Rated People website

hollydays

I don't think charging the public is a good idea!

Fereli

I've been using Rated People to get work leads since October last year. We used to get 50% duff leads and claimed a refund on them.
Since December they lowered the lead cost (by about 8%) but now we seem to get 75% duff leads.
We pay about £35 per lead for a boiler change etc - if I buy 7 leads it costs me £245 + VAT to possibly get one possible customer.
All I see is RP making more money and us Tradesmen losing out.
RP's website promotional literature states things like
" On average, our tradesmen win 1 in every 4 job leads they purchase with an average job value of £1,200. At an average cost of £15 per lead, that's a return of 20 times your money "
What a load of nonsense - the average lead cost for me for new boilers is £35 - average conversion rate is 1 in 7 with average job costing £1600 equates to a return of 6.53 times money spent. This however doesn't relate to profit after boiler purchase, installation costs & wages there is NO PROFIT !!

I am ceasing to use RP as the cost of the duff leads is too expensive and the lack of refund has made it an unviable concept.

age_the_builder

why don't you think charging the public is fair then hollydays?


I only suggested that a small fee should be introduced so there serious about not wasting our time!


Hay ho same old same old

antrobus

age_the_builder wrote: »

why don't you think charging the public is fair then hollydays?...

Hollydays didn't state that such a charge would not be 'fair'. They offered the opinion that it would not be a "good idea".

age_the_builder wrote: »

...I only suggested that a small fee should be introduced so there serious about not wasting our time! ....

I'm reasonably certain that the effect of such a charge would indeed be to save you a considerable amount of time. Faced with a "small fee" for requesting a quote from a tradesman, I imagine that 99.99% of all consumers would go elsewhere to find a tradesman.

rrtt

age_the_builder wrote: »

why don't you think charging the public is fair then hollydays?


I only suggested that a small fee should be introduced so there serious about not wasting our time!


Hay ho same old same old

Charging "a small" (what would that be?) fee could easily & just as unsatisfactorily lead to the boot being on other foot, ie customers being ripped off. Some unscrupulous trades people (not you obviously!) could make a nice living from charging eg £20 for a 10 min visit, then put in a spurious quote for some clearly ott high-priced work which they never had any intention of actually doing.

There currently already exists a free version of 'rated people'. It's called 'word of mouth' in the area, and may come from neighbours, shopkeepers, friends, social groups such as local clubs etc. Really good trades people (unless just starting out) will have done other good jobs locally for individuals, some of whom won't mind speaking with other potential customers themselves, or even showing them the finished work.

sillyvixen

i have used rated people this week, and was very happy with them. like a lot of people i have had a problem with fences and recent weather conditions. i had been waiting for my normal handyman to get back to me for 5 days and heard nothing. so contacted the rated people website as i needed it sorted sooner than later.

within 5 mins of posting the job (and before the email and text came through) i had a tradesman on the phone wanting to quote. i was a bit suprised by the speed tbh. he could come round in about an hour, when he had finished a fencing job a few streets away. he only had a few feedbacks (all possitive - but had only been registered with the site just over a fortnight) he did the job the following morning to a high standard and i am quite happy with the work.

i did have a chat with him as to why he could respond so quickly, and it turns out he is at a loose end as he was supposed to be inside plastering an extension this week - but due to recent weather the roof is not finished and the job is delayed. due to the weather they are picking up mostly fencing work locally and keeping busy - better than sitting at home doing nothing. a real win win situation. he even sent me a text thanking me for my nice feedback.

age_the_builder

Nice to hear sillyvixen
There are lots of us about that do a good job,i pick a lot of work word of mouth,but rp comes in handy for the slack times or when the weather is inclement, I just think there may be a bit fairer way sometimes.
I have picked up some real nice customers from doing work from the site and have gone on to do more for them and their friends, but!!
I have paid in excess of £25 for some jobs only to be told that the customer is "just thinking about it, and wants a rough idea of cost" this is what really gets to me, the people that know that we pay for a lead and they abuse the system!

JustJ

ratedpeople.com is prepared to lose its client base before it changes the recent policy change (which implemented the ZERO REFUND POLICY)

I explained (for hours) to RP of all the ways the system is getting abused.. & I questioned the legal & moral issues associated with the policy changes.

I've been a member for a year, I'm a roofer.. I have average 5* rating from 30+ jobs from leads, I'm an "ASK AN EXPERT" member also. (Also spent a few £k in the last year BUT not important as it created A LOT WORK. I AM HAPPY with the old system - IT DOES WORK!

I have LOST ALL CONFIDENCE in RP - it is a shame BUT I have now seen too much abuse (which wasn't a problem under the OLD POLICY!)

RP are implementing the wrong policy to prevent "abuse" (which only appears to be about them LOSING REVENUE) of a MINORITY..

Which is unfair to the MAJORITY..

The way they conducted themselves during the policy implementation was DISGUSTING! (I have 100% proof / documentation of how the new policy was not LEGALLY enforceable FOR A MAJORITY of "leads" purchased AFTER the policy change)

I received a £50 CASH refund - (TO MY BANK! - note other RP tradespeople!)

I guess to simply go away! (But it covered the £40 I recently wasted on duff "INFORMATION" (THEY ARE NOT "LEADS" - as per RP ! )

I can explain EXACTLY how the system is getting abused by

FAKE LISTINGS

1 BUYER (who SHARES THE INFO WITH FIENDS IN TH TEADE ALSO)

Same company - multiple accounts

There is MORE too!..

I have a few comments on another site about the whole situation.. Not sure I can (share link) here?!

(But available to anyone interested?!)

The situation needs to be publicly addressed / investigated etc..

It is a lot if buying / selling of "info" that RP PROFITS FROM - BUT ARE DENYING ALL RESPONSIBILITY of the content of the "info".

How can RP charge 100% for the "Info" when they DO KNOW NOT 100% of "info" is LEGITIMATE !

I don't think there "policy" is that LEGAL really? The way they implemented it certainly wasn't!

MAYBE WE CAN GET PHIL SPENCER IN ( AS THE SECRET AGENT !?! )

robatwork

I actually quite enjoyed this post JustJ. I could picture you slamming your hand on the table in the bar as I read this....you did spill some beer however..

JustJ wrote: »

1 BUYER (who SHARES THE INFO WITH FIENDS IN TH TEADE ALSO)

The roofing trade is full of them!

bluep

I just advertised our first job on RP - a decent sized bit of building work that we think will cost in the region of £1200-£2000. We got one immediate response with full contact details - address, telephone number and email asking when he can come round and do a quote but I am worried that apart from on RP, there is no trace of this builder or company name on the net anywhere. Just feels really unusual in this day and age not to have a website or be listed in yellow pages or anything... I will go and look him up on companies house when I am next in work...