(This post has gotten a lot of hits for Maytag Appliances. If you’re looking for Maytag appliances, click here.)

Let’s face it. Stuff happens, sometimes all at once. When we had just such a situation, where more than one of our kitchen appliances needed to be fixed at the same time, my sister recommended we try Angie’s List.

Angie’s List is a database of service companies across the country that do everything from mow your lawn to fixing your appliances to walking your dog (seriously!). There are even healthcare providers, auto mechanics, financial services, and wedding services listed. If it’s a service that can be rated and reviewed, it’s probably on Angie’s List.

Each company is given a report card based on the feedback of Angie’s List members who have dealt with the company in some capacity (i.e. getting free estimates or actually having work done). More weight is given to reviews submitted by members who have actually had worked done by the company. You are able to read complete reviews including the type of work done, the amount paid, and any pros or cons that the member experienced. They even have a “Penalty Box” listing for companies to avoid and a “Page of Happiness” for exceptional companies that come highly recommended.

Back to our situation, my sister logged in to Angie’s List for us and gave us the contact info for 2 or 3 highly rated companies in our area for the appliance repair category. We chose Appliance Pro to come out and fix our dishwasher and take a look at our refrigerator. We couldn’t be happier because Bob was so knowledgeable and his prices so reasonable that we now have a regular “appliance guy” to go to whenever we need help. He not only fixed our appliances, but gave us advice on which appliance brands are more reliable in case we ever need to replace our appliances. (Hint: The Maytag repairman really DOES have very little work to do.)

I was so pleased with the experience that the next time I needed a service for my home, I signed up to Angie’s List myself and did some research. (Oh, and I left Appliance Pro a nice review while I was at it.) The reviews and report cards really made it easy to select a high quality company to get the job done. I’ve decided that my Angie’s List annual membership is worth its weight in gold.

If you’re interested in checking out Angie’s List, they are currently running a promotion where you can save $10 off a new annual membership. Click here to take advantage of this offer. And be sure to use the coupon code SAVE TEN at checkout!