Angies List Complaint - Yet Another Bit of Feedback
I got this email the other day and wanted to share it with y'all. The original author informed me that she was asking for a refund and was planning to cancel payment via her credit card company if Angies List didn't give her a refund.
Edit for clarity:They sent this to Angie's List customer support first and then sent a copy to me
Dear Angie,We are in the midst of remodeling several portions of our home and were quite excited to discover your service. Last Thursday I signed up for a one year membership and contacted a contractor from your list. I was very excited because this company had awards and eight times more reviews than the other contractors in the category. The prices quoted on all of their jobs in the reviews were low. The quality of the work in the picture appeared impressive.
I scheduled an appointment for Saturday afternoon. The company was very pleasant on the phone and the representative who came to our home was also nice.Angie's List is a great concept, but it's not turning out to be as easy or helpful as I at first believed it would be.
Reason? It seems more of a starting point, with lots of investigative work still to be done. Good contractors may not be on the list and bad ones may be.
The caveat is that I'm still new to this and have only contacted one business.
I will not, however, even consider using the business I contacted.Here is my problem.
I understood that the contractors on your list could only be there if one of their clients (nominated them) wrote a review and put them there. "They cannot buy their way onto the list."
Is this correct?
In a general conversation with this contractor, I was told that you solicited him. "Angie's List was mostly on the East Coast. A couple of years ago when they expanded West they (needed a list and) called us and asked if they could list us. At first I was skeptical, but I finally told them that as long as it was free they could list us. Our business took off from there."Do you solicit businesses?
The story has a ring of truth to it. If the story is true, it bothers me immensely.
At least in the beginning, it doesn't appear that this company came to your list from a client.
Of course. You need a list to start building a list. You have to start somewhere to get members so that they can submit reviews.
Angie's List is a business.
However...
It seems that building a list in this way compromises the list's integrity.
This is not the online Yellow Pages advertising and supporting businesses, but rather a service to help consumers choose a business they can trust. Right?
How can you build trust on a foundation of deception?Actually, to take this a step further, what is to prevent someone from getting on the list by writing a review of their business while posing as a client?
What's to prevent someone from padding their reviews by writing several himself or by soliciting friends or family to do so?
Checks and balances. Consumers can post unfavorable reviews...
but perhaps there is also an easy way around that...
My husband found one company with an unfavorable review and felt strongly that the contractor padded his account with positive letters - I think he said five - to raise his average and counteract the negative report. My husband felt all five letters were written by the same person because all were typed in caps and the language structure was the same. Is this a possibility?
Could a person join for one month just to submit a review?
Paying someone $20 (buying them a membership) to submit a favorable review of your company could be very inexpensive advertising. Even paying lots of people to do that would be cost effective and give a business a huge boost.
This could be especially true if the business stood out incredibly far ahead of the pack - as the one I chose did. Subliminal marketing...
I wonder now if the contractors with less reviews might actually be more real.I pose these questions because of the quality of work the contractor I contacted showed me. Although the homeowner was very happy, I still wonder if this company may have padded their listing. Perhaps they really do have a huge business going -- and maybe I don't know what a professional remodel should look like.
Okay.
I've got it.
My criteria: There should be no obvious defects in workmanship and the job should blend well with the house. It should not stand out as a remodel.The contractor took us to see a "high-end" ($80,000) kitchen remodel that he had just completed. He was very proud of the workmanship and the homeowner was also very happy. I believe she found him on Angie's List and that they did not know each other prior to the project. He said that she did not submit a review but I'm quite sure it would be favorable if she were to submit one.
The cost of this remodel was far higher than the (advertised) prices in the reviews that get a subscriber's attention to call the company. Marketing. I'm just making a point. This is not a money issue for me.I'm not an expert, so some of the things that I didn't care for may not really be a problem. Maybe just personal taste...
However, there were two things I noticed that I really believe were wrong...
After we returned home, I asked the contractor about the location of the seams in the granite counter top. I told him that I would prefer the seams in my counter to be located near the corner of the L.
He was quite adamant that these things were done properly and skillfully and that my opinion was wrong.This contractor made the granite seam straight through the center of the sink!
Not only was that the focal point of the kitchen, but it was also the narrowest and weakest part of the entire slab. The seam was wider than usual and the filler color made the joint obvious. I could also see the joint seam along the front edge of the bull nose from several feet away. The contractor told me that the bull nose seam is always visible regardless of who does the work. That is not true. This homeowner got shoddy workmanship on a very expensive part of her kitchen.
The cabinets were "custom", but the upper cabinets on the sink side looked more like random pieces that would work. They were probably made for that kitchen and maybe the designer just wanted a lot of space around them. The staining on the cabinets didn't look professional to me; I also had some issues with the tile work and edge pieces on the back splashes. The kitchen was not large and it did not have a huge number of cabinets. I think they overpaid for what they received, but I really don't know.
So...what do I want?
Answers -- and some reassurance that the list is valid and my experiences should improve.
Maybe, since Angie's List depends on feedback, you might find my experience yesterday helpful. I did not (and will not) use this contractor, but I don't care to leave negative feedback about work that someone is proud of and the homeowner is happy with. I wonder how many others out there might feel the same way?
![Image of Clock Movement Quartz Square Straight Black Hand 1/4" Kit Made in USA](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41vcJui0trL._SL75_.jpg "Clock Movement Quartz Square Straight Black Hand 1/4" Kit Made in USA")
Comments
Did you send this letter to Angie's List or just this site?
When a report comes in, it is reviewed by a department at Angie's List. It has a name, member number and address associated with it. While names aren't published on the site, they can be viewed by companies and are viewable to employees of Angie's List. Contractors are more than welcome to encourage members to submit reports. Therefore, it isn't unusual to see a "bad" report and then positive reports following. After all, anyone in any service industry can tell you that you can't make all people happy and you will eventually meet someone that doesn't like the work you do.
Can a company buy memberships? When members purchase memberships, it is billed on a card that much match the name on the account. Can you get seated at a restaurant faster if you tip? I don't know, but I'm sure someone can slip anyone $20. Can they do this as a marketing tool? Angie's List would hear about it eventually. Some member would let it slip that John the Contractor bought him a membership in which case a legal investigation would ensue and that company would be permanently banned from Angie's List.
I hope this new member takes the time to call or email Angie's List to get reassurances. She obviously isn't going to get it here!
clarification of origin of the mail
Tina,
I've clarified the introduction to make it more obvious that this was sent to Angies List first and then copied to me.
You have a lot of faith that "Angies List would hear about it eventually." I don't have the same faith that you do. Especially given all of the horror stories that people have related in the comments on these posts, it appears that there is a lot more shady dealings going on than there is honest we're in it to help you kind of good natured company.
Angie's List: The Real Deal
This submission is authored by a former employee of Angie's List who has seen things from the inside. First, Angie's List employs people to scour the web for references to their company and respond to them, shedding doubt on a naysayer and coming up with a spin that makes their halo shine. Second, companies can't "buy their way onto the list" BUT Any Company can and does buy memberships for family members and others so they can submit positive reports. Then Angie's List can sell Any Company advertising. They limit advertising spots depending on the size of the market so that companies pay a premium for their spot. Third, Angie's List promotes on-the-job drinking and drinking during their numerous over-the-top parties. Finally, Angie's List keeps their cost down by frequently laying off employees with major health problems (interesting since they so heavily promote drinking.)
My experience with Angie's List leads me to hope that there is divine justice so the owners and leaders will "reap what they have sown." They would benefit from experiencing the agony they have caused so many others.
casting doubt on naysayers
In my own experience they've taken a surprisingly hands off approach to me. I did get a call and had some e-mail conversations with an employee and she was very reasonable.
There are certainly lots of people who have tried to discredit me or the other commenters on this site, but it's not clear that any of them were Angies List employees.
Fees
There is no way I'm paying for a service such as this. There is so much room for deception that it's scary. Not only that, they charge a 10.00 sign up fee along with the monthly fee. No thanks. There are others ways to get ripped off that may bring enjoyment to my life but not this.
Same here. NO WAY is this worth the cost...
I heard them 'advertise' Angie's list on WHYY in the Philly area, decided to check them out.
WTF's up with the fee? Somehows Craigslist manages to be FREE. I understand there are apples and oranges here, but the point is that they're both message boards...
I mean, how OFTEN would you use Angie's list? How OFTEN do you get your kitchen redone? Or, assuming you find a good fix-it guy, plumber, etc., why would you look for another?
I understand that Angie is entitled to WANT something for her effort, but, for me, you'd have to add something to the offering like articles, exclusive deals, coupons, etc., rather than just host a message board in which the members provide all of the content.
The opportunities for abuse are obvious, of course, and the story about them canvassing businesses to 'get them going' in a certain area has the ring of truth.
I'm reminded of a certain website (name escapes me) who wanted $50 for a year of TV guide listings. THAT isn't around either...
This is the case of the fox
This is the case of the fox guarding the chicken coup.
It is true that if Angies discovers a company has paid for a client's posting, the company will be forever banned. But now, who's going to tell?
If my cousin, my mother, or my 5 girl friends want to give me a "goods" review, I haven't paid them a penny, but how on earth is Angies going to know?
THIS "LIST" IN UNRELIABLE AT BEST, AND POSSIBLY A CONSUMER FRAUD.
Well said, greggles
I own/operate a local business directory which I will not mention.
I heard about Angieslist.com recently and decided to check them out for ideas
about my own site.
After searching through five (5) categories, I finally found one with businesses listed
under it for my city.
I found it very interesting that, out of the four businesses listed, all of them received
a grade of ... drum roll ... wait for it ...
"A"
That's right. They all have the magic "A" next to their business, but no one left a specific
review for those companies. Isn't that a bit curious? I think so.
See, my site utilizes two basic methods for rating a business: an anonymous
system of adding one (1) to five (5) stars, and a slightly less anonymous system of adding
a personalized review.
In the short time that my site has been up, most reviews have come from the star-based method.
There have been a few of what I call "drive-by" reviewers: a local business owner who works in
the same field/category, such as the cleaning services area, who adds one star to all of his
competitors, and he/she adds five stars to his own listing. Hence the drive-by method for adding
a review.
I track all visitors to my site, so I am my own system for checks and balances. If someone leaves
a negative review for a company so be it.
I really have to question Angieslist.com for the simple reason that if they're soliciting businesses to
join their site, they're not being honest and unbiased.
potential for an interesting algorithm!
If you see lots of sessions (or IP addresses) that "mark other people as 1 star and one business as 5 star" then you could start automatically removing those votes, our discounting their value in the final tally for the voters. Interesting ideas.
Angies List
Companies can not join Angies List. My company was on Angies List for as year before I knew one of our customers had put it on the site. You can not pay them to put you on it, and you can not request to get your company name off of it. They will refuse to take it off. They will tell you that they "can't" remove it. Things go well for your business if you get the good reports. But get one F report and you are pretty much down the tubes for any new business until someone else puts a good one above it. The F report my company got is pretty much bogus. Yes I have not gotten the job done, but my work is seasonal, when you have 3 dry days in 30 its pretty hard to get there and finish. They said they called 3 times, they called once. I returned the call but no answer and no voice mail. They said that paid more than half of the job cost in a deposit and we had processed the check and that should have put them at the top of the list. Not so, the people that sent contacts in weeks before they did were about them on the top of the list. The job was for $550.00 and the deposit for $150.00...I'm sorry but that is not half. And I can rebuttle the report. But what I type in will be edited as I can not say that they did not pay that amount. That they didn't call 3 times. So for the use of my company name that I can not get off this list I get a nice paper award and an invitation to pay 100.00 for my own nice wood and pretty one. So Angies list makes money on the people that sign up, I believe around 50.00 a membership, and the ride on the backs of the business owners. If they didn't have the small business owner listed they wouldnt have a business, but the small business owner will get NO backup from Angies list. Your hung out to dry and told to call and talk to that person.
Similar Problem
Angie's List does absolutely nothing to prevent people from going on their site and bashing companies. I have a completely false negative review posted against my company, and Angie's List claims that they "can't" remove it. They say that the remarks are owned by the "member" that posted them, and they have no right to remove them. However, they will continue to broadcast these falsehoods to millions!
Their solution was for me to tell my clients to go to their website and post positive reviews. So, the only way for me to attempt to repair the damage that has been (and continues to be) done to me and my company, is to provide free advertising for them so they can make more money from MY clients! How convenient for Angie!!!! They even offered to provide me with brochures to hand out to my clients.
Why would I send my clients to a website that broadcasts lies about my company?
Angie's List unreliability
One disturbing thing about Angie's List is that they allow a business to comment after I've made a comment and I have no chance to reply. If my comment is negative, the company invariably makes me sound like a grouchy crank and exonerates themselves completely. I've complained to Angie's List about this before, but they really don't care.
I think this is because Angie's List is oriented to steer work to businesses that pay to advertise with them. They're not Consumer Reports; they take money from businesses and serve their needs first, not the members' needs. It's always been suspicious that so many companies get all A's. Or that a company can get two F's out of 40 reports and still have an A overall. And, I think it probably happens frequently that businesses have friends and family buy memberships and file glowing, but false reports. Angie's List must be fully aware of this practice, but as long as they get their $60 per year they have no incentive to try and stop it
It's a great idea, but their product is just too suspect to trust any longer.
WELL SAID
Well said. I could not have said it better.
Beware of Angies List Worth
I have found that Angies List does very little, if anything, to ensure any sort of accuracy of information posted about a company. And it is true that Angies List edits a companies response to a posting; especially if it contains any negative comments in regards to Angies List itself. Our company has a posting against it from a woman that we have no record of ever doing business with her nor any record that she has even called our company. I brought this to the attention of Angies List and so far they have done nothing. Anyone can submit anything they want to about a company; true or false. And once a company is put on Angies List, those companies are contacted about advertising with them; regardless of what kind of rating that company has. Angies List is all about making money and nothing about providing factual information.
paying for advertising on Angies List
Used to be an honor to be accepted for advertsing in Angies List, and very little cost for a special ad. then the yellow bar came around...companies are told this keeps them at the the top of the list and only offered to award winners (and there can my many award winners in the came class.) Price a few years back way under 100.00, now around 600.00 a month for that little thing. My customers think that Angie is showing them the BEST company, no, I tell them, we have to pay for that...they say "your kidding". And yes now every little things cost hundreds of dollars. I call that double dipping....50.00 a month from members and then more bucks to make all these companies looked good. This is a copy of one I got just a day or so ago, I have removed my city as I want no problems out of them:
Hello,
In our February monthly magazine, we are going to be featuring 11 companies that have recently received outstanding reports from our members. You were one of the companies eligible to be on our Honor Roll page for February. Click here to see what the page will look like.
I was wondering if you would be interested in filling one of the spots left. This magazine will go out to the 42,670 paid members we have in the ______________ market. The one time fee is $638 for a color ad. We will also design the ad for you free of charge.
Let me know ASAP if you are interested and I will save you a spot-I have 4 spots left but they are first come, first serve. I will need your information by Wednesday, November 26th.
Thanks!
renewal
Check your credit card statements.....I had asked Angie's List to not renew my subscription in July of 2008 because I came to conclusion that they really don't research their contractors to see if they do good work or not. You are better off just looking in the phone book and asking the contractor a ton of questions based on the research you learn from the project. If they start saying stuff that doesn't make sense....get rid of them.
I was charged in September for a renewal. When I called to find out why....they stated and I quote, "So sorry we will go ahead and credit your account....you shall see a credit in November." When I asked further why I was charged when I sent the postcard back explaining why I didnt want to renew they had no answer. Angie's list gets an F.
FREE CONSUMER SITE
Instead of joining Angie's list, go to:
http://www.trustedones.com
It's Free
An Expensive Joke
I see no reason to pay to get a list of contractors. A google search for your area will give you the same info a list will give you. As to the "ratings": yah, and I believe in the tooth fairy.
Only gullible people trust online ratings that cannot possibly be checked and double-checked by Angie's or Service Magic. They are a joke. Unfortunately, they are an EXPENSIVE joke.
The LOCAL BBB does a much better job as they interview the contractrs IN PERSON.
Better Business Bureau better than Angies List?
"The LOCAL BBB does a much better job as they interview the contractors IN PERSON."
Are you kidding me? The only interview is when the big fat sales guy comes over to get the check. I started a business 10 years ago, filed a new business registration and got solicited by BBB within a few days. The sales guy came over to make his presentation. I asked him how he knew that we were a "better business" since we had only been in business for three weeks. He blustered and blathered about how we had filed a DBA and a gotten a business license and…and, er – -all the while looking at the open checkbook on my desk.
Others on this blog have commented on how lame the BBB is. BBB is a franchise in each US city. Some of those franchises are incredibly profitable, given that they are selling 1000's of $700.00 annual "memberships" in a BBB--and only providing a five cent sticker.
Last week I received a postcard solicitation from them (even though we are already members!) saying that "35 people had inquired" about our company in October". That's VERY interesting, as our business took a dive last month due to the economy. I don't think we got 5 new calls for work all month--so how come 35 people phoned the BBB about us? I called them on it, and they hedged and evaded. BBB is exactly the same as AngiesList and equally compromised.
Really?
Considering the BBB only allows businesses to become members if they've been in business for more than a year, I question your comment's validity.
BBB Is Not a Franchise
The Better Business Bureau is a non-profit organization, not a franchise. It is operated independently in each city or location, so there will be variations in how things are run, but the rule in my city is that you have to be in business for a year before you can join. Also, they do a background check on the businesses, and anyone who has unanswered complaints isn't allowed to join. Also, if you've been involved in fraud you aren't allowed to join.
no "joke"
I wouldn't put Angies list in the same category as Service Magic, Yes service magic does carefully screen its contractors, requesting proof of insurance, and customer satisfaction. The local BBB is a joke, anyone who slaps down the fee is in.
Angie's List Sucks and is a rip off
I signed up for one month. Then they charged me several months. RIP OFF. ANGIE' S LIST SUCKS!
Angie's List Complaint Resolution
I recently used Angie's List for a complaint resolution against a contractor we used, and the contractor finally came out (1 year after the original work was done) to finish the work. I told Angie's List that they finished the work, so they removed my complaint entirely and told me I could re-rate using only A's or B's. I'm sorry, but AVERAGE is a C, and it would be an improvement over the overall D I gave them originally. Personally, I think I rated them fairly the first time (with excruciating details) and would simply want to add an "update" to the post saying that the job was finally done. I told them that next time (if there IS a next time), I'd rather take the company to court! The BBB wasn't much help, either. Checkbook.org is decent, but it doesn't give enough room for extensive feedback when necessary. I'm seriously considering starting my own site... in my copious free time. ;P
Bait and Switch
Angie's List is total bait and switch. I signed up for a couple months, then after getting my contractor (and being satisfied enough), followed their exact procedure to cancel. The charge kept showing up on my card. So I called again. They of course have no record of the first call and I (like a dummy, I admit) did not get a confirmation number. I canceled again, got a name and confirmation number, but still a charge showed up. I am now calling the credit card company and disputing the charge. For a group that claims to be on the consumer's side, they are only on their side.
Watch out for Angie's List
Angie's List was based on their integrity and unbiased reporting. I heard they keep contractors who want to advertise on the top and member's are HARASSED about reporting on these companies. Companies that advertise always come up before companies that may have more ratings, or a better rating. Now here is the kicker. When I used to call I was assured that EVERY report was hand checked. Now it is some reports, or a percentage. I heard that they outsourced a lot of their jobs to India and that they can't guarantee that submitted reports get checked at all. I really loved Angie's List and thought it was an excellent service and I have found many great service providers from them, but now I will not recommend them to anyone, nor will I use them in the future. They are no long unbiased, and they have no way to insure users are getting truthful information.
Workpost.com is a good alternative
Our site is new, but we have nearly 600 professionals in our directory that are all able to be reviewed. As we get more people going to the site we anticipate meaningful reviews will begin to appear. Best of all, Workpost.com is free for all to use!
Angie's List
Hey guys and gals, I've been hearing a lot of complaints about this company. They're not that active in my city so I've decided to start a company that does pretty much the same thing. Any pointers or opinions from you all that I could consider before I roll the website out? What would be something that I could do to that Angie's list isn't doing? I definately appreciate your input. Thanks
Had to cancel and they intially refused to refund me
I called to cancel my month-to-month membership (which dragged on for far too long, how did I get sucked into this???). The reviews are pedestrian, the companies are not much better than average. I called to cancel and was initially told I could not get a refund on the current month's membership. It had been only 5 days and I had only used them once to look up their new Health Care section, that was when I decided it was not worth it to continue any longer. I asked to speak to a supervisor who gave me a refund on the last three months. That was at least the decent thing to do.
Options
It makes NO sense to charge consumers for the right to post comments on contractors. DIOPRO.COM offers the same service and charges the contractors to list them. If they fall below a 2.5 out 5.0 they're dropped. Make sure there are several examples of feedback before you hire the contractor. DIOPRO.COM will be in your city in March 2009.
If your contractor isn't on DIOPRO.COM ask them to sign up...then they know you're going rate them and will likely provide better service.
DIOPRO.COM also has a payment service where the contractor doesn't get paid until you approve of their work.
A MUCH BETTER OPTION!
Magnet
Boy, this discussion is a real magnet for every POS Angie's List clone on the internets. So sad they cannot see that they have the exact same flaws that everyone here is complaining about. I guess starting a message board beats working.
Not Honest in Dealing with Consumers
I called Angie's List (for West Coast) and was told in order for our rating of a contractor we hired, we would have to "join" Angie's List and pay to leave a review. Why should we have to pay to rate a company that we hired and paid for their services?
We called the Angie's List Rep and he said there was a way around and that Angie's List would post our review of a contractor we hired and they would post it and screen print it, without our having to join.
While we were giving the sales rep the contractor grade ratings, the rep was on the phone to us changing the contractor grades from B to A! Totally disregarding what we were saying. Because the contractor paid money to Angie's List the sales rep changed our ratings to A's.
We are now told that we cannot post on this website without joining and paying for one month.
But, from what I am reading once you "join" Angie's List, they will continue to charge your credit card.
suggest recording your calls
I recently started using Google Voice and/or Audio Hijack Pro (though other software exists and works well) to record my calls with service people. I've had too many experiences where the person told me something that is against company policy or just downright bad service and having a recording helps when you get a further run-around.
Not Honest
Sounds like there's some confusion here. Consumers get to assign grades -- we don't. We have an auto bill function, but you can opt out of that.
Please give me a call or email me so we can straighten this out.
Cheryl at Angie's List -- 317-396-9134 or cherylr@angieslist.com
Not Honest
Consumer = Anybody that pays to be a member.
I can become a member and talk fantastic stories about my own company.
Therefore Angie's List has no power to verify any grade assigned on any company, weather it is positive or negative.
I am a small business in
I am a small business in Columbus that started a remodelling company in the late 1990's. In my second year in business a lady I worked for posted a report on Angie's list about me. In the next couple years I had several different people post reports on me without me knowing. All those reports were excellent reviews about me from the client. Over time, as I kept getting positive reports from more and more people that I worked for, my business picked up and got better and better. I now have many dozens of reports and they are 99% great reports.
I know that my business has grown tremendously due to my exposure on Angie's list. And I also know that I go above and beyond for my new clients especially because I know I will probably get 'graded' and do not wish to let anyone 'fall through the cracks'.
My own experiences with Angie's list have been really good. Yes of course they are a huge company - they actually began their business right now the road from me back in the mid 90's before I knew about them. And now there are over 1 million members.
Of course with that many members and in such a large company, there are going to be people getting mad at you, angry about a mistake, maybe in some cases the ball got dropped by somebody at angie's list several times in a row, etc. This is unavoidable. EVERY COMPANY and especially every LARGE company takes a lot of slack. Companies are easy for people to get on and slander.
It is very common also for people to get mad and then change stories because of being mad. There are many things posted here that are slandering ANgie's list and I would be willing to bet that there is another side to the story in every case. Especially in today's world we are all taught from a very early age that we lie to get what we want, or when we get mad we can shift the facts around to our benefit. Everyone has done that at some point. All of us. And the people at Angie's list are human too and of course they are going to make mistakes. But, some of the stuff on here is outright bogus and is coming from people obviously frustrated and angry and using ANgie's list as a scapegoat.
Angie's list is simply a company trying to make a profit and attempting to do so by best serving the consumer to find reputable companies to do business with. Of course this is not perfect. But there are over 1 million consumers who are angies list members. And thousands of service comanies (I am one). Even if only 1 out of every 100 people who become angies list members OR FOR THAT MATTER ANGIES list employees (and then leave angies list) - even if only 1 out of a hundred of these people go to the point of trying to blast angies list from either a sonsumer side or "past employee" side, that is still a THOUSAND PEOPLE making stuff up and blasting angie or all that jazz.
Of course if these negative comments in this web blog posting were balanced with the thousands of very satisfied members - yes things would tend to even out and people would get a more clear and accurate view of what ANgie's list is really about.
My own view is that reading some of the nasty reviews of angie's list on here says more about the person writing them than it does about Angie's list. Not all but many. For instance to say that Angie's list MADE them give only an A or B report is totally bogus.
Angie's list is like everyone else- working with real human beings within their company, many of them probably exemplary people, all of them going through things that each one of us who is living today on earth are all going through - real lives, family, friends, joys and sadnesses, let downs, hardships and challenges. I really have not seen anything over the last decade of my dealings with ANgie's list to lead me to believe they are cheating people, or conning them, or are evil. hahahaha.
wow, you sound like a paid
wow, you sound like a paid clone from angie's list.... funny how cheryl from angie's list posted about the misinfomation, and "confusion" from this site, and right after her, you pop up as an "actual" consumer trying to cherry coat the positive side of angie's list. Very ironic indeed.... and soooo see through. Listen, why would I even pay for this site anyway considering so many lists out there are FREE FREE FREE like CRAIGSLIST which I LOVE!!! You wouldn't even exist if it were not the opinions of consumers so why turn around and charge them for what you need to survive. So how do you make money, why dont you ask CRAIGSLIST people, they seem to be smarter than you. Or maybe you should stop throwing crazy parties, drinking and wasting time like surfing on the net and doing junk!
Angies List is corrupt scam with unethical business practices
Angies List is corrupt scam with unethical business practices
Submitted by Dr Charles G (not verified) on Wed, 2010-06-02 15:36.
It is my hope that this reply will reach innumerable Angies List potential victims. Those who think AL detractors must be biased will find no substantive reason to challenge my negative conclusions. I am not an Angie List customer but when I "bit" on their marketing angle, I got a lot of interesting insight on just how they do business. As a business owner for over 35 years, I understand very well the importance of a good reputation and marketing. As a highly compassionate and caring medical doctor, I have been blessed to have people assume that I am both trust-WORTHY and relatively bright person. At the risk of not seeming as humble as I am, I believe I have repeatedly earned and honored that trust and respect.
Unfortunately my recent interaction with AL list representative Charles (no connection with me), showed a corporate culture that is not as noble as they pretend to be. Based on BOTH the way they set up their business model AND the disrespectful and pedantic (look that up, Charles) attitude of AL's rep., my biggest regret in contacting AL recently is that I allowed them to waste 15 minutes of my time as I politely (until the very end) encouraged them to be more open about disclosing the cost of their subscription service BEFORE requiring the caller (net contact) provide personal information like email address and password, etc.
My impetus for the call was to confirm (or refute) my impressions about the apparent NON-disclosure of service costs in a reasonable manner, before invading my privacy. As the call progressed, I came to see that the AL representative had no objectivity about business ethics. Even though the "List" does subject its viewers to overt advertising as I assume many or most service providing sites do, there is NOTHING in the way of a visible or public disclaimer about vested financial interests AND a FEE REQUIREMENT to get the promoted information from "The List", until it is quite possibly "too late" (for the sake of your privacy).
DESPITE my prior instruction to erase any information they had gathered about me from their lead development intake process (which I had objected to in writing and by voice mail), I received a rather impolite and cocky sales call from what I can best describe as an arrogant twit who chose not to understand my concerns. His "company position" was one of a sarcastic and false apology for my own "confusion" about their wonderful service. Apparently anyone would have to be stupid to object to their "bait and switch", or more correctly, their tease to get you to invest time and disclose private information before FIRST announcing that they want you to ALSO pay for the same service as their advertisers.
As I now read the comments in this blog about the other fees and procedures that are built into this self-annointed, angelic-sounding "LIST", the "Buyer's Beware" RED FLAGS go up all over the place. Beside the Better Business Bureau the most obvious place to look for reputation problems with a potential contractor for your home projects (etc) is the public record. Between the Clerk of Courts in your region, the state licensing agencies and other truly free resources, one does NOT NEED the self-promoting list. Just be sure you get the whole name of the contractor(s) who would actually do your work and hit the websites creatively - and cross check references in detail. Several readers above have pointed out how AL can be gamed, just like the List-folks game the poor suckers who get sold and give data before they find out about a fee, and another fee,... and a membership... and an upgraded listing... and so on!!
My dear fellow readers - talk with your friends and neighbors and get direct referral information from people you both know AND TRUST. Then just do your projects in an ordinary business like manner with partial payments at specific performance steps, see the insurance policy or declarations page of someone who claims to have insurance, verify licensure and lack of disciplinary actions or legal complaints, and do anything else that might protect you from the unscrupulous contractors and those who would sell you a gimmick for you to do less homework about the people you let into you home or business. There are lots of companies, INCUDING ANGIE's LIST, who will take your money by pretending to be worth the fees they charge you by surprise and then charge you again and again.
With "NO axe to grind", I wish you "good shopping" for your projects and services. Unfortunately "Angie's List" appears to JUST be another group of strangers with BUILT IN INCENTIVES to cost you more than they are worth.
Dr. Charles G. of Ocala, Florida
The concept is flawed from the get-go
You can't co-opt word of mouth or make a business model from it.
Word-of-mouth is based on personal relationships. The Advertising boys would like to be able to get a hold of it, but it is not the type of thing you can commercialize. It is like taking these 'grassroots' movements and astroturfing them. People smell fakeness a mile a way, particularly on the Internet.
Someone asked me the other day for a car repair recommendation. They asked me, not because I was a warm body, but a guy who studied Automotive Engineering at General Motors Institute and is generally a "car nut". I was happy to recommend a local place to them that I thought had a good shop, did good work, and charged reasonable prices - based on my expertise in the field AND my experience with that shop. Without one, the other is meaningless.
Now, if I asked the same recommendations from Aunt Hattie, she might say that the nice young man at the tire store did a good job on her Impala, and charged her only $2500 for the brake job on her tire store credit card. What a nice young man!
Look, if I want a cake recipe, Aunt Hattie is the go-to girl. But in terms of evaluating other things? Perhaps not.
And that is where ALL online evaluation sites fail. You have to KNOW the person who is giving the word-of-mouth advice, or otherwise the context is lost and the data is meaningless.
Word-of-mouth from strangers is useless information - and often is shilled.
So, no thanks. I am not paying $5 a month to get advice on a plumbing contractor from some hysterical housewife who doesn't understand the first thing about plumbing, other than her basement is wet.
Most consumers have unrealistic expectations from contractors - they want it done for free, done perfectly, and done yesterday. When their world-view collides with reality, they freak out, mostly because they feel powerless in the transaction.
There are "bad" contractors out there, but it is not hard to figure them out pretty quickly. Ask someone you know and trust in the field - chances are the data you get is 1000 times better than any list or complaint site.
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