Author Topic: Is Angie's List worth it?  (Read 6114 times)

thd7t

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1348
Is Angie's List worth it?
« on: September 01, 2015, 10:09:58 AM »
I am looking to get some small work done on my house, but don't know a contractor of the right size.  Have people had luck with Angie's List?  It's pretty inexpensive (about $8/year), but I don't want to pay for a bad service.

Tim1965

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 40
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2015, 10:13:16 AM »
I used it a few years ago when we need some contractors. For $8 it's probably worth it. What makes it less worthwhile is if you don't have a ton of people providing reviews. The fact is that most contractors will have no reviews whatsoever on Angie's list. That will vary depending on where you live, what type of service you're looking for.

But I would say the reviews are useful, partly because you're getting reviews from people who have bothered to sign up for Angie's list.

Psychstache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1594
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2015, 10:15:10 AM »
I signed up when I first bought a house. I found it to be pretty helpful, but be sure to cancel or stop auto-renewing if you aren't using it after a few months. I live in a major metro area so it was easy to find people with lots of useful reviews.

Also, retailmenot.com has some promo codes to make it even cheaper.

b4u2

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 639
  • Age: 46
  • Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2015, 10:23:42 AM »
I have it but forgot to cancel after the first year. When it renewed I called to cancel and they offered me 50% off so I kept it. I've honestly only used it once but I did leave a review for the service that I needed. I doubt after this next year that I will keep it.

thd7t

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1348
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2015, 10:35:46 AM »
Thanks everyone!

Argyle

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 904
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2015, 10:42:29 AM »
I've found it really valuable.  Almost no one who's come top-rated on Angie's List has disappointed me.  The people I've hired who had no reviews, or whose reviews were mixed, have been variable — some absolutely awful.  Saving myself from the absolutely awful has been well worth it.

Perhaps the most valuable thing was when I got my roofing done and the roofing company caused a leak into my bedroom ceiling.  The company had come top-rated so I was surprised.  I called and left messages time and again but no one ever got back to me.  So I posted a review on Angie's List with the lowest possible rating and a full explanation of what had happened.  At that point the roofing company called me up and apologized profusely and rushed over and made it right (although I had already paid someone else to do some of it, as I couldn't let the leaking go).  They offered me some money in compensation, and said they hoped I'd modify my review.  So I reranked them as about 3 stars out of 5 or whatever and added the whole story of the leak and the repairs to the review.  They ended up giving me about a $400 discount.  Anyway, the point of the story is that for some companies, the pressure of a threatened poor review on Angie's List can be significantly motivating.

(I found out long afterwards that the reason the company had lapsed from its normal good service was that one of the co-owners had fallen off a roof and was in the hospital with serious injuries.  This explained some of the chaos, but if they had only told me that, I wouldn't have worried about their sluggish response so much.)
« Last Edit: September 01, 2015, 10:44:10 AM by Argyle »

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2015, 10:59:32 AM »
For us, no.  Most contractors listed were 20-30 miles away and didn't actually work in our area.  The ones who were in our area had very few reviews, and ones that get great word of mouth recommendations were not listed.

Unless you are in a large city, I wouldn't bother.

Josiecat

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 311
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2015, 11:34:20 AM »
Yes, it is worth it.  I have found several great contractors through Angieslist.

Killerbrandt

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 329
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2015, 09:48:45 AM »
Ever since I bought my house I have signed up for Angie's list and LOVE IT!!! It has saved me so much trouble when needing things done. I have had no issues with any of the contractors that we have hired and the coupon deals are amazing!

Tomacco

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 18
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #9 on: September 02, 2015, 10:13:59 AM »
Deals and coupons make it worthwhile. Lots of contractors I use have a 5% Angie's list discount. On a roof I had put on last year- saved about 500

lizzzi

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2150
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #10 on: September 02, 2015, 10:41:03 AM »
For us, no.  Most contractors listed were 20-30 miles away and didn't actually work in our area.  The ones who were in our area had very few reviews, and ones that get great word of mouth recommendations were not listed.

Unless you are in a large city, I wouldn't bother.
This was my experience, too.

TonyV.

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 44
  • Age: 39
  • Location: topeka, ks
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #11 on: September 02, 2015, 11:03:30 AM »
I have never personally used Angie's list. But from my point of view, and knowing what it is. Wouldn't it be cheaper and maybe more valuable to just talk to your friends/neighbors face to face and ask about their experiences with different companies? It would obviously be more local for people in smaller towns, and might open up a better relationship with the neighbors you should probably already know.

gillstone

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 392
  • Age: 42
  • Location: The best state in the Union (MT)
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #12 on: September 02, 2015, 11:30:24 AM »
For big projects like major electrical, plumbing or a roof, it can be really useful in weeding out bad contractors and getting some names you might not see elsewhere.  Its quality also depends on the size of your town, a bigger city will have a more robust listing.

Jellyfish

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 153
  • Age: 52
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #13 on: September 02, 2015, 11:59:50 AM »
You can "turn on" and "turn off" your subscription so every time I need work done on my house I activate my subscription again to research contractors.  I am in a large metro area so lots to choose from and I have found very reputable providers who seem motivated by the fact I found them on Angie's list...the ratings seem to matter to them.  When I'm done, I turn off my subscription until I need it the next time.  Not sure if the fees vary by region but I'm pretty sure I get charged monthly...so the turn on/turn off thing is something I have to pay attention to.

Mrs. PoP

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 421
    • Planting Our Pennies
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #14 on: September 02, 2015, 12:00:25 PM »
We've found Angie's List to be invaluable as owners of several properties.  With 6 units on 5 properties between us and my in-laws, we get more than our money out of it every year. 

It drastically simplifies the process of getting a good contractor at a competitive price.  After reading Angie's List reviews and calling for quotes, we typically end up with smaller companies that we would have never heard about without Angie's List - apparently they spend nothing on advertising, but pass that savings on to customers! 

Thegoblinchief

  • Guest
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #15 on: September 02, 2015, 05:46:56 PM »
Short of really strong word of mouth recommendations, it's the most reliable review service out there. Yelp and others can be very easily gamed by the businesses. I've heard of companies gaming AL as well, but it seems much less common.

forummm

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7374
  • Senior Mustachian
Re: Is Angie's List worth it?
« Reply #16 on: September 02, 2015, 06:55:25 PM »
What about Kudzu, which is free? I assume it's gamed somewhat like all the recommending services seem to be. But I've generally had success with the limited times I've used it.