For the sixth consecutive year, home warranty companies topped the worst-graded categories list compiled by Angie’s List, the nation’s leading provider of
consumer reviews on local contractors and service companies.
Fifty-four percent of the consumer reviews submitted by Angie’s List members who’d bought a home warranty and reported on their experience in 2010 gave their company D or F grades.
“Consumers need to know the contract terms before they need them, and companies could do more to help them with that,” says Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Most of the complaints we collected are about quality and professionalism, many of them based on a misunderstanding about what the warranties covered and the quality of the repair work ultimately done.”
Property managers maintained the dubious distinction of being the second most often complained about service, and four other services repeated their appearance on the highest complaints list.
“No one sets out to hire a company with a bad customer service reputation,“ Hicks said “The good news for consumers is that finding reliable consumer ratings and reviews is easier than ever.”
Angie’s List members grade service companies on overall experience, price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality, and professionalism. Proprietary technology and human review are used to ensure the grades are reliable and fair. Anonymous comments and self-reporting are prohibited, and companies are encouraged to monitor and respond to reports free-of-charge.
Consumers turn to Angie’s List to find companies with good customer service track records, and they generally limit their hiring searches to those with A or B grades. If the companies deliver as expected, they earn more high grades, and maintain those high grade-point averages. Members submit more than 40,000 new reports each month to Angie’s List.
But too many consumers learn the hard way about companies that provide bad service.
“Everyone has skipped out on doing the research and hired someone based solely on an ad they’ve seen or a quick recommendation from a friend or family,” Hicks said. “More often than not, it’s that kind of hire that leads to a hiring experience no one wants to repeat.”
Angie’s List 2010 Most Complained About Companies
- Home warranty companies*
- Property management companies*
- Internet service providers*
- TV cable & satellite providers*
- Wedding professionals – bridal and tuxedo shops, planners
- Dry cleaners
- Phone services*
- Auto sales
- Car services – limos and taxi services*
- Florists
*Repeat appearance on this list
Companies offering artwork/mural services, resume services and website design and development all ranked well with Angie’s List members this year, earning less than 1 percent of negative reports.
“These companies know how to listen to their customers,” Hicks said. “They take the time to know what their customers want and they deliver on that. Companies that want to improve their grades with our members have only to read what their customers are saying and take it to heart.”
Angie’s List 2010 Least Complained About Companies
- Artwork/Mural services
- Resume services
- Website design/development
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Home organization services
- Hauling services
- Screen repair
- Lighting services
- Ceiling fan installation
- Architects and building design
Rankings are based on Angie’s List analysis of member
reports submitted during the first three quarters of 2010.
Angie’s List collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 500 service categories. Currently, more than 1 million consumers across the U.S. and Canada rely on Angie’s List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine and help from the Angie’s List complaint resolution service. Take a quick tour of Angie’s List and view the latest Angie’s List news