That was the case until Feb. 1, when Angie's List opened its Boston office. It is not another set of Yellow Pages, because the list also provides detailed customer-satisfaction reports on all of them. This is designed to keep the list full of qualified, reliable service people. The yearly fee gives subscribers access to the list. When they call looking for, say, a contractor, someone at Angie's gives them three to five names of companies.
Members share their feedback after hiring a company.
The companies are under the gun this way, rated on a grade system of A for excellent to F for lousy, in such categories as punctuality, quality of work, professionalism, and price. A member can find almost any service, including massage therapy, muralists, satellite dishes, singing telegrams, and Santa Claus impersonators. Service people and companies do not pay to be on Angie's List, nor can they put themselves on the list, said Angie Hicks, founder of the list who lives in Indianapolis. Angie's List publishes a monthly newsletter to help subscribers keep up with the world of house repair and runs features on comparative shopping of such things as spring cleaning supplies. Companies get on the list when a member has given a report on them.