You don’t always get what you pay for when it comes to services.
Going with the most expensive quote doesn’t guarantee quality and vice versa – when you choose a low-cost business, the service won’t necessarily suck. There are lots of other factors to consider.
Due to the very nature of the site and businesses competing to win your work, you’re likely to get a great price for your job.
A recent survey revealed that our prices are 15% cheaper than those found outside the site, i.e. quotes received from businesses sourced from the Yellow Pages, local paper, etc.
One of our removalists admitted that he charges $120 per hour for people who call him directly but quotes $90 per hour on our site because he knows he’s competing with other businesses.
We have lots of newly launched businesses on our site. 41% of respondents from our recent Business Outlook survey said they’d been in business for less than three years.
These businesses are keen to build up their client base but cannot trade on their reputation yet – even though their work may be brilliant. They offer cut-price rates to win new customers and start earning positive feedback on our site.
Our feedback function holds businesses accountable for the services they provide, so if a business does decide to slash its prices, they’re still incentivised to provide quality work.
Some businesses use our site to supplement other work. They may be in between contracts and after temporary work to keep the money rolling in or have regular hours to fill every day after their ”day” job.
As these are “bonus” hours, most businesses are happy to offer reduced rates. As a consumer, you can’t do a Google search to find businesses that have unsold labour, but you can find these businesses on our site. It’s a bit like Wotif – if you book at the right time, you can get a night at the Shangri-La for a few hundred bucks rather than a more expensive rack rate.
These sorts of deals are typically last minute, so you should be prepared to be flexible and for work to commence right away.
While competition, new business offers and last-minute labour rates can help you unlock a better deal without compromising quality, there are still times when you should be wary.
The old adage “paying peanuts and getting monkeys” still sometimes rings true. Use your common sense. If a price looks too cheap, it probably is. For example, if the quoted price is below the minimum wage, definitely stay away. No cleaner is going to give your apartment a decent once-over for just $15/hour.
But don’t automatically dismiss the lowest price – you could be turning your back on an enthusiastic new business or an experienced one looking to fill some extra hours and keen to work hard to get your job done right!