Around the House

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Frank — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:15:40 GMT

No , YOU established in your mind that he is a bad contractor. What is the other side of the story?

As I said, if you as the consumer don't make your wants and needs clear you will have problems.

Your description of yourself in my opinion qualifies as legit. BUT, did you make your wants and needs clear? I think you didn't. I think you are looking for something for nothing.

If you want informative and intellectually on target conversation go sit in on a lecture at Harvard or some other prestigious school of non doing CC's.

This forum has mostly unaware home owners and a sprinkle of real contractors.

When it comes to home improvement you get what you pay for.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Bigfoot — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:25:17 GMT

We've already established he is a "bad" contractor and should not be in my home or anyone elses home. The final outcome can be posted formally on Angies List once we have a BBB outcome and the consumer safety orgs and chamber of commerace in my county have done their thing. I really don't know what you mean by am I "legit". I am a 55 year old professional with a Ph.D, a homeowner, a shelter volunteer, a mother, an educator, a licensed driver with no moving violations or accidents in my lifetime, I've supported myself through working since ag 14 and put myself thru college and graduate school, I don't lie, cheat or steal, or exploit myself or others for any reason; is that legit in your mind? This is my final post on this issue until it is resolved legally. It's sad that the posts here are so immature and lacking; I had hoped for something more informative and intellectually on target.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Frank — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:46:58 GMT

Outstanding Bf !

My experience with insurance agents and real estate agents is they are sales people, B.S. is a prevalent part of there business. Generally most of them are into rehabbing/flipping so the people they use are towards the low end of quality, craftsmanship, knowledge, etc..

I gave my insurance agent an estimate and he came unglued about the cost. About 9 months later he paid about a third more then the original estimate for me to fix the short term job.

So back to rating on a bad experience. I think everyone should rate there experience with a contractor, good or bad, if you have done your research,( AL, SM, etc..) You will more then likely end up with a project completed to your satisfaction.

This fear of contractor retaliation and harassment where did this come from?? Are you in one of those places that scream union/O.C./mob?

If you are dealing with a reputable contractor( did your homework), and you are straight up as a consumer, ( as in not looking for something for nothing), then there should not be an issue with having to make a bad report. A good contractor will make it right and a bad contractor is to busy trying to scam his next victim to take the time to recon you and your home.

So report the scheming, scamming, non doing CC's, provided you are legit.

You are doing a disservice to society if you don't.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Bigfoot — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:40:06 GMT

I paid the regular price for him, he was not a fly by night guy, he has a licensed business. He was highly reccomended by my insurance agent. I have told my friends, neighbors, real estate agent, and the insurance agent who will no longer reccomend him of course. He cannot fix the problem as he is not certified to do the proper fix which is why he fudged it. The incorrect work was assessed and details written and photographed by one of the most reputable firms on Angies list. I would not want him in my home...why bring trouble back? My home is safe now and legal actions are initiated and will be bolstered with my photgraphs, videos, and the actual dangerous equipment that was removed.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Frank — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:42:53 GMT

"The man is dangerous obviously, with no respect or concern for the lives of others. However, to protect myself, I will not review him on Angies list."

So you will not inform your family, friends, neighbors, about this supposed "dangerous" supposed "electrician".

As you stated," people can be honest,blunt." Why is there so much of a problem with looking a contractor in the eye and telling him "This is not what we agreed on."

Let your displeasure be known and give the yahoo the opportunity to make right.

Your engineer friend, you did not specify what his engineering degree is in? HVAC, electrical, structural, etc..

In my experience engineers are similar to architects and lawyers, common sense does not apply.

The only time I have seen a homeowner harassed, assaulted, etc.. is when the homeowner did not make clear exactly what they wanted, they went with the low end,cheap estimate, or they refused to pay for the services agreed upon.

I have always thought there should be something similar to AL for contractors. There are a lot of people out there that want something for nothing.

BF, the bottom line is you get what you pay for!

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Bigfoot — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:43:35 GMT

I wish the reports were sent anon. A safer way to post about a bad contractor is to use more ambiguous terms and no damaging terms, simply: "would not bring back". leave it at that. If you want to post any type of comment you wish, anonymously, you can join consumer checkbook. If you compare the reviews of the same company in both places you will often find dramatic differences, Consumer Checkbook is anon, people can be honest, blunt. I have to admit that recently an electrician did an extremely dangerous job on my home. He switched pricey, url listed equipment with crap that was inappropriate. I only found out by accident because I have a friend who is an engineer. I then had another electrician come and tear out everything the first guy did, and replace it. The loss to me was about 2000. The man is dangerous obviously, with no respect or concern for the lives of others. However, to protect myself, I will not review him on Angies list.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Frank — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:50:27 GMT

TA,

That was an impressive spiel, are you shur your a contractor? Don't bother answering that. I already checked you out.

I agree, if a client has had dealings with a legitimate contractor: WE already know way more info then AL will provide.

My take on AL is to weed out the half a-- non doing, CC's. That is where the client, customer, consumer comes into play. Don't be afraid to let everyone and anyone know who you had a bad experience with and like wise let everyone know who you had a good exprience with.

The bottom line comes down to YOU the consumer, if YOU do not make your wants and needs clear, YOU will have problems.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

TileArt — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:42:30 GMT

I am not going to comment on AL's policies or the perceived "invasion of privacy" which some have voiced. I can, however, give you a contractor's point of view, although it is probably not all contractor's opinion. I will put this in the context of a tile contractor since it is the only perspective with which I am familiar..

I have spent years building my business and reputation. This, if you think about it, is a very tenuous juggling act. If a customer has a great experience they will tell the next person that asks them about their experience with your company. If a customer has a negative experience they will tell everyone they know and everyone they don't. This is why I feel AL is a benefit to both contractors and clients, it allows the good to get out there as well as the bad. As a contractor, however, you are never guaranteed the good reviews, even if you have hundreds of them. They are rarely put out there for prospective future clients to review in a non-biased medium. You are, however, guaranteed the negative reviews, always. Remember, clients will tell everyone about a negative experience.

As a contractor I always have this in the back of my mind, I work endlessly to make certain my clients are absolutely happy with my services. Whether or not the client is a member of AL is irrelevant, there are thousands of places on line and off where a negative experience can be posted. Any respectable, responsible contractor knows this.

Example: the last time you sat with a friend and asked them about their auto repair you received one of two answers. "I took it to so-and-so and they got it fixed." or "I took it to so-and-so and they messed it up so badly, I'm so upset I don't know what to do" Which one of these answers do you think turns into a ten minute conversation? Which one is going to permanently burn the mechanic's name or company into your brain? It won't be the first.

If you have a problem with a contractor the first step, of course, is to take it up with the contractor and attempt to get it resolved. Any responsible contractor will do what they can to fix the problem - always. If they don't then they deserve a negative review in my opinion. Stuff happens - always. Contractors are human and at times certain circumstances will create unforeseen problems. A contractor's honesty, reliability, and integrity should also be measured by the manner in which they handle complaints or problems. I feel this to be a very reliable measure of a company. I can go from feeling questionable about a company to feeling incredible about them by the way they handle a complaint. It can also go in the other direction - quickly.

That said, a large amount of responsibility is laid upon the client to decide whether or not to post a negative review, although many do not look at it like that. It is incumbent upon you, the would be client, to try to weed out the viable negative comments from the overreactions simply because a lot of people do not think before they post something they may later not feel as adamant about. Or they post something negative without even attempting to contact the contractor or even thinking before doing so. I'm not saying that negative feedback is always bogus, it isn't. But it sometimes can be.

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to ask the contractor about it. If they tried everything they could possibly do to make the situation right and still couldn't then you can make your decision on that. Judge the way they answer the question. Do they explain what happened clearly and what they tried to do to make it right? Or do they get upset, badmouth the client, put the blame on everyone and everything else? This is a great indicator for you about whether or not you feel you can trust the contractor. The ultimate decision lies with you, the client.

I look at complaints as opportunities to further impress my clients. That is exactly what they are. Every contractor gets complaints, the measure of a company is how they are handled and resolved. Not everything can be controlled, different situations require different solutions and the ability to resolve these situations is what makes a particular contractor stellar.

For the contractors: if you have a problem or complaint - fix it. It's usually that simple. I have had to fix things that I've ended up losing money on but you can't buy a reputation. If you have a client that absolutely cannot be satisfied simply accept that and move on. I know they exist and you can only do so much. Just document everything you've attempted to fix the problem, calmly and factually explain that when it is brought up and show the documentation to any future clients that bring it up. If it was something that was out of your control the prospective client will realize that and it shouldn't have any bearing on their decision to hire you. If they don't realize it you probably don't want to work for them anyway.

For the clients: If there is a complaint against a company or contractor you are concerned about - ask them about it. The manner in which they answer will tell you more about them than hours and hours of research. Being concerned about a contractor receiving your personal information? That, to me, is a ridiculous argument - sorry. Any contractor with whom you've had legitimate dealings already has all the information AL will forward to them and probably a lot more. If you are that concerned with it then you have more problems than what AL will create for you by forwarding that information. It's probably something you need to take up with the proper authorities rather than AL. Let's be realistic.

As always - just my opinion.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Frank — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:08:47 GMT

Did anybody stop to think about the original post? ( i know some of you did, and there were some GREAT response's in there ). And where is paxi? Nothing new from it.

Is paxi a sy-ops tool used by AL to see which way the should go? or just a average joe with to much time?

There should be no reason for a negative report for a real contractor. Communicate your wants, desires, expectations in a clear manner and you will receive what you paid for.

Looking for something for nothing. You get what you pay for.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

scheidler roofing — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:49:36 GMT

As a roofing and remodeling contractor in Texas I must say that tools like AL, like many things in life, has its good and its bad. In states like Texas where there is next to no licensing and anyone with a hammer can call himself a contractor AL comes in handy to protect the homeowner, but it can and is abused. Scheidler Roofing and Renovation has had a number of clients try to "squeeze" us because they over spent on a project and think we should be grateful that they hired us. With all due respect to them I let them know they are barking up the work tree. I do not like confrontations but by george if there is going to be one lets get it on the table out in the open, preferrably in a courtroom or before an arbitrator. The internet allows a certain anonymity which we do not care for. I use my name in my business because I believe it lends to credibilty.

Scheidler Roofing and Renovation is proud of the work we do and do not feel it right to be able to slam a contractor on the net without due process. The internet has contributed to a growing population of people that can hide behind the net and run off at the mouth with no fear of penalty. 120 years ago people would get into a gun fight at high noon for that kind of behavior. There is a common ground that can be found for all to benefit from these types of sites, and Scheidler Roofing and Renovation will support all of them. Angies list is doing better in my opinion then the BBB, with them if you get a complaint you just kick them a little bit more money for you membership and your rating goes back up.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

dwcon — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:32:12 GMT

I saw the title "Post reports at your own risk" when I signed up but, didn't read it. Now I wish I had! It's a good thing I gave only the facts of my experience, with out stretching the truth, although with the way things are so backward now, I may still have to pay again.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Paul from Angie's List — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:29:31 GMT

Hi,

Could you please let me know what telemarketing calls you are receiving and to whom we have provided your contact info? I’d really be interested in learning that information, since we don’t sell your contact information to any third parties. You can email me directly by contacting me through the forum or just reply to this post.

Angie’s List will contact members from time to time to take reports, follow up on service issues, or other business-related matters.

We do alert service providers to reports, however the service provider must log in to our system to view the report information. Angie’s List does not allow anonymous reviews because we want people to take responsibility for their words, and we want to allow the service companies being reported on to have an opportunity to respond and correct any situation that left a member feeling unhappy about their experience. Often the service company can tell which job it was by simply reading the report itself, without even knowing the name, especially if the work was performed recently.

The fact that we share member information with the service companies they report on is clearly defined in the Membership Agreement, as well as during the report submission process, where twice it states that the member’s report information will be shared with the service provider.

Please let me know if this doesn’t address your stated concerns.

Thanks,

Paul from Angie’s List

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

ALsux — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:55:05 GMT

wtf???

I pay AL for telemarketing calls and to give out my private contact info.

Worst TOS I've ever read, unfortunately not until after I paid for a year.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Laura — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:50:28 GMT

I feel that Angie's List might need to let customers know they should be letting the contactor know that you are a Angie's list customer and will be posting your findings out if they take the job. I think this is only fair. Hopefully customers aren't using it to get better pricing.

Re: POST REPORTS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

valleygirl — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:27:53 GMT

update..... i belong to a professional service organization of independant contractors. A colleague of mine was threatened with a negative Angies List post before my colleague had even dont any work for this person!!! This extortion has GOT to STOP!

And PAND... free speech only goes so far my friend. Your "free speech" vs "my livelyhood"???!!! I dont think so...... see ya in court.