3068875 wrote:
I seem to recall it was hard to leave. And I still hear from them to this day in emails full of random keywords designed to bypass Bayesian filters.

Interesting.  Thanks.

Vivus Hussein Denuo wrote:
If so, what was your experience?  Did you find good workmen?  Was it worth joining Angie's List?

Yes. Used their referrals extensively in both Los Angeles and here in Florida. Not only are they very careful about who they list, but they will actually get involved in resolving any dispute you may have with someone from there.

Tim Summa wrote:
There was a referral to my place for an electrician from a local electrical company. The company was highly regarded on Angies list (had Angie’s List plastered on the vehicle. Three people recommended the company highly.

They were the biggest disaster and major rip off co artists. Luckily CPS Energy has new technology and when the ‘electrician’ pulled the meter, after removing the sealed tag it only took CPS 20 minutes to dispatch the city police. They had no work permit and the meter was reinstalled by CPS after the ‘electrician’ and his assistant were removed by city police along with their service truck.

I will NEVR use Angie’s list people again. It appears to be a big scam.

I'm disappointed to hear that.  I was going to use Angie's List to find some workmen to fix up my house. 

Lightcraft Studio wrote:

Yes. Used their referrals extensively in both Los Angeles and here in Florida. Not only are they very careful about who they list, but they will actually get involved in resolving any dispute you may have with someone from there.

Ah, another view.  Thanks, Lightcraft.  Now, I'm totally confused. 

Vivus Hussein Denuo wrote:

Ah, another view.  Thanks, Lightcraft.  Now, I'm totally confused. 

Well, your best option is a personal referral. If you don't have one for what you're looking for, then Angie's list is people with referrals that are at least vetted to some degree. Worst case is the random pick from Craigslist or some flyer in the mailbox.

Nothing's perfect, but in my experience the people from there have been better than the ones that were more unknown. They're also very aware of the value of Angie's list to their business, and they do want you to be happy and give them a good mark. That makes a difference.

roger alan wrote:
Yes, I used Angie's List recently when shopping around for a painting contractor.

My overall impression of Angie's list as a business entity is  very negative. They are aggressive in selling to you and in gathering information about you. They are deceptive in their service option descriptions. They are difficult to cancel. Their service provider ratings are skewed to make providers appear better than they are in reality. And their website is clunky, slow, and has things popping up pushing their agendas on you.

Having said all of that, the company could potentially be a source of useful information. As said above, the best referrals are from people you know. But sometimes it is necessary to look outside of your personal network for information.

IMHO, the way to maximize your chances of a good experience through Angie's List is to choose a service provider that appears to be aware of and care about any reviews he/she might receive. Choose someone who has lots of reviews instead of someone with few reviews. When communicating with a potential service provider, make a point of mentioning that you found them via Angie's list and that you intend to give them an excellent review AFTER they provide you with excellent service. Better to keep the conversation in positive terms, but hopefully they will understand that should their performance be sub-par that your review will reflect that.

Be aware that ratings are skewed upwards. In my experience on the site I have never seen a rating lower than "B".

Here is a quote from Wikipedia's article on Angie's List:
"Answering a complaint from a user, David Segal found that when subscribers post a negative review of a company to Angie's List, a staff member discusses it with them in an attempt to rectify the situation. If the company is one that advertises with Angie's List, the negative review will be removed and then the customer must give an A or B grade. The company's effort to keep advertisers happy reveals their conflict of interest."

Finally, if you sign up for what appears to be a special, one month deal for a nominal fee, be aware that you are indeed signing up for a continually recurring monthly fee. The sales pitch is deceptive...

Thanks, Roger.  Good to know.