Eric R. says, "I think anyone who has not used Thumbtack before for Handymen might need to realize something I didn't... Handymen on here on NOT going to be cheaper than hiring licensed . For example, an electrician or plumber. You're paying for their breadth of knowledge, whereas their depth is questionable, because they're not typically licensed for the vocation. They may be excellent at their work, but.. you don't have anything but reviews to go on.
My experience with hiring a "Handyman" (many times) is that they work by the hour. That's because they're skilled in several different areas, they can fill that time with any task you like. They are not "project driven", but more "time driven". I found out the hard way this is NOT the case for Thumbtack Handymen. Apparently.
I gave my job description for some electrical work - easy stuff; installing some exterior lights/sconces. Vitaly was the first to respond, so he got the job. I was never told there was a 2 hour minimum fee - though I would have been OK with it. My problem came when the job was done in an hour, and I had a bunch of little bulbs to replace in my landscape lights, and figured I'd get Vitaly to do this work while he was there. I could have had my landscaper do it as part of his maintenance, without costing me anything extra, but... I figured I still had an hour on the clock of his time. He did the work quickly and without issues.
In the end, he told me I owed him for 2 hours - his minimum, which I wasn't aware of, as I mentioned above - and that installing the bulbs was "extra". So, I had to pay him for 2 hours work, when he did an hour and a half - which I would have been OK with, as I understand the 2 hour minimum, even if I didn't know about it - but then had to pay an ADDITIONAL $30 for the bulb install. I gave a $20 tip, so it cost me $200. Which is $50 more than a licensed electrician would have cost me.
So... lesson learned. Make sure you talk to the Handyman up front about minimum fees and if this is project driven or time driven. I would have thought that given I was going to be paying for 2 hours work when it only took an hour, that the bulb install would have been done as part of the 2 hours.
Next time, I will likely NOT use Thumbtack for ANY work, and will go directly to the tradesman service I need. Because you're not hiring a true "handyman"; you're hiring a person who wears many hats and expects to be paid as much as a licensed contractor who has passed rigorous tests in order to get that license, and therefore you are more confident in their ability to do the work.
Having said all this, I did like Vitaly, and he did a good job. Quickly and professionally. My beef isn't necessarily with him. It's with the whole concept of project driven handymen. My last guy was $50/hr - and he could do almost anything(!!). He was hour driven. Too bad he quit the business.
I do think Vitaly had some leeway here and could have just installed the bulbs for me without charging me extra, given he still had an hour on the clock for my "project". Kinda uncool, really. But... the onus was on me to ask about the fee structure up front. And that's why I'm warning you here."See more
