FOR CUSTOMERS

Q: Why should I post my job on your site?

A: Because it’s Quick, Easy and Free

Just one simple post on our site means you don’t need to spend hours searching through your local newspaper or directory for local tradesmen. You don’t even have to make a phone call. As soon as you post your job our system will automatically notify all relevant tradesmen about your job and they will contact you.

Q: Do I have to pay to post my job on your site?

A: No it's completely free.

Q: What is the purpose of this site?

A: TradesmenUK is an online service that brings together Tradesmen and Customers.

Posting a job on the site is completely free for customers.

TradesmenUK promotes and supports high-quality construction work.

Tradesmen are rated on their workmanship and service by the people who hire them, and they can also be held accountable through our feedback system.

TradesmenUK makes it easy for customers to find high quality tradesmen, and for tradesmen to find good quality jobs.

Your feedback will help other customers choose the right tradesmen for their job.

Q: Do I need to register before I can post a job on the site?

A: Yes, registration is a one time requirement, after that you can post as many jobs as you like.

Q: I want to post a Job but am not sure what information I should include in my job description?

A: You should be as precise as possible when writing the description of your job. And you should include the following: 

The exact requirements of the job

Any measurements that have been taken

Whether you or your tradesmen will be supplying any materials

Any time constraints on your job.

Q: How will I receive quotes for my job?

A: As soon as a tradesmen posts a quote or asks a question about your job, our system will automatically send a notification email to you that a quote or question has been received. All you have to do is log on to your account, go to your profile and view the quotes or questions from there.  

Q: How many Quotes will I get for my job?

A: The number of quotes you receive for any job will vary on the type, size and location of the job, but you are always in control of your job status, e.g. If you have decided to employ the services of a tradesman, or have just changed you mind, you can stop receiving quotes at any time by logging in and clicking on the relevant option in your job panel.

Q: Do tradesmen need to see my job before they can quote?

A: This will normally depend on the job and the description you have provided. If the job is relatively standard and you have fully described the job providing exact measurements, and any materials needed, e.g. something like “Hang 1x internal, 4 panel hardwood door, 762mm x 1981mm into an existing door frame and fit new door furniture. I will provide all materials” then most tradesmen should be able to provide you with a quote just via the site. 

However for larger and/or more complex jobs, you should expect that most tradesmen who are serious about quoting for your job will need to get in touch with you to ask you questions, and most will want to arrange a site visit before they can provide you with an accurate quote. 

Q: What should I do when I receive a quote?

A: All you have to do is log in to your customer account, then go to the “my jobs” area and click on your job. You will then be able to see all the tradesmen that are interested in your job. From there you can view each tradesmen’s profile which will have their feedback rating, any previous jobs they have completed, location, skills etc. 

Q: How does the TradesmenUK Feedback System work?

A: Every customer that has found a tradesmen through TradesmenUK is encouraged to leave a genuine and accurate opinion of the standard of work and professionalism of their tradesmen. This will allow future potential customers like you to make an informed decision before deciding who they are going to use for your work. Additionally to give you extra peace of mind we have made available the option to leave "follow up feedback" for those very rare cases when things don’t go exactly as planned. This will ensure that those genuine tradesmen who provide a 1st class service throughout are rewarded accordingly. 

Q: I want to employ a tradesman but they have no feedback, what should I do?

A: Tradesmen who are new to TradesmenUK may not have any feedback ratings on their profile yet. But that doesn't mean they are to be avoided. e.g. Even though we (the site founders) are all fully qualified and time served tradesmen with many years experience, we would all still have to start off will no feedback ratings.

Note: As with any work you are looking to employ someone to do, you should always ask to see previous jobs, speak to previous customers, ask to see their insurance certificates and any qualifications to prove they are competent to do your work. You should always get a written quote and/or sign a contract detailing exactly what will be done for the quoted price e.g Start & Finish dates. Are materials included in the price. Guarantees. Payment terms. Is VAT included or excluded in the price etc.

Q: I want to leave feedback for my tradesmen, what should I do?

A: Log in to your customer account, then select the job/tradesmen that you want to leave feedback for and leave your feedback.

Q: I want to leave additional “follow up feedback” for my tradesmen, what should I do?

A: Log in to your customer account, select the job/tradesmen that you want to leave additional “follow up feedback” for and leave your “follow up feedback”.

Q: Why should I leave feedback for my tradesmen?

A: By providing an honest and accurate opinion about the tradesman you have employed, you are helping other potential customers to make an informed decision. This has the additional benefit of encouraging tradesmen to provide a 1st class service and make sure their customers are completely satisfied throughout the job.

Q: Do you carry out any checks on tradesmen?

A: No, at the moment, we do not check, recommend or endorse any tradesmen but it is something we (the site founders) have already discussed and hope to do in the future. 

Note: As with any work you are looking to employ someone to do, you should always ask to see previous jobs, speak to previous customers, ask to see their insurance certificates and any qualifications to prove they are competent to do your work. You should always get a written quote and/or sign a contract detailing exactly what will be done for the quoted price e.g Start & Finish dates. Are materials included in the price. Guarantees. Payment terms. Is VAT included or excluded in the price etc.  

Q: I have previously registered as a customer, but now I want to create a tradesmen account as well, what should I do?

A: That’s no problem. All you have to do is go back to the site and create a tradesmen account as well.

Q: What should I do if I have forgotten my log on details?

A: Thats easy: All you have to do is go to the logon page click on the “Forgotten your Password” link and your password will automatically be reset and sent to the email address you used to register with. When you sucessfully login to your account, you can then go to your customer account dashboard, select the relevent option and change your password to something you choose.

FOR TRADESMEN  

Q: There are lots of sites like this on the internet. What do you think makes this one different?

Our site motto is "By Tradesmen for Tradesmen" which we think says it all really.

A: Our site has been started and is run by a small a group of tradesmen just like you.

Our values are simple. To provide you with the best site we can, with as many tools possible to promote your Business or service, but at the same time for the lowest possible cost.

At the moment a full 12 month subscription is just a measley £25 quid per year (which is less than £0.07p per day)

With us there are:

No Lead Fees.

No Commission Fees.

No Different Tiers of Service. 

It's "Free" to display your website details. 

It's "Free" to display you company logo.

It's "Free" to upload pictures of your work to appear on your profile. 

It's "Free" to display your contact details. 

Just ask yourself, How many other sites give you so much for so little? 

Q: Why should I use your site?

A: Why not? at the moment it's completely Free to sign up for an account (subject to availability). Even if you only sign up to take advantage of the "12 months free" offer. You should use the site to promote your business or trade and win as many new customers as possible.

Q: Why did you start this site?

A: We (the site founders) are all tradesmen ourselves (our web guru, is a chippy) We know how hard it is trying to find and win genuine work during normal times "And we are all fully aware of how hard it is during this recession". Between us we have used most of the other sites ourselves in the past, but even though we only ever had limited success winning work through them, they (the other sites) always made sure that all their fees were charged.

We always used to say that we should build our own site "but better". And this we hope is it.

We also believe that in time this site will grow to be the biggest, and the best of its kind. 

Q: How do I use TradesmenUK?

A: We have tried to make the site as easy and user friendly as possible, but before you can use the site you will need to register. To do this you will need to create your profile and provide some basic information about what you do and where you are based etc. 

You must remember to click on the activation link that you will receive by email otherwise you will not appear in the “Search Tradesmen” listings. 

Once you've registered, you will be notified by email for “Free” about any relevant jobs in your chosen area that match your profile (normally immediately after they have been posted). In addition you can manually search for any available jobs on the site, and quote for them as well.

Q: How do I quote for a job?

A: If you want to quote for a job, all you have to do is log in to your "tradesmen account" select the job you want to quote for and simply click on the "Quote" button on the “Job Details” Page, a message will then be sent to the customer notifying them that they have received a quote and encourages then to log on to view it. The customer will then have access to your profile.

Q: How do I ask a question or arrange a site visit before I quote for a job?

A: If you want to ask a question about the job all you have to do is log in to your account then select the job you are interested in and click on the “Ask a Question” button on the “Job Details” page and a message will be sent to the customer. The customer will then receive your message and have access to your profile and they can answer your question or contact you to arrange a visit if required.

Q: How do I receive a receipt for my subscription?

A: PayPal will automatically send you a receipt by email soon after your payment has been accepted, you will also receive a confirmation of payment email from the site.

Q: How do I cancel my subscription?

A: Log into your account click on the “payments” link and you will see an unsubscribe button click on this and your subscription will be cancelled automatically. Unfortunately any unused subscription can not be refunded, but you will still be able to fully use the site until your subscription runs out. Then it is up to you if you want to continue to use the site. 

Q: What are job alerts? and how will I receive them?

A: Job alerts are emails containing any new jobs of relevant interest to you, they are automatically sent out to you as soon as a job has been posted. 

Q: Am I allowed to quote for any of the jobs on the site?

A: Yes, you can quote for as many jobs on the site that you want to. 

Q:Is there a maximum number of quotes a job can receive?

A: No, there is no limit on the number of quotes a job can receive. We think the fairest way to manage the jobs section for everyone is to let the customer control their own jobs. Thus: when a customer posts a job they have a list of "job status" options available to them for their job and these are: "open" "closed" "quote accepted" "complete" "Re-open job" e.g. when a customer accepts a quote from a tradesman the job status changes to "quote accepted" or the customer can simply select to close their job if they changed their mind. All jobs will remain active until the customer chooses to accept a quote or close their job. 

Q: Can I see which jobs I have already quoted for?

A: Yes. All you have to do is log in to your account and you will see a list of jobs your have quoted, won, etc

Q: What should I do if I have completed the job but the customer has not left feedback for me?

A: If you have completed a job, but haven't received feedback, we suggest sending a friendly reminder email or SMS to the customer.

Q: A customer has left Negative feedback for me, what should I do?

A: Unfortunately we are unable to get involved in disputes, and we must accept the customers rating for the feedback they leave. Any dissatisfaction with the work/job/project done by you can only be resolved between you and the customer. We strongly suggest that you resolve this matter urgently by talking with your customer, understanding exactly what the issues are and agreeing a resolution.

We are aware that things do not always work out exactly as originally planned, but are subsequently resolved to everyones satisfaction, so to be fair to all parties we allow you to respond to a negative feedback comment. 

Additionally: If the customer subsequently changes their feedback for you to Positive, any previous Negataive feedback left for you will automatically be removed. 

Q: What should I do if I have forgotten my log on details?

A: Thats easy: All you have to do is go to the logon page click on the “Forgotten your Password” link and your password will automatically be reset and sent to the email address you used to register with. When you sucessfully login to your account, you can then go to your customer account dashboard, select the relevent option and change your password to something you choose.

Q: Why do I need to create a profile?

A: The first thing that customers will look at when considering whether to employ you is your profile. Thats why it's important to include any relevant information about you and your business or Service in your profile. 

You should include the type/s of work you do the areas you cover and any specialist skills you have.

You should also include any qualifications and accreditations that you have, preferably including your membership numbers e.g. gas safe, corgi etc

You should include things like how long you have been in business or your trade and what insurance you have e.g public liability, we always suggest that you check your profile for any spelling mistakes, punctuation etc as even these small details can make a customer feel confident that you are a professional .

If you have photographs of previous work that you have completed, you should upload them to your profile, that way customers can see the quality of your work at a glance.

If you have a website for your business, trade or service you should include the link in the relevant field, that way customers can go directly to your website.  

You should also make sure that your quotes (or questions) are as relevant and accurate as possible. You are under no obligation to provide a quote to a customer, and sometimes you will be unable to quote for a job for various reasons, but if you were a customer wouldn't you appreciate a tradesmen who gave you as much help and information as possible e.g. approximate costs and time scale etc.

Q: Why are there only a few jobs on the site? 

A: The site has only recently been launched, and at the moment we are concentrating on building up a national tradesmen base (hence the free offer for the first 1000 tradesmen). When we have reached a level where we have a good national tradesmen base we will switch the emphasis to attracting customers. The reason behind this is that if we were customers we would be reluctant to post a job on a site if there were no tradesmen available to quote for the work.

Q: If you're not charging people to join your site at the moment how are you funding it?

A:  Eventually we would expect people to pay to use the site but like everything it all has to start somewhere, we have a backer and a budget set aside for promoting and advertising the site and hope that people will have started to pay a small fee for their membership before we need to look at this again. We are not get rich quick merchants or scammers, we are all tradesmen jut like you, and we genuinely believe we have something to offer you. Any funds we receive will go straight back into building, maintaining, promoting and advertising the site to get more customer awareness, which in turn will lead to more jobs posted by customers for you to quote for. 

Note: As a result of a new investor we have significiantly reduced the yearly subscription fee to just a measly £25 quid per year (Which is less than 0.07p per day) 

We are constantly monitoring this situation for ways to reduce it even further and eventually we hope to make the site completely free for all tradesmen as well.  

Q: What happens at the end of my 12 months free offer?

A: When your 12 months free subscription runs out there is no obligation for you to sign up for a paid subscription. By default the system will automatically know when your free offer expires and you will be presented with the option to subscribe for a further 12 months for just a small fee.

Q: "Why can't I use my email address, telephone number, or any other contact details as part of my user or company name" on my profile? 

A: Even though there are "no lead fees" or "commission fees" to pay on any jobs you win, and we have provided a specific place to put a website link to your website (if you have one) there will always be someone who incorrectly thinks they will gain some kind of advantage by trying to use an email/web address, telephone number or any other contact details as part of their profile. Why they should want to do this we don't know because there is no absolutely no benefit to them at all. 

However what we do know is that this is really unfair to everyone else who has played by the rules.

Thus every registration is checked regularly and dealt with accordingly. 

Note: We have the right to edit, delete, ban or suspend any user or their profile without explanation.

Q: Why don't you allow references or links to other/competetors web sites as part of my tradesmen's profile?

A: What do you think? We think it's a bit of a no brainer?. 

Q: Whats the forum for?

A: Well, everyone knows that builders like to chat so we thought it would be a nice idea to build some kind of on-line community for you where you can chat, and share ideas about anything you want to.

Thank you