Anyone who had to hire a plumber or needed knowledgeable doctor will agree that it would be good to have a trustworthy source of information about local businesses. So the attempt of Angie's list to provide us with the honest reviews of doctors, contractors, and other businesses is definitely good.
Good:
Good that Angie's list checks all reviews to prevent providers from posting reviews on themselves or their competitors.
Once in a while one may have a dispute even the best service provider, so it's good to have an impartial complaint resolution service.
Good that you can see if and how provider responds to reviews.
Good that you may find discounts and offers from highly rated businesses.
Not so good:
The fact that you need to buy Angie's list membership to gain access to those honest reviews is not so good.
The high-rated (A or B) companies, which pay to Angie's list for advertising, will appear first when you search for a provider on the Angie's list. This is not so good for unbiased search.
Also is not so good that providers are encouraged by Angie's list to solicit customer reviews. This may create a biased list with overrepresentation of high-rated companies.
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