Avoid using Airtasker

Discussion in 'Repairs & Maintenance' started by TMNT, 13th Nov, 2019.

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  1. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    ive been using airtasker for a while now, and its been ok for small jobs and tasks

    the fees were about 22% for the tasker,
    however as of recently, the fees are 20% for the tasker AND theyve introduce a fee plus 10% for the poster (max $20, if Im not wrong)

    so now sub $200 jobs are now 30% in fees,

    however, what is pi$sing me off, is the amount of members just posting comments to stroke their ego or just annoy you,

    i get so many " oh I wouldnt get out of bed for less than $80 per hour type of comments"
    and so many of them demand 22% on top of the price agreed OR their offer is what they feel they are worth PLUS 22%,

    so their rates just become ridiculous

    I think i will probably stop using airtasker unless im desperate

    Latest offer: "Hi, I would love to do your change smoke alarm job, my call out fee is $88, Minimum charge 2 hours, you provide the smoke alarm+ 22% airtasker fee+GST"

    so to change a smoke that I provide is going to cost me $354,

    I told him that my PM would probably arrange his tradie to do it for $100 plus parts,

    and next minute, he is wanting my PMs number to abuse him about not letting PMs rip off tradies and how he wont get out of bed for $90 per hour and he deserves more for his 4 years at TAFE, bla bla bla
     
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  2. Curious2019

    Curious2019 Well-Known Member

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    Use professional trades and stop wasting your time with sites like airtasker.

    Trying to get things done cheap, often costs you more in time. Also do they warranty their work? Do they have public liability insurance? Are they going to be around 6 months from now if you have a problem with their work? Just opening yourself up for a whole world of potential problems.

    My partner charges double if he has to go and fix a job someone tried to do “for cheap” first - you wouldn’t believe how many people try to do their own electrical or get an airtasker to have a go!
     
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  3. lightbulbmoment

    lightbulbmoment Well-Known Member

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    For a licensed electrician minimum 2 hour charge is fair and 80 to 90 an hour is also fair. You can't drive around to people's houses all day for a half an hour job and only charge half and hour. You would go broke.

    The problem is airtasker I wouldn't be looking for licensed trades on here.
     
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  4. SatayKing

    SatayKing Well-Known Member

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    I understand the Americans have a term "Nickel and diming" for trying to do things on the cheap which ends up costing more.

    Probably a true description given one person I know. I've found the outcome of his attempts bemusing.
     
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  5. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    its no wonder, tradies get a bad name
     
  6. sash

    sash Well-Known Member

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    This is absolute BS......it depends on what trade. Things like plumbing and electricals require a license. Having said that some trades are just too expensive and in the end they get no work. It is about value for money...not the cheapest.
     
  7. Curious2019

    Curious2019 Well-Known Member

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    Haha well if a professional tradie has to warranty the work and be covered by public liability insurance than I see no problem with this. The other alternative is that he just doesn’t do the job if it’s too high risk.
     
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  8. Curious2019

    Curious2019 Well-Known Member

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    I don’t know any good tradies that don’t get work because they are too expensive. High demand usually dictates the price and once a trade gets known for doing something particularly well they have no problem charging accordingly.

    it’s the cheap tradies that I worry about. I don’t understand how any professional trade could charge less than $50 per hour and make a profit after insurance costs, fuel, equipment etc. Likely they cut costs somewhere, their quality is crap and they aren’t insured properly.

    For good sparkies and plumbers expect to pay a minimum of $75 an hour plus. We charge more but our customers are prepared to pay it for the service they get.

    From a business owner perspective we qualify all our customers first to make sure they are aware of our prices first. Too many time wasters otherwise and saves us having issues once they get our bill.
     
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  9. sash

    sash Well-Known Member

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    I pay plumbers and electricians the going rate....which is typically 75-85 / hour. Any more and you have to be a mug. Too many tradies are gouging......
     
  10. Lacrim

    Lacrim Well-Known Member

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    I find a lot of the Airtaskers who can do things handymen do don't really charge much less than the real article. The premise of Airtasker was for regular's Joe's who were good at doing abc to take up a side hustle (and charge mates rates).

    Unfortunately it's morphed into a site where tradies lurk...like Service Seeking.
     
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  11. James90

    James90 Well-Known Member

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    Another tradie bashing post.
    My brother was a paralegal while doing his law degree His law firm charged him out at $120 which increased to $160 per hour towards the end of his degree. Let’s be clear that’s for a unqualified 21 year old. Lawyers were between $300-600+ .
    Same across all professional services.

    Do you not think tradies deserve to make decent money ? Or is that only an entitlement for university educated workers?
     
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  12. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    yep, im not looking for people to build the taj mahal,

    for example, my last couple of jobs have been
    - install a smoke alarm
    - remove some rubbish
    - cut down branches
    - Install a sink
    - patch a few holes,
     
  13. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    and the number of tradies that complain about how much they should be worth and how theyre not going to get out of bed for $X, seem to have the time to complain and go back and forth about trivial things, and still dont even turn up to a job
     
  14. Stoffo

    Stoffo Well-Known Member

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    I won't say that the type of people who are members here are short cutting

    But I am a gardener and I often have to drive around all day for 30min here and 50min there......
    Then I am expected to be a thesaurus on every new hybrid plant that someone has bought from a nursery, and have a $20M public liability insurance policy o_O

    Plumber, sure people pay :)
    Electrician, sure people pay :)
    Horticulturalist, how much for a gardner :eek:

    Yes just like the other trades, anyone can do it, but it is doing it properly the first time that matters :cool:
     
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  15. sash

    sash Well-Known Member

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    Yep...give them the flick if they are not responding...
     
  16. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    It seems that many tradies dont seem to understand (ignorance or arrogance) that if you are looking for full priced, youd just contaxt them directly either via an agent or yellowpages equivalent or google

    Funny how a $150 simple job done via a rea, they think that you are going to accept, $160 plus their 22% fee plus airtaskers 10% fee to bring it up to almost 40% dearer,
    How they get jobs normally i have no idea
     
  17. charlie01

    charlie01 Well-Known Member

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    I tried to use Airtasker a couple of months ago. I cancelled the account when Airtasker asked me to provide my credit card details.
     
  18. gman65

    gman65 Well-Known Member

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    Ok. Never used them. Probably will continue never to do so.
     
  19. TMNT

    TMNT Well-Known Member

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    just got a quote from my agency tradie electrican,

    $140 for pickup of electric upright oven from harvey norman,
    install and dispose of old one

    Airtaskers all wanted $200-$250+$20 poster fee

    no thanks entitled tradies, stay in bed
     
  20. Luke T

    Luke T Well-Known Member

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    In my experience with AT you just have to wait for the right fair offer . They usually come . It is second to none for unqualified type jobs
     

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