apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wow. This is great. I just joined, trying to find a contractor for a small job. Would love information anyone has.

We went with a highly rated roofer that we found on Angie's List. The roofing project has been a nightmare so far and the roofing company has acted in a borderline criminal manner. This is a cautionary tale... even an Angie's List recommendation isn't a guarantee that you will get good service.

I had a close friend who subscribed to it as soon as they purchased their first home(condo) and it seemed like a good source of information for the first year or so. They did not use it the next year and unsubscribed thereafter.

I doubt it will be useful for renters in comparison to condo or single-family house owners, since the variety of needs and degree of upkeeping their houses tend to differ.

If you have a real estate agent you trust, you'd be better to ask her or him for a referral. My husband is a realtor and he has a short but excellent list of contractors, whose work he's seen again and again, on clients' homes. Feel free to ask me if you're looking for something in particular. My husband is very picky and also looks out for calm personalities!

I have used a similar service www.servicemagic.com. I found the most amazing kitchen designer/cabinet supplier. I may have just lucked out, but I would recommend her to anyone. Then I tried it for a local carpet installer and I thought they were a little creppy... but I think they do a nice job of prescreening and are a useful resource as well.

sorry - i meant to write write creepy!

I was a member for a couple of years... I ended up only using them once for a good drywall contractor. The drywall folks did a fine job, but I realized that I ended up paying for two years of membership, and didn't get much back for it in the end.

I just looked at it the other day after hearing about it, and thinking it sounded like a great idea, much like craigslist. But I was disappointed when I found out you have to subscribe and pay to see the reviews. Not worth it to me, I guess if you needed quite a few referrals for services, but otherwise... I think it would do very well if it was a free service. I check out other's experiences with different companies/businesses at Yelp.com.

Hi Heather,

I work at Angie’s List and caught your post about us. Of course we think there are benefits to joining our service, but we’re a little biased. So we created a discount for you and other people that happen to read your inquiry – after all, the best way to learn about Angie’s List is to give it a whirl. You’ll probably get great use out of services like: housecleaners, floor refinishers, appliance repair, painters and auto service.

Through the end of the month, you can join Angie’s List for $12 off a yearly subscription when you use promo code: APARTMENTTHERAPY. You can join via our website www.angieslist.com or talk to a live person by calling 866-622-5478. Of course, call if you have any questions, too.

Thanks!

Megan
Angie’s List

P.S. You can also try it out for just a month if you don’t want to commit to a whole year.

P.P.S. Sorry for the weird characters in my last post! Let us know if you have any questions!

Angie’s List is great. I’ve found lots of useful companies on the list… even when I was in my apartment.

I haven't found Angie's List to be helpful. It is hard to find businesses that have more than 1 or 2 reviews, and to me, that isn't enough information for me to make a decision. Especially if one review is good and the other is bad. There are also tons of businesses listed with no review. How is that helpful? I have tried free services such as Judy's Book and Kudzu, with the same results. However, it is less disappointing in those instances since you aren't paying for the service.

Wow, how strange is it that TG's listing has the same weird characters as Megan's, and they both joined on June 12. What a coinky-dink.

Never trust any service that promises to do your homework for you. Like Nicole says above - she went with someone highly rated and it was a disaster.

You should do your own homework. Use any online service you want, as long as it's free, and check out each and every company or contractor you find.

Service magic says that their contractors are pre-screened, but they ONLY check when the contractor signs up. Never a follow-up so insurance and qualifications can easily expire. On Angies List, contractors can get their friends and family to sign up and give them good ratings.

It creates a false sense of security. Here are some tips:

Check to make sure the contractor is licensed, if your state requires it. Absolutely make sure the contractor has insurance (if a worker is hurt at your house, on the job... you might end up paying.) Make sure you get recent references - from similar jobs - and if you can... go visit the job site of one of their current jobs. Check the BBB for past disputes. Always look at physical documents to make sure they're real - don't just take license or insurance policy numbers for granted.

Don't use a contractor's financing or "friend's" financing. If it looks like the contractor is not only working out of his or her truck, but living in it? Run.

You have to do your homework on any home repair or remodeling job. If not, you have no one to blame.

Email me if you have any questions at all - tim (at) ladaddy (dot) com. I also blog for a home improvement website and I used to be a contractor.

Saha, How can I get in touch with you to get contact info for some of your husband's recommended contractors? Thanks! - Janet

As an interior designer I started to use Angie's List only to be told by them that I was not welcome as a designer trying to find vendors/craftspeople to do work for my clients. I thought it odd that they only let you participate/use the list for personal use only. It seems to me that vendors/craftspeople would be happy to have the work, rather thru a designer for clients or for personal use only.