Some time ago, I had joined Angie's list, and also signed up a client of mine who was interested in getting more visibility online. At first, everything seemed pretty great. I could log in as a consumer, and create reviews of local service providers that I'd solicited business from in the past and found helpful, useful, etc. I could also log on as a business owner, and hope that other people might search for website marketing online, find me, and eventually write up a positive Angie's List review of what I do.
Luckily, I never had a chance to start "Angie's Listing" before my client ran into a little problem with a customer who had found his company via their website. What happened was, they emailed him explaining that they'd had some disappointments in the past with other people in his field who didn't live up to their expectation (this should always send up a red flag, but it didn't for him).
So, he did work for them, and they seemed okay with the end product until he sent the bill. The bill was reasonable for the amount of work done, but not according to them. Rather than pay it, they began to cite minor "flaws" that they felt he had made, and then they comped his rates, pointing out that they could have gotten so much more for their money if they had gone elsewhere.
My client refused to back down and offer them a price that THEY felt was fair. He stated why he believed his bill was correct as is, sat back and waited.
Before long, he received a letter, I forget if it was via mail or email... but it was basically a friendly threat from Angie's list. The letter informed him that his client was unhappy with the service he provided. They were writing up a negative review that would be published on the Angie's List website, for an unlimited number of viewers to see. His next step, they urged, was to rectify things with the dissatisfied client. If he was able to make good on that situation, the client would agree not to publish the poor rating of his work. I believe they also offered some sort of "mediation" service, where someone from their company would step in to resolve the disagreement between the two parties. I can't remember if this service cost extra or not.
This sounds like good old-fashioned bullying to me. It's difficult enough for an honest, hardworking freelance type to get paid for the work they've done. With EVERY new client, you wonder, should I charge up front? What if I spend hours on this and never see a dime? Thankfully, there are enough decent eople left in the world who wouldn't think of stooping so low. I try to steer clear of the ones who give me that scheister vibe.
In conclusion: I urged my client to immediately cancel his Angie's List account, which he did, and I did the same for my own.
The End.
