For the fifth year in a row, home warranty companies earned the worst grades given by Angie’s List members nationwide, an indication that neither they nor seven other repeat offenders are heeding the message that customers are giving them.

Angie’s List, the nation’s leading provider of consumer ratings on local service companies, collects hundreds of thousands of consumer experiences each year on more than 500 service categories, then analyzes those reports, ranking the companies that scored the best and worst grades from their customers.

The internet service provider category was a three-peat, and virtually every other form of personal communication service –  landline phone service providers, cable TV, satellite TV, and cellular phone providers – made their second consecutive appearance on the list, along with home builders and furniture sales categories. New to the list for 2009 includes property management and rental car categories.  

“In today’s economy, no business can afford to push their customers out the door, but that’s what a lot of these poorly-graded companies seem to be doing,” said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List.  “Common complaints are about poor customer service and unprofessional attitudes from staff; those are fixable issues.”

Many of the categories with the top grades represent more personalized or individual services.

“It stands to reason that service professionals who deal with people on a more individual basis are generally far better at meeting individual customer’s desires than companies that serve mass audiences, but that doesn’t mean even the largest retailer or service company shouldn’t treat their customers with respect and common courtesy,” Hicks said. “No company will ever make 100 percent of its customer base 100 percent happy. But we’d really like to see some of these companies work harder for the people who pay them for service.”

Angie’s List members judge service performance on overall experience, price, quality, responsiveness punctuality, and professionalism.

 Angie’s List Top 10 worst grade earners:

1.       Home Warranty Companies

2.       Property Management

3.       Landline Phone Service

4.       Cellular Phone Service

5.       Internet Service

6.       Cable TV Service

7.       Satellite TV Service

8.       Furniture Sales

9.       Home Builders

10.   Rental Cars

Angie’s List Top 10 best grade earners:

1.       Piano Moving

2.       Hauling

3.       Structural Engineering

4.       Home & Garage Organization

5.       Window Tinting

6.       Dryer Vent Cleaning

7.       Dog Walking

8.       Blind Cleaning

9.       Piano Tuning

10.   Skylights