Searching the web for services in a new town (doctor, insurance, etc)

[sterlingice]

There are a number of things when moving that you have to look for that I'm not sure how to go about looking for. They're the types of things that are either typically done by referral or just walking in and hoping you get lucky. However, with the internet, I'm sure there are rating or review sites for these things that exist and I just don't know of it yet. So, hopefully, I can be pointed in the right direction if you've been down this road before.

1) Insurance agent. My wife and I are with State Farm and are staying with them for car and rental insurance. However, I've noticed a difference from agent to agent even within the same company. In Lawrence, we had some of the best agents out there- they helped us answer all sorts of questions and file claims that we didn't even know we had coverage for. It's the type of stuff that if you were with a shadier agent, they just wouldn't even bother to bring it up.

2) Doctor - this one is obvious. Just a general practice doctor in the area of town where we are at. Then again, once I merge that list with what is covered by my insurance, it may make the list a lot smaller.

3) Dentist- same as above.

4) And this one is indeed an odd one, but Church. I guess there's something be said for someone who "shops for a church". But, beyond being a Lutheran church, I'm not particularly choosy. Heck, I'm officially LCMS but feel like I line up more with ELCA. In Lawrence, I went to the Lutheran student church which I went to when I was on campus. When I started at KU, I went there because it was close and I didn't have a car but after that, kept going because I liked it. Then again, perhaps like the other things, once I limit myself by denomination like I did with company or insurance coverage- I may not have a big list.

SI

[gstelmack]

Check out Angie's List. It's a yearly subscription, but you do get what you pay for (good, solid reviews that are checked, plus help fixing issues with businesses you find through the list).

[Autumn]

I don't have any, but am eager to see if anybody else does. I'm in the process of a move myself, and would like to find some of this stuff out.

Forums with certain slant can be helpful. For example, my wife and I tend towards the attachment parenting slant, and so opinions in the Mothering Magazine online forums tend to be useful for us. There are forums for different areas, where you can ask for recommendations and read people's experiences.

So, I would say any large forum that has a slant that matches your values in those areas could be useful. There's also a general site called city-data.com I think that has well-stocked forums.

I guess I did have an idea.

[Lathum]

In the past we have asked co-workers, which kills 2 birds with one stone because they usualy have the same insurance.

[JonInMiddleGA]

FWIW, I've seen little in the way of review sites for services like these that I'd trust. Too many paid listings, phony reviews (pro & con), etc. for my taste.