Angie's List A waste of time and money - and beware the "renewal" policy! Internet

I joined Angie's list on April 28 of last year.  It's pretty useless.  I could get better information about local companies from a variety of free services. 

It comes with ENDLESS emails about the "BIG DEAL" - supposedly huge discounts from service providers. Many of the BIG DEALS are services that most companies provide for free (in hope of getting business) such as roof, or gutter, or chimney inspections.  I got one decent deal in an entire year. 

There is virtually no useful information about contractors.  I find it hard to believe that this many companies have never received less than an "A", in any category, from any customer. 

Obviously I wasn't going to renew, despite Angie's automatic renewal policy 'for my convenience'.  I had checked "my account" on their website, and it said that my Paypal "billing agreement is invalid".  Figured I didn't have anything to worry about, but had put on my calendar to cancel a week before (I thought) it would renew.  My mistake.  I got a Paypal receipt today - they had charged me for renewal nearly a month before my membership expired.  So much for my billing agreement not being valid. If that notation hadn't been on "My Account" on Angieslist.com, I would have gone to paypal.com and revoked their permission to charge me. 

I finally searched their website long enough to find that they say (more or less) that they bill for renewal on the first day of the month of the anniversary.  Even if you joined two days before the end of the month.  It also says that once they renew it, you are screwed. 

Best part - the renewal fee they charged me is FORTY PERCENT MORE than the current cost to join new. 

Angie's List is worthless as a resource.  And if any company I rated had business practices like theirs, I would give it an "F".