TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit, based in San Francisco, operates in 18 US cities and in London, offering quick help with cleaning, errands, furniture assembly, home projects including electrical and plumbing work, and virtual help with digital chores like online research.
TaskRabbit has changed since its early years, when would-be task providers vied to outbid one another on projects, sometimes driving rates very low. In mid-2014 the company scrapped the bid method in favor of a model that puts a floor under task pricing and uses data to quickly match customers and “taskers.” The new approach, which was tested in London, speeds up and simplifies the process of hiring help.
Here’s our review of TaskRabbit. We’d love to hear from you! Share your opinion by writing a review.
Pros:
You can learn about the available helpers for your task before making a decision. Each tasker has a link to their profile and user reviews along with their hourly rate, any discounts available, and a history of how many related tasks they’ve completed. Users can hire the same tasker for repeat work.
TaskRabbit has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau as of December 2015. TaskRabbit runs identity and background checks on its contractors and provides liability insurance of up to $1 million per task.
Cons:
Users who haven’t checked out the site since its overhaul will find that rates are generally higher than the bids some taskers made before the changeover.
Fine print:
Because TaskRabbit serves as a platform for connecting service providers with customers, it assumes no liability if there’s a dispute between you and a service person you hire through TaskRabbit. Customers can cancel a service without a fee until 24 hours beforehand; after that, there’s a cancellation fee equal to an hour of the service provider’s time.
Cost:
Varies by task and by the person bidding on it. You must describe your task first in order to see pricing. For example, when I put in a sample request to have someone come clean out the inside of my car, I got a Quick Assign price of $38 per hour for a one-time visit. Individual task rates for people in my area ranged from $18 to $20 per hour. Hourly rates include TaskRabbit’s service fee, which ranges from 15 to 30% of the total rate. All tasks carry an additional 5% “trust & safety fee” that goes toward insurance, customer support and background checks.
Best for…
People who have at least an hour’s worth of chores and errands to hand off to a tasker, family caregivers who are pressed for time or live too far away to help their parent or relative with home tasks, holiday errands, and shopping.
Additional sources:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/through-the-fire-what-taskrabbit-learned-from-its-big-backlash/
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/taskrabbit-redux