JiffyOnDemand: Connects Contractors and Consumers

What is JiffyOnDemand?

JiffyOnDemand is a marketplace where consumers needing repair or maintenance work can find freelance contractors who are willing and able to do it.

How it works for consumers

Jiffy offers home maintenance and repair services, ranging from plumbing and electrical work to TV mounting and furniture assembly. Consumers specify the service they need and what city they’re in. Jiffy quotes a price and the consumer provides a credit card to pay for it.

The consumer also says whether they want this job to be done immediately or later.

How it works for Contractors

Meanwhile, freelance contractors sign up with the site to be part of JiffyOnDemand’s “pro network.” ProNetwork contractors fulfill the service requests that come in from consumers in their neighborhood.

Contractors must pass a background check and have all the necessary licenses and certifications to do the type of job they’ve applied to do. They also must have $2 million in liability insurance. Once approved into the network,  Jiffy send appropriate job alerts via text message.

The contractor decides whether to take the job or pass.

Real jobs

Unlike the job “leads” sent by sites like HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack, these are real jobs that the consumer has ordered. Jobs are not sent to contractors until the consumer has submitted a valid credit card to pay for the project.

When contractors accept jobs here, they are accepting all the details in the order, including the pay and timing of when the job needs to be done. Once a contractor has accepted a job, the contractor is given the consumer’s cell number and is encouraged to let that consumer know that they have received the request and are on it.

Reasonable rates

Unlike TaskRabbit, where contractors set their own rates, Jiffy sets the rates here. However, the rates are reasonable for both consumers and the freelancers who take the jobs. Jiffy sets its rates at roughly the average cost for that service in that area.

The contractor gets between 82% and 88% of this rate, depending on the city and the size of the job. The bigger the job, the more of the money the contractor keeps. The rest goes to pay the site for marketing and payment collection.

And, again, contractors know how much they’ll get before they take a job.

The site offers a payment schedule for 20 different tasks, including electrical and plumbing work, furniture assembly, appliance repair, moving and delivery, snow removal, window, duct, carpet and upholstery cleaning, as well as locksmith and general handyman services.

Fees and payments

JiffyOnDemand takes a 12% to 18% commission from the consumer’s payment. Payment for completed work is generally made on the Friday following the week the job was completed.

Concerns in the terms

That said, there are a few things in Jiffy’s terms and conditions that give us pause. First, the site’s commission is not contractually set. In fact, the site reserves the right to change its commission, at its sole discretion, at any time.

Then, too, if you show up late or cancel a job, you could be subject to an undisclosed penalty.

And, the site has a satisfaction guarantee that’s shouldered 100% by its contractors. I’ll spare you the legalese, but if a customer complains and is able to trigger Jiffy’s “User Protection Plan,” the contractor must either redo the service or be held responsible for the cost of having it redone.

Assuming that clients are honest — and that the site filters out those who aren’t — this shouldn’t be a major worry for someone who does good work. But know that you are guaranteeing every job you do through this site.

Recommendations

While skilled contractors can obviously earn more on their own, marketing your services can take a lot of time. Paying less than 20% for the connection seems like a reasonable trade-off. However, JiffyOnDemand only operates in four cities — Boston, Chicago, Toronto or Ottawa.

In addition to the limited footprint, we like TaskRabbit better than this site because it allows constractors to set their own rates. You can learn more about TaskRabbit here.

If you want to sign up with JiffyOnDemand, you can find them here.

If you’re interested in yard work, you can sign up with GreenPal. You could also solicit neighbor referrals through a local social networking site, such as Nextdoor.

What their users say (from Glassdoor):

Gotta be quick and just accept the job before really looking it over or you will lose the jobs! too many contractors not enough jobs .the more jobs you do and the better rating you get the more opportunities you get so starting new is tough

12/12/2023