There Will Be Complaints

Amazon changed forever the way we shop. Even more - it changed, with the concept of the shopping cart, the way we shop online.

And there have been many other innovations related to our shopping experience: customer product ratings and evaluations; if you liked this you'll love that product suggestions; one-click purchase; sell your used products and more.

Now, thanks to consumer reporting sites on the Internet, we can also think again about the way we experience customer service, complaints, and word-of-mouth about good and bad shopping experience.

One of the most noticeable of these services, if only because the company advertises incessantly, is Angie's List (www.angieslist.com). In spite of its annoying advertising, I wish that this website had been around when I was looking for someone to fix my roof. No one I knew could recommend a roofer - I had to call someone from an ad in the yellow pages. I might as well have taken a gun, loaded it with a couple of bullets, and shot it into the roof, hoping that I wouldn't put another hole in it.

With Angie's List, a subscription (it does cost money!) will give you access to reports, reviews and ratings from other homeowners in your area. You can find a highly recommended roofer (or other contractor), and steer clear of the bozos.

Here's how Angie's List describes its function:

"Let's say you have a leak in your roof (oh, the irony!). But not just any roof, an aging tile roof.

"Step 1. When you sign in to Angie's List, search for "roofers."

"In the search results, you'll see which contractors in your area have been highly rated by other Angie's List members. This list will also tell you:

  • Each company's current grade
  • The total number of reports they've received.
  • Their contact information
  • Their distance to your home
  • If they offer any Angie's List discounts
  • If they've won any Angie's List awards
"Step 2. Click on a company' name to see their full profile.

"This page has more detail about the company's current report card. You'll know, on average, which grade (A-F) members have given the company in the categories of:

"You'll also be able to read about the specific types of services they perform (this is where you find out if they'll work on your old tile roof), their hours of operation, how long they've been in business, the forms of payment they accept and whether or not they offer free estimates.

"Step 3. The next part is what makes Angie's List a truly unique resource. From the company's profile, you can click to read about each member's real-life experience with the company, report by report.

"All the details are there for you to read — straight from the mouths of members who've hired them. You'll know if the crews showed up on time, explained what they were doing in detail, were comfortable to work with, or just totally botched the job. Click here to see a sample report.

"Step 4. After you've found a few companies that look good to you, start calling for estimates, and feel confident that you've got the background you need to make an informed decision."

A 1-year membership in the Syracuse area will cost you $15.00, with discounted rates for multiple years.

Now, Angie's List is strictly for home repairs and remodeling contractor evaluation.

But let's say you have a good, or bad, experience with another type of product or service.

There's always the Better Business Bureau, of course, but as we all know, the BBB is made up of member companies who, in theory, agree to abide by certain rules of conduct. You can find out if someone has filed a bad report on a company, but not much more detail. What you're not likely to get from the BBB is a completely unvarnished tale of woe or wonder about a company you might be doing business with.

For that "unvarnished" version, you might want to try The Consumerist: Shoppers Bite Back (www.consumerist.com). The main thrust of this blog-style website is professional/semi-professional consumer reporters following up on tips provided by consumers, and following major companies over time to establish a profile of a given company as a good, bad, or indifferent provider of customer service.

Typical reviews feature Netflix, Kellogs, JetBlue (they hate JetBlue over there!), WalMart, and United Health Care. Every day, hot deals are featured - and if you subscribe (free) the the RSS feed, you can get these tips delivered to your RSS reader every morning. That alone is worth the subscription!

How about Yelp? (www.yelp.com). This consumer-networking site is free. You sign up, create a profile, and then create reviews of products and services in your area. Read reviews of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Faegan's, or Erawan; find out how the service is at Scarab Body Art, Studio FX Salon, Diane's Image, or Best & Company; learn more about shopping, arts and entertainment, or mass media in Central New York.

As the site explains, "Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great (and not so great) in your world. You already know that asking friends is the best way to find restaurants, dentists, hairstylists, and anything local. Yelp makes it fast and easy by collecting and organizing your friends' recommendations in one convenient place.

Yelp is...the ultimate city guide that taps into the community's voice and reveals honest and current insights on local businesses and services on everything from martinis to mechanics.

...just real people, writing real reviews, and that's the real deal."

Then there is Social Spark (www.socialspark.com). Social Spark aims to hook up bloggers and advertisers so that the advertiser can talk directly to the type of consumer he's interested in. Say I have a blog on fashion dolls, and my readership is very interested in these icons of the 50s. I host doll and collectible shows. Social Spark can hook us up, getting exposure for your doll shows, and advertising dollars for my blog. As a blogger, I can choose to display an ad, or to write a story about your shows, or both.

Social Spark says, "SocialSpark is a Social Marketing Network that connects advertisers and bloggers through an online advertising marketplace. Advertisers are able to target blogs based on conversational topics and make cash sponsorship offers to the bloggers who publish them. Bloggers can make money by either placing display advertisements on their blog or by writing sponsored content. The sponsorships offered through the SocialSpark marketplace allow advertisers to build buzz, generate traffic and maximize social media exposure."

A little more aggressive than The Consumerist is The Ripoff Report (www.ripoffreport.com):

"Victim of a consumer Rip-off? Want justice?

"Ripoff Report® is a worldwide consumer reporting Web site and publication, by consumers, for consumers, to file and document complaints about companies or individuals. While we encourage and even require authors to only file truthful reports, Ripoff Report does not guarantee that all reports are authentic or accurate. Be an educated consumer. Read what you can and make your decision based upon an examination of all available information.

"Unlike the Better Business Bureau, Ripoff Report does not hide reports of "satisfied" complaints. ALL complaints remain public and unedited in order to create a working history on the company or individual in question.

"Ripoff Reports cover every category imaginable! You can Browse the latest Reports, Search the Reports, or Submit your report now for FREE, by clicking on File Report. View over 1,000 different topics & categories you can file under.

"By filing a Ripoff Report it's almost like creating your own web site
..And, it's FREE.

"Your Ripoff Report will be discovered by millions of consumers! Search engines will automatically discover most reports, meaning that within just a few days or weeks, your report may be found on search engines when consumers search, using key words relating to your Ripoff Report.

"Helping you, the consumer...

"Search the Ripoff Report before you do business with retail stores with bad return policies, checking & credit theft, rebate fraud or other unscrupulous business policies such as phony auto repairs, auto dealer bait-and-switch tactics, restaurants with bad service or food, corrupt government employees & politicians, police corruption, home builders, contractors, unethical doctors & lawyers, online stores that sell non-existent products, dead beat dads & moms, landlords & tenants, fraudulent employment & business opportunities, and individual con artists who scam consumers."

How significant are these new consumer options?

As you might expect, the complaint sites are more powerful (and more frequently used!) than the ratings-and-praise sites.

And people do use them.

A friend recently had a bad experience purchasing a product. Failing to get any friendly or helpful resolution to the problem, she filed complaints at the BBB, The Consumerist, and Yelp. And when I tell her about Ripoff Report, there will be a complaint filed there, as well.

Bloggers have changed the face of news; consumer report sites will no doubt give new power to the people who purchase.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Great, unbiased and objective article. My two cents about the sites listed here:

Angies list--probably pretty good if you're looking for a name of someone, but honestly, who's going to register and pay the fee just because their air conditioner guy was clean and really nice? Most of what you'll get here is little more than friends of small company owners logging in to say nice words or people who are pissed off enough to pay the registration fee. It has its uses, tho, just like in your specific "give me the name of a roofer" example.

Yelp is great for restaurant and hotel reviews and suggestions. I used it to find a "perfect" spot for a romantic anniversary dinner, and i could make reservations right there.

I agree with everything you say about the BBB, and I've also heard they do little to nothing to help you out with bad companies. They seem like "eunuchs" to me. What good is that??

Ripoff Report is probably the best overall site to check out someone before doing business with them--which won't help if you don't have a name to check--and for general consumer protection. I love that I don't have to pay anything to search or file, just create my profile. There's also this feeling of banding together against "bad guys" that at least makes me feel like I have a voice, that i won't get walked on. In my case, too, I actually saw results from my complaint about a major electronics retailer, which leads me to believe companies really pay attention. Yeah, the site has some noisy detractors, but I think they're just the most egregious offenders. I think the "extortion" crap is just that...crap.

I can't remember the other sites, but that's 'cause i never heard of them. Thanks for letting me voice my opinion!
Nancy Roberts said…
Thanks for the input! And excellent point about Angie's List.
Anonymous said…
The article is great.
But Angie's List?...

I have had an awful experience with them.
My advice: Google search "Angie's List Complaints" before you do any business with them.
-- The reviews are not reliable; I agree with "Anonymous" on this.
-- There seems to be a flagrant conflict of interest: Angie's List DOES charge contractors to stay on top of their list.
--Google search "Angie's List Lawsuit". There is a copy of the legal fight Angie's List had with AT&T. There, you will find Angie's List own assertion that most of their revenue is from contractors who, by the way, pay up to $400.00 per month to stay on top of the list. Angie's will deny this, but it is a fact. I have contractors friends who showed me their credit card accounts to this effect.

Am I annoyed by all this? You bet. I feel bullied by Angie's List and I do not like it a bit.

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