Good idea - bad execution?

[susandennis]

There was a small ad in this morning paper for Angie's List. The headline was "Tired of Lousy Service" and it went on to say that Angie's list is a list of service companies that is rated and recommended with unbiased opinions of users.

So I hopped onto their website. Attractive and snappy. Looks like they have chapters in lots of places, including Seattle. Good idea. So wonder what it costs, if anything... There's nothing that says free so I'm guessing it costs. And the cost must be fairly substantial since nothing is mentioned about it anywhere other than a few obscure references to savings. So I click on Sign me up...

Of course, they want all of the details of my life - including the DNA of my second cousin with many fields required before I can click on that 'continue' button... No thank you. When I'm paying, I like you to show me yours first.

I clicked all over that damn site. Nothing. Nada. No info. Then I decided to send the company a 'why I'm not signing up' email. And I could not even find a corporate email address... Only Seattle. I was getting pretty steamed when all of a sudden something I clicked on led me to an FAQ where I finally found - buried deep inside - a price sheet... $50 a year. But, you know what? There's no fucking way I'm rewarding that kind of bad website behavior.

For years and years now I have used the Greater Seattle Business Association. When I first got to town, I picked up one of their directories at a Seattle Men's Chorus concert and I've been a loyal fan and user ever since. Screw Angie and her stupid list.