Most likely, you've heard about the Angie's list. They run some aggressive ad campaigns on TV and on the Internet.
What is Angie's list?
Angie's list is a database of contractors, plumbers, and other service providers. Central part of Angie's list database is composed of reviews written by the customers. Ideally, this list should help the customers to find the best local service provider for the job.
Angie's list is not unique.
There are many other Internet and traditional resources (including Yellow Pages and Google) where you can search for plumber or doctor and read reviews posted by other customers.
How Angie's list is different from other review websites?
According to the Angie's list:
1) “You (the member) can trust” their reviews about contractors! Why? Because on Angie's list:
- There are no anonymous reviews
- Angie's list data collection process prevents companies and providers from reporting on themselves or on other providers
- Members may see how the service providers respond to complaints and reports about them
2) Unlike Yellow Pages or Google, Angie's list provides complaint resolution service (Complaint Resolution Team) that may be useful if something goes wrong. However, this service is included only with the premium - the most expensive membership.
3) Finally, unlike other similar services Angie's List is not free. Recently, Angie's List membership in some areas could be purchased for as low as $8.99/year for the Angie's List, $3.50 for Angie's List Health & Wellness, and $9.99/year for both.
Next page: The good and not so good side of Angie's list.
