New mobile app for home repairs

Launched by four Cape Town entrepreneurs, it allows users to connect with service providers that meet their particular need by using location based tracking and supplier availability in real time. Users no longer need to waste time searching the internet or a telephone directory for a supplier to meet their needs and they no longer need to wait for days to fit into that supplier’s diary.

“The application is the first of its kind that allows its users to cut out the uncertainty and frustration that typically comes with finding a home repair supplier,” says co-founder Shannon Mackrill. “Our goal was to disrupt an industry that is fraught with irregular pricing, poor service levels and inconsistent quality in a way that sets new benchmarks for service delivery and pricing.”

The app is free for download and available for iPhone and Android. The app works much as Uber does: a homeowner logs the need on the application, sharing the location and requirements and a service provider in the area who is ‘available’ on the service will accept the job. The homeowner can track the service provider’s progress until arrival at the job and will effect payment through the application’s secure payment functionality via a pre-loaded credit card. The app works with a strict standardised price per hour per category.

The team offers an insured service to consumers and provides 24-hour emergency services, seven days a week. Background checks are performed on all service providers who are also screened before they join the application, to ensure they meet the site’s standards. Standardised prices mean that homeowners do not get any unpleasant surprises when the time comes to pay the bill – and they are not charged any additional costs for using the service.

Clients are able to rate the service they receive from the supplier, giving other potential users a quick insight into the experience they can expect from the service provider that accepts their call for help through the application.

The app launched in the Cape Town Southern Suburbs, Atlantic Seaboard and Cape Town CBD on 5 April 2016, will soon cover more areas in Cape Town and will expand to other regions in South Africa during the year. The app has received substantial backing by a notable UK investor.