SideHusl.com reviewed a smattering a new side hustle platforms that offer opportunity for cleaners, owners and gamers this week. However, the opportunities aren’t particularly good.
Two of these platforms could deliver decent jobs and income for the right individuals, but they also have some shortcomings. The third has more red flags than NASCAR.
Here’s what we found.
Turno: for cleaners
If you clean houses for a living, you may want to know about a site called Turno.
Turno, which was once called TurnoverAirbnb, connects owners of rental properties with housekeepers. The site specifically looks for clients who have multiple rental properties, offering them a quick and painless way to get their properties back on the market following a rental.
Because the site caters to owners of active vacation rental properties, cleaners in this marketplace are likely to get regular work. But, the site encourages cleaners to offer low rates to get on owner cleaning “teams.” This is a benefit to the site because owners are more likely to sign up knowing they can find bargain-priced cleaning work here.
But it isn’t a selling point for cleaners. The site says you can raise your rates after a few good cleans, but pay hikes are in no way guaranteed. You need an explanation for why your original rate was inadequate and the owner has to approve the change.
Another catch
Worse, the site allows owners who say they’re dissatisfied with a clean to rescind payments, up to two weeks after a job is completed. Cleaners get no warning and apparently have no way to dispute the back charges. This practice has led to multiple complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
To be sure, crooked clients are relatively rare. But Turno does little to deter them.
That said, the site is still worth a look, if you are building your cleaning business — particularly if you’re in a good vacation rental market.
But, until you know and trust clients you find here, don’t do too much for any individual client. The biggest BBB horror stories were from cleaners who did multiple jobs for a single client and got back-charged for all of them.
Yoodlize: for owners of anything
The concept behind Yoodlize is simple: Everybody has stuff that they rarely use. This can range from camping equipment to power tools. What if you could monetize those little-used items by listing them for rent? That’s what Yoodlize (pronounced U-dl-ize) is all about.
You decide what you want to list for rent; how much you want to get paid per day; and whether you have specific rules for your rentals. Those rules might include whether or not the product needs to be cleaned before it’s returned and whether renters need experience to rent it.
What if your item is damaged or stolen? Yoodlize covers damage and theft to $2,000.
The catch?
Yoodlize is a relatively young platform that doesn’t have a ton of users. So, it’s tough to find renters — or things to rent — in most markets. And, unfortunately, most items you would feel comfortable listing, are unlikely to bring in big money for a day’s rental anyway.
Your $2,000 trailer, for instance, might bring in $30 a day; your skill saw or carpet cleaner, $15. So, are you really willing to take the time to negotiate pick-ups and drop-offs — and risk potential renter damage — for a few bucks a day?
There’s nothing wrong with Yoodlize’s terms. But renting personal items is a time-consuming side hustle with limited profit potential.
KashKick: for gamers
Last, and definitely least, is KashKick, a “get paid to” smart phone app that promises payments for playing games and taking surveys.
The problem is that the site doesn’t necessarily pay you as promised. Indeed, the Better Business Bureau has an “advisory” on its KashKick listing.
Says the BBB: Since June 2023, BBB started to receive a pattern of consumer complaints alleging the business did not pay out the earnings from tasks completed, and that some were blocked/banned from their account.
To be sure, most sites that pay you to play games on your cell phone don’t pay much. And some employ deceptive tactics to make it difficult to cash out. But few warrant BBB warnings. So either KashKick’s behavior is more egregious than most, or its users are somehow more offended than most.
Site response
A site spokeswoman says they did have a problem with a fraud detection tool in the last quarter of 2023. But they’ve disabled that tool because it was kicking people off the site without reason. She adds that if anyone had their account disabled — and money seized — during that period, they can contact KashKick support and get their funds and accounts restored.
However, she also said that some players don’t read the game rules correctly and thus don’t win the promised rewards. One example she provided was a for a game called “Dice Dreams.” To win $35 with this game, the gamer is advised that “in-app purchases are highly recommended.”
When asked if gamers would win without in-app purchases, this spokeswoman said: “I would say it’s possible, but unlikely. The user would have to be a very skilled gamer.”
In our opinion, spending money to earn money is a loser’s game. And it’s all the more so when you read KashKick’s terms. These clearly state that the company’s rewards are worth nothing until you cash out. And the company can change the value of rewards, or disable your account, at any time.
If you love get-paid-to-play apps, Scrambly, Rewarded Play and Mistplay are better options.
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