I understand the excitement of a home renovation, but finding a reliable contractor can be a daunting task. Many homeowners turn to sites such as Angie’s List or the home advisor to connect with local companies. However, it’s important to recognize the potential risks associated with these sites.
The Problem
It’s important to note that simply typing the names of Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor into Google will reveal a long list of warnings and negative reviews.
To begin with Angie’s List, a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports revealed that while companies are not required to pay to be listed on the site, they are allowed to pay to rank higher in search results.
Jeff Blyskal, a senior editor at Consumer Reports, expressed concerns about this practice, stating that it compromises the validity of the rating system. Furthermore, 70% of Angie’s List’s revenue comes from advertising by the companies they rate.
This means that the ratings may be influenced by the companies that advertise, rather than solely reflecting the quality of the contractors listed. As Blyskal pointed out, people tend to only look at the first page or two of search results, which further skews the ratings. Overall, Blyskal believes that Angie’s List may not be fully transparent with the public regarding their advertising practices.
In fact, the situation with HomeAdvisor is even more concerning.
How does it work?
Contractors who apply to HomeAdvisor are initially screened to ensure that they have basic qualifications such as licensure, insurance, and a clean criminal record. However, after this initial screening, HomeAdvisor never re-screens the contractors.
This means that regardless of how long the contractor is listed on HomeAdvisor, if they face any legal issues such as a civil judgment, lawsuit, or law violation, HomeAdvisor will not update their profile to reflect this. This lack of ongoing screening could potentially put consumers at risk if they hire a contractor listed on HomeAdvisor who has had legal issues since their initial screening.
Angie’s list or the home advisor
it’s important to carefully choose contractors for your home renovation projects. While HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List might seem like trustworthy resources, it’s essential to be aware of their limitations.
HomeAdvisor’s screening process only includes basic checks for licensing, insurance, and criminal history, and contractors are not re-screened after the initial review. This means that if a contractor’s legal or financial situation changes after they’re listed on the site, HomeAdvisor won’t update their profile to reflect this.
Furthermore, once HomeAdvisor connects you with a contractor, they don’t take any responsibility for the transaction. If something goes wrong, it’s up to you and the contractor to resolve the issue. While HomeAdvisor claims to offer dispute resolution services, they have no obligation to do so.
This lack of accountability has led to many negative reviews from both contractors and clients, with some contractors claiming that HomeAdvisor sends them fake leads after they’ve paid a large fee to be listed on the site.