Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List, helps homeowners find peer-reviewed local contractors
We could literally fill our website with the horror stories we’ve heard of local trade contractor let-downs. It’s a heart-breaking reality, but there are contractors out there who would shamelessly waste your hard earned dollars with shoddy workmanship.
Instead, we’d rather share a hot tip on this great website with you!
At Angie’s List, more than 40,000 reviews and reports are received from members each month detailing their experiences with contractors who’ve helped them solve all kinds of problems around their home and property. Members turn to Angie’s List to find, among other things, the best contractors to meet their needs in more than 500 categories of home improvement services.
The idea is, why should you have to risk hiring a bad contractor when your neighbors have already reviewed the work they had done on their homes and are willing to share the details with you in a private forum.
“Plumbing Contractor Came in Less Than 1 Hour,” Says a Member
For instance, a member in Pittsburgh, OH, had a clogged toilet. It was very early one morning, yet within 45 minutes of calling, a highly rated plumber from Angie’s List had arrived, (bringing all tools needed) got everything flowing properly, and even cleaned up the mess. All of this was accomplished in less than an hour! Better yet, for that homeowner, the plumber charged less than what he’d quoted on the phone.
Who wouldn’t like to have the name of that contractor the next time they need a plumber?
Home Improvement Contractor Reviews and Humor Too
Becoming a member of Angie’s List can be entertaining. One favorite report to read comes from a member who was using her properly operating toilet when she noticed movement in her bathtub. She had leaned over to see more clearly and noticed what looked like wings in her drain. The animal control expert she’d found on Angie’s List told her later that it was a bat with a 6-foot wingspan. (We’re laughing now, but I bet it was frightening for her at the time).
Angie’s List won’t accept anonymous reports, and neither are service providers permitted to pay to be on Angie’s List. Her administrators boot out registrants who try to game the system by filing self-reports. They also encourage listed companies to respond to complaints and help–free of charge–keep track of and respond to what their members have to say.
All members have access to the Angie’s List complaint resolution service. This means if they have a problem or dispute with a service provider, Angie’s List will go to bat for them and find a way to get any problems that do arise fixed.
No Anonymous Contractor Reviews Allowed
Angie’s only real complaint is one regarding anonymous reports. She said, “We’ve never accepted them and we never will. We believe strongly that members should be held accountable for providing reliable, truthful information because people depend on those reports to make their own hiring decisions. Anonymous reports are nothing more than Internet graffiti – they cannot be relied upon. Consumer reviews of contractors and reports are powerful tools. They can be incredibly helpful or very harmful, and as such, they need to be information points that are truly representative of what has occurred.
How Angie’s List; Her Reviews Of Local Contractors Began
Angie’s List is the result of a great idea, some hard work, and millions of people banding together to help each other find the best local contractors and doctors. (Yes, you can even find resources regarding medical practitioners! This will come in handy should the wind be blowing while someone is hammering a nail). Fifteen years ago, Angie’s friend and co-founder, Bill Oesterle, was living in the suburbs of Ohio while trying to renovate a 1920’s Victorian house. He was having a terrible time getting repair professionals to return his calls or show up when expected.
He’d come from Indianapolis where a service of this nature was already operating, essentially a “neighborhood grapevine of information” on local service companies. Oesterle had called to ask her if she’d start a similar business in Columbus. Oesterle finally had his house renovated beautifully by great local contractors, so Angie, impressed with the idea of a service from Indianapolis, began a door-to-door gathering of information and signing up of her first members.
Within a year, she’d managed to register an impressive 1,000 members, and Angie’s List was on its way.
The duo eventually bought that Indianapolis company which had so inspired Bill. Angie also shared with us how extremely gratified she is to report that the man who had formerly founded that company, remains one of her members and biggest champions to date. Today, Angie’s List has more than 1,000,000 members and is providing services across the U.S. As well as in some parts of Canada.
Originally posted 2010-08-02 08:00:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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