Posted on 08/22/2012 1:19:40 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Anyone here ever use Angie's List? looking for a sheetrocker to install a 12x16 ceiling.
thus far, CraigsList is full of nuts and shysters and people who think you're crazy for asking for references from prior jobs.
I use Angie’s list and am also a contractor listed on Angie’s List. We get quite a lot of business from people using Angie’s list. Many customers also check us out on Angie’s list after they find us somewhere else.
It’s a start. Check with your local clerk of court. You can search criminal records, lawsuits, liens, foreclosures etc.... Quite a few of our competitors have recent mug shots.
I’ve used it in the past, and it was well worth the fee. I found an excellent roofer and even got a $250 discount for telling the contractor that I found him through Angies List.
My relatives have had excellent results with them as well.
Mark
a neighbor once hired a lousy, unethical roofer. her roof leaked (during winter) that resulted in water damage and it knocked out the furnace.(pipes froze and then more water damage...)
she sued, the company declared bankruptcy and disappeared. she was in court for 2 years.
what’s the fee? is it yearly or monthly?
It’s a small job, and is easy enough to do, providing you don’t have a 16’ high ceiling or something acrobatic, or studs where they shouldn’t be. You will spend a lot more time looking for a dependable contractor than it will take to rock the ceiling and get it taped and floated. Figure the job at two to four hours tops, and that isn’t pushing it. For something that small a good handyman might be your best bet. A good one should have past and repeat customers who will vouch for him.
Angie’s list can be manipulated by “shills” (have your friends and family post comments for you)
Call your home insurance agent for suggestions
I posted too quick. You might try asking around at some hardware/lumber stores. They know the people who do a lot of work.
“It seems like an unsustainable market plan”
Read the user agreement. IIRC, you agree to them automatically charging your credit card to renew your membership, and authorize them, when the card you gave them expires, to change the expiration date they submit until it hits on your new exp. date. The only way to cancel your membership is via snail-mail. I decided not to bother.
When a website asks for your information first, it is a clear sign that YOU are their product.
BTW privacy policies are 100% worthless in bankruptcy. You name and contact infor is easily sold with no restrictions by trustees.
$35 a year, I think,
My wife signed up.
I used them for my concrete contractor and now I’m looking for a guy to patch the ceiling from where I fell through the roof while installing a ventilation fan that I should have had a contractor install in the first place.
Yep, sold my car quickly, a few years ago.
Also, just selected my Roofer based on AL Reviews AND BBB rating.
Roofing starts Friday, so no results to report.
Read several reviews, because it’s easy to get whinny consumers. Larger number of available reviews helps too.
she sued, the company declared bankruptcy and disappeared. she was in court for 2 years.
That's exactly what I was afraid of. Just searching the BBB & county and state databases for "bad contractors" isn't enough, since they have a habit of declaring bankruptcy and then coming back under a different name. This happened to my cousin, and they really screwed up her home, costing nearly $40,000 just to fix what they screwed up! She and about 8 other families have been fighting the guy in court now for about 4 years. They've been very happy with everyone they've since found through Angie's List.
Mark
you ever been featured on that America’s Funniest Home Videos show?
my cartoon bubble has Dorf (the Tim Conway character) on a roof.
A while back, I went to Angie’s list looking for a plumber.
Angie wanted my email address & $25 up front, with no indication that she had ANY plumbers listed for my city. I’m not paying $25 for her to tell me she can’t help me.
Now, I get junk mail from Angie weekly despite repeatedly asking to be removed from the mailing list.
Angie’s list is a scam, IMO.
it’s amazing how many people cannot comprehend a CL ad.
I state what I need, how much I’m willing to pay, and my criteria.
they reply with 1 of the 3 criteria:
I need references.
I need price.
I need time frame.
you’d think I was asking them to land the Mars rover.
thanks for that...sounds as hit or miss as CL.
Better have a good home owner's policy if one of the workers gets injured.
I would also suggest checking with the Pastor of your Church. They seem to know what everyone does for a living. When you see them in church every week, I doubt you would have a problem with them.
What’s to prevent competitors from giving lousy reviews of each other?
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