My neighbor was a subscriber and I've checked on a few people through her subscription. The 2 contractors that were actually listed didn't have very many reviews so it wasn't helpful. Out of curiosity I checked 2 of my doctors - what a shock- if I had read the reviews I might not selected them because the reviews were so varied and a few disparaging. BUT I've been going to them for 10 years and they are both excellent. Better yet - my neighbor who has the subscription is married to a physician who recommended both of these docs and my neighbor uses them too.

So in my experience the subscription wasn't helpful. My neighbor isn't going to renew when it expires.

thanks maire_cate.

I don't know about Angie's list. When it first came to our area, they offered one year free so I signed up. It was somewhat handy to read reviews. I say somewhat because being so new there weren't many. Another thing imho, is those with complaints or problems tend to be more vocal than the happy campers. Then I had a situation where a mechanic went way above & beyond, and since he was trying to get his fledgling business launched, I thought I'd reciprocate and gave him a glowing review. I later learned he was bombarded by AL with solicitations to join. I felt bad about that, but also was rather surprised. Wonder if they show bias toward businesses who are 'members'?

As an aside, just yesterday when googling for local salon reviews I stumbled onto a site that appears pretty similar and looks like it's free...Judy's Book. (The obvious name play was somewhat amusing. ;) Their reviews were helpful reading, anyway.

I subscribed in 2006 but stopped because my location wasn't well represented in the reviews, which is kind of odd because I live near several major metro areas. It did give me the opportunity to bash a couple of the horrible contractors that worked on my house at that time but unfortunately was not very helpful when I was trying to find people to fix the problems created by the prior guys.

I've never subscribed but am familiar with Judy's Book which is similar. The site I find really has good reviews is Yelp. It's more of a social site so the reviews tend to be less angry and more about sharing if that makes sense.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yelp

I am sorry to hear that some posters were not helped by Angie's List. To me, it has been worth every penny.
When my husband died, Murphy's Law set in and everything in my house was breaking and needing repair. My subscription helped me find some good people at fair prices. The reviews are detailed, including amount of work done, price charged for that work, and manner of execution of their service.
The Health Category is fairly new and does not have that much contribution from members yet.
As a disclaimer, I live in a middle sized metropolitan area, and our area's list has a decent amount of representation. This, I think, is key.
For $16 and if you live close to a city, I would think, yes, it would be worth it.

I live in the western 'burbs of Chicago, so a well-populated area. I joined for a year when they first were in our area, but most of the businesses were no where near our suburb. I tried calling a couple of the places listed for a handyman job, but because they were far enough away, they weren't interested in coming here. I didn't renew.

I am a member... I can't decide if it's helpful or not. I have hired two people that I found through there, both with many high reviews, and neither of them turned out to be what the reviews said they were. The one was an electrician who came out to do an estimate on a new breaker panel, but he hasn't sent us the quote even though we've called and left messages 3 times. The other was a painter who was supposed to be so friendly and professional, which he was all throughout the job, until I had to point out some things that he had forgotten, and he completely turned 180 and was THE most unprofessional person I have ever worked with. I want to think he was having a bad day because he was very nice the next day, but I still won't hire him again.

Afraid I have to chime in with a negative.
My single sis recently bought a place in VA and has been using Angie's to find contractors.
Then she had problems with one guy...

UNBELIEVABLE problems (like she came home to find him in bed in her guest room with some woman!)
Full Monty handy man!

She immediately posted a negative review. She was really in total shock from the episode. He went after her HOUNDING her to change it!!! Calling her NON_STOP and telling her it would wreck his business and his life and think of his family....

She was a freaked out by him and changed it.

I know they can't all be that way...but...it's another story to keep in mind.

When I moved I found a closer vet who is wonderful, so that's worth the price of the subscription. I've lived in the metro area for a long time so I can say that the rating are generally fairly accurate, as long as you remember that there will always be people who can't be pleased by anyone, and that even good businesses sometimes make mistakes. You also have to look for trends, because reasonable people may differ. For example, my gynecologist is widely recognized as being outstanding. She also happens to be a good fit for my geeky personality. We "get" each other. I could tell that the women who gave her poor ratings (there were only a couple) wanted someone who was better at the warm fuzzies.

Some business give discounts to members of Angie's list. For example, I replaced a water heater last week and got $50 off. It was a genuine savings. It's my favorite plumbing company and they quoted a perfectly fair price before I mentioned the Angie's List coupon.

I'm not sure that I'm going to renew. In the last year or so, the emphasis seems to have shifted away from consumer ratings to advertising for businesses. I get e-mail from them multiple times per week advertizing "deals". My roofer claims that part of the position of business names in the search results is based on fees that the businesses pay. I have no idea whether or not that's true.

I find it a very useful tool. Not only can I praise my dentist and good contractors but I have leverage over places like Best Buy and doctors who have wasted my time and money. As Angie's list catches hold in each area you will see better and more results.It is not just about finding a handyman or a painter but having a voice to praise the good ones and kick the other ones in the butt. Fair game for all.

My roofer claims that part of the position of business names in the search results is based on fees that the businesses pay.

Ah, that might explain the reason my mechanic guy was so heavily solicited. Which imvho comes across as bias. Tho I will say a couple posters have mentioned some very valid reasons for joining.

biochem, that's wild. What a bizarre experience it must have been for your sister! :o

I forgot, in my salon search the other day, something called dexknows came up in results. Not a lot of reviews showed up, maybe it's new, but it's also a freebie site.

I have been a member of Angie's List for two years. I am very pleased with the vendors that I have found through the service.

I had my house siding, soffits and fascia replaced. I found the vendor through Angie's List. They were better than I ever would have expected. The pricing was competitive, the quality of service up-to-par and the materials were miles ahead of the higher priced estimates.

I also found my doctor through them. She is excellent.

But it really is as good as you put into it. I try to give reviews for contractors and doctors.

Although I have not used Angie's List, I have had great experiences with my Consumers' Checkbook subscription for the Washington DC metro area. We have used it to select an electrician and the supplier of a new HVAC system.

Angie's List somehow got hold of my email address and sent me so many emails coaxing me to subscribe that I finally blocked them.

I'm a member and have used it to find someone to insulate my attic and also a roofer. Both got A+ on AL and lived up to their rating. I find that people's comments give info that other kinds of reviews do not. I like AL.

Thanks for all the information. I guess there is no way to take it for a trial and see what the area would be like that you need it for. Too bad, that would be nice..

biochem....OMG Really?

I really appreciate all of the above responses