CheckBook

The consumer ratings in Consumer's Checkbook are reliable, however, you do need to carefully consider the details provided within the results. One example is that volume of reviews needs to be considered. Example: a single 5-Star review is insignificant when compared to several dozen reviews with a 4-Star average rating.

Some of the things you need to keep on mind is how old are the reviews and how many reviews. I don't trust one or two reviews. I throw out the highest and lowest. I've always had good luck with Checkbook over the other forms of rating.

I wanted new vinyl windows installed in our home. This involved taking the old ones out and putting the new one's in. I selected a contractor that was rated high on both price and quality of service. Connected with them, they came through with Millguard high end windows and one sliding door installed (with special color baked on them) for $18.5K tax included! The nearest bid was $22K with an inferior window. In all we had 30 windows and one sliding door. I liked the performance and had them replace windows on a rental that we own, again excellent job. Had it not been for Checkbook, I would have never been able to find this contractor. Fred A.

Interested in getting a subscription, read a review from a satisfied customer except the upgrade charge for additional features which one is led to believe is included as part of the subscription. Did she miss something? Am I

After getting 4 estimates for a new roof on our house and shop we went with Summit Roofing Contractors and are happy we did! They were professional, punctual and the guys were great. Highly recommend Summit Roofing!

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 am a licensed, Ph.D. Level, Clinical Psychologist, I am smart. I have subscribed to and used Consumer Reports for more than 30 years, I trust their work and never disappointed by their recommendations.
Every one of the people I have used that were recommended by Checkbook have been WONDERFUL. Checkbook's problem is that there are scam review services out there that make $$$$$ for and from their reviews. The other problem is that there are not enough people like me who subscribe to Checkbook and provide reviews. So some topics, parts of the city, have very too few reviewers or reviews that would provide recommendations.
What I KNOW is that no one gets a +++ review because they paid for it. What I also know is that a service that once existed but is no longer did have a way for businesses to pay for good reviews.
In last 10 years I have gotten very good auto service, appliance repair, hearing aids, electrical service, dry cleaners and plumbers based on Chicago Checkbook's reviews. I give Chicago Checkbook permission to share information about my membership.