|
As the internet explodes, more choices become available online for just about any service you can imagine. Remember, though, the days of word-of-mouth advertising? In those days, you found your plumber, builder or even babysitter through the most effective advertisements possible--your neighbors' or friends' opinions and praises for services rendered. There was the good feeling that you were hiring contractors that had done quality work for real people, people you knew personally and that quality had been tested through the daily use of friends who would report the success or failure of the service provider. Angieslist.com appreciates the power of word-of-mouth advertising and the obligation each consumer has to report both the good and the bad experiences they have had when hiring diverse tradesmen.
Who Participates
Easy to use, Angieslist relies on consumers just like you to share their experiences with service providers from various trades. Offering insight into the quality of work available in over 10 broad categories and 250 subcategories, the Angieslist website is now the comprehensive service rater on the internet. The web service that Angieslist provides is available in 124 cities nationwide. 650,000 members attest to the quality of service this list provides and help to ensure that information is current on rated providers.
What Information is Gathered and Shared
 With a rather thorough rating system, Angieslist.com gives you the information you need to make informed service decisions. Each online report includes a description of the service provided written by the consumer and a grade from A-F determined by the consumer. In order to fairly acknowledge differing reports, a report card just like the ones you got in grade school is provided as well. This report averages the web scores from each reporting consumer and lists pertinent information in the following fields: grade, miles from consumer, coupons available, responsiveness, professionalism and the overall score.
Why It Works
The beauty of Angieslist is that it meets the needs of the consumer without bias. Companies that are reviewed on Angie's list cannot pay a fee for better reviews or to be removed from the rankings. Any company reviewed is one whose service begged comment--either the service was exceptional or it was terrible. As more people review any of the listed companies, a system of checks and balances sets in so that the grade reflects both the good and bad experiences reported by consumers.
Although Angieslist is not a free service, the membership cost is definitely worth the peace of mind. Consider it this way, would you eat in a restaurant whose health department rating was poor? Then you shouldn't trust your safety, home longevity, or hard-earned cash with service providers who can't make the grade either.
| 
