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Is Angies List a scam?

i see the ad all over the place and i went on but you have to pay to use it, and the only people that can post reviews are members who pay the monthly "membership fee" so any contractor can just pay the fee and post a review on them self, also i would imagine that there arent many reviews as only paying members can post reviews and how many people really pay nd post reviews with all of the many contractors that are around... any way i need to have my roof replaced, so is it worth paying for angies list? im not sure because i think if it was ad based it would be a lot better than having to pay

Public Comments

1. Angies list is not a scam. They have been around for a long time and were most likely started with the intention of truly helping people wade through the bad suppliers and finding good ones. The loophole you mention of a supplier being able to recommend their own business is nothing new. There is nothing stopping a hotel from recommending their place on tripadvisor.com, a restaurant to recommend their place on yelp, etc. You COULD conclude that only private recommendations are bias free. Such as zagats restaurant guide. However - I find review sites helpful. Because even if someone writes in their own review saying they are great - they still can't erase a review that says that they were scammed by the person and to avoid at all costs. Just be smart and realize the potential bias - you can still use these sites to your advantage.
2. Asking for money undermines the entire idea of a "referral" list.