"Ever Heard Of
Angie's List?"
Do you need a home improvement contractor who is
dependable and can get the job done within the
planned schedule? How about a gardener who can
landscape your garden and keep it beautiful? So
what do you do when you need these services?
We usually ask family, friends, and neighbors
first to find out if they can recommend someone
for the job. In cases wherein they do not know
of anyone to recommend, our next option
— although not necessarily the best
— is the yellow pages. Others go to
craigslist or do some endless searches on
internet forums for recommendations.
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Of course
we've heard of Angie's List but had never really
seriously considered it at all. |
One time, my husband and I were talking to a
friend of ours about doing some home
improvements and mentioned that we might need
some contractors. Of course, the conversation
lead me to ask whether she might know of someone
for the job. The unfortunate answer was a "no"
but she added ... "ever heard of
Angie's List?"
Of course we've heard of Angie's List but had
never really seriously considered it at all. In
fact, when I had first heard of Angie's List
before, the first thought that came to my mind
was that this was just another glamorized form
of the yellow pages. But since she brought this
back to our attention, we thought ... what the
heck, we might as well look more into it.
With our trusty PC and blazing fast internet
connection, we did some research on the internet
and this is what we found out.
What You'll Find On This Online
Resource
With over a million paying subscribers all over
the US, Angie's List has been providing
user-driven report cards on services in cities
(big and small) all across the United States.
Angie's List homepage
Angie's List was created by Angie Hicks back in
1995. When she moved to Columbus, Ohio that
year, she was frustrated with the difficulty of
finding contractors to use for
home repairs and improvements. Angie decided to go door-to-door
within her neighborhood and among friends to
collect consumer reviews. Eventually, this list
of consumer reviews grew and gained popularity.
During her first year, Angie had 1,000 members
throughout Columbus. Today,
Angie's List serves cities and communities all over the US and their
list of service categories and memberships just
keeps on growing.
Angie's List has become one of the
fastest-growing companies in the US. Angie’s
List was named to the Inc. 500,
Inc. Magazine’s list of the
fastest-growing privately held companies in the
US for three consecutive years (2002, 2003 and
2004). On November 17, 2011, the company became
public and now trades on NASDAQ (ticker symbol:
ANGI).
Company: Angie's List
Address: 1030 E. Washington Street Indianapolis,
IN 46202
No. of Members: +1,200,000 members
Watch the video and learn more about Angie's
List
Here are more details on the service.
»
You will find
thousands of unbiased ratings of
service companies and health care
professionals in 450 categories on the
site.
»
You will have 24 hr./7 days a week
access to reviews and ratings from
members in your area about local service
providers, ranging from painters and
electricians to dentists and
dermatologists.
» Members rate service providers
an overall grade from A to F, just like
a school report card.
Sample Angie's
List Ratings Report Card
» Service providers are rated
based on the following criteria: price,
quality, responsiveness, punctuality,
and professionalism.
» Before reviews are posted,
these are all checked in order to guard
against providers and companies that try
to report on themselves or their
competitors. This process was reviewed
and approved during a 2009 audit by
BPA Worldwide.
»
You can also call live support whenever
you have questions.
»
You get access to a complaint resolution
team.
»
You get discounts from highly rated
service companies.
Whenever you need a plumber, roofer,
electrician, auto mechanic, landscaper
or any other type of service company,
you have the option to go directly to
their site or contact them by phone.
Most people use the site, which is
available 24 hours/seven days a week,
because of its convenience and
user-friendly features. Scroll below for
screenshots of an actual search process
.
The search process on the site is very
simple to use. By providing your
criteria or parameters, you will then
receive the names and numbers of
companies with which other members have
had good experiences. They will also
tell you what type of work they have
done for other members and what they
thought of their prices, whether they
were punctual, polite, finished the work
on time, etc.
Once the service provider's work is
finished, most members share their
feedback about their service experience.
Their input becomes part of that service
provider's rating on Angie's List.
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Based on our
experience, one of the key benefits that Angie's
List has put a lot of emphasis on is to make the
site very user-friendly for its members. |
Based on our experience, one of the key benefits
that Angie's List has put a lot of emphasis on
is to make the site very user-friendly for its
members. The site is well thought of in the
sense that you can easily find what you are
looking for.
For people who deem themselves not to be
computer savvy, have no fear. The site is really
very user-friendly. As long as you can type and
click the mouse, you will not have a tough time
navigating around the site and maximizing the
use of all its features. You will definitely
find tremendous value with the information that
you will find on Angie's List.
The search process on the site flows smoothly.
As an example, we are showing you how you might
conduct your own search on the site. Below are
sample screenshots of what you will see on the
site.
In our example below, we are looking for a house
exterior painting contractor within our local
area.
The search results for house exterior painting
contractors are shown below. Please note that we
blurred out the company names, phone numbers,
and websites for this example.
For each of the house exterior painter that
comes out in the search results, we can check on
their report card chart. In the example below,
out of the 8 reports (or customer feedback) for
a particular contractor, 88% of their customers
gave them a grade of "A".
We can further get more detailed information and
ratings report on the contractor. Below is a
screenshot.
Below is a sample list of reports on the
contractor. Once a member, you will have access
to all these detailed and very useful
reports.
Here's a sample report on this house exterior
painting contractor.
Here are additional info in the sample report on
this house exterior painting contractor.
The cost of membership for Angie's List
is very affordable and may vary
depending on your location.
Generally, you can expect membership
subscriptions to be a little bit more in
more established locations (larger
cities or cosmopolitan areas) compared
to less established areas (smaller
cities and towns). This is because you
will find more available information on
service providers in larger cities or
cosmopolitan areas than in smaller
cities and towns.
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How about
refunds? You may cancel at any time. Annual
memberships are backed by a 110% money back,
satisfaction guarantee. |
For example, in the San Francisco
Bay Area, which is a more
established location for Angie's
List, annual membership starts at
$40.00. So if you live in a large
city or cosmopolitan area, you might
expect your membership to be within
this price range. Now if you live in
an area which is not as highly
populated as the big cities, you may
expect your annual membership to be
relatively cheaper.
Your annual memberships also gives
you access to special discounts from
highly rated service providers on
the site, which I think is a great
combination: special discounts +
quality service providers = great
customer experience.
In addition to the special
discounts, you have full access to
the great tips and articles they
have on the site and you will also
receive by mail a monthly Angie's
List newsletter/booklet publication
full of tips and service provider
deals right within your
neighborhood.
For longer term subscriptions, you can
sign-up for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years,
and 4 years. As an incentive, you also
get special discounts on
longer term subscriptions. The longer the
subscription, the larger the discount.
There is no
additional sign-up fee for annual or
longer term subscriptions.
If you opt for monthly billing,
membership may start for as low as $5.95
a month (again depending on your location)
plus a one-time sign-up fee of $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.
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Please Note: This coupon code only works with
the link above. Make sure to apply this
coupon code when you check-out.
Visit Angie's List Now |
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A common negative feedback that we have seen about
Angie's List is the subscription fee. Some people do not want to
fork-out money for the subscription saying that it is
"outrageous" to pay just to get reviews on contractors and
other services. They say that they would rather look for
free reviews elsewhere.
|
For us, the
few dollars that we invest in an Angie's List
subscription is worth hundreds or thousands of
dollars in mistakes that we can avoid if we
ended up hiring the wrong contractor or service
provider. |
My husband and I watch our finances
closely and if we have a project for our
home, we want to make sure that our
precious dollars are not wasted on
hiring the wrong contractors.
Do we think a membership subscription to Angie's List is
worth it? Of course we do. For us, the few dollars that we invest
in an Angie's List subscription is worth
hundreds or thousands of dollars in
mistakes that we can avoid if we ended
up hiring the
wrong contractor or service provider. We
think that our subscription is also just a drop in the
bucket compared to the value and
time-savings that the service provides.
Furthermore, alternatives to Angie's
List (such as the yellow pages, Craigslist, contractor forums, etc.) are
still like a roll of the dice
— you won't know if
you will be dealing with
scammers or real professionals —
that is why we consider Angie's List to
be a valuable resource for consumers to
help find the best contractors or
service providers within your city.
|
...
alternatives to Angie's List (such as the yellow
pages, Craigslist, contractor forums, etc.) are
still like a roll of the dice — you won't know
if you will be dealing with scammers or real
professionals ... |
We would rather pay for the convenience
of having one-stop access to all the unbiased reviews we can
find on services available within our city or neighborhood.
We just don't want to waste our time surfing the net looking
for free reviews and recommendations on local services. In fact,
if you have ever gone that route before, you know how
frustrating this can be. It will take you countless numbers
of hours going this route, which is not a great use of your
time. As you already know, time costs money. By using Angie's List,
you can save yourself precious time and
save yourself from all the frustrations and
aggravation in looking for the right service provider for
whatever project(s) you are planning to do.
To summarize, we think Angie's List is
worth it and better than free review
sites for the following reasons:
(1) You won't find anonymous reviews on
the site. Angie's List members submit on
average 40,000 reviews each month for
all the various service categories;
(2)
Customer service ratings and reviews
on the site are certified by a third
party company to make sure that service
providers do not game the system by
reporting on themselves and that
competitors do not provide false
negative reports;
(3) Service providers can respond to
reports on them so that you can get the
whole story and make better informed
decisions;
(4) Angie's List has a
complaint resolution team who can help intercede in the
event that services provided do not go as expected;
(5)
You can
get discounts from highly-rated service providers within
your area (the savings you get from this alone more than
pays for your membership fee); and
(6) You get access to
Angie's List award-winning magazine
which features a comprehensive library
of
helpful videos and informative
home and property improvement and
maintenance tips to keep you
informed on contractor and
service-related matters.
Some of the
most common questions about Angie's List
can be found here in case you still
have some lingering questions on the
service.
So there you have it. We have provided
you the reasons why we use Angie's List.
Should you join Angie's List? The choice
is really up to you.
Gigi S.
PS. Just to get an idea of how many people are using Angie's
List these days, here's a
real time activity tracking view of what's going on live
at Angie's List.
Disclosure: Compensated Affiliate
Visit Angie's List Now
Below are
actual user feedback that we found on Angie's List. |
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"There are
so many people out there ready to take
advantage of the next poor victim to
fall into their trap. I've had and
witnessed many of these situations and
Angie's List is a great tool to outwit
the scammers out there. Sure it costs
money, but the fee is well worth it. If
I have a problem with a company I can
call Angie's List and they'll deal
with the problem for me. Every time I
call I can talk to an actual person -
someone who knows what they're talking
about. Angie's List has saved me time,
money and effort when all said and done
and is worth the money."
» Lassie,
apartmenttherapy.com |
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"OMG, I'm
so sorry you are having to deal with
this, Jewel! I've nothing to add to the
great advice you've received but I will
add my two cents about Angie's List.
I've been a member for a couple of years
and I love it. However, I don't rely on
AL alone. I also check with BBB and my
state's contractor's board - and you
should, too. Get a full picture to see
if there are any red flags that might
not be apparent from an A rating on AL."
» lisa a,
gardenweb.com forum |
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"... I
just joined Angie's List (with a great
coupon!) and I've been reading reviews
for different contractors, and for sh*ts
and giggles looked up how much a
cleaning service might be in my area.
It's shockingly affordable ..."
»
meganjane8, thebump.com |
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"... I am
in the same boat. I used Angies list and
picked 4 contractors with A ratings. I
got 4 completely different opinions and
quotes and now I am stuck figuring out
what I really need to do ..."
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XaeroR35, hvac-talk.com forum |
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"I just
had a positive experience with Capital
Area Handyman, whom I found on Angie's
List and hired to do a nunber of small
repairs at my house, including drywall."
» csp,
bloomingdaleneighborhood.blogspot.com |
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"I always
use Angie's list and I have never been
ripped off by anyone from this service.
You have to pay a membership fee but it
is well worth it."
» jessica,
fairfaxunderground.com |
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"We used
DJW Roofing last summer. I also found
them on Angie's List and they were top
rated. The owner, Dan J Witeck, has been
in the construction business most all of
his life and he is the person who came
to give the estimate and the person who
you do all the business with. His son is
on the crew who actually does the work
so it's a family thing. I think they
might have been a little more expensive
than some of the others but the work is
beautiful. They also took a half day
longer than expected to finish but that
wasn't a problem for me. I'd prefer a
little longer than a rush job ..."
» eriwoo,
tampabay.momslikeme.com forum |
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"I think
that sites like Yelp tend to draw out
the worst comments, no matter what's
being reviewed. I'd put more stock in
Angie's list. Plus, I recommend them!
;-)"
» glenfield,
city-data.com forum |
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"I've only
used Angie's list once to replace a
glass block window in my basement and
they did an excellent job for a great
price, just like how other users had
described ..."
» a_n_d_y,
city-data.com forum |
Read
More
Actual Angie's List Testimonials
Have you
used or are you using Angie's List? Let
us know what you think. Contact us at
CustomerCare@papoom.com
Some of the service categories
that you will find on Angie's
List:
Auto Repair |
Heating, Ventilation, Air
Conditioner Maintenance and
Repair | Electricians |
Doctors |
Dentists |
Handyman |
Hair Salons |
Beauty Experts |
Tanning Services |
Tatoos and Piercing |
Fitness Experts and Trainers
|
Home Improvement
|
Plumbers |
Primary Care |
Physicians |
Real Estate Agents |
Veterinarians and Pet Services
|
Child Care |
Accountants | Acupuncture |
Allergy & Immunology |
Appliance Repair |
Basements |
Cabinet Makers |
Cardiology |
Carpenters | Carpet Cleaning
| Catering | Chimney and
Fireplace |
Chiropractors |
Closets |
Computer Repair |
Contractors |
Cosmetic Surgery |
Dermatology |
Drywall and Doors |
Exterior Painters |
Financial Planners |
Secretaries |
Insurance Agents |
Tax Consultants | Flooring |
Garage and Driveway | General |
Home Inspection |
Housecleaners
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Maid Service |
Wedding Planners |
Interior Painters |
Internal Medicine |
Kitchen |
Landscaping |
Lawn Care |
Massage Therapy |
OBGYN |
Oncology | Pest Control |
Plastic Surgery | Psychiatry
|
Physical Therapists |
Roofing | Roofing and Gutters |
Snow Plowing | Snow Removal |
Travel Agents |
Tree Service |
Urology |
Vein Surgery | Windows Home
Security Systems |
Movers |
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Angie's List marks
15 years
In June 2010, Angie's List marked 15
years. Angie's List now number more than
200 cities in all 50 states, 400
employees, 1.4 million service
companies, 1.2 million members, and more
than 2 million reports.
Angie's List
Live: Click On Image Below To See
How Busy It Is
Click on the image below to see live
what types of services people are
searching for and what types of reports
are being provided by Angie's List
members. You can see that a lot of
people are using Angie's List in cities
all over the US. It really is very busy.
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Please Note: This coupon code only works with
the link above. Make sure to apply this
coupon code when you check-out.
Visit Angie's List Now |
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