I heard of Angie’s List several years ago. I looked at it a couple times but thought the price was a bit much so I never joined (it is around $10/month). But I joined a few weeks ago and I am impressed. What they offer is information. And there is lots of information for free on the internet. But they do a good job of organizing what the information and provide a valuable service in my experience.
From their site: “Angie’s List is where you’ll find thousands of unbiased reports and reviews about service companies in your area. Our members share their experiences with each other so that you can choose the service company that’s right for your job the first time around.”
The usefulness boils down to their ability to get accurate and useful information and present it well. And they do. The reviews, provided by other users, are detailed and helpful. I found two companies to do some work for me based on the site and both were very good. So far so good. I hope the track record continues.