Greenwich,ct and have building here for 27 years. we gotten several jobs from it. One our real customers that we did 250,000 renovation for in Riverside, CT recommended us. If you don't like it don't use it. We even have been featured on angislist for free. They published our article. http://magazine.angieslist.com/remodeling/articles/10-home-renovation-tips-to-consider.aspx
Anonymous replied on Permalink
You are ignorant. Your
You are ignorant. Your jibberish is barely understandable. Must work for AL?
baptiste replied on Permalink
this list...
Angie is not even hot, just a chubby house frau that I wouldn't bang with the gay dude's dick in the commercials! STUUUUUUpid!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
We, my wife and I, recently had a horrible experience with an Air Conditioning / Heat pump company. They took over $2500 from us and it was unpleasant and no result. During the attempt to repair the system, the Tech assigned, said that he'd never worked on the system (Bryant, made by Carrier), saying only his boss knew the particulars. So after several minutes on the cell phone, he said, "I know exactly what to do". That literally was the begning of the end. He managed to have at least 10 different theories but none worked. He finally admtted that he didn't know what he was doing and that his boss would come and fix things. This led to us finding out that the only person that would come to our home was the tech who kept on admitting that he could not fix the system. There warrentee was absolutely false. They became nasty on the phone and theatening as to getting us in trouble if we complained (legal threat). I was astonished.
A friened of mine then said, "why don't you go to Angie's list?" I did and paid for a years precription not knowing what I quickly found out. After signing on I went to the Heating Air recommendations in my area on the list. Quess what?. The top recommendation was the company (family owned) that had just screwed us. Yes, the first and most highly recommended. After the experience that we had with the so called experts I called Angie's list. I told them of the party that had took our money and threatened us. They said there is nothing they could do but to ask me to put the complaint in writing and they would identifiy me to the repair people and they wound then respond to the list. They furhtermore state, since I had been singned on for less than 24 hours or even more that they would not return my fee. Great uh! They are as bad as the company they are promoting. Get this they don't charge the company for advetising these service people, they charge you the client looking for the service. Wow what a bunch of crooks, imbecils. But shame on me. Just another internet rip and I mean rip.
Central Fact replied on Permalink
Your Better Business Bureau Alternative
I wanted to join the BBB & they wanted me to be in business for 1 year before joining. Then I found this company. http://www.CentralFact.com
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I agree somethings up with Angies List
I had never went to the site til tonite. Wanted to check out a local biz but then you have to join that was bad enough then there is an activation fee? That right there tells you they are only in it for the money. I do alot of biz online and join alot of sights and I have never had to pay an activation fee to do biz with anyone online? What a crock? ANd then a fee they will not put up front before you put in any information. That is down right sleazy. Any biz that wont tell me how much it costs if i have to join upfront is sleazy, heck even porno sites tell you how much it costs. The only thing angies did say was the activation fee and didnt say how much that was and that your monthly or yearly fee was automatically renewed. So there letting you know they are gonna screw u they just dont tell yu by how much.. Yeah al is filled with biz owners giving positive reviews and people like the nazi flaggers on cl to have power over a biz they probaly never did biz with.. Im just curious does al make you prove you ever did biz with someone? A bill , a contract etc, produce thAT and then ill take your review more serious
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List is just another
Angie's List is just another tool to try to find out who is awful. You have to be very brave to write a bad review on Angie's List because they give your identity to the contractor and there is a good chance that he is going to go after you if you wrote a bad review. As a consequence there are very few reviews if any for someone who is awful. Most reviews are positive and often are solicited by the contractor. I know of someone who was offered reimbursement by the contractor to go on Angie's List and write a positive review. The customer politely declined. They market agressively and have little info. It is better than just bbb listings. Use a Virtual Card number and tell your credit card company to not give out your real card number when asked by a company that has an expired card number from you when you sign up for Angies list so that they cannot auto renew you without your permission.
Kat replied on Permalink
I wanted to post about a physician thinking I was doing a public service and warning potential patients so I went to Angieslist expecting to make a post. I immediately see there's a fee involved so no way! You try to be socially responsible but you run into shysters trying to make a quick buck!
Angie&#821... replied on Permalink
steve replied on Permalink
angies list is all lies
ya i think angie hicks is a big kial and a great conartist for one she says u cannot pay to be on angies list ya right all a company has to do is buy a membership under an aleious name and wright his own review and even moreso get his family members to wright the reviews so the proof ive seen says angies list is a bunch of bs here what i think for one all the reviews i seen about angies list dateing bak in 07 none are varifyied she says she angies list has been in buisness since 1999 ive or anybodyelse has ever heard of of this business since her commercials started about six months ago. what i think is she was copying the name of craigslist as everybody knows its worth tobe in the billions of dollars so in her using the name angies list people would assaceiate the name with craigslist and build her business on that. come on you already have craigslist, why the hell would you name your business angies list. if i were craigslist ID SUE THE LIVING HELL OUT OF ANGIE HICKS. AS SHES NOTHING BUT A THIEF A LIAR AND A CONARTIST and i would love to see proof that the name angies list has been in business since 1999
Chris replied on Permalink
Make a quick buck?
Scamish - I immediately see there's a fee involved so no way! You try to be socially responsible but you run into shysters trying to make a quick buck! (not just to pick on scamish as this "free" illness affects millions)
Here is the biggest problem on the web today; the public at large has an attitude that everything on the web is magically free. Websites' generally are all about making money, someone has to pay the bills - nothing is totally free.
Yes, the web is full of all kinds of sites that offer "free" products and "services" but they all are designed to make money off of someone. Whether it's stealing your data, selling the data you key into social networking sites or charging for ads. They all are bringing in money off of your back. Again, nothing is "free" folks.
There is little to no "honest" brokers on the web. Why? Because the public is so poorly educated about how the web works and too cheap to pay for them.
To be a totally honest broker and run any sort of website targeting millions of people you have to find a way to pay for it. If you try to charge the users a fee it's probably going to be far more than they are willing to pay. The average user has been tricked into believing they can get "good" information elsewhere for free - but there is always a hidden cost, usually your privacy.
So, companies are trapped into charging other companies for ad revenue and then everything becomes biased.
A truly non-biased review site, and I mean a real business doing real research would have to charge far more than $5 bucks a month just to survive without corporate sponsors. You need a full staff, researchers, network administrators, servers, bandwidth, network security and of course since you will be dealing with the public at large - lawyers.
I agree that the system is totally corrupt. But it's you the users who bring this on yourselves by expecting everything given to you for free. That's the whole game, get everyone thinking that information on the web is free and then the corporations can control the flow of what information you receive - see... they are the smart ones; we the public are the dummies for putting up with it.
Honest sites come and go all the time, thanks mainly to a dumbed-down public which thinks everything is magically free.
Stop complaining and get off you butts and start paying for the goods and services you receive and you "might" have a chance of getting more reputable, online businesses to deal with.
Just my two cents...
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Do businesses pay to be rated on AngiesList?
I keep seeing and hearing AngiesList ads saying that they absolutely do NOT accept payment from the companies listed. They also say so prominently on the front page of their website.
But businesses DO pay to be rated on AngiesList (or used to--numerous contractors on this blog said that they paid to be listed, or pushed up in the listings)
I don't get it. Either Angieslist has changed their policy and has stopped taking money from businesses, or they are flat-out lying in their ads. Can any contractors listed comment?
kp replied on Permalink
just plain wrong
I can comment. Angie's List facts.
Yes, businesses pay dearly. No, there's no membership fee. YES, when a rank is reached we are help ransom. If you don't pay over 1k per month you will loose your service award, and possibly, if you call too much, you can loose your grade. No meritocracy, no honesty, and nothing seems to be true. What happened to this co? Are they in over their heads with investment injections? They seem desperate and they continue to lie. So sad. What a shame. For both local business and consumers. Why should consumers especially in this day and age pay for approved reviews?! Give me a break. Get with it Angie's List. You're falling behind! I personally know someone who works for the co and they make 6 fig. Not selling to consumers! Selling to businesses. How could they think the truth wouldn't get out? That's right They are stuck in the 90s. How could they realize the internet is FULL of dirty laundry.
Angies lsit | M... replied on Permalink
Try Wacktrap Instead
At wacktrap.com you can post your complaints or comments. You can also post your You will never believe this type of story that is personally to you and your life Sections are easily organized to read and post under a large well organized format.
Anyone can red them.
Anyone can join
To post or comment you must sign up but you can also utilize Facebook connect or any of your favorite Open Id providers to sign in.
We do not moderate post or comments. We do intervene if it is spam, or hate speech.
Opinion are open and free but we do keep the environment garbage free
We are unbiased and Raw
We do not charge you or any company you speak about money of any type.
jilted by a crazy ex?
burned by credit cards companies?
screwed by contractors?
See a story in the world or your own personal life that you cannot believe or just tick you off?
Post Your wack at http://www.wacktrap.com
Thanks for all the DO work Greg.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies Rip not honest
I hired Brad Patton Drywall and construction from Indianapolis Angies list. Not only was the work Shoddy the guy ended up going to jail on Drug Charges. He employers did not get paid so they stole our washer dryer and air conditioner ( the home was for sale). Arrest were made, but I suppose it was no big deal for those with criminal records and warrants already out.! We made a report to Angies list , and documented it with
the Police report, but they still have him listed! At least service magic checks the criminal history of the clients. Angies list cannot be trusted either side of the coin ):
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I just started with Angies
I just started with Angies List as an advertiser a couple of months ago. I must say that I resisted it for years, but after trying the referral company rip - offs I took the plunge.
I paid for a 1 year contract at about $5000. If I paid up front I was promised a free month so I hit the credit card and paid up front and was given 2 free months for some reason. For this I was promised a listing in the top 14 when someone searches for what I do. I figured for $360 a month I would be happy with about 8 calls each month. I tried Service Magic and was paying $40 for each shitty lead and never got one job. Don't get me started on them.
I got 20 calls the first month from Angies List customers. I have only got 4 jobs so far, one a repeat, but the whole $5000 is already paid for through profits from those 4 jobs. It has slowed down the last couple of weeks but it is the middle of the summer and it always slows down this time of year.
I have also gotten excellent reviews from all of those jobs, and that will only help in the future. Although it may be a bit shady of Angies to make money on both ends, it does make me a little more contientous in dealing with Angies List members. I always do my best but I will go over the top to get a good review.
I can also bid higher on my jobs because I no longer feel that I have to get every job. If I do 30 bids instead of 10 a month I can bid much higher. All I can say is that I have made more money the last month than ever while satisfying my customers and getting great reviews. I am in an affluent area so that is to my advantage. Much to my surprise advertising on Angies List is the best business decision that I have made in well over 20 years in business. I can only hope that it continues.
BTW do not EVER deal with everycontractor.com - biggest scam artists I have ever dealt with. I have been ripped off by many but they are the worst!
John replied on Permalink
How to leave feedback for the company Angie's List ON Angie's?
I like Angie's List - I chose only the top rated contractors and they have all lived up to their ratings on AL. That having been said, I found that some people listed "Angie's List" as a provider and put some pretty interesting ratings on THEM. Now I can't find it... The complaint I have about AL is the following:
1) THey call me when I've asked them NOT to - to get me to review some contractor I've hired or looked at.
2) I was in my car - the phone rang - on speaker - they asked me to rate my cardiologist and psychiatrist - huh?! I didn't give them access to my personal health information - how did they know that? I felt like those characters in the movies trying to buy a condom and the pharmacist announces on the loudspeaker, "PRICE CHECK ON CONDOMS!" Wow - thanks for telling everyone in my car I see a shrink twice a year for Ambien refills.
So - I'd like to be able to rate them - but they seem to have taken themselves off the list - seems a bit dishonest. I don't mind paying to find good contractors - but I don't like my private information dug through then called hounded by Angie's staff to do their advertising for them.
Anyone know where I can rate Angie's List as a reviewer - so I can treat them just like all the other contractors that I review on their own list?
Please email me [email protected] - I might not be on here any time soon. Thanks!
does it matter replied on Permalink
angies list rules are dumb
I live on the borderline of where angies list considers a consumer area. So this means that I can only get half of the information on contractors that I need. They want to charge me an extra 15 dollars in order to get information on companies the next town over, less than 5 miles away. And if I switch for no extra money, I lose the county where I live. Stupid. I asked for my money back. I told them that when they use radius of an address instead of a consumer area, I will join again. What a rip off.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Would Never join Angies List
Why would "I" PAY to do reviews?
They should pay ME for my time to do the freakin reviews.
What a JOKE!
Home Owner replied on Permalink
Yes, Angie's List sucks
It's even worse than I expected after reading all this.
Last year my wife and I starting doing renovations to our mid 50 year old house. Some of the work we could not do ourselves, so I thought Angie's list would be ideal for finding good contractors.
A.L. wanted me to sign up for 3 months or more (IIRC), but I didn't need it that long, or maybe just wanted to try it to see if it was worth it. OK, so I found that you could just sign up for a month, only $5. But then I found there was a $10 "processing fee"! What?? $5 for the month and $10 for processing? No way, Angie. What, you couldn't just tell us that it's $15 a month? Something about that smelled rotten.
We found very good contractors that we really liked without Angie. How? We asked around. We asked vendors and suppliers, even other customers at Lowes. And one Google review. Not one steered us wrong. We were super happy with the people we hired.
As for Angie's List? They still send at least 2 emails a week begging me to join. What a pain. Fuggedaboutit, Angie.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Great review
Great review of Angie's list. We forget about places like Lowe's and Home Depot. Their reputation depends on recommended reputable companies. Thanks.
Bob replied on Permalink
My Mileage Varied
You said it, they have millions of customers, so they must be doing something right. I've used them a few times in the past and have been satisfied with the service and the businesses they list, enough that I felt I should reply. Frankly, someone sounds like they have a bone to pick with them.
Bob replied on Permalink
My Mileage Varied
You said it, they have millions of customers, so they must be doing something right. I've used them a few times in the past and have been satisfied with the service and the businesses they list, enough that I felt I should reply. Frankly, someone sounds like they have a bone to pick with them.
Bob replied on Permalink
My Mileage Varied
You said it, they have millions of customers, so they must be doing something right. I've used them a few times in the past and have been satisfied with the service and the businesses they list, enough that I felt I should reply. Frankly, someone sounds like they have a bone to pick with them.
Bob replied on Permalink
My Mileage Varied
You said it, they have millions of customers, so they must be doing something right. I've used them a few times in the past and have been satisfied with the service and the businesses they list, enough that I felt I should reply. Frankly, someone sounds like they have a bone to pick with them.
Bob replied on Permalink
My Mileage Varied
You said it, they have millions of customers, so they must be doing something right. I've used them a few times in the past and have been satisfied with the service and the businesses they list, enough that I felt I should reply. Frankly, someone sounds like they have a bone to pick with them.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
membership fee?
Anytime there is money involved there is a possibility of bias and corruption. If Angie's list charged a membership fee only to consumer's then it MIGHT work. Since, the businesses and services are targeted for fees, the site then becomes questionable in its usefulness and honesty. I like the BBB better, although it is far from perfect, because the business can join but has no further way of influencing its rating other than doing good business and resolving conflicts when they arise. (I have worked with the BBB in the past and have had a 70/30 success rate with getting issues resolved. Today, that is not a bad outcome.) Then there is the HUGE possibility that consumers would give scathing reviews just because they are angry for whatever reason and can, rather than giving an honest unemotional review that would be helpful to others, rip a business apart because of some perceived wrong. If there is no opportunity for the business to respond to negative reviews, the system falls apart. Also, when you go to Angie's list website, it does not state UP FRONT what their fees are. That always makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I don't want to have to dig through the website or sign up to find out how much something will cost me. I certainly don't want to use a site that gets fees from businesses to better their review. Money can corrupt and when it comes to customer reviews, there should be no corruption. Finally, you can go to many review sites for free on the internet so if you take the time to do your own homework, you probably will find the information you need by finding about five independent reviews for FREE. If a company is outstanding, it will show up on the web. If they are horrible, they will also show up on the web; and it won't cost you a membership fee to find out. I predict that someday we are going to hear something negative about Angie's list big time after the flaws have had time to fester.
Caveat Emptor/Buyer Beware
We got the tickle to put our company, an electrical contractor, up on Angies list for free. No complaint, of course.
Got the expected call from my new best friend, Josh, who had all the metrics and answers. He didn't know it, but I've been working my internet market for years so I have a lot of knowledge about what is happening here.
Firstly he alleged they are signing up 800 a month in my county. I didn't believe that for a second. The local guys can't get 200 signups and that is for free.
Secondly he alleged they get 147 requests for electricians per month. Wrong again, I pretty much own the local Google market and I only get 80 per month and it is very steady.
Finally he showed me the "guest" site and my listing--I was already number 8 and the guys paying to be at the top were a skanky bunch at best. He demanded a 12 month committment for $140 per month. Wrong again, been there and done that. If it works, I promise to be yours forever. Only scumbags will try and lock you in like that, they know you'll bail their crappy ass service when it doesn't work.
So Buyer beware, Angies List is disingenuous at best, but all these guys who promise work are pretty horrible (see service magic comment above, my experience was even worse).
If you don't know what you are doing in the internet advertising business, either educate yourself or prepare to be milked.
Susan replied on Permalink
Constant mistakes
My experience has been that after making a report, Angies List changed the business' name. When I asked 5 times for this to be corrected, 3 weeks later they attributed my report to another simular business and the business I reported on was taken off the list! They make one mistake after another. Don't waste your money. BBB is also hopelessly complicated and no good.
Susan replied on Permalink
Constant mistakes
My experience has been that after making a report, Angies List changed the business' name. When I asked 5 times for this to be corrected, 3 weeks later they attributed my report to another simular business and the business I reported on was taken off the list! They make one mistake after another. Don't waste your money. BBB is also hopelessly complicated and no good.
stumblebum replied on Permalink
angies list is not worth it
i recently bought a discounted subscription to AL--the idea is good, but it just doesnt work and not worth paying for. there are far too few reviews to be useful. With 3-4 reviews, by the time you throw out the high (a planted review) and the low ( a cranky pissed off person) you are left with a sampling too small to be of use. Another thing i have found is that there are quite a few listings that are old or comanies that are no longer in business. AL probably does this to give the allusion that their DB is bigger than it actually is. Use Yelp.com, way more reviews and its free.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Salesman is a pest
Our service business has a straight A rating on the list.
However, we do not believe the membership is as high as they would lead you to believe, and, we know a lot about pursuing Internet marketing all of which costs us nothing.
The salesperson has been beyond pesty. Finally blocked them out of my Emails.
They are snippy, rude and ask things which are none of their business.
There are better ways to spend or save, your money.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie is a ripoff. They are
Angie is a ripoff.
They are just hoping a Google or Microsoft will buy them................. THEY ARE TO SMART TO BUY THIS CRAP WEBSITE..
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie is a ripoff. They are
Angie is a ripoff.
They are just hoping a Google or Microsoft will buy them................. THEY ARE TO SMART TO BUY THIS CRAP WEBSITE..
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie is a ripoff. They are
Angie is a ripoff.
They are just hoping a Google or Microsoft will buy them................. THEY ARE TO SMART TO BUY THIS CRAP WEBSITE..
Refferal Based ... replied on Permalink
no need
As a contractor compettng in todays market i have to keep my overhead LOW, i do not advertise i provide a service to the people who call upon me and for that service i take a few of their dimes as payment, in return for they call me again and again and they cant wait to tell their friends or family. Why?, Is it becauce I am inexpensive NO, It is beacuse i treat them like family, I am on time, remove my shoes, put down tarps in the house, clean up, purchase all material up front, and Most Importantly they feel confident in the work I performed, Instilling customer confidence prior to the job will make the rest of the job go well. Also their refferal goes farther then any type of advertiseing and by not advertiseing I tend to not have these rift raft trying to get free work. Its a win win situation for me and as easy as it gets.
The only reaseon I was researching AL is they were in local news headlines about car tire pressures that is really old news anyway and something most people learn at the tire centers. Anyway i went to read reviews of companys and I had to sign-in and pay, I wonder if Angie paid her neighbors in Ohio when she moved there for their refferals, i also wonder if these people that have had issues with AL if they tried posting a "F" rating on the refferal bussiness that reffered them.
Anyway Im good to go, Oh and if someone is wondering why this site pops up when you search Al, its because of all the responces left here and the time people spend on the site once there here
Nice one Knaddison
Mick replied on Permalink
Here's PROOF that Angie's List is a Rip-Off
The best proof of all, that Angie's List is a rip-off, is the ONE category of professional services that they DON'T rate. Do you know without looking? Well, not surprisingly, it's LAWYERS! That's right, one of the most expensive "professional services" out there is totally absent from Angie's List! Wonder why? Do you suppose it's because they're afraid of being sued? Or maybe, just maybe, the folks who run the list are lawyers themselves. Food for thought anyway.
Quantum replied on Permalink
First Contact
I went on Angies List to find a furnace contractor. Thinking the service was free or at least would have a free introductory offer. (This is what 99.9 percent of all service and retail sites do). On Angies List though after they get my personal information and a registration password up front. It sends me to the next page that shows there price structure and a cue to bring up info about their reasons for charging this fee, (Note; Why are they asking for personal information before one has even decided to pay to join. I suspect it's for a mailing list, why else?) Their logic, as you have shown above, is incredibly flawed which only leads me to believe that they are doing this on purpose. Nobody blatanly lies to their consumer base unless they have something to hide and are in it for the profits. I'm not saying that Angie didn't start out with a legitimate idea and sought to fill a desperate need but it has aparently become corrupted. By taking any compensation whatsoever from those Angie's posts reviews about shows full concern not for consumers but for the allmighty DOLLAR... (all speculations are simply opinion and all facts, after all, are facts.)
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Thanks for the forum and I'll
Thanks for the forum and I'll keep it short. If you are a consumer educate yourself by way of other customers, bbb, internet and actually calling the place of business you want to use and just see how they answer your questions. I think the rip off with these list is this, why should I have to join and pay a monthly membership if this is to help the good ole american consumer. When you force me to pay just to learn something I sense fraud. Then when you try to sell me other things I sense fraud. Finally, if the companies can now advertise with you all i see is that making money is all you are about!!! I am for justice and treating consumers right, do your homework and check at least 3 sources before going with anyone. Those that include everything and don't seem to be hiding things are generally safer. Thgank you.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Sounds like
Sounds like a company that a woman would create. Oh wait...
B.Filho replied on Permalink
Angie's list ...
As a consumer if you want to give a rate to someone who you are satisfied with you need to pay !!!!
They should only charge fees from contractors. A contractor I know and trust asked me to rate him on Angie's List, when I tried -> YOU MUST REGISTER AND JOIN AS A PAYING USER ????
I told my contractor I wouldn't do it and he said, I pay the first year for you !!!
The concept is broken.
Sorry, even their ads suck
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list is not evil...its the way of the Internet!!
Reading through all of the comments about Angie's list, I just want to say there is a lot of people yelling about the fact that consumers, including the crazy consumers, who get to go online to make comments about your company on Angies List. Guess what...they do that on many, many other web sites FOR FREE. Regardless contractors must respond in a courteous friendly manner to demonstrate to the other consumers that you are not the schmuck that they are making you out to be. This is the only way to manage your reputation online. Internet is just a way of life now and there is no going back to the days of when they just ripped you a new a**hole to their neighbor and a few friends, or the BBB.
The sole existence for Angie's list, like any other business is to MAKE MONEY. (This is America, right?) Angie's list serves the sole purpose for the consumer to wade through the abundance of fake reviews being put out on the internet by businesses who are using the Internet to pump up their reputation and/or increase their search engine results since most search engine algorythims use reviews as part their system to organically listing a web site or listing in order of relevance (i.e., top page search results) . Consumers have always sought to to ask others for the "indirect" experience when they need to help make decisions, especially with those types of products not purchased that often, and those they tpically have to do because of home repairs...like roofing, siding, heating and cooling, windows, etc. The Internet gives consumers a whole new opportunity to share their experiences, which creates a big challenge for all businesses, especially that of small contractors who majorly rely on referrals and don't have the resources to manage the needed responses.
Angie's list is a small part of that on line world, and for consumers, it gets consumers through the clutter of the BS reviews online. Contractors can advertise on Angie's list but that have to have at least a B Rating to do so, at least that his what I have been told. At the end of the day, if consumers are willing to pay to get decent recommendations, what do you care if they are making money? If the recommendations are BS because of some crazy consumers, then learn how to verify your listing and respond. BTW-you have to verify your Goole places listing to responss to the crazie's that post there as well, so it must be part of your business. It's today's way of marketing. Not a ploy to kill your business.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Doctors and Medical Professionals not reliable Reviews
I signed up for Angie's List to get a review on a Dentist and noticed while scrolling through the list, every single Doctor had an A rating. I looked up a couple of Doctors who are known to have bad reputations. One of them should have his licensed revoked. All these medical professionals had glowing remarks.
I know for a fact that the Medical reviews are an absolute joke.
ProBuilder replied on Permalink
Angie's list Class action
For those that have been defamed unjustly by Angie's list posts contact [email protected] about a class action suit. We have been suffering continued defamation by a report by a person we have never worked for, met or even talked with over the phone. We have a blazen F rating that angie's list refuses to remove. they told us we could comment but refused to post our comment because it questioned the validity of Angie's list. This our grounds for suit. Do the same and join our suit.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List
I had several projects I was considering for my home, so I got a subscription to Angie's list. There really wasn't anything on there to help me. Very few contractors were reviewed, and I don't live in a small city. I interviewed three people, and none of them were on Angie's List. I think there is a problem with the review system. I can review, for example, my cleaning service. There are things they do well, and things I'm not so happy with. But because they share these reviews with my cleaning service, I won't post a review about them. People review on Angie's List when a service provider is great or when a service provider is terrible, but most don't follow into just one of those categories.
Electrician Broward replied on Permalink
cooment fast
Great Post! Is this blog updated regularly? I'll bookmark this site so I can get the best plumber in my place. Thank you.
Bruce Nelson replied on Permalink
Angie's List
I am a local Electrical Contractor, practicing for 35 years. I am not a big fan of Angie's List now or back when it was Unified Neighbors (which morphed into Angie's List). As anyone knows, there are a lot of people out in the world that a. want something for nothing b. are never happy. We have over 100,000 customers in our data base, usually if there is a problem with our service we will get a phone call and given the first chance to help our customer. Most people are reasonable, however sometimes you run into customer a or b. This customer will not be happy, even if you do the work for free. I remember 30 years ago when Unified Neighbors was started, my experience was the majority of said members were always looking for a deal ! Electrical work is highly dangerous, our technicians are well trained and the best at what we do. If you want cheap, go shopping for carpet, just about every carpet store will sell you carpet and padding for about the same price. Our prices are based on set operating costs, insurance, workmans comp, training, licenses, advertising, utilities, payroll, etc.
The main problem I have with Angie, is that their members are allowed to post negative reports on any company, some are really lame, example- We did not use their services, but they were on time, professional, etc, and we give them an overall grade of D or F.
"alled them and they answered the phone on the 2nd ring, promptly scheduled our appointment was on time, very polite and professional but we didn't like the price so their grade is an F. "
"Yes we did authorize the work, and yes we did sign the completion form stating that we are 100% satisfied, but we found out from a friend acroos town that they had the same thing done from a "HANDYMAN" for 5 dollars less, now we are not happy" at that point we have no recourse the damage is done. Angie's List final grade F-
Anonymous replied on Permalink
yeah angies list sucks. So
yeah angies list sucks. So do 99% of all contractors. Learn the trade and do the work yourself. Or hire Mike Holmes when he is in town.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Glenn Beck
Angie's List sponsors Glenn Beck. That for me is reason enough to avoid the site.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
haha this is awesome. Might
haha this is awesome. Might be a good reason for me to start using this site. haha thanks I love Glenn
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I use Angie's List.... to post fake reviews
Ok ok... first, I'm the "bad guy": I take payments from companies to post fake positive reviews.
Angie's list is a joke, there's really no possible way you can verify the reviews unless Angie comes to my house and watches them do the work. So until then company's will continue to post fake reviews and customers will continue to get the shaft.
But please keep using angie's list because if all of you stop i don't get paid to post fake reviews anymore! And believe me it's profitable, I get $300 per fake review! I've even outsourced it to other people so we're posting about a dozen reviews a week now, $3000+/wk is not too shabby
i think there's a few more like me, reading the reviews you can just tell when it seems fake
Anonymous replied on Permalink
posting reviews
Hey, I am interested in doing this also. I have no problem with posting reviews. I have a BA degree in Business Management and can write very proficiently so I would appreciate your consideration. Thank You, Dennis
Duncan replied on Permalink
Angie's List
The $3.95 suddenly became $8.95 for a one month trial. After joining I found out it was for local use only. If I wanted to get a list from out of state there was a additional $11.00 fee per search.
Without a doubt one of the Class 1, Grade A, 100%, web rip offs there is going. How they can, in good faith advertise on TV as being creditable is beyond the pale.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
To the many GCs and subs that
To the many GCs and subs that are responding, there's perhaps another message that the industry is missing.
I'm a new homeowner, working on my first house -- a fixer. When I bought it, I knew how to change a doorknob, that was about it. Since buying it I've had to learn so many different skills on my own that it's been great yet challenging. Now I can successfully drywall, hang, tape, and mud, including the lids. I can lay tile quite well (redgard over ply subfloor, then 1/4" hardi, followed by thinset & 1/2" 18" limestone, I even ground bullnose edges on the butt to carpet faces -- no threshold, clean!). I run my own electrical above and beyond code, including 120v and 12v cans (34 total) and multiple custom A/V and cat6e runs. I layed an entire french-oak floor, including interior stairs (14, phew that was a ton of work). These are the major items, there's lots of small-stuff as well (mitre-cut molding, cove-lighting, backsplashes, and lots of minor paint and mudding).
Why have I had to learn these skills? Why am I doing all this work myself? No, it's not a hobby, and no I certainly don't enjoy it (I work in a services field). However, once I actually closed escrow and began dealing with GCs and subs on lots of initial "tester" projects, I encountered flaky folks (no-shows, no-call, impartial completion), shoddy work (seriously, a journeyman painter with drip marks on a simple livingroom wall?), and just plain scams (pay 50% up front to reserve your exterior painting appointment... 'cause we're so busy! I think not.). This is just the short list of problems I encountered. Combine this with the sense of entitlement that I get from some workers and GCs (leftover from the "boom" days when folks were begging for their work, no matter how rushed, shoddy, or incomplete), and I finally ended up just writing off the whole industry and doing it myself.
What's the point between my experience and this Angie's List discussion? Simple: We consumers are yearning for professionals that we can trust, and whom we can call on again and again for projects that are critical to our lives. Once that countertop is installed, the stone-folks don't think twice about that small crack at the sink cutout ("oh, that's no big deal, it happens at every sink -- no one will notice!", but the homeowner has to stare at that crack every day for years.
Angie's list isn't perfect, but it's the only shot that many folks have at finding someone who isn't (they believe) going to screw them. Friends and family recommendations can't be trusted, as they'll often say "here's the guy that I've used, but I wouldn't go so far as to recommend him -- you're on your own". Gee, that's not confidence-inspiring. (but true)
The references I see here to the "crazy" homeowner just don't cut is as an explanation. They aren't the majority of customers, and if they were then why are you in that business? I, and most homeowners I know, are in the camp of homeowners that greet with coffee, feed lunch, help feed wire or carry tools, or simply help with final cleanup at the end of the day (though that latter part really sucks). We "get" the point of change-orders and appreciate knowing on the spot if a new idea is actually a change that would cost more $ or time, or just a change that fits into the existing bid or T&M estimates. We're not the bitching primadonnas, (though I know a few of those too). Still, we get screwed-over just like the crazies. I'd say that the "norm" in GCs and subs that I've encountered is incomplete and untrustworthy work, with a few lone exceptions. Did you ever think that perhaps "normal" homeowners got screwed over 1 too many times, and that turned them into paranoid "crazies"?
Until I see a shift towards a majority trustworthy contractors & subs, it's pretty difficult to feel sorry for the folks complaining about how Angie's list is taking advantage of them. My initial thought when reading each of those comments was, "gee, now you know how homeowners feel".
Anonymous replied on Permalink
No way would I use Angie's List
Social networking is really the only way to go these days. You can't trust anyone these days. If you can't log a complaint without being Anonymous consumers put themselves in a very vulnerable situation. I have heard of local companies that are backed by millions go after people posting negative reviews. I can't afford someone suing me even though I might end up right. Angie should fight for you in court if that happens and provide free legal services too. Others sights let you post reviews without making it easy to link back to you. Crazy
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Vulnerable Situation??
What are they going to do?> Are your plumbers part of the mafia or something?
I have posted negative reviews on Angies List and the worst thing that happened is that I got a free gift card from the contractor in question.
The idea is that they can respond to your complaints. Anonymous reviews on the internet mean nothing and don't do much. In the aggregate they can give you an indication of what might be something to avoid but not a very clear reliable picture
In fact, my only complaint with Angies list is that the reviewers tend not to give "mixed" reviews. They are either overly good or overly negative. And if the first review on Angies list is Negative.. and the contractor doesn't respond.. no second chances are given by Angies List members.
Some Contractors HATE Angies list, because it gives us, the customer, a platform to speak. If a Contractor or Handyman is willing to spend some time answering the customers concerns in an open forum... one or two "nutjob" customers aren't going to hurt them.
Overall, if I am going to spend thousands of dollars in home improvement over the course of a few years.. the $5.00 a month is money WELL SPENT. to get a little more information then "anonymous" reviews on the internet... and give me a little more leverage with the contractor.. When was the last time any contractor was worried about what you might say on YELP?
Anonymous replied on Permalink
AL has to be stupid!
They advertise on NPR, public radio....
meadowlark replied on Permalink
I like using Angie's List
I don't agree completely with the article above, but I did learn some things reading the thoughtful and detailed comments (and ignoring the not-so-helpful ones). I have had my first subscription to Angie's List for a few moths. I am remodeling the house I am moving from and the one I am moving into. I needed a reputable bathtub refinisher and found a company on Angie's that did a fantastic job. I would have been clueless as to which one to pick otherwise. The peace of mind and great job I got more than paid for my subscription and I'll never regret signing up. Without Angie's, it would have been a crapshoot. I can't afford to have the work done over if it's not done right.
Though nutcases can post bad reviews, I think most people read all the reviews for a company if they really want to gauge their performance. Most everyone knows there are nutjobs who will say the vilest things that may not be justified.
Yes, trying to find more than those companies that paid to be high in the search results can be frustrating on the website. If you poke around, you will find the full list. I thought it was just a website problem, not intentional, but now my eyes are opened. People who are not as web-savvy may be put off and not spend enough time at the site to find the full list in a category. I think that's tacky, and the fact that they say companies cannot pay to be on the list is misleading.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Ballhair replied on Permalink
HaHa The BBB is a freaking joke. As long as a company pays its Fee's it gets its AAA+
ratings.People are so gullible.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
It's easy to see...
I have no feeling one way or the other about Angie's List. I was just interested in what it was all about and stumbled onto this site.
From a neutral perspective, it's very easy to see that somewhere around comment, "There's more" Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2010-10-27 15:57, that Angie's List got wind of this site and sent in its minions.
Regardless of content, the "feel" of the comments is consistent up until that point. After that, reader beware.
People hired to to neutralize negative sites/negative comments are good but not THAT good at what they do. If you read closely, you CAN tell the difference.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Why Do People Pay To Use AngiesList When Weezoo.com is FREE?
Why Do People Pay To Use AngiesList When Weezoo.com is FREE?
Let me get this straight. People actually PAY to use AngiesList? That is absurd.
Weezoo.com does a better job of vetting service providers, at no cost to the consumer.
AngiesList only brings in $8 Million per year, versus $50 Million for ServiceMagic, so AngiesList model is not sustainable. They are losing money, left and right.
ServiceMagic, on the other hand is ripping off the service providers by providing bogus leads. Their sales staff gets paid for each lead purchased, so they pump in lots of junk leads.
Weezoo.com, on the other hand, charges only a flat fee of $50 per month, with unlimted leads, for most service provider categories.
Chris Charalambous replied on Permalink
Window Solutions of Tampa Bay
Window Solutions of Tampa Bay in Tarpon Springs
is on Angie's List
They installed impact windows in my home at the cost of appx. $6,000 cash. Took the money from a senior citizen and never finished the job.
After many phone calls, registered letter and a fax. This all started in August it is now end of October. No new window as well one is
KnowBetter replied on Permalink
Don't be naive
Yes Angie's list sucks
That because most people are ignorant. But ask yourself 1 question we all know that most of the skilled trade people will rip you off with or without Angie's list, for you the member who swear by Angie's list how do you know that all the positive feedback hat you left ad all the positive feedback that are left by others....how do you know that you "all" have not been ripped off? The problem is you the consumer (you the members of Angie's list) you are so blind that you made impossible to your won self to even contemplate the idea, let alone the question. Angie's list is successful because you the ignorant people naturally gravitate toward advice and reviews left by other people rather than no advice and no review!
So yes Angie's found a way to be successful by exploiting your ignorance. But remember next time you hire someone through Angie's list ask yourself "what if I am being ripped off right now? The repair man was nice (duh) he fix my problem he cleaned up after himself and I feel happy therefore I am going to leave a positive feedback. The bottom line is you have been brain washed into believe what others believe, and if you think for one second that you did not, well that's why you are a member:) naive, naive, naive.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Anonymous replied on Permalink
This whole section seems to
This whole section seems to be a bitch-fest for shitty contractors.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
must work for angies shit
must work for angies shit list or asl lol
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Making $$$$$$
I only got couple fake reviews to post next week on al looking at 600$ week so far. lol
Dick replied on Permalink
Angies List
I agree that Angies List is more focused on big bucks than providing a serious service. They have a formula that makes them rich and allows them to advertize heavily to make even more. Squeezing vendors to buy their way up the list, having weak controls on fake reviews and charging vendors and service seekers much more than the service is worth are all strikes against them. Unfortunately, they have attained critical mass and may own this market for a long time.
I disagree that nut cases and even fake reviews spoil the value of customer feedback. Overall, the customer ratings may have limited value, but the narrative customer reviews on the internet are a great thing, providing valuable information, however painful it is for vendors to see that information mixed with fake and nut case reviews.
Just too bad that the cheesy, overpriced Angies List is currently the only game in town for local vendor and health provider reviews.
AP replied on Permalink
I agree - worthless.
I signed up for Angies list to look for contractors in my area (Rural). I was disappointed to see all the contractors listed had exactly ONE glowing reference. Clearly they were shills by the contractor themselves. It was further proved when I saw that one contractor that a large number of complaints by the BBB was still "excellent" on Angies.
So what was I paying for?
I ended up hiring a contractor based on local personal references.
FAT Electric Inc. replied on Permalink
Having bad reviews when NO work was done....
I think the word SUCKS is the best word used for Angies list. I am a small electrical contractor and found out first hand how bad they really are. I had two people place bad reviews on me and I never even worked for either one of them. I contacted Angies list and explained this to them and they told me there is nothing they can do and it is unfortunate I recieved the bad reviews. I was told that I should call the members that placed them and ask them to remove the reviews. or I can post a reply to a review. Which if you ask me is a bunch of BS, because now you are posting comments against comments, which makes no sense that will just give open forum and makes it more of a discussion page.
I explained to the rep of Angies list this is a bullshit policy. I guess I can sign up for a member as a consumer and then just place bad reviews on my competition....
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List
It just seems like the business model is a little crazy to me. They're pretty much asking consumers to pay an annual fee for the ability to leave reviews on her website. I admit that fact did not dawn on me until after I signed up, with some discount codes I ended up paying about $12 for a one year membership. I had some water damage in my home from a leaking water heater. I needed to find a clean up crew and a contractor for repairs turns out I didn't even use it, homeowners insurance contacted the companies for me. However it turned out both are listed on Angie's list as well. I don't expect to renew my membership something about paying to leave a review that really only benefits Angie's List profit margin. Especially when I can leave reviews for just about anything online for free such as this one. It's funny how the commericial never indicates that there is a fee to join, I thought it would be free like CraigsList.
KnowBetter replied on Permalink
Consumer beware
When are people going to understand that reading positive reviews posted by members guaranty absolutely nothing, if your brother or next door neighbor had any work done in their home using angie's list and got ripped off along the way by hundreds of dollars of unnecessary work done because they don't know anything about anything and then post a positive comment, then they in turn will have innocent people get ripped off too you know why? because people are like cattles!
Angie's list makes money from members and from companies that pays them off. The bottom line is don't believe everything you read, the best way to do it is to call for 3 estimates from 3 different companies that use angie's list and see what happens.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
angies list SUCKS
We own a small, family owned plumbing business and recently ran into a similar situation. An unhappy customer posted a "F" report which was full of lies and left out several important facts. I contacted Angie's List and asked them to remove the slanderous information but they refused. Instead they emailed me a form that I could submit with my customers' names and phone numbers so they could solicit them for "good" reports. Its sad that someone can pay 5 bucks and post lies on the Internet that harms a small business. We have hundreds of happy, satisfied customers but they aren't the ones who take the time to post "reports" on the Internet and I don't have the time to contact each one and instruct them on how to do so.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
angies list not true
Angie's current TV add quotes her saying, "No one can pay to be on Angie's list." I was really disappointed when two recent workers, hired off Angie's List, told me they pay. One said $20 a month--or be listed down at the bottom where no one would find him--and the other $160 a year. When I asked an Angie's rep about this, I was told this was for "advertising." But, in subsequent mailings, neither of these businesses had published ads. This disappoints me, for it tells me Angie's List is not for real and cannot be trusted. The previous comment about Angie's playing both ends is true. I will not use the list again.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
use to work for al
I used to work for Angie's, and believe me, the line they give, and the way it actually works on the inside are NOT the same. Don't believe all the hype. In addition, they are a horrible company to work for. But, they can be a good resource to consumers, as long as you understand the information isn't 100% accurate or without bias.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
On YT, an Angie's List client was telling the story of how much they (Angie's List) wanted for better search results. The cost was in the order of, I believe, $1,200 per month. Like a small business could afford that! Sadly, Angie Hicks isn't that intelligent enough to know a decent technician from a bad one. To me, Angie's List is just like that famous, TV/radio advertised, high cost, US Made, pillow - clever marketing hype.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies list
Some one needs to start a data base of customers who are good and bad. This way contractors can look them up to see if they want to work for them. I own a tree service and we constantly deal with moron customers that I wish I would of never worked for. I,ve had customers refuse to pay because we did not vacum the saw dust out of their yard. Recently a customer wanted a credit because we scratched a fence post with our truck. The post was wood and not even stained at that,We settled for 20.00 I,ve had 2 people ask why my saws did'nt have baggers on them Ah maybe because they don't make them! I very seldom make mistakes but if we do these people think they hit the lottery! Screw angies list I'm starting my own list of moron customers!
PHE replied on Permalink
Angie's list is a scam for contractors
I am an electrical contractor with over 400 very satisfied customers and 1 customer who could not be made happy no matter what.
Angie's list uses high pressure sales tactics to lock you into a year long contract. If their service was any good, why would they need to lock you in? Wouldn't you eagerly send the check monthly? Then, when you complain that their service sucks, they want your customer list so they can "get reviews for you".
What they really want is to market Angie's list to your customers. Evil.
Signing their contract was easily the worst business decision I have ever made. It was a complete waste of money.
Contractors beware!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List Does not Protect Consumers
I have been a consumer member for years. I have posted 9 great reviews and only 1 negative review.
Unfortunately, the 1 negative review was for a general contractor who charged me over $9,000 to fail to correct a problem and further damage my home. He had lost his contractor's license and he was uninsured. Angie's List did not resolve my complaint and failed to alert other Angie's List members about the fact that this contractor was unlicensed and uninsured for most of the time he was listed with Angie's, even though the state licensing authorities provided this information to Angie's List.
Check with your neighbors and friends before you hire someone off of Angie's List for expensive home repairs. I did find a great electrician, roofer, computer repair business and car mechanic off of Angie's List though. Still, I am out over $20,000 because of the money I paid the unlicensed, uninsured general contractor to damage my home.
GretchenU replied on Permalink
It is hard to figure out the
It is hard to figure out the factors affecting credit scores. According to the Visa-funded survey, almost 60 percent of people believe that employment history has a direct effect on their credit score. Other factors that are believed to be the basis for determining credit scores are the following: debt interest rates, amount of savings, age, location, national origin, ability to speak English and gender. However the three major credit reporting agencies state that these are just the 9 Myths about what affects your credit score
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I'll just use word of mouth from now on...
I went searching the internet because I was having difficulty canceling my consumer account at Angie's List. I thought when I signed up- that it was only for one month. Little did I know it was a re-occurring monthly charge? So just today I went to cancel this, I've really only used once and had no need for it. Angie's List makes cancelling difficult! You have to send an email, leave a voice mail, or fax them! This is a joke, really? Really? I certainly did not sign up in this manner. Can you imagine if you had to send an email, leave a voice mail, or send a fax (Who really has a fax machine anymore?) to enroll to Angie's list? I can, this company called Angie's list would cease to exist.
OK, so I went through the voice mail thing which they call "automatic". It just dictates to you and you leave voice mail – nothing really automated about it – someone will have to manually translate these voice messages later– that is why it will take five days to receive acknowledgement in your email. LATER IN THE DAY, THE PHONE RINGS!! It was Angie's List! I do believe this is just a coinstantaneous. They wanted to know about my past experience with a contractor. This guy probably pays like you other contractors, and was probably asked by Angie's List to provide a list of clients as some of you have stated. During the conversation , I told the employee from Angie's List that I thought it was funny that he had called, I explained to him that I was trying to cancel the service just this morning… I went on and gave the contractor an A+ rating, then they employee asked about me wanting to cancel, which I replied , "I have to give you guys an "F" rating." He offered to connect me to another department. So I accepted. This employee apologizes for their company policy as far as the email, voice, and fax thing goes and there was nothing he could do about it. He then got to listen to me complain for about ten minutes and then gladly cancelled my account. This man should be fired! He just went against company policy!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie is a ripoff.
They are just hoping a Google or Microsoft will buy them................. THEY ARE TO SMART TO BUY THIS CRAP WEBSITE..
Anonymous replied on Permalink
TV adds are not true you half to pay!!!!!!!!
Angie's current TV add quotes her saying, "No one can pay to be on Angie's list." I was really disappointed when two recent workers, hired off Angie's List, told me they pay. One said $20 a month--or be listed down at the bottom where no one would find him--and the other $160 a year. When I asked an Angie's rep about this, I was told this was for "advertising." But, in subsequent mailings, neither of these businesses had published ads. This disappoints me, for it tells me Angie's List is not for real and cannot be trusted. The previous comment about Angie's playing both ends is true. I will not use the list again.
she sucks!!!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
rip off!!!
I hired Brad Patton Drywall and construction from Indianapolis Angies list. Not only was the work Shoddy the guy ended up going to jail on Drug Charges. He employers did not get paid so they stole our washer dryer and air conditioner ( the home was for sale). Arrest were made, but I suppose it was no big deal for those with criminal records and warrants already out.! We made a report to Angies list , and documented it with
the Police report, but they still have him listed! At least service magic checks the criminal history of the clients. Angies list cannot be trusted either side of the coin ):
Sonja fm Houston replied on Permalink
Angie's list EXORBITANT fees
We joined the Angie's list in October 2010 at a $39.00 a yearly membership fee. This year in October, Angie's list charged our CCard $69.00 which works out a $5.75/month. When asked about doubling the fees, the Angie's list marketing folks told us that the last year's price was promotional fee. Also, that they have sent us a promotional offer this year of roughly 20% applicable to the renewal fee. Both of those statements are lies.
We did maybe maximum 15 searches for the past year and got 3 worthy contacts out of Angie's list. Angie's list search engine is totally inferior and cumbersome and very many contact information are out of service. We had more tradesman form FREE lists and we shall be cancelling our membership and asking for our money back from Angie's.
I am soooo disappointed with lies and greediness, the rip-off in fact for what Angie's list gives in return. We are cancelling our membership.
God replied on Permalink
Good Job. You kept it real.
Good Job. You kept it real. Your account is accurate and intelligent.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Do not subscribe, not enough reviews, unethical practices!
I live in the DC metro area which is highly populated and should have lots of reviews. Nope. I'll take 40 "biased" reviews on Yelp over 1 supposedly "unbiased" review on Angie's any day. I was looking for reviews of service stations in a large town right outside of DC. Most service stations had no reviews with a few with only 1. After trying to check contractors and realizing the reviews were scant and those that were there tended to be weak, I decided to cancel. I had a difficult time of that. I noticed I still got charged a year later, so I had to contact them again about it. They do not allow you to cancel directly on the website -- red flag!!! You have to call or use online chat, which of course leaves you no record of the transaction. I used the chat and realized why it probably didn't get cancelled last time. Here is how it went:
Me: Hi, I am surprised to see my membership is still active and I was just charged an annual renewal. I do not want this service. I want it cancelled immediately and a refund issued.
Agent: Let me pull up your account.
Agent: Ok you are all set, next time you will receive a renewal notice before it automatically bills so it isn't a surprise and we'll give you a 20% off the price. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Me: I want it cancelled now
minutes later.....
Agent: Your account has been cancelled. Have a great day.
She ended the session. I have written the VP to get my refund processed.
So they make it difficult to cancel and even try the fast-talk con to trick you into keeping the service, a very ironic move for an organization that is supposed to about consumer protection!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
One year membership was enough for me
I paid for a one year membership, because I had a couple of major renovations coming up wasn't located in the town where the renovations were going to take place. I spent a lot of time going over several of the reviews but eventually found a couple of contractors through other means--non paid websites. I did spend a lot of time writing extensive reviews on many companies and posting them on Angie's list. What do you get in return? A membership renewal notice/charge that's even more than what you paid for when you joined. Obviously, our time doesn't isn't valuable to them. Nor do they understand that it's consumer reviews that make their website and not necessarily the time they spend (have me doubts about that) making sure the reviews are legit---are you kidding me? What do you do? Call the contractor and ask them? Angie's is desperate for reviews!! I can tell because, I would continuously get emails from them asking me if I had used certain businesses in my area--if I did--would I submit a review--even when I logged into my account. Who's working for who here? My time is just as valuable if more than yours (Angie's List). For those thinking about renewing (or closing your account)--Angie's list will charge your credit card at least 2 weeks before your membership expires. Don't wait until the end. It takes a couple of days to get things squared away. It really took me a few days to get that money back even though I still had over a wee left on my membership. It's not as easy as they want you to think. They will offer you discounts and hound you until they are satisfied with the reason for discontinuing your membership. Good Luck.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The $3.95 suddenly became $8.95 for a one month trial. After joining I found out it was for local use only. If I wanted to get a list from out of state there was a additional $11.00 fee per search.
Without a doubt one of the Class 1, Grade A, 100%, web rip offs there is going. How they can, in good faith advertise on TV as being creditable is beyond the pale.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
angieslist no good
Social networking is really the only way to go these days. You can't trust anyone these days. If you can't log a complaint without being Anonymous consumers put themselves in a very vulnerable situation. I have heard of local companies that are backed by millions go after people posting negative reviews. I can't afford someone suing me even though I might end up right. Angie should fight for you in court if that happens and provide free legal services too. Others sights let you post reviews without making it easy to link back to you. Crazy
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies list people are pest
Our service business has a straight A rating on the list.
However, we do not believe the membership is as high as they would lead you to believe, and, we know a lot about pursuing Internet marketing all of which costs us nothing.
The salesperson has been beyond pesty. Finally blocked them out of my Emails.
They are snippy, rude and ask things which are none of their business.
There are better ways to spend or save, your money.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies list people are pest
Our service business has a straight A rating on the list.
However, we do not believe the membership is as high as they would lead you to believe, and, we know a lot about pursuing Internet marketing all of which costs us nothing.
The salesperson has been beyond pesty. Finally blocked them out of my Emails.
They are snippy, rude and ask things which are none of their business.
There are better ways to spend or save, your money.
Les replied on Permalink
Angies list is a scam
Ive run a basic service business for 34 years so I dont want the drama queens that would consider using this blind service, its a shot in the dark! If someone is not able to find me on the channels I offer why would I want a bogus program to bring them forth? I don't want bad customers any more than they want bad contractors!
If I want to trash my competitor Ill just have all of my friends and family use Angie's list on them! What a rumor mill!
HarryJ replied on Permalink
RE: Angie's List,and BBB
Unfortunately BBB, Angie's List, ServiceMagic.net and other on-line sites can never be 100% perfect. The ONLY way to get a job done at a reasonable price is the old fashioned way. That is have a written contract as to what the job is, write down all the little steps the contractor talks about, and ensure that every little item in the project is taken care of, a price and a project time frame (start to finish) with start and completion dates, and signed by both the contractor and the customer. This way if there is a problem then one can go to a small claims court or if it is higher than a small claims court limit then to the next higher level court. This written contract allow for dispelling many assumptions and ambiguities. After all a simple project contract (similar to that used by commercial entities) can be used by customers. This ensures a higher degree of satisfaction and also disappointed postings on-line and reduced court cases. In fact according to a reliable survey 98% of tort cases in USA are between commercial entities. So folks (customers and contractors) let us all use simple and lucid contracts to get our projects done at a reasonable price, thus eliminating dissatisfactions, misunderstandings, and frustrations. This way we could all strive for a harmonious market place where customers needs are met by qualified professionals at a reasonable price. I am not a capitalist, libertarian, liberal, but ONLY a practical individual who aims to do as many things as possible in life positively and wish all of you a very happy, joyous, and peaceful holiday and a happy new year. GOD bless all. HarryJ
Uriah replied on Permalink
Angie's List Sucks
I worked for Angie's List in my hometown soon after they opened in my area. I was one of the people who, "Helped," move contractors and such up the list. Yes, a business can be slammed by its competitors. Our response was to sell them up on contracts. This was not so bad with big name companies, but hearing from people who were crushed by bad reviews finally did it for me. I left my work, and never looked back. Now, I let my friends and family know how Angie's list is no better than the BBB. My best advice is hop on your Facebook, and ask around. You have a much better chance of getting an, "Honest," review that way.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
ALEX C comments
I find it very interesting that you go down and and comment on peoples postings and defend Angies list, sounds to me like you either work for them or are very pissed off because you got sucked into their contract and now are trying to get other people to do the same.
Let me ask you something, If you asked a friend if he new a good anyone contractor, plumber, ETC.. and he said "pay me $5 bucks and I will tell you" would you pay him. probably NOT!!!
I will tell you first hand Angies list does SUCK!! It does not work in the best intrest of the consumer and their saying we never charge contractors is a blatant lie. I had a person post a negative review on my company and I never even did work for them and although Angies list does not let that hurt your score they will not remove the post... BUT.. I was told if I signed up for the so called "Premuim Listing" I could remove the comments.
So Alex C. if you work for Angies list or if you are a so called "contractor" you will never change my mind on Angies list. Its a ripoff and a scam.
You wrote:
Point for Angie's list, we as a contractor do not want people searching for the cheapest company. Thank you for proving a point:-) we don't want your business if you are in dire need of a coupon for Angie's list.
Good luck with word of mouth I have been screwed over and over from word of mouth.
I believe word of mouth plus proof that you do great business for others on Angie's list is unbeatable.
Sure you will get bad reviews, but smart angieslist consumers will look past those, they will actually read the review And make a judgment for themselves.
What makes people not write a bad review anywhere else.
You are all ignorant and probably the ones looking for negative reviews and writing them.
You are probably correct!, but you also are in business for one purpose only right? Make money?
So if Angie's list is making you money why complain:-). Cheers.
I hate BBB but I still have to pay for it so that customers that see my rating can trust me.
BBB is a scam as well. They base your rating on the size of company.
For instance if you get 1000 complaints but you are a 100,000 employee company, your grading will still be an A+
But I still pay them. :-)
Your business would be 10 fold if you paid for the service, if you claim your that good, your a bitter person who has probably lost lots of leads to angieslist businesses like myself that do the right thing and advertise.
From my perspective you are the one losing this argument. :-)
Thanks for all you business.
Max Bolen replied on Permalink
Unreasonable report writer, and un-helpful non-writers
AL sucks because I can not mediate, discuss or remove the one "F" someone gave
me about issues that I would have addressed, I would have given him his money back
or repaired immediately if he had just let me know.
His complaint was generated 7 months after the work was done and contained slanderous
accusations about the integrity and viability of our 26 year business.
I received Super Service Award for 3 years straight until my customer's lack of turning in
reports for me and the ability of other contractors to persuade or fabricate reports moved
me in to the 95% bracket of "not award winners".
I complain, I'm told I've had "35 hits this month"..............but no one calls me with an "F"
and the loss of Super Service, so apparently I'm not Super anymore.
Their customer base doubles, I get less leads, and a free public trashing, super,
and I pay monthly to be on the front page, woo hoo.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie'S List
Does suck i joined and the surrounding area they gave me isn't even the same State. Waste of time .Waste of money
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Non Biased No Way
You can post non-censored experiences about companies and life at wacktrap.com. It is free and no one censors posts or comments.
Angies list is not unlike service magic. Years ago we used SM and had to sew a bum contractor in small claims. We won (7k) and when we told Service Magic about all the BS and violations they never posted our experience at all. Why? similar to Angies List they depend on paying companies that they don't want to tick off.
ConnedSumer replied on Permalink
Gruntled but Ignorant Reviewers
Unlike most of you, I am a consumer, not a contractor, so for me, the reason Scamgies' List sucks is the principle on which the site is based, not the membership or sales policies or the contributors and their complaints. Why should any consumer rely on favorable good faith, favorable reviews from someone who is not qualified to judge? I can judge a product, like whether my dishwasher gets the crud off, but only a professional can judge professional services. There ought to be a site with anonymous reviews of professionals by other professionals. Did I really need $2K worth of cosmetic dentistry on my "smile" to fix hairline cracks in the tops of my teeth? Angie's FAQ says not to rely on their healthcare professional reviews, but it's not only healthcare! All these reviews about these home improvement guys who were reasonable, clean, neat and prompt and "professional." I would so much rather have a surly guy who takes forever to finish the job and charges me more for what is really a better quality of materials if a professional could vouch for the result. I don't know whether a construction project will hold up, what's going on behind the walls of my house, whether I really needed a new furnace in the first place when the thermostat still didn't work after the new 3K furnace has been installed. Sure, it's just "one piece of information," but the real information people need is not out there, so the one piece can be quite misleading.
Shepperd November replied on Permalink
Disgruntled consumers
I used to be an automechanic , but I can,t do it any more because of an injury.I am now a limousine driver.I can tell you that I like this job a lot better.[ Even though I don,t make as much money ] Long before Angie,s list was even thought of, my trade was coming under fire from customer,s. CROOK!, RIP OFF ARTIST!,ROBBER!and the list goes on. I can,t begin to tell you how many times cars would come limping in [ or brought in on a tow truck ]. Many times the the problem was due to owner neglect. I would talk until I was blue in the face , trying to advise them on how to properly maintain their cars, the typical response was "Aw C,mon ,your pulling leg!"or "your just trying to drum up business!". I would perform the needed repair,then recommend other needed repairs. They,d balk at that , pay the bill and leave. About 2 weeks later , they,d come back with another problem. AND WITH THEIR VAST THIMBLE FULL OF AUTO MOTIVE KNOWLEGE ,WOULD SWEAR UP AND DOWN THAT I CAUSED IT! A service that posts reviews of tradespeople? This is nothing more than an electronic public restroom wall. Ask your friends ,coworkers,congregation members ,and yes even people on your block. [Assuming you can get them away from the internet].
One thing I would like to add.This is something I could never and would never say to a car owner when I was in the business. [Its being said with a Bronx accent] Let me get this straight . You have spent thousands of dollars on this vehicle.You depend on it for your daily needs. Your very safety,and financial security,not to mention that of your family,largely depends on this vehicle functioning properly.And knowing this, YOU, the owner of said vehicle, do not have a Cluuueeee! ,how it works ,or how to take care of it. Have I missed anything? No? And this kind of thinking makes sense in which galaxy?
Andrew replied on Permalink
Greg, this article is helpful!
Unfortunately I found this post too late. AL is the most useless pay site I've ever made the mistake of giving my credit card to. Here's the deal:
* I live in Los Angeles.
* I want to find a good Real Estate agent
* I put zip 90015 in the 'my location' field.
AL came back with about 5 pages (100 results) of realtors / real estate agents with a letter grade "A", accumulated since AL's existence (2008 reviews were still treated as relevant). 1 page of B-F reviews, total. Known Bad agents in my community had no reviews, or weren't even listed.
Issue #1: This doesn't reflect reality. It's likely (though I can't prove it) that 90% of realtors suck, 10% are awesome. Not the other way around.
Issue #2: Regardless of how many millions of people use it, you can only search in your immediate vicinity for reviews. (I tried to look in the OC, and it's another $3/month.) What are the odds that you'd only look for a professional within walking distance? Have they heard of the mobile workforce? The In-tar-web? Driving somewhere? Long-distance telecommunications?
Issue #3: The reviews aren't 'aged'. Older reviews tend to be less relevant, but from AL's perspective, it's the only content they have, so they're sticking to it.
It's no consumer reports, so I'm not clear why I'm going to pay $3/month for poor-quality, questionable, sparse, and outdated reviews.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Disappointed Contractor
Angie's List has indeed done a great job of creating an image that isn't reflective of the way they operate. First, they know that roughly 2/3 of their members will never write a review and of course those most likely to review are people who are unhappy and often times difficult or impossible to please. My company had a 100% referral rating in 2011 from an independent company that does follow-up calls but one guy who was one of the most difficult to work with gave us Bs and one C on Angie's List. People do threaten you with Angie's List for reduction in prices, services they're not paying for etc. The worst part however is if you don't cough up significant dollars to Angie's List for their ad programs "well, you won't make it on the first page when our members are looking for your service." I'm not sure that's the service to their members they promote. In addition, their ad rates for me went up nearly 40% this year and they have a new program for the Big Deal where they want you to offer an exceptional discount (which cuts into your profit) and pay them about 30% of the amount you get. They also put 14 or more competitors in your service category and work all of them for the most money they can to be listed as "high" on the front page as possible. I could post an e-mail from an Angie's List employee that flat out states that they know their revenue growth is not going to come from memberships but advertising so that's where their focus is. I was part of three ad programs with them that cost me a fair amount of money and I got a total of 15 leads all of 2011. Now that they're going public it is simply going to be an acceleration of the direction they're going. I think it started as a good thing with goodintentions but it lost its way pretty dramatcially.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angies List
Angie's List is a scam. It is exactly like this man says.
Jack Smythe replied on Permalink
Nothing comes close to friend's recommendation.
If a friend, colleague at work, or good neighbor recommends a plumber, dentist, or auto mechanic. it's value is far far above what a bunch of joes can recommend on Angie's list. And that advice is free - no monthly subscription costs. And I completely ignore Sean Hannity, Mark Levin or any other highly paid talk show host when they advertise how great these recommendation sites are. These same people also advertise the income at home scams to their loyal listeners. Can't imagine Sean at home selling herbs or checking out Angie's list.
If you need a good electrician, or physician ask a satisfied friend.
General Misconc... replied on Permalink
Angie's List a total J-O-K-E
Not only do businesses "fake up" email addys and names/street addresses for their "glowing" reviews, many ALSO tell a customer he will get xxx-% discount for a "...good Angie's List review". Ha ! I have also known of a business who gets their EMPLOYEES to write glowing reviews via having one of their relatives to write reviews.
Angie's List is a total joke. They have no bonafide way to actually keep their reviews "honest".
Any business that touts Angie's List as a kudu had better have more than that to get my family's business. (And Miss Angie needs to lose that manure-eating smirk on her photos.)
Lez Rtst replied on Permalink
Angie's Last
We joined the List in 2005; it was brand new. But we were putting in a pool. What a nightmare. We took one of their top-rated pool builders who had nothing but A+ ratings. The rep who came and set up the build was very professional and said we'd be a part of the family.
They didin't contact us to tell us they'd start at 6:30 a.m. There was one man on the crew (who was there SOME of the time) who spoke English (we lived in Houston, TX). They broke a brand-new sliding glass door; the surface on their most expensive, state-of-the-art pool surround started to deteriorate during the first winter, was repaired and began to crumble again; the stone they used for the "waterfall" was cheap and crumbly. The owner of the company was surly almost every time I spoke with him and incensed when we pointed out the failings of the workmanship.
The "co-owner" of Angie's List called when we gave this outfit a "D". I should have given them an "F" but by then I had to be hospitalized for exhaustion (joke, which is what Angie's service is.) Then he asked if we were going to continue using Angie's. Guess what I told him.
Happy Jill replied on Permalink
I love Angie's List
I have been a member here in Indianapolis since the Angie's List organization has existed, about 15 years at least. I have used over 100 of their recommended providers for everything from re-siding my house to plumbing to car body repairs. In all that time, I don't think I have ever been disappointed in the attitude, reliability or price of the services I have purchased. I'm sorry they don't cover every single little town, as one writer wanted but it only makes sense that the majority of providers would be in larger cities.
And how do you folks who complain about a small yearly fee think companies work? Of course, they have to charge to join. They have employees, real estate costs, website costs, etc. I only pay about $25/year. That is nothing!
I continue to LOVE Angie's List!
Anonymous replied on Permalink
So sorry people, but I'll be damned if I would pay for Angie's List. I know enough people and have had enough work done to make my own choices if I need work done. I never could figure out why someone would pay Angie's List for this service. Do you need tile work? Ask some of your friends who have had tile work done. I'm sure they will give you their opinion. I put everyone's name in my cell phone that I have used and will use again. Just today in Costco I ran into a couple returning bamboo flooring. We got to talking and they said they decided on ceramic. I had some ceramic tile done in my rental house a few years ago and the guy was also a friend of my son. He did wonderful work and was a pleasure to have in my home. I asked if she needed a recommendation and she said she did. I looked him up in my cell phone and passed his number on to her. It's as simple as that and it didn't cost her Angie's Fee. So to everyone with bad ratings, don't worry about it. I may be calling you some day as I don't use Angie's List. If you are good enough for my friends and family you are good enough for me. Have a great day!!!
Randy replied on Permalink
what happened to us?
Reading the posts on here shows just what we as americans have become...through the progressivism that has taken the family and destroyed values , morality. and decency, you would think we as americans would look to find out why we are so mean towwords each other..I for one have looked...and it IS progressivism...and not what you think is progressive...it has nothing to do with freedom and liberty ,it has ALL to do with the distruction of the family , theamerican dream of the founders , sevitude to the master and instilll governemtn in every asspect of you life...the root of distruction...to all you people who are bitching about contractors and homeowner posts..you all wont have to worry about anything soon enough...your country is on fire and all we do is bitch at each other.. Ill give you 2 places to start looking at why we are a very unhappy nation...check out stuart chase and fabian socialism./ then google up the commuist manefesto with florida congressman 1963...if that dont open you eyes nothing will...then do a search on van jones and communisim...anita hill and Mao,,,take alook why we are at each other ...this isnt who we are...Not me...
Morgan replied on Permalink
Angies List advertising.
Angies list acts as the police and the critique for the poor contractor, but when they screw a contractor, like me to the wall, I have no place to go and tell others how much they suck! They contacted me and asked me to convince me to advertise with them, since I had a very good reputation on their site. They used to call me many times a day. Finally I gave in and said OK. They made all kinds of promises about the incredible things that they could do for me and basically promised me the sun and the moon. After one year of advertising with Angies List, I just found out yesterday that they had not given my ad a geographical location, meaning that people looking for a contractor in my area would never see me. I contacted Angies list and their answer was, "well we can not do anything about the past, but only the future" and they blamed everything on me, why my advertising was not showing for the whole year. They were very good and on the ball when it came to charging my credit card and if there is the slightest problem they would call me many times a day to get their payment, but when it came to giving service, it was my own responsibility to make sure that my geographic location is set up correctly on my sight and by the way when I say my site it was just my name and nothing else. They are very good at passing judgement and burning the poor contractor at the stake and they themselves are the holy untouchable company. Where do I go to tell on Angies List? The holy angies List.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's List Takes Vendor Kickbacks
As a known fact, a big deal advertiser on Angie's List gives a $1000 kickback on their contracting deal directly to Angie's List. Hence AL of course promotes these losers. The site is worthless now that it's a publicly traded profit machine.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's list
The biggest turn-off of Angie's List is no up front price of membership. When this is absent I have zero trust.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Check out this new website, Recommendations from people u know!
There is a new website out there, my4oneone.com
A unique and innovative way to store, access and share your personal information securely online
There are various aspects of the site consist of a Wishlist, a Profile, Recommendations and soon will be launching Ratings, Accounts, Calendar and myMedical
There are various privacy settings, you can share certain information with your friends, and some information for your tight nit group of family and friends and other information can be stored just for your own personal use.
my4oneone just recently launched- myRecommendations. You add friends to the site similar to Facebook and LinkedIn. You are then able to search recommendations of Services or Products through who your friends have recommended, if you don't have a friend who recommended what you are looking for you can also search your friends, friends, and so on and so on and so on. Also search via mile radius of a zip code of a specific product or service.
So no more worrying about who actually made the recommendation, you will know the person.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
I want all to know I was sold advertising space paid my contract by cc 2 days later I get a call, oh l Im sorry but the area I sold you is no longer available .
Talked to his alleged supervisor and he told me that adam camp mis read what was avaliable
All that I wanted was to advertise , if ya make mistakes you try to fix them well they did not
No apology nothing and they srewed up
Really how crappy of customer service is that !
The salesman screwed up and then had no backup plan .angies list needs a counter website to give reviews about how lousy there customer service is .
They have no customer service period
You would think that they would offer me a different area to advertise,
there sales people dont care
So Ill be spending my ad money with google and facebook
SCREWWWWWWWWWWWWW angies lists
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's itself engages in false advertising
I'm looking for an agency to provide in-home care for a physically and mentally challenged loved one in San Diego. Obviously, it's vitally important that I find a reputable and reliable agency. A friend has recommended several times that I try Angie's List. Angie's lists the names of 50 "home helpers in San Diego", then invites me to join so I can see what their ratings are. Well, first, I did my homework on her list of 50. The first thing that I noticed was that some of the 50 home helpers "in San Diego" have addresses in Florida, Illinois, Texas, Virginia, Colorado, Arizona, or Georgia. Even many of the California addresses are hundreds of miles away. And the names of purported home care agencies include, e.g., Senior Placement Assistance, Center for Wellness and Integrative Health, Nutrition Therapy, Personal Injury Lawyer, Dr Gwendolyn Henao, Health Education Consultants, Alternative Mobility, and All Medical Supplies and Equipment. Those really don't sound like home care agencies to me.
By the time I had sorted through the list of 50 and eliminated those that were much too far away to service my area and/or that had nothing to do with providing home health care, I was left with 8 agencies, 4 of which either aren't listed at all on the BBB website or aren't rated because the BBB cannot get enough info about them. (Is the problem that there aren't very many home care agencies in San Diego? Heck, no ... I already had over 60 on my list when I checked out Angie's, and I'm sure I could find two or three times that many if I tried.)
There are also two women on Angie's list who presumably offer personal services. I readily found the business that one of them had incorporated. However, the ONLY information I could find about the other -- aside from two google hits from Angie's List -- was that she had been arrested for insurance fraud:
It might almost be worth the $11 Angie's would charge me to see how well Ms Vernon was rated on Angie's List.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Angie's- does not want the truth- just your $$$
I have contacted Angie's list several times and have never heard from them. A customer wrote lies about my husband to use the review against him in court. The reviewer owed my husband $3800.00 for work my husband did for the customer over the length of a year. He did a landscape on his front yard and cut his grass weekly. My husband even went back and replaced plants that died because the customer did not water them. He kept telling my husband he would pay, that he did not have the money and my husband (who has a very kind heart) continued to work for the man until he saw the guy putting up new siding on his house, buying trampolines for his kids and fixing up his house. After repeated billings over two years, my husband sued him in small claims court. My husband won, but the man appealed. He wrote the lie review on Angie's list and took his wife to court with him where she lied on the stand and said that her husband paid the bill in cash. My husband had loads of documentation, the customer had no documentation but his liar wife and he won because he is politically connected. Okay, so I got that off my chest, but my point is that I sent this story to Angie's list and never heard from them. As an additional comment, the customer who was the deadbeat also owns a business. He has several Angie's list reviews. Several are bad, one even in some sort of pending court case against his business. There are several other positive comments, and when you look at the address where they are coming from- the address is the actual home of the deadbeat customer/business owner. He had the nerve to write his OWN positive reviews and post them on Angie's list. ANGIE'S OBVIOUSLY NEVER CHECKS FOR THIS WHEN REVIEWS ARE POSTED. ANY BUSINESS OWNER CAN WRITE ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND CLAIM THEY ARE LEGITIMATE CUSTOMERS. WHAT GOOD IS ANGIE'S LIST????? I also sent this info to Angie's list and also never heard from the company.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
what a bunch of whiney babies
what a bunch of whiney babies, immature, negative sour grapes is what I hear. so you arent' smart enough to have an idea like Angies List ,now you're just blowing negativity. grow up.
sweep replied on Permalink
Poor search engine
The reason I find Angie's list useless is that the search engine includes the reviews so even the mention of another profession or service (not provided by the reviewed company) puts that company in the search results of the that other service. You can find builders, handymen, painters, engineers and architects in the same search results. So you must skip many companies in order to find the ones that offer the service you seek. What good are the reviews from those who provide the wrong services?
And the search engine always defaults to sorting results by "coupons" so the people who offer them are always listed first. And a company will not be included in a category search until it has been reviewed.
Glenn Davis replied on Permalink
Angie list is a farce
She has all these reviews about customers that are jerks to start with making bad reviews only because they didn't like the color of somebodies hair. They make bogus remarks about good contractors to only have Angie call the contractor up to offer them a membership to do a follow up. This website should be taken down. A friend of mine is in sales for pools, the customer wasn't happy with the price for their pool and wanted it cheaper. They kept ordering more options and more options and expected it to all be free. They reported it to Angies list that the company was trying to rip them off. It wasn't two weeks Angies list called the salesman and offered him a membership to do his own review. I wouldn't use angies list to save my life.
PubliusRexx replied on Permalink
Best Interest!? Of Course!
I must admit I stumbled across this thread, but I just happen to be an AL member. Haven't used it yet, but I figured out how to get a year's worth for about 20 bucks. I am going to force my two cents down your collective throats.
Look people, for those of you whining about a business doing something in their best interest... well, what the heck do you think they should do? Something that is not in their interest? All you whiners are indicative of the growing sickness in this country called Entitlementitis. That's when you think your poop doesn't stink and you believe Uncle Sammy and everyone else should bow down to your needs. Free home, free food, free Caddy, free country club membachip, you name it.
Just quit whining and make America a better place. Stop dragging her down to your level.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
CALL ANGIE'S LIST (866-623-6088) AND HAVE THEM CHANGE YOUR RENEWAL FROM EMAIL TO POSTAL MAIL. Unlike email renewal, if you are on postal mail renewal, then subscription renewal IS NOT AUTOMATIC!!!
After reading MANY negative reviews of Angie's List, I called them and asked if there was any way to stop the auto-renewal of my subscription. Although I could not find it posted anywhere on their website, YOU CAN STOP AUTO-RENEWAL OF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION! Call and have your renewal switched from email to postal mail. Email notification is automatically renewed with an opt-out option. POSTAL MAIL RENEWAL IS AN OPT-IN OPTION. This means that you have to ask them to resubscribe, and they cannot automatically renew your subscription.
MAD 2012 replied on Permalink
Shame on you Angie Hicks
One of the best scams that has come down the pike in a while is Angie's List. The commercials that are constantly running on Cable Television are an out and out lie. What started as a grass root movement, or so the story goes, by Angie Hicks, is now a publicly held and traded mega corporation that is misleading both its subscribers, mainly homeowners, and contractors while simultaneously feeding from both troth's.
Angie's List is one of the cleverest Ponzi Schemes perpetrated on consumers and honest contractors that has ever been pulled off in history. Here's how it works.
In the commercials Angie's List claims the contractors do not have to pay any money to be listed. That's a LIE! Last year my firm paid an annual fee of $6,000 to be a preferred member on Angie's List.
This year when it was time to renew our membership our Angie's List representative informed us our annual fee for 2012 will be $33,000. When we inquired why there was a 400% increase in cost, (remember nobody pays to be on the list), we were told that membership had increased by 50%.
How that justified them charging $33,000 didn't really make sense. The ensuing events I'm quite sure you will find unbelievable, mindbogglingly, and just plain despicable.
When we complained about the exurbanite fee it was then escalated to a manager, he then quickly, with no qualms, dropped the price to $25,000, and with minimal effort on our part then lowered the price to $22,000.
These are the precise sales tactics that Angie claims to protect consumers from, yet they practice daily. Since I wasn't born yesterday I took over negotiations and after stating my case and disdain for their business ethics, they dropped the price to $12,000. Remember what the commercial says, Contractor's don't pay any fees to belong.
Here comes the scam. Angie's list runs a sale they call, "The Big Deal". Here is how it works. They ask a contractor if they'd be willing to run a sale on a given project, for instance a roof job. Angie's List advertises the project under "The Big Deal", a discounted price is offered to people looking to take advantage of the sale that supposedly will only last a certain number of days. They even have a calendar and a time clock ticking down as to when the sales is over.
People who purchase "The Big Deal" pay Angie's List directly via credit card. Angie's List then pays the contractor, but not after taking a percentage for themselves, in some cases their cut is 50%, but what we've learned is, EVERYTHING with Angie is negotiable.
As far as the consumer and the contractor knows, once the clock times out the sale is over.
Unbeknownst to the contractor Angie keeps running the sale for up to 6 months, because, what do they have to lose. Despite the fact this is an illegal practice, Angie allows people to purchase, "The Big Deal" long after it has expired. As unethical as this is, all Angie's List cares about is making their percentage off any sales that were made. The contractor now looks like a fraud because they were told the "The Big Deal" would only run a set period of time, usually 14 days.
The homeowner, who has put their trust in Angie's List now wonders why a sale that was offered over a month ago is still able to be purchased, despite the fact the timer has clicked down to zero, that I have forgotten to mention, is no longer on the Website, yet during the alleged sale it is prominently displayed.
As for them checking the reliability and tract record of any given company, their criteria is this simple, three people who have used the company must post a report. The veracity and origins of the alleged reports are neither verified by a third part or Angie's List.
So what appears to be a benevolent, consumer watchdog co-op is in reality a well-oiled, money making machine, whose only concern is their bottom line.
I will say that Angie's List is unbiased in that their motive is not to steer consumers to reliable contractors, which is deftly portrayed in their commercials, but to line their pockets and fleece both consumer and contractor alike.
The internet is flooded with complaints just as I have listed, see for yourselves.
Shame on you Angie Hicks, shame on you indeed.
So when it comes to finding a reliable plumper, dentists, etc…do your research and don't be duped by the appearance of corporate trickery, disguised as third party testimonials.
MAD 2012 Caveat Emptor
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The missing link for DIYer's
Angie's list is great as a starting point for all of the various contractors that you need. But it is mainly geared towards the people who know nothing about anything in home repair. I found a site, matplex.com, for the guys who can and want to do it yourself. It has some good information on the some reference links but it has the one thing that matters to all of us most. materials pricing. Good starting point for pricing. Matplex keeps updating their site and I have seen some nice info there.
Barry replied on Permalink
Almost bought an Angie's list membership
I almost bought a membership! Glad I didn't, and won't ever thanks to the enlightening and frightful posts here.