AngiesList AngiesList... Is the Best

Angie's List is one of many companies which aggregate consumer reviews of local service companies and which have been described by the New York Times as "a glorified version of Yellow Page listings."[4] Angie's List is unique, however, in that it charges consumers to see reviews,[5] reflecting thier belief that charging consumers "adds credibility to the information."[4] Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company was founded by Angie Hicks in 1995. The company modeled the list after Indianapolis' Unified Neighbors.[citation needed] As part of its public relations strategy, the company tells the story that Angie Hicks, who earned an MBA in 2000, went door-to-door in Columbus, Ohio signing up members and collecting ratings on local contractors.[3] In 1996, Angie's List purchased Unified Neighbors and relocated the company from Columbus to Indianapolis. As of January, 2007 the company serves 124 U.S cities[6] and provides reviews of companies in more than 250 categories.[7]

Angie's List grades companies using a report card style A through F scale using consumer reviews.[2] Revenue for Angie's List comes from fees paid by its members and from advertising. It claims to only accept advertising from companies that have a "B" rating or higher.[8] Not all reports submitted by members are used in establishing a company's rating as Angie's List employees "are skilled at picking out would-be saboteurs" who would distort a company's rating by submitting a negative review. Angie's List's stated policies prohibit contractors from paying to be on the list, adding their own names, or reporting on their companies.[9] A blog entry[10] quoted in Newsday, however, demonstrates that it would be easy for business owners to get around this prohibition: