Angie's List. Worth it or not?

[wren]

Is there good information on Angie's List? I'm going to need a contractor to build onto my house. We tried asking around for recommondations and got a real doozey of a contractor. Is Angie's List a good buy?

 

[ChickenAl]

I have it and it seems tobe alright. Some of the reviews are just like you would read in any Internet search. There will some good and some bad for the same contractor. It should help you weed out the really bad ones, though. I don't think there is ever a 100% foolproof way of finding anyone to do work for you.

 

[dewey]

Hmm...well, my company is an Angie's List member (as a ROC licensed/bonded/insured contractor) yet I believe a consumer should still always personally verify a contractor's ROC status & complaint history, their local long-term BBB standing, and at least several old and recent references, instead of rely on a services subscriber list.

Checking with the ROC goes without saying, and I believe long term BBB membership/standing is much more telling than any of the "come-lately" service subscriber lists out there, which hold, basically, zero clout when compared to ROC and BBB.

Was your contractor ROC licensed?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Does Angie's List cost to join?

 

[ChickenAl]

Does Angie's List cost to join?

Yes, it does. Costs me $3.25 a month. You can cancel whenever you want to, though.

 

[kevs-chickadees]

Angies list also costs the contractor an arm and a leg to be on it, same with the BBB. We are called/ solicited constantly by them to "join and advertise". It's only $38 a month they say, yes with a re-occurring yearly fee of several hundreds of dollars. I know from personal experiences that if a contractor gets bad marks they pay to have them resolved, if they get to many a contractor will simply change their name and the license holder and jump right back into screwing people over! Any one wanna buy a solar water heater for several grand?

I rant and rave about all this just to let you know just because the remarks on all these "lists" are good doesn't mean the company or contractor is. My advice is to ask people you know and trust for their suggestions, then make sure the license info is up to date. Check the bond amount and the insurance amount and the expiration on those 2 amounts. Most importantly, if and when you meet with them if you don't feel right about something, there is a good reason why!