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Checkbook.org is an independent service provider review organization that provides reviews and ratings of many service providers, from auto mechanics to Wood Floor refinishers.

They provide three levels of review - "Ratings", "Comments", and "Advice"

For a "Rating" article, they perform a survey, measuring quality and a baseline "price" index- which illustrates the pricing of a particular service relative to other service providers -they obtain estimates for a number of services, and then create an index price, using "$100" as the index. A provider that's listed as being "$90" will generally be 10% below the area average. They also include a survey "quality" ranking - that is, the number of respondents who rate the firm as "excellent" for quality of work.

Generally, these ratings include an "advice" article about the service provider type - how to contract with a provider, do's and don'ts, that kind of thing. The most useful thing is the searchable table that lists local providers, their reputation for quality, and their index pricing.

"Comments" are a consumer-driven "comment" board where people can recommend/review specific companies, and can be a useful screening tool. Access to the "Comments" boards are free.

"Advice" articles are basically articles on how to contract certain service providers, or how to "do it yourself", etc - it generally doesn't include the "price and quality" rankings because the nature of the business doesn't lend itself to that type of evaluation.

Access to the "ratings" and "advice" articles require a subscription, currently $34 for two years. At least in the past, you could purchase individual reports. A subscription provides access to the articles on the website, and includes a printed magazine

I first encountered and used checkbook several years ago because I was contracting to have a fence replaced, and the quotes I was getting seemed high, and the contractors seemed pushy and a bit skeezy. So, I bought a report from checkbook for like $3 on fence builders, found a local firm with a good reputation, and saved $1800 over the previous quotes I'd received.

I've been a subscriber since, and have no doubt they've saved me a lot of money and stress over contracting with service providers. Hiring firms that overcharge you is bad enough - hiring firms that don't show up, do shoddy work, etc is even worse.

Checkbook only operates in certain geographic areas - but if you're a homeowner who lives in one of their service areas, definitely recommend you check them out (no pun intended) - I know they've saved me far more money finding and selecting contractors than I'll ever pay for their subscription.

In fact, just a few weeks ago, I put in hardwood flooring from a local store I'd have never considered without their reviews - it came in almost $2500 less than Home Depot's quote, and nearly $1000 less than the best quote I'd gotten before.

I think people's success with this site depends on a lot of things - your personal status, attributes, geography, etc. If you're a woman, obviously you'll get a lot of attention, not all of it positive; couples seem to be hit or miss, (many complain of fakes) and for most guys, probably pretty much a losing proposition, unless you have some stunning attributes that are much in demand (like endowed like John Holmes or if you're an African-American male, as that particular race fetish is common, if creepy.)

As a more-or-less average guy, it's pretty miserable - there are lots of fake profiles, (pretty sure many of them are manned by employees of the site), and the few conversations I've had with people have been mostly rude or scary. Almost every conversation began with a Gestapo-like interrogation, and immediate demands for personal information I'm not going to share with a stranger.

There are a lot of scary dudes there, and I imagine women become rather suspicious and hostile due to bad experiences with them. But you know what? I may be "average", but that doesn't mean some fat, and/or grotesque woman gets to talk to me like I'm a homeless serial killer who'll steal her credit cards the instant I get a chance.

Not to say they're all horrible, unattractive people - but I've found myself in 'conversations' with women I had no interest in meeting in person where I realized it was more like an interrogation than a conversation - question after question fired at me, and never actually responding to anything I'd asked them. And the arrogance some display - this where "4's" get to think they're "8''s"

I went into it thinking "This is a good way to meet new people, people who are probably open-minded, non-judgmental, friendly people you'd like to have a beer with."

Instead, it's a mental ward - there are a few pleasant, nice people, but the number of unpleasant, hostile, and unstable people make it an adventure, at best. Try it if you like, it might work for you, but don't ever pay for it - why?

One, you don't want some "Ashley Madison" data breach ruining your life. Just think what your personal info, credit card #, and embarrassing photos of you would be worth to a blackmailer. Now multiply that by a million - that's how much that info is worth to internet criminals - they've already had a breach this year, and there will be more. I'd *never* give them that much info on me, and I'd recommend no one do.

Two, if you're a woman, put up a few sexy pics, and you'll soon get a free upgraded membership.

Edit: Apparently, an unpaid member can't even read messages anymore - if true, the site is now officially worthless.