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jamie1s

Have you used Angie's list?

Jamie
13 years ago

For painters, light plumbing (like to replace a shower trim kit), light electric (like to replace a chandelier)?

If so, what was your experience?

I once used ServiceMaster, and I when I tried to post negative (honest) feedback to save others, it was rejected.

So I'm curious if a paid service like Angie's list is that much better?

Comments (4)

  • steve_o
    13 years ago

    I've subscribed to AL for about 8 years now and I re-up happily. I figure the yearly subscription fee is much less than I'd pay to fix a crummy job done by some contractor hired on a third-hand recommendation or a random stab in a phone book/Web search.

    In that length of time, I've hired only one "dud" off the List, and that was a handyman. He was one of their less-frequently-rated listees, but I went with him because he met other job requirements. He didn't do a bad job, either -- it just wasn't the smooth experience I had with other selections from AL.

    Negative feedback is not a problem unless it's obvious you're way off the mark ("Joe did good work but seems to hate people in this part of town.") I routinely see contractors downgraded for lack of punctuality or bad phone manners or sloppy cleanup.

    Be aware that all feedback (good and bad) goes to the contractor and they have the opportunity to rebut your side of the story, though AL seems to take the trouble to keep people to the facts. Certainly if you have a beef with a contractor, the more facts you can provide to support your side, the better off you are. AL staff can intervene if you've had a truly terrible experience with a contractor, but there usually are better avenues to pursue (like Small Claims court or your state's Attorney General).

  • kudzu9
    13 years ago

    A little more info...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Angie's List

  • scrappy25
    13 years ago

    Happy Angies list customer here. It's great to have peace of mind when getting work done. Now they have these "Big Deals" from selected local A-rated companies which are for very good prices- especially given the quality of work that I have seen from these companies. For example, I have had 2 hours handyman work for $75 (french doors hung), 3 rooms walls painted (500 sf max, 2 coats) for $600- the walls were really rough and now look so smooth!, whole house air duct cleaning the proper way for $200, whole house surge suppressor installed for $175. The Big Deals add tremendous value to Angies list IMO, and also allow you to sample some of the workmanship of these companies- I will certainly use several of them again.

  • ALICIA MICHELLE
    13 years ago

    Another satisfied customer chiming in for Angie's List. They have a pretty extensive list of service people to choose from in my area although the greatest number of customer comments can usually be found for 'routine' providers, i.e., painters, electrical, plumbing, etc.

    I've used the services of about 12 -13 different contractors in the last three years and have been overwhelmingly satisfied with all but two: a window installer who did a great job but had sloppy paperwork, and a fantastic plumber - who stole my dog's medication!

    Angie's List offered to intervene or mediate a resolution with the plumber but I had already filed a police report since I wanted to get the medicine replaced. My comments regarding the plumber and subsequent action were all posted to the AngiesList website unadulterated.

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