Many times we need to hire a contractor and try to extensively google for reviews on that contractor. Sometimes to no avail :(
Just curious what web resources you use when trying to find a contractor? Be it a review site or some other method, what have you used in the past to identify the best person for the job?
I have used ServiceMagic (http://www.servicemagic.com/) in the past and been pretty happy with the results (I was able to find a good electrician through it), but that was along with checking up on the contractor through a Google search. I wouldn't just trust a ServiceMagic reference without being able to find some other proof of the quality of the contractor. I do not have a specific list but usually if the contractor has a quality website, business license, 800 phone number, etc. then they get some points toward being awarded my business.
Angie's List is a subscription-based review service for contractors and service providers.
Not a website, but the best way I've found to find contractors is to talk to them at other job sites. If you know where any new houses are being built near-by, run over and talk to the contractors on site. They can show you their work and recommend others that they work with too.
I found that none of the services like Service Magic or Angielist allows for a bad feedback from the client. If you are not a happy customer, there is no way to post your review about your bad experience with your contractor.
I've had a different experience than @Bea with angieslist.com. I don't have any insider connection to angieslist (other than being a customer). Perhaps the experience is different in other markets, since angieslist splits their subscriptions up regionally (I'm in north Alabama, USA). Or perhaps angieslist has changed over the past year since @Bea posted.
I strongly recommend that you read the full text of all angieslist reviews before hiring a contractor. It has been an invaluable resource for me personally over the last year. After floundering for years with bad plumbers & electricians, I've now found great ones almost exclusively via angieslist. For big jobs, I still meet with the contractor before hiring him (common sense still applies when using angieslist). I read bad reviews all the time on angieslist, so that criticism also doesn't apply in my experience.
I've had much success with contractors from http://homestars.com/cities
Check to see if they have listings for your area.
I've used the Craig's List services section, but without much luck. I don't know if it my breath or something, but even people posting ads that seem desperate for work never return my messages.
