Right Wing Owned Angie's List Has a Problem with Women

[onehandle]

Whenever I see one too many ads for Angie's List on MSNBC, I have to remind you...
______________________

Angie's List recently made news and not in a good way. The popular business referral service has apparently decided to risk the reputation of their own business by supporting Rush Limbaugh's hate radio. I can only presume that they are hoping to take advantage of Limbaugh's last distress-sale advertising rates in order to create buzz following their recent Initial Public Offering. In doing so, they have traded dollars and cents for any sense of common decency. Their ad dollars are supporting a man who has called women sluts, prostitutes and lard-asses. While Angie's decision to associate with Rush Limbaugh is revealing in and of itself, a closer inspection of the company reveals that their association with Rush should not be all that surprising. Angie's List, it seems, has a problem with women too.

Angie's List was co-founded by Angie (Angela Bowman Hicks) and William Oesterle in 1995. The two came together in order to create a reliable source of business referrals and Angie's List was born. Though Angie is the public face of the eponymous organization, Bill Oesterle is actually the CEO. Oesterle's career did not start in business however. It started in Republican politics. (Hat tip to @catsrimportant!)

After graduating from Purdue University, Oesterle took a low-level position with Republican Governor Robert Orr of Indiana. Oesterle apparently rose through the ranks quickly and in 1988 moved from Governor Orr's staff to the conservative Hudson Institute where he served as Director of Corporate Affairs.

The Hudson Institute's website describes the organization as "a nonpartisan policy research organization dedicated to innovative research and analysis that promotes global security, prosperity, and freedom." Nonpartisan...right!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/krystal-ball/angies-list-rush-limbaugh_b_1523842.html

[LAGC]

1. Wow, that's good to know.

I never used them, and never will now. Seen their ads plenty of times though.

I always wondered why people would pay for a service that most other review-type sites offer for free...

[irisblue]

4. we are members currently

and will not renew. The SOs' company gave the first years' membership as a "gift". I will say often the coupons have been useful.

[Skittles]

8. people are very easily suckered

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Thom Hartman is also a spokesman for Angie's List

Their ads are on his show all the time.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. Aren't you glad that you now know that Thom Hartman is a right winger?

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Phew now it's finally out there!

LOL

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I'm very sorry to hear this.

I've been using Angie's List for years to find contractors, etc., and have always had great results. I really don't want to give them up.

[freshwest]

5. WTH? Why support that slimeball Rush? No judgement? Maybe their ratings are bogus.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. I've been thinking of dropping Angie's List anyway due to policy changes.

Used to be you could post reviews anonymously. Obviously there can be abuses with that but ever since you had to attach your name so the company knew who you were, I haven't posted a negative review.

[niyad]

7. some of the comments were amazing. the sheeples do drink the kool-ade.

[progree]

9. I think Angies List likes to play games

This is weird - I Googled "mortgage auditing solutions"
and found several hits, including an Angies List one:

http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/us/ca/laguna-hills/mortgage-auditing-solutions-reviews-7440657.htm

But it shows no ratings info for it -- well there are little lock icons indicating you have to be a member to see the ratings; and a big JOIN NOW button. So I sign in (I'm a member). After signing in, it takes me to some default page. When I try to return to the above mortgage auditing solutions page, I see the same thing as before -- locked icons on the ratings, and a big "Join Now" - the same as I saw before. If I search inside Angies List (while signed in) for mortgage auditing solutions, I get no hits.

I emailed Angies List about the above but got no response.

I've tried numerous different things on the web site numerous different times, but can't break through. I suspect the fuckheads don't have anything on them but it's a way to lure people who are doing a Google search to join Angies List.

By the way, Mortgage Auditing Solutions has an "F" rating, per the Better Business Bureau, and the limited experience of a friend who dealt with them until they started sending requests for money before doing further work.

Back to Angies List -- it also pisses me off when I see other magazine articles (PC World, Consumer Reports to name a couple) mention Angies List and that it is $29/year. I'm paying more than $70. I suspect Angies List isn't being honest with them - that the $29 is a short-time promotional rate.

[badtoworse]

10. I make business decisions based on business considerations

Political considerations don't enter into it. I've used Angies List for years and have lined up some great contractors through them. We just did about a $160k remodel on our house and used a contractor we found on Angies List - they were great and we are thrilled with the results. I should have just taken my chances because of their politics?

[East Coast Pirate]

13. There are other ways to find contractors.

[WinkyDink]

14. A $160,000 RE-MODEL?! Must be nice to have the wherewithal.

[CTyankee]

15. I absolutely detest their ads. They're on all the time, same ones over and over.

I do mute them as fast as possible, tho.

When I need a business referral I ask around. Mostly, when I need someone to do some work on or around the house. I have gotten some great referrals that way. A few years ago when I had 4 feet of snow on the flat roof of my house's extension and needed it removed (I'm too old and my husband is not only old but also has mobiliity issues due to spinal surgeries) as I was terrified my roof would fall in. I finally asked my garage mechanic and he set me up with a roofer who did it for $200! Since it was January, the roofer was not busy and he got a helper and they cleared the roof in 2 hours. It was HARD work tho...

[remorew]

16. Won't renew

I'm a bit late to comment here, but like many others I am very sad to learn about this, especially since Angie's List is presented as a woman-started, woman-owned company.

I will not renew my memberships (yes, multiple) with this company.

this is the same reason I don't use Verizon or AT&T for cell service as they both contribute a lot of money to the tea party.

Too bad about Angie's List. Good idea. But advertising on Rush Limbaugh is just too much.

[remorew]

17. update - angie's list does not advertise on rush show

I wrote to Angie's list after posting this expressing my concern over them resuming their advertisements on Rush limbaugh.

I got a response from them saying they did not renew their contract with that show in October 2012 and do not advertise there.