Is Angie's List worth paying the subscription for?

[JEDI]

http://www.angieslist.com/

This year by beginning of summer i need:
- New roof (some shingles blown away by very high wind gusts this month)
- Rebuild front steps from the ground up and use plastic/vinyl handrails. The wood has rotten away.

I live in Northern VA.

Is Angie's List worth the subscription of $39/yr for review list of Contractors, landscapers, mechanics?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I got 2 years for $44 IIRC. It is headquartered here in Indy and if you're going to be hiring a lot of work done, it is worth every penny.

 

[zerocool84]

That's up to you if it's worth it. If you're going to spends thousands and thousands of dollars to spruce up your house, then $39 should be nothing for some added insurance.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Most of the contractors will also give you discounts as an Angie's List member as well, sometimes as much as 20% off.

 

[Ichinisan]

Is Angie's List worth paying the subscription for?

LOL NO!

The 'reviews' in those commercials are SO FUCKING FAKE. It irritates me more than I can describe.

Just work your Google skills and use and find a local community messageboard to ask for recommendations.

It's like that "mylife.com" commercial for people who've never heard of FACEBOOK (or any free social networking site).

 

[mshan]

I think it depends upon how active a base of other Angie's List users there is in your area.

I had subscription in Hampton Roads and it was very hit and miss and lots of categories didn't have much feedback.

Might want to call local office and see how many members from your area there are. See if they can look at how many different contractors have a good number of reviews in a few categories you are interested in.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

LOL NO!

The 'reviews' in those commercials are SO FUCKING FAKE. It irritates me more than I can describe.

Just work your Google skills and use and find a local community messageboard to ask for recommendations.

It's like that "mylife.com" commercial for people who've never heard of FACEBOOK (or any free social networking site).

You don't know what you're talking about, obviously. You don't just get reviews. They also mediate disputes and you get discounts on all sorts of things plus a magazine with more discounts.

EDIT: mshan gives good advice. You might want to see how active the base in your area is, OP.

 

[mshan]

On second thought, I would just join this forum and post questions there:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/northern-virginia/ :thumbsup:

I think it is full of stay at home moms that really know a lot about the area because they run their households.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yeah, and regardless of who you choose for your information, I'd recommend always getting quotes from a minimum of 3 vendors.