The Reverse Angie's List

This article first appeared in the PB April 2010 issue of Pro Builder.

There are a number of services out there that serve as clearing houses for consumer complaints—Angie's List being among the most prominent. Needless to say, you don't want your firm to be bad-mouthed in that sort of forum. But what if you had a way of reporting troublesome clients? What if someone stiffed you on a job—would you call them out digitally?

There's a new site that lets you do just that. It's called BusinessBeware.biz. The site, which charges a one-time $5 registration fee, claims this service is particularly keen on getting consumers to settle the dispute with you before you move to a collections agency or small claims. They say, “Try using our site before using a collection agency! Seriously, when customers won't respond to your overdue invoice notice, file a complaint about them on our site and we send a letter to them letting them know that they are on our site. And believe it or not, most send the check within the week!”

It's an interesting idea, but I'm wondering if making a move like this can do your firm more harm than good by airing the proverbial dirty laundry in such an open forum.

Read more posts by Nick Bajzek at www.HousingZone.com/Blogs.

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