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Ashley Hayes ReportingIt's one of the more frustrating scenerios we all go through. You schedule a company to come work at the house and you wait and wait and wait. Or maybe in the end they charge you more than originally quoted.
Now there's a website in Salt Lake where you can report the good, the bad and the ugly experiences you've had with local businesses. It's called Angieslist.com.
A short drive through the city and you'll see some variation of signs for "authorized dealers," where they'll "fix cars right." There are tax services, manicures, all open, wanting your business.
Pull out the phonebook and the list grows.
Mike Wood: "Picking through the Yellow Pages, you might just pick the one with the biggest advertising budget."
Mike Wood's been down that road.
Mike Wood, Consumer, Used Angie's List: "Because we had problems with our furnace before, and we hadn't been too happy with who came out before."
He went looking for a reliable heating and air contractor. In the middle of a move, parenting three children under the ages of five, Wood didn't have a lot of time.
That's when he came across Angie's List, a decade old consumer website brand new to the Salt Lake area. Here consumers give businesses letter grades based on performance in categories like price, quality and promptness.
Angie's List has links to Better Business Bureau reports on each company. The BBB says it's a good supplemental website, a little different from their own.
Jane Driggs, President/CEO Better Business Bureau: "It allows consumers to give compliments so you can write in, 'This is the best roofer,' or 'They were really quick.'"
And for Wood it was the compliments that narrowed his search.
Mike Wood: "I'd say there's actually slightly more positive ratings than negative ones."
Unknown to the owner of one company, Wood's search on Angie's list is what brought him to choose Manwill's Plumbing and Heating.
We showed Jim Manwill the website ratings for his business and...
Jim Manwill, Owner Manwill's Plumbing and Heating: "Quality--everything is 'A' on quality. Everything else has been A's which is how I like to run a business. Actually looks good. I'm happy with it."
Wood says it's a sure way to steer clear from hiring a company blind.
Jim Manwill, the company owner we spoke with expressed concern the reports are posted anonymously. Company reps say they are very thorough in making sure consumers have used the service. For each company you can only make one report every six months. They also check on the company to find out how long they've been operating, if they're licensed, and insured.
Because it's new to Utah, the website is offering a trial period where if you sign up, Angie's List is free for a year. Eventually it becomes a pay service at $4.95 a month plus a one time ten dollar start-up fee.
