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sunny_ne

Is Angie's List helpful?

sunny_ne
13 years ago

Has anyone joined Angie's List and did you find it helpful?

Comments (11)

  • kudzu9
    13 years ago

    I find it to be a reliable and useful resource if I'm looking for a service and don't have a recommendation or reference from friends, or if I just want to have multiple choices.

  • stash-hdy
    13 years ago

    It's only as good as the honest or not input by the individuals, its best to get multiple references to validate.

  • steve_o
    13 years ago

    I've subscribed to Angie's List for many years and likely will continue to subscribe. Frankly, I find the recommendations of family/friends to be more anecdotal than anything; there's no way I know as many people who've replaced roofs recently than the numbers of people on Angie's List. I also don't know that many people in the trades (or people who do, like RE agents or folks who come from big families of carpenters/plumbers/electricians). So, for me, being able to read the recommendations on Angie's List is a good start to narrowing down a list of contractors.

  • chisue
    13 years ago

    I'm at our condo on Maui. Have just fired our fourth cleaner in ten years. I started filling out the online form for this. Got to page three and still no info on the cost of the memebership. I don't NEED to belong at this address for anything except finding a cleaner. We're only here a couple of months at most. I don't like a process that pulls you in before you pricing -- or if they even have a 'cleaner' category.

    Guess I need to find a List member on Maui who will share information on cleaners! LOL This is THE single most difficult part of owning a vacation rental condo in Hawaii: Finding a thorough, reliable cleaner.

  • steve_o
    13 years ago

    chisue, the List also has a call-in number. I would think you could call and ask the questions about categories and membership costs. Be aware that they frequently run new-member discounts and some AL cities even let you join "by the month" (well, they used to do that; don't know if they still do).

  • dickross
    13 years ago

    Angies list discourages negative reviews by sending your name to the contractor being reviewed. Suposedly to encourage you to let the contractor who just screwed up your house come back and "fix" his work.
    You can't sign up for one year. You have to give them a credit card # and are automaticly renewed unless you are on the ball and remember to cancel when renewal comes due.
    I assume this policy is because most people would not renew willingly.
    I got burned by the top rated kitchen remodeling contractor. No I didn't file a report. I didn't want to deal with this guy any more, And I sure didn't want him back in my house to screw up anything else.

    I think there are a lot of people filing reports that wouldn't know what quality work looks like. Or maybe it's just the contractors that are fileing phoney reports.

  • jane__ny
    13 years ago

    I think I paid $19.99. Could be wrong it has been a while. It depends on what you are looking for. I did not find it helpful as I was looking for specific categories which had few reviews in my area. There are many listings with no reviews. What good is that? Only people who are members can write a review. Depending on where you live, there might not be many members

    I think they give you 2 weeks to cancel which I did. I remember the price was hidden. I called.

    Jane

  • scrappy25
    13 years ago

    I just bought a gift membership fora friend for $30 and at Christmas they often have half price gift membership for $15.

    I have really liked their "Big Deals", generally good value time limited deals only offered by A rated companies. I have many things in the back of my mind that I'd like to have done around the house, but don't have the time or energy to research it. So when Angie's list sends a Big Deal that allows me to cross something off my list, I've jumped on it and have not been disappointed yet. So far, I have bought. I know the values vary by market; you can look at those without being a member.
    1. Handyman service for 2 hours $75 (contractor and helper, 2 hours, hung new French doors)
    2. Fall yard and garden cleanup $200 up to half an acre. These guys showed up with 8 people and ATTACKED the yard, cleaner than it's ever been.
    3. Painting walls in 3 rooms up to 500 sf, 2 coats $600. These guys were fantastic. My walls were pockmarked from many diy drywall repairs in the past (3 boys). They looked new by the time these guys were done, I think they skim coated every wall, a nice surprise. it took 2 guys about 7 hours.
    4. Drywall repair and handyman services 1 guy, 6 hours for $200.
    I had cut six holes in my walls to see what was behind them in anticipation of a possible kitchen remodel. Also, our kitchen ceiling was a mess from water damage (guest left the shower curtain bottom OUTSIDE the tub in the upstairs bathroom above the kitchen while taking a shower). I also had him caulk and paint my dark ceiling beams. Again, excellent work on all of it and I was very pleased.
    5. Whole house duct cleaning with a certified company for $200.
    6. Whole house surge suppression $175. The electrician also replaced a hard wired smoke detector for $25.

    So, I have really benefited from my membership.

  • barbcollins
    13 years ago

    I don't like that they claimed to be non-biased but then solicit money from contractors etc for advertising.

    A couple of my husband's customer listed him on there, and for a long time we kept getting sales calls from Angies' List for advertising.

  • dreamgarden
    13 years ago

    We needed to hire a mover. A friend who subscribes gave me the name of three companies on the list. The one we chose (not the most $) worked out great.

    They showed up on time, didn't break anything and got the job done in record time.

    I'd recommend them to anyone.

    Here is an Angie's list review I found that refers to pricing:

    "How Much Does The Service Cost?

    If you opt for monthly billing, membership is $5.95 a month plus a sign-up fee of $10.00

    Annual memberships, which starts at $47.00 a year, are tiered and you get special discounts depending on the number of years you sign-up for. Additional sign-up fee is $10.00.

    How about refunds? You may cancel at any time. Annual memberships are backed by a 110% money back, satisfaction guarantee. There are no refunds for monthly memberships so you are better-off signing-up for an annual membership in order to have a chance for a refund."

    www.papoom.com/AngiesListReview-01.htm

  • betsyhac
    13 years ago

    No! I thought it was a complete waste of money and a total ripoff. There were very few contributions, and the ones that were there were really old. There are plenty of review sites online these days, via Google or whatever. I think you're better off maybe getting some names through Inet searches or locally and then looking for reviews. References are the best way to find help. And get a consensus! I hired a guy to help remodel my kitchen based on a neighbor/friend's recommendation, and he was a real loser. If you do join, at least look for a coupon code online to reduce the cost.