# Getting ratings of local contractors

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 29, 2021, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436 "2021-10-29T02:09:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436/21 "2021-10-30T15:30:43Z")

</div>

> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> a response by someone who says, “I’m an electrician and I’m free this week”.

I would be highly suspicious of any electrician, or contractor in general, who isn’t busy right now when all the reliable people your friends know are all busy.

Somebody who’s willing to take a fast look at the job and schedule you when they can next fit it in, which might be in a couple of weeks or a couple of months? They might be all right. Somebody who’s free all this week? There’s a reason why they’re free all this week.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436/22 "2021-10-30T16:24:30Z")

</div>

Yeah, he contacted me, and we spoke and decided we didn’t trust each other. His day job is something else, he claims to be an electrician for a major corporation who was willing to do a little moonlighting. Even if his story is completely true, he’s not who i want to hire.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436/23 "2021-11-04T04:25:47Z")

</div>

I don’t know where you live, but Consumer Checkbook is available in various areas.

> **[Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook - Unbiased Ratings and Advice](https://www.checkbook.org/)**
>
> Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook - Your Unbiased Non-Profit Service Ratings Authority

> We publish Consumers’ CHECKBOOK in seven local versions: in the [Boston](https://www.checkbook.org/boston-area/), [Chicago](https://www.checkbook.org/chicago-area/), [Philadelphia/Delaware Valley](https://www.checkbook.org/delaware-valley-area/), [Seattle/Puget Sound](https://www.checkbook.org/puget-sound-area/), [San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose](https://www.checkbook.org/san-francisco-bay-area/), [Twin Cities/Minneapolis/St. Paul](https://www.checkbook.org/twin-cities-area/), and [Washington, DC](https://www.checkbook.org/washington-area/), areas.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436/24 "2021-11-04T23:43:54Z")

</div>

Forget Angi (or Angie’s List). Lately, I’ve had nothing but less-than-satisfactory results from them. One of them was a company they chose to resurface my driveway. A $350 job wound up costing me over  
$2000, and after two months they still haven’t returned to clean up the mess they made. And I got the impression they had never before resurfaced a driveway.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-ratings-of-local-contractors/953436.md?page=1)