FAQ

 

1. How does Reliable Tradesman work?

At Reliable Tradesmen our mode of operation is very easy. You can access our website with your mobile phone or on your PC. To start, you visit our website and check out the profile of all our tradesmen in your preferred category. Once you see a tradesman whose profile impresses you, simply contact him by phone, by visiting their site or by asking them for a quote using the form on our website. It’s always our pleasure to connect you with reliable and credible tradesmen without stress. All these you can do as a visitor to our site without registering on our website.

 

However in a situation where you could not find a tradesman that meets your requirement, there is an alternative, simply register on our website to become a member, after which you can post your job on our website. Once posted, all our tradesmen will be able to see your job posting and those interested will apply. Then you can access those who have applied and chosen the tradesman of your choice. When you decide on a particular tradesman, you can then go ahead to contact him. We advise that you select a maximum of 2-3 tradesmen in order to avoid wasting both their time and yours too.

 

After obtaining a quote for the job from the tradesman, you can then make your final decision on who to select for your project. We believe this is pretty easy.

 

2. I’ve always relied on word of mouth before, why should I use Reliable Tradesman?

Inasmuch as we agree that word of mouth works best, we can, however, assure you that our service has been designed to work exactly on that same principle. The only difference is that ours is online instead of offline.

 

All registered tradesmen on our website have been tested and used by other clients who certified them credible. Therefore you be confident that any tradesman you choose on our website is fit and capable of handling your project. We guaranteed you that our tradesmen will offer you the following:

 

1. Quality - A reliable tradesman understands that the quality of their works speaks volume and will help them get repeat customers. This ensures that they always put in their best into every work they do.
2. Certainty – we can assure you that no reliable tradesman will ever disappoint you. They will always do your job to perfection and in some cases even exceed your expectations. We are proud to say that all our tradesmen are professionals in the industry, this ensures that the chances of failure on their part are next to zero.
3. Security: To ensure that you are secure, we always cross-check the credentials of any tradesmen before they sign up to our website. This is just one of the ways to ensure that you have the best group of tradesmen at your disposal.

 

3. How can I find a ‘local’ tradesman on your site?

Getting a local tradesman that is close to your location has been made very easy on our website. When signing up for the first time, every tradesman is required to fill in their business location and also indicate how far they are willing to travel to do a particular job. This information is always displayed on the tradesman’s profile so that anyone can easily see it and be able to select a tradesman nearest to the desired location.

 

For example, a tradesman who lives in London will indicate this information on his profile as "plumbers in London" or "builders in London" and will compete with other tradesmen also based in London. However, tradesmen may specify a larger area of operation to increase their chances of winning a job. In this case, they will include the other related areas that are close to their main location which they can easily cover.

 

4. Do you screen tradesmen who sign up to Reliable Tradesman?

YES! Absolutely all tradesmen are screened by our team when signing up to Reliable Tradesman. All their credentials are verified and thoroughly examined to make sure that they meet all necessary requirements of being considered reliable and credible.

 

5. I have a job, can I post my job?

 

Yes, you can post all the jobs you need to be done on our website. There are different ways you can do that:

 

1. If you already have a tradesman you want to give the job to, you can simply contact that tradesman by posting your job directly to him.

 

1. if you don’t have any tradesman for your job yet, that’s no problem. Simply sign up to become a member on our website and post your job, free of charge. Immediately, your job posting will become visible to all our tradesmen in your area. Any interested tradesman who is interested in your job will then indicate their interest and you will be contacted and notified of their interest.

 

In both cases, all you have to do is to complete the short form and submit your job.

 

6. What should I include in my job posting?

 

It’s advised that you include as many details as possible in your job posting. We recommend that you include your job type, postcode, and an approximate budget. In your job description, please ensure to provide accurate answers to these questions:

 

1. When do you want the work to begin?
2. Do you already have all the materials for this project?
3. What is the size of the room(s) or affected area(s)?
4. What is the size and type of property?
5. Do you have planning permission and/or drawings where applicable?

 

7. What if I’m just looking for a quote?

Putting an accurate quote together takes time and effort, and no tradesman will like to go through the rigor of giving a quote and not get the job afterward. Consequently, we will prefer that you have a genuine intention of completing a job before asking for an estimate from any of our tradesmen.

 

We understand that you may need about 2 or 3 quotes to get a good idea of the cost of your project and this will require enormous time from any tradesman, but we would appreciate if you could do that with the intention to complete those projects.

 

However, if you want more information on a project, such as the general price, a costs comparison, or what’s specifically involved in a particular project, you can contact us. We will designate one of our estimators will provide you with an accurate, quick independent quote for your project.

 

8. Why do you need my name and contact details?

We need them strictly for contact purposes. The name and details you provide will be used to contact you and notify you of the tradesmen who have indicated interest in your project. Without these details, it will be difficult if not impossible to reach you.

 

9. Will you publish my contact details when I post a job?

No! We will display your contact details on our website. We emphasize that your contact details will only be used to contact you when our tradesmen indicate interest in your project.

 

10. Should I add photos to my job?

Yes, if you have photos related to the project, you should add them to your job posting as it will help our reliable tradesmen understand the nature of your project better. Pictures will also make it easier for you to get tradesmen who can really do the job thereby making it possible to easily choose a tradesman who is capable of handling your project. Tradesmen are also more likely to respond to a job that includes extra information, especially photos or other visual illustrations.

 

11. I only want 1 (one) quote. How can I stop your tradesmen from calling me continuously?

Usually, we advise our tradesmen not to contact you first, we encourage them to wait to be contacted first. However, to avoid incessant calls from our tradesmen, we advise that once you have already chosen a tradesman for your project, quickly go to our website and mark your job posting as unavailable. This way your job will no longer be available and no tradesman will contact you again.

 

12. Do job postings expire?

No. your job postings do not expire automatically. You can only mark it as completed once you have chosen a reliable tradesman for your project.

 

13. How do I choose a tradesman?

Choosing a tradesman on our website is very easy. Visit our website, once there, enter the search term in the search box and click on the search button.

 

If you are looking for a plumber, for example, and you live in London, simply type in "plumbers in London" into the search box. Our website will immediately return you a list of companies advertising for the exact thing that you are searching for. You may then decide to go through their profile and choose the one that most impresses you.

 

If you can't find any tradesman that you think would be good for your project, then an alternative is for you to post your job for interested tradesmen to apply for it.

 

14. Why have I been asked to contact the tradesman?

When any tradesman indicates interest your job, we will send his contact details to you and also send your contact details to him. Then, you are expected to contact him directly by yourself so as to start negotiations on your project as our tradesmen are not expected to contact you first.

 

15. How do I contact the tradesman interested in my job?

We will send you a mail containing full contact details of tradesmen who have shown interest in your project. You will find their phone numbers and email address in the email through which you can easily contact them.

 

16. What do the stars beside the tradesman's information mean?

The stars are ratings given to tradesmen by people they have worked for. They indicate the customers’ level of satisfaction with the work and services of the tradesman. After a job has been completed, you are expected to rate the tradesman with 1 to 5 stars (5 being best) based on the quality of work, reliability, and value for money. The tradesman is then given an overall rating from 1 to 5-star based on the average of all your ratings on Reliable Tradesman.

 

However, these rating stars are only indicative and they only represent the fact that the business has been rated by a number of people that are registered on our site. A higher number of positive reviews indicates that the tradesman is more likely competent and credible.

 

17. What should I do if a tradesman asks me to pay a deposit?

It’s alright to pay a deposit to your tradesman to enable him to buy the materials needed to do your work and also show that you are committed to the project. Many tradesmen will not start your project until you pay this initial deposit.

 

18. Should I rate my tradesman?

Yes, if you feel like rating your tradesman, please go ahead and rate him. We will appreciate it if you do. However, it is not compulsory that you give your rating. Apart from your rating, we also have internal selective criteria which we use to check the reliability of our tradesmen registered on the site.

 

But if for any reason you intend to give a negative rating to your tradesman, we request that you contact us first for an amicable resolution and advice.

 

19. What happens if I’m not happy with a tradesman’s work?

This is rarely the case. However, we understand that these instances occur once in a while. If this happens, please check our Negative Feedback Guidelines for Dispute Resolution outline to see the steps you can take to resolve your dispute.

 

20. How do I share a tradesman I like with others?

If you are happy with a tradesman you have used and would like to share him with others, you can use the standard social sharing buttons on each tradesman’s profile page. If you would like to view the profile of the tradesmen you have used before, simply log in to your account and browse through your past jobs.

 

21. How can you guarantee the quality of a tradesman’s work?

We cannot categorically guarantee the quality of work of any tradesman as they are independent and do not work for or on behalf of Reliable Tradesman.  We can, however, guarantee that every tradesman registered on our site, goes through a verification process and agrees to abide by our code of conduct before they are accepted as members on our website.

 

22. Do you close tradesmen's accounts?

Yes, but only in extreme cases where such tradesman has been thoroughly investigated and proven to be of bad conduct and mischievous in dealing with clients. Reliable Tradesman is committed to minimizing the risks posed to the homeowners and at the same time, protect the reputation of honest professionals. Since we only allow reliable tradesmen to join our site, we are confident to tell you that there have never been any such complaints.

 

23. What are the rules that your tradesman must follow?

Every tradesman registered on our site must follow these rules:

1. He must be willing to resolve negative feedback or complaints amicably.
2. He must avoid getting negative reviews or serious complaints by all possible means.
3. He must not behave inappropriately. He must not be racist or sexist in speech, steal from clients, threaten, harass, or engage in any other misconduct.
4. He must provide high-quality works and services to all customers.
5. He must comply with Trading Standards, Government bodies, and the Police.
6. He must never set up multiple Reliable Tradesman accounts for personal gain.
7. He must pass identity validation.

 

24. What if none of the above answers relates to my question?

If your question is not above, kindly contact us by using the form below. Add your question and once it’s received, we will post the answer to your question live on site. We welcome and will answer all your questions as soon as possible.