Start-up's app matches reliable tradesmen to home repair jobs
Founders say their app and website can provide bids from reliable tradesmen for any home repair job
All sorts of things go wrong around the home. Your key breaks in the lock. A water pipe springs a leak. That new light bulb is flickering. Finding a reliable handyman when you need one, however, can add to the headache. Where do you look? When you find one, he may be free only when you're at the office. On top of that, you don't know if he's charging a fair price, or if he is reputable.
So for brothers Jaspal and Jerry Sarai, the CallFixie start-up just made sense. The app, available in iOS and Android stores, and the website connect householders with all manner of tradesmen, be they locksmiths, plumbers, electricians or others.
The customer initiates the job by posting an explanation of the problem, preferably with a photo, along with the location, and the time you'd like the job done. CallFixie then sends an alert to the relevant tradesmen, who will leave a quote if they are available. When bids come in, the customer considers the price options and views the tradesmen's profiles and qualifications, and any user ratings.
"For the consumer, the biggest differentiator is that they can make a value judgment," says Jaspal, director of Jaarwis, an incubator company that is CallFixie's largest shareholder. "So if someone is charging HK$20 more, you want to know what you're paying for. It may be that he is highly qualified, has a lot of experience, and has a very good rating."
When the job is finished, the customer closes the deal on the app, gives the tradesman a rating, and payment is transacted electronically.
Gabriel Fong, Jaarwis' CEO, says: "We wanted to have a single platform so the resolution can be swifter. We want to take the equation and simplify it to the point where the customer feels comfortable that they only have one interaction."