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And sometimes you're spending thousands of dollars on a whole remodel.
Regardless of the job, the question remains the same: how do you find a good contractor?
ABC 2 news consumer reporter Denise Dory has a suggestion.
When you need a contractor, you might ask friends and neighbors for recommendations: word of mouth is still one of the best ways to get the job done.
A new website expands on that circle and gives you access to some very honest reviews of service providers in our area.
If Grover and Nicky could type, maybe they'd be the ones be behind the review of their veterinarian on the website "Angie’s List"
But, they cant.
It’s owner George Perkins who's online telling others about service providers like Airpark Animal Hospital.
"There’s categories to rate based on responsiveness, price, service you write a paragraph about what you had done, what you like/dislike, what you paid."
"Angie’s List" members pay 5-95 a month for access to the site, which the founder says takes the hassle out of finding quality service providers.
"What we wanted to do was magnify word of mouth network folds like to depend on"
The site was launched more than a decade ago in Ohio. It's now up and running in 32 cities. It's been operating in Baltimore since mid-January.
Angie says you can find just about anything on the list.
"There’s about 250 categories, home, lawn, pet, party, clowns for kids"
The reviews can give valuable insight into the companies.
"Also can get anecdotal info, ‘Company came out on Saturday, good painter but colorblind so don’t let him pick the color.’"
George uses "Angie’s List" to find help for work to both his house and farm.
"People do roofing, vets, landscapers, painters, carpenters, electricians, but the list is pretty complete, I was surprised by the diversity of things on there"
It’s not just consumers who like the site, which features a report card-like scaling system of the companies.
Airpark Animal Hospital says the feedback helps them do a better job.
"I think it's outstanding. I thought the reviews were clear and concise,
I think there are a lot of people out there who need guidance, but who like to have recommendations from other consumers as opposed to yellow pages ads"
George agrees, saying the site is a better way to find local help.
"Yellow pages are function of what someone will pay to put an ad or listing in the yellow pages, you don't get a quality of service from that"
The list is set up with checks in place, to insure the validity of the site.
"Companies don’t put themselves on the list and don’t pay to be on it so really customer feedback and input that drives the service"
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