Is the contractor you hired professional enough to get the job done and on time?

Think of Angie's List as the Consumer Reports for contractors and service providers.

With Angie's List, you have a better chance of weeding out unprofessional and low quality contractors as members provide their feedback on their actual experiences with these vendors.

What People Are Saying About Angie's List ... I searched the web and found the following feedback on Angie's List. Hopefully these can provide you with answers on whether Angie's List can offer you the value that you are looking for.

I have been a member of Angie's list for a year and have used it to select a roofer and a garage door installer. I was able to eliminate a handful of contractors based on customer write-ups of their experiences. I held back the fact that I am an Angie's list member during the estimate process, and revealed the fact to my final list of three bidders. Each offered Angie members a discount, but I wanted to make sure they didn't bump up their estimates to recoup the discount. I did have issues with the roofing job that might have become contentious, but the fact that the contractor knew I would be writing an assessment of his work made him, I think, more amenable to acceding to my points. I am very satisfied with my membership.

■ MES19, forums.scout.com

I just checked out angie’s list. You have to PAY to read reviews?! Are you kidding me??? That’s insane.

■ anon, princeofpetworth.com

I have a yearly subscription ($39 but only $31 if you pay through paypal) to Angie's List and the coupons on the site more than make up for the yearly fee plus getting A+ contractors for plumbing, electrical, carpentry has been invaluable. I highly recommend the service.

■ amyeg, maryland.247sports.com

This is where an annual subscription to Angie's List really pays off ... When we bought a bank sale home a few years ago I joined Angie's List, as we were new to the area where the house was and had little knowledge of the local businesses. I believe I saved literally thousands of dollars when we did wice for window tinting services.

■ MortonR, city-data.com

I've used it for several years and have found it pretty helpful. As someone else mentioned, the bad review is a very powerful weapon when you're dealing with someone that has f'd up. I put in a new a/c several years ago and it became a comedy of errors. One of the guys fell through my ceiling and left a gaping hole in the living room, the installed a faulty thermostat, they did a crappy patch job on the ceiling, they quit returning phone calls... the list goes on. I wrote a negative, but very honest review on Angie's List which resulted in a rep from Angie's List working with the contractor to resolve the problems for me. For the price of my subscription, they took over handling the problem and everything was fixed to my satisfaction, plus the contractor sent me a $500 check for my troubles. A couple of weeks ago, I woke up on a Saturday morning to water pouring out below my kitchen sink. I opened up Angie's List and picked one of the top rated plumbers in my area. A plumber showed up at my house in 30 minutes (remember, it's a Saturday) and fixed the problem. In addition to not ripping me off for the Saturday call, they knocked 20% off the price since I was an Angie's List member. Well worth the price, in my opinion.

■ royiv, shaggybevo.com

We have used Angies List very successfully, most recently this spring to find someone to replace our gutters. Earlier to find a plumber, after my old reliable retired. Tried to find info on a tailor, but not enough listed. So we don't use it a lot, but have been very satisfied (and yes, I've posted positive reviews).

■ bflohl2, forums.scout.com

I have been pleased with Angie's List. I hired someone to install plantation shutters on my screened porch last year and was promised 4 week delivery and installation and it took over 12 weeks. In the interim, nobody would return my calls....I was talking to the guy's answering service and never heard back from him. Very frustrating. Shortly afterward, I joined Angie's List (not because of that episode) and found several reviews complaining about a lack of responsiveness from the guy. Had I used Angie's List to find a service provider, I never would have picked the guy to begin with and would have saved myself a lot of heartache. Since then, I have used Angie's List to select an HVAC contractor, a body shop, and an electrician. All were excellent, fairly priced, and did what they said they would do ...

■ farce88, forums.scout.com

I’ve used it. I found a contractor I really liked my matching my specs with theirs and there was a coupon for him on their website. I wrote a review of his company afterwards and hired him again. I don’t think the monthly specials that are sent to you are necessarily all that great—rather it’s a combination of your search criteria [I look for someone local, smaller, not a chain], good reviews from them for both quality and price, and, hopefully, a coupon as well. I renewed my subscription ...

■ anartist, fluther.com

What you get from Angie’s List will only be as good as what the other people in your area who are members post on it regarding their experiences. I would say Angie’s list certainly shouldn’t be your only resource but when you’re talking about the cost of a subscription/membership to Angie’s list v.s. the total cost of something like a kitchen remodel it’s really next to nothing and worth the price even if it only lets you cross a bad apple or two off your list of possible contractors to hire. Though I will say, that if you live in the middle of nowhere or an outlying suburb of nowhere, it may not be as useful if not enough people in your area have used the local contractors and entered reviews and information.

■ lillycoyote, fluther.com

Sorry I can't give a recommendation on a specific service, but I'd recommend joining Angie's List (online service) and checking their reviews. I hire most of my needed services that way (plumbers, electricians, handymen, etc.). Good honest reviews on that site ...

■ BBatesokc, okctalk.com

I like angies list but i find it's helpful only up to a point, especially for something really big like this. this isn't a landscaper or chimney sweep, this might end up being "need to dip into my home equity line time" if you know what i mean.

■ Pie O My, hfboards.com

I am in the midst of a comprehensive remodel. Angie's List is freaking great. I created a spreadsheet with each job, went on AL to find 3-4 highly-ranked contractors, called to get bids, and several are currently working on my house. AL has already paid for itself because several of the contractors have AL coupons. Also, I have used the competing bids to get the selected contractor down. I just got 3 gutter bids and there was a big difference between them for the same product. The contractors who are on AL are very serious about their ratings, so you don't have issues with unreturned phone calls or bad customer service. Great idea. I hope Angie gets filthy rich of this idea. The old days of asking co-workers and realtors for a good contractor are over.

■ suttree, shaggybevo.com

I called Angie’s List for names of gutter cover companies and was given three to choose from. Gutter Cover of Kansas City was first on the list. I called them and three hours later Michael Rowland was at my home. I was impressed with all he showed and told me concerning the covers and the Company. I signed the contract at that time, not calling the other two companies. The installers did a beautiful job. I am most happy with the results. One of the men had to work alone the 2nd day. I was quite impressed with his workmanship and the long hours he put in to complete the job.

■ D. Brown, guttercoverkc.com

I signed up with Angie's List for our first year in the house, hired 6 contractors – all different services, and have had not one issue yet. I highly recommend it for first timers and those without recommendations or plans for lots of work.

■ Frankie J., princeofpetworth.com

The only problem I had when I tried Angie's List is the guys with really high reviews have so much work ... good luck getting them to come by and bid on a job.

■ chris_ut, city-data.com

I subscribed to Angie’s List when we needed to put on a new roof, and found our roofer that way. They were in the neighborhood and did excellent work. I also used Angie’s List when I needed a new car mechanic. I found a reliable shop that’s within walking distance.

■ Dave, tbbuzz.com

I started to enroll in Angies List, and then got busy doing something else. The next day or two they sent me an email saying don't forget to finish your registration and gave me like 40% off. So it was like $5 to join I think, and then you had to pay the monthly membership. It was less than $10, and I only was a member for a month-because I had gathered all the info I needed during that time. I hated to pay $10 just to get some info, when I didn't even know if the people I was looking up were in there. And what quality the information was going to be. But to realize it's $10 and in the scope of a big project it would probably be well spent not to get someone who does a hack job, or takes my money and runs.

■ SpartyGirl, momslikeme.com

I actually used Angie's List to find a good reputable contractor for my remodel. It wasn't that expensive considering the thousands of dollars I will be spending on my remodel. I had this contractor in mind to begin with, but I felt more satisfied after reading all the comments from local customers who were very happy. For small items I might not bother, but I'm not new to the remodeling game and have made errors in judgement in the past. So far, everything I read has been true, so I would definitely use Angie's List again. It's a great option for local contractors of any sort.

■ singsing, my3cents.com

 I finally went on Angie's List (where I should have gone in the first place, probably) and took the highest-rated company I found there. It's a mom and pop operation, locally run, and I could not be happier with them. Glad to recommend if you're interested.

■ David R., yelp.com

I am a member of Angie's List and have found it to be a super resource for many kinds of contractors.

■ nanj, gardenweb.com

I found Angie's list to be useless for us. We are too far from a major city to get anyone to travel out to us and very few businesses local to us were listed. It was really disappointing.

■ glc1968, teamestrogen.com

I'm finding it interesting to see the big role that Angie's List has started to play in this area. There are now Realtors being rated on that site. And I guess it's a good thing ...

■ Patricia K., activerain.com

I highly recommend Angie's List. You'll need to buy a membership but it's worth every penny.

■ indylady, thenest.com

[This is] another recommendation for Angies list. We've had the best luck with them. You can read real reviews by other people who have to pay to use the site. Yelp will sometimes offer some reviews but not as reliable in my opinion.

■ Alexandria, thenest.com

That being said, I also LOVE Angies List. When I first inquired about joining, I decided not to do it because I didn't want to pay the "start-up" fee.

■ asoctober, thenest.com

... as with anything else, people don't want to pay because they think they can get something for nothing. Angie's List has a section specifically for automotive businesses. They are funded by the customers, and all of the feedback is provided by other consumers ...

■ Andrew, pro-touring.com

Important: Promo Code Works ONLY With This Link

Promo Expires May 31, 2012

13 Guidelines To Hire The Best Contractors

Homeowners are back to tackling home improvement projects this year, but too many are skipping two important steps in the hiring process. In a recent Angie's List survey, one-third of the consumers who responded admit they don’t verify a contractor's license status. Plus, 16 percent confess they don’t fully read the home improvement contract before they sign it.

These two items are crucial to a job's success. Trade licenses are important indicators of quality, reliability and the ability to cover any unexpected injuries or other problems. Contracts literally spell out what the contractor and the homeowner are obligated to do — if a job goes poorly, you'll know what was agreed upon to help protect yourself from financial loss.

Follow these 13 hiring guidelines to help make ... To read the rest of the article, click here

Roofing Rip-Offs: Beware Of Scams, Shoddy Contractors

Evangelina DePaz knew the roof of her Flossmoor, Ill., home needed an overhaul so she hired Chuck's Construction to tear off and replace it. But a week after the $11,600 job was completed, she says she noticed water running down the chimney inside and into her basement.

"I didn't have water in my basement before," says DePaz, who says she discovered the company had tacked new roofing over three old layers and used inferior materials.

Owner Chuck Petreikis denies giving DePaz the short shrift, saying she later changed her mind about the roofing materials she wanted and the leaks she developed were due to rotting soffit and fascia boards, which he was not responsible for fixing. "Everything was done according to the contract," he says. ... To read the rest of the article, click here

3 Questions Your Contractor Shouldn't Ask

It's not uncommon for service companies to screen potential customers, especially on larger jobs. Like any professional, a contractor's time is valuable and he or she should be confident their client will actually pay once the project is complete. Unfortunately, sometimes a reasonable request for information gets lost in translation and potential clients get scared off by what they think are invasive, personal or rude questions.

Recently, one of our help desk representatives shared a story about a call we received from an elderly member who lived alone. The member was terrified because she'd called a contractor to do some work and he had asked if she was widowed, if she'd be alone when he arrived, and if she had any savings. Instead of hiring the contractor, the frightened woman was ready to call the police!

The contractor likely was ... To read the rest of the article, click here

Smith+Noble Coupons      Angie's List Promo Code

How To Find The Best Local Contractors, Avoid Bad Contractors

Hiring a contractor shouldn't be a snap decision. Angie's List encourages you to keep a clear head and consider the following:

» Avoid door-to-door solicitors and those who only accept cash payments, offer discounts for finding customers or pressure you to make a quick decision.

» Verify the business is licensed to operate in your area.

To read the rest of the article, click here

How Unlicensed Contractors Can Cost You

It's down to two. You've vetted a long list of contractors. Wheat has emerged from chaff. Now the final decision gets tough. Each appeals to you for different reasons. They're almost identically qualified, with one difference: one's licensed, the other isn't.

Questions float through your head: What does it really mean to be licensed? Why are some contractors licensed and others not? And the ultimate question: Does it matter?

You're not alone in your confusion. Contractors feel it, too. Licensing rules vary state to state. Most states require a license for at least a few home-improvement trades, some don't. Some cities and counties require additional licenses, some don't. Some states and municipalities strictly enforce their licensing laws, most don't.

Once contractors think they've got the ... To read the rest of the article, click here

4 Tips To Avoid Crooked Contractors

Don't be ripped off by an unscrupulous contractor. Consider these tips to protect yourself:

1. Do your research. Check Angie's List, industry associations and ask for references before hiring, including contact information for any subcontractors. Find out if the contractor's past work was up to par and completed on time.

2. Check their trade license. If a contractor ... To read the rest of the article, click here