Angie's List Message Boards : Angies List Forums

Maybe this is old news to some of you but I found out the hard way.  After you post negative reports to companies, Angies List directly forwards your private contact info to them.  I posted a report about a company and a few days later they were calling me at home!!  Then DEEP within the terms of service agreement I find that for any report you send, Angies list then sends that company your contact info:

    (g) Your name and report information will be made available to the Service Providers on which You report.

This would seem to violate their own privacy policy:

 We will not release any personal identifying information about you without your consent.

 This really is a set up for the potential for negative retribution on the part of companies and it seems that I am not alone (A thread a few below mine make the same reports). 

So Sad that Angies list is pulling the same shenanigans that it supposedly is trying to protect us from.  AT THE VERY LEAST THEY COULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT AS SOON AS YOU HIT "SEND" YOUR PRIVATE INFO IS BEING SENT TO THE COMPANY THAT YOU HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH. 

Sorry for shouting but this really mad me mad and our family feels violated.  I am going to cancel my membership but not before I post here on a weekly basis so that everyone at least knows what they are getting into.

 

Maybe that's why there simply aren't that many reports.  For the metro area I live in and all the home improvement hustlers out there, there are surprisingly few reports.  On the other hand, one of my reports was somewhat critical of the contractor but I still received a Christmas card from him.

Could not agree more. Just read an article available online about a woman in the DC area who got sued RECENTLY for $6 million by a contractor she had problems with and then reported negatively on in Angie's List.  Even is she wins or the lawsuit is tossed out of court, this kind of thing could have a chilling effect on people posting - the headaches of having to respond to a bogus contractor lawsuit just because you posted an opinion about, or details of what happened to you online, having to hire a lawyer or take time from work to deal with, answer the contractor's lawyers nosy questions, dealing with opposing counsels attempts to drain you of energy and resources while the also scare you to death about what they want the court to do to you.  Not to mention the potential for other kinds of retaliation.  Of course there is the usual: harassing phone calls, vandalism, even physical confrontations.  Then there is stuff I just thought of: what is to keep the contractor's from doing their own list of complaining customers (even ones that are right to complain) and refusing service?  

Just had a conversation with my family and we decided not to participate in any reports and to try to get our reports pulled for our own protection -- sorry, but its family first, then I worry about helping my neighbors find a contractor.  I have not found anything on the site yet that covers protecting posters about all this yet, except for a moderator post on one of these boards with a phone number to call where they will help with contractors who harass negative reviewers.  I wonder if that means they would cover the legal bills for someone with no or little money who is being intimidated into silence by a bad contractor's bogus lawsuit?  

It seems there needs to be some sort of explicit legal clarity from the courts or legislature protecting posters.  Even flaming opinions that are overly critical, and could be over-reacting should be a matter of free speech in my opinion.  I also think folks should be able to post details about what happened to them AS THEY PERCEIVED IT, and not have their words twisted around and dissected for "proof" in court.  So much of what happens with contractors is done without any record in writing -- it really is he/she said vs. he/she said, and everyone is entitled to say what they think happened without worrying whether it will cost them their house and life savings.  I can sit in my house, chat in a chat room, or talk to my neighbor over the fence and never get scared about "lawyer problems" -- people just plain have the right to talk - free speech - and the definitions of libel and slander need to be considered so people aren't hurt by it, but there is entirely too much fake claiming of libel and slander.

The courts need to make it clear that you get to claim libel and slander for serious things.  If a customer did not like you...for whatever reason...that is a fact of life in the business world, and only evil, creepy villains try to shut up their opponents with sneaky tricks.  I have the common sense to see through a negative review that is an overreaction, as well as to discern when a contractor's reply might have some merit.  The consumers need to be given some credit for having brains and using the service for what it is intended for -- a marketplace of opinions and ideas - good, bad, right, wrong, important, not important, and all in between.  Right now we cannot do that if we are scared to death of what might happen to us if we take part in that marketplace.

I just joined and didn't know that they give out personal info. I think I would probably change my personal info just prior to writing a bad review. I would use an email address like hotmail or yahoo. It seems to me most of the service contractors would already have your phone number and address from the work they did so that info wouldn't matter.  The threat that they might call me probably wouldn't stop me from writing a bad review. I suppose a disclaimer can be put at the end stating that this is only an opinion based on a subjective experience if someone were afraid of being sued.

 

 

I joined on May 28th and attempted to submit a report. So far, it is not viewable. Perhaps Angie's List elected not to post it because it wasn't favorable? Hmmm...I would never have joined for the year if I knew that Angie's List censors its members reports. Thanks for the heads up. I will not be renewing.

Dear Paxi,

We’re very sorry that you were surprised by our policy of allowing service companies to read the reports our members submit about them, but we’re glad you’ve given us the opportunity to alert everyone to it again. We think we’re very clear about the policy. It’s in the membership agreement under “9. Submissions of Reviews”. You can view our membership agreement here and our privacy policy here. We also alert members twice that their comments will be available to the service provider -- once under the area where you grade the company and again under the “I’m Not Fibbing” disclaimer. And, if you call in to give a report, our neighborhood specialists remind you about it.

We have this policy in place because we want to give members as much information as they can get on service company performance. Knowing what you said – good or bad – gives the company an opportunity to respond. They may apologize and try to make a bad situation better, or they may thank you for your positive feedback. In either instance, their response gives members additional insight into how they react to customers. And to further clarify, companies are allowed to see only your name when they read your report. We do not give them any private contact information.

We believe this system is a key part of what makes Angie’s List a unique and robust resource for members. It also helps us maintains the integrity of our reports. The more information members have to review, the better off we all are.

We do not condone bullying ever. If you feel bullied by a service company as a result of a report you submitted, please call our Help Desk at (877) 817-7753.  We’ll do our best to remedy the situation.

There surely is something that must be done.  I can understand why Angie's would pass along the negative reviews for several reasons.  However, the reviewer should be verified to ensure that the review is not just a competitive smear,  and then be provided with some level of privacy. 

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A REPLY FROM ANGIE'S LIST BEFORE I TAKE  FURTHER ACTION. 

Hi ejp,

 

Thanks for expressing your concern.  Data integrity is our top priority here at the List. We continually review our processes to be sure we’re providing the highest level of accuracy possible. Last year, we asked a national firm to review us, as well. We were pleased to earn top marks from that independent audit.

 

That data integrity process starts with a membership agreement that clearly outlines how reports are to be submitted. It includes requiring members – each time they submit a report – to confirm that they are telling the truth and do not work for, are not in competition with, or are related in any way to the service provider being rated.  Also, each report is read by a real person prior to it being posted.  That review helps us to ensure the reports conform to our guidelines.  Service companies have the opportunity to learn who submitted reports about them and to respond to those reports and so can give both sides of every story to our members.

 

We’re happy to review reports when someone alerts us to a potential problem once the reports are posted. Let us know if you happen to have any other concerns – we would be more than happy to help.

When I posted my first review on Angie's List it was made rather clear that the review would be made available to the company I was reporting about. The company already has my contact information so they don't need Angie's List for that. It is a shame that some companies use bullying tactics to cover up bad reports, but they do. I expect that information about bullying can be posted as well.

This is just a reminder though that anything one writes, or posts, about a company, or individual, is subject to being viewed as libelous and therefore subject to legal proceedings. Of course if the company is proved wrong then one can always counter sue. 

Kasey from Angie's List:

Dear Paxi,

We’re very sorry that you were surprised by our policy of allowing service companies to read the reports our members submit about them, but we’re glad you’ve given us the opportunity to alert everyone to it again. We think we’re very clear about the policy. It’s in the membership agreement under “9. Submissions of Reviews”. You can view our membership agreement here and our privacy policy here. We also alert members twice that their comments will be available to the service provider -- once under the area where you grade the company and again under the “I’m Not Fibbing” disclaimer. And, if you call in to give a report, our neighborhood specialists remind you about it.

We have this policy in place because we want to give members as much information as they can get on service company performance. Knowing what you said – good or bad – gives the company an opportunity to respond. They may apologize and try to make a bad situation better, or they may thank you for your positive feedback. In either instance, their response gives members additional insight into how they react to customers. And to further clarify, companies are allowed to see only your name when they read your report. We do not give them any private contact information.

We believe this system is a key part of what makes Angie’s List a unique and robust resource for members. It also helps us maintains the integrity of our reports. The more information members have to review, the better off we all are.

We do not condone bullying ever. If you feel bullied by a service company as a result of a report you submitted, please call our Help Desk at (877) 817-7753.  We’ll do our best to remedy the situation.

 

Baloney!!  If the reason for sending the company our personal info is to helf the company respond to us, then it would be very easy to give the consumer the OPTION of whether they want to send the company our info or NOT.  While the info is buried in your "PRIVACY" policy (what privacy?)  it would be very easy to directly ask the consumer whether they would like a copy of the report sent to the company.  I'm sure you have had the experience of never wanting to deal with a company again.  There can and should be an easier way of verifying a customers credentials without mandatorily releasing personal info to a company with which one has had a bad experience.  You guys should be ashamed.

Hello Paxi,

Thanks for your comments. We’re comfortable with our approach to reminding members that information is shared with contractors each time they submit a report. Alerting companies to reports about them helps give members both sides of the story, ensures that members are filing reports on the correct company, and gives the companies the opportunity to fix problems or to continue doing things customers like.

The only company that we have learned about in this process is your own.  You have now received around 8 complaints from different people all  of which are upset with your "approach".  That is a high number considering that no one seems to be reading these message boards.  Instead of, god forbid, offering any real solutions, you instead offer euphemisms and pats on the head. 

I am not afraid for my information to be given to the company that I would like to report, in fact I hope that they do give it to them.  It will only help me.

I bought a car on June 3 from a used car dealership in Whiteland, IN.  The dealership was Hag, INC. DBA Safari Motors.  I still do not have a title to my vehicle.  I did everything that the BMV told me to, I sent a registered letter of demand, file a complaint with the Indiana Secretary of State and the Indiana Attorney General's office and today I find out that the car lot is being moved out.  The cars were being loaded on a truck this evening and they would not answer their phone.  I even tried to call the cell number I was given and low and behold it was disconnected.  

In essence I am paying for a vehicle that I don't even own.  I can't even get my plates transferred.  I gave them my car as a trade in and it was gone the day after I left it there.  I am not the only person that has been done this way.  I found out through research that another women was not given her title and that there are four other people that weren't given their for as long as six months after they bought their vehicles.  I also found out that my vehicle was a company leased vehicle and by law I should have been told that when I purchased it.  There are even local towing companies that won't do business with them.

 I really don't know what will happen now.  The Secretary of States office told me that they would get my money back, but now that they are leaving their business I don't know what will happen.

 I guess you can all take this as a warning, and if you have had a problem with this business please call the Indiana Secretary of States office asap @ 317-591-5303.
 

 

 

Kasey from Angie's List:

Dear Paxi,

We’re very sorry that you were surprised by our policy of allowing service companies to read the reports our members submit about them, but we’re glad you’ve given us the opportunity to alert everyone to it again. We think we’re very clear about the policy. It’s in the membership agreement under “9. Submissions of Reviews”. You can view our membership agreement here and our privacy policy here. We also alert members twice that their comments will be available to the service provider -- once under the area where you grade the company and again under the “I’m Not Fibbing” disclaimer. And, if you call in to give a report, our neighborhood specialists remind you about it.

We have this policy in place because we want to give members as much information as they can get on service company performance. Knowing what you said – good or bad – gives the company an opportunity to respond. They may apologize and try to make a bad situation better, or they may thank you for your positive feedback. In either instance, their response gives members additional insight into how they react to customers. And to further clarify, companies are allowed to see only your name when they read your report. We do not give them any private contact information.

We believe this system is a key part of what makes Angie’s List a unique and robust resource for members. It also helps us maintains the integrity of our reports. The more information members have to review, the better off we all are.

We do not condone bullying ever. If you feel bullied by a service company as a result of a report you submitted, please call our Help Desk at (877) 817-7753.  We’ll do our best to remedy the situation.

This reads like a computer generated answer list from a call center. 

I can't get Angies List to quit calling my house, asking me for leads.  I am cancelling immedaitely. 

 

 

OMG!!!!  I just submitted a very very negative review about a total smoke and mirrors contractor!  He knows what we think of him and I know what I wrote was concise and truthful but of course his opinion is different.  Do you mean Angies List contacts this guy directly to share my personal opinions???  Please let me know!