Has anyone used this .com?

[Taffycat]

We have some jobs that need to be done - various carpentry/building type stuff and when Googling around, I landed on "mybuilder.com." Tradespeople can sign up - think they have to pay a fee(?) then if a householder posts a job, they will receive responses and/or quotes. Do any of you happen to know anyone who has used this scheme?

The feedback for some individuals looks to be very good... but, being me, I wonder whether it's all genuine, or whether some of the members just have large families who are handy for giving good reviews!! I'm inclined to think that it's okay, but it would be handy to know your opinions please.

Thanks for reading

 

[Anon_F]

Sorry TC cant help you on this one.

We do use Checker-A-Trade which is well used in our area.

 

[Taffycat]

Thanks for the reply Feckit I have a feeling the site might be okay, because I believe the tradespeople have to pay to register to offer their services(?)

The company you referred to in your post looked good ... and I even tried doing a search on there, just to see whether there would be anyone from this region. The closest seemed to be someone advertising in the Gloucester area. Still worth the look though.

 

[Taffycat]

I have done a little more homework since yesterday, and have found some pretty good info in the Press regarding the "My Builder" company.

They are not just local to my area, but are a nationwide org, so might possibly of interest generally.... if, like us, you have some jobs that need a professional tradesperson. Here is an article about them in the "Times Online." (Note, the company was originally called "Buildersite" but relaunched as "MyBuilder.com" in 2008. Just a domain-name problem I think.)

Hope no one will think I'm turning into a spammer ... but it has been so darned hard to find reliable people here, (the area seems to abound with "cowboys" only too willing to charge an arm and leg for cra**y workmanship

) Going to give them a try in a minute - the website, that is, not the blokes in stetsons!! Lol

 

[nivrip]

Best of luck TC. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Taffycat]

Thanks Niv I have just posted the job, so will be interesting to see how soon we get any responses... if any!! Lol I quite like the fact that contact is made through the website, via email or text (we chose the former.)

 

[Taffycat]

Little update. We received several responses within the first few hours of posting, some of which sound promising. A couple of responders immediately didn't appeal - one being a big, "pushy-sounding" company; another fellow had some negative feedback on his profile, which didn't sound too good.

Someone will be coming to give us a quote, later this morning. Has good feedback and sounded decent (according to hubby) when they spoke on the phone yesterday evening. So we shall see how things go.

 

[Anon_F]

Hope no one will think I'm turning into a spammer

Of course your not TC, your just after a decent tradesperson.
Of course if you were trying to sell us all somthing that would be different!

 

[Taffycat]

Another update

We received a total of 7 responses within 24 hours of placing our job ad. Reading their profiles and feedback from other customers was a great help in choosing whom to ask for quotes.

The job itself, was to renew our very leaky rainwater guttering and also some bargeboards on the pine-end of our bungalow (they were mostly sound, but the "boxy shaped" parts at the lower ends were in bad shape and rather attractive to passing squirrels! Lol.)

Anyway, the builder we chose gave us a very good quote after coming to view the job. He and his son, would supply, fit and make good where necessary, for £250 and would complete the task in a day. No requests for "cash up front;" they arrived on time and worked like beavers throughout the day. We kept them "lubricated" with plenty of coffee and biccies.

They did a great job and we are sooo pleased to have found them via the "MyBuilder.com" website, because as and when the piggy bank will allow, we have quite a few other repairs, etc., lined up. They are prepared to be flexible, which will be a huge help to us (i.e., we need some new windows, but most of the bigger companies seem to quote for packages, where they are all replaced at once. Due to hubby's health, this wouldn't really be practical for us.)

 

[muckshifter]

Hey TC, give "them" a name, they deserve a special thank you.

 

[numenius]

Good stuff

Sounds a good scheme - I too wondered if some of the "customers" would just be family, friends and employees - I'm sure I could get about 20 good right-ups on some sites for my own building company "Shoddy-Shacks-R-Us" ....... and it doesn't even exist.
But this sounds pretty good. Friends of mine just got royaly ripped off with some truly awful work so I think I'll tell them about this site for future work. Seeing the work they had done, I'm sure their builder rode in on a horse and had a stetson !

 

[Taffycat]

Hey TC, give "them" a name, they deserve a special thank you.

Thank you muchly Mucks,

They are David and Ryan Phillips of "Orange-Grove Construction" discovered, as mentioned, through http://www.mybuilder.com/

Numenius, sorry to hear about your friends' experience that is exactly what we were afraid of too. A while ago, someone came to our door, claiming to be "doing other work in the area." They had "noticed" our rickety guttering and were prepared to offer their "services" for a "mere £600!" Yikes!!

 

[crazylegs]

Glad you have a positive result with your builders TC ..

This is another very good website , so for anyone wanting builders or plumbers or whatever..

http://www.trustatrader.com/

 

[floppybootstomp]

Good tradespeople are hard to find.

So I'm pleased to hear of your experience TC