website for handy man car fixer?
 

I have an idea to make a website for guys who are good with cars to make some cash on the side. It will be kind of like a market place where guys who are good with cars can post up their skills and hourly rates to work on others cars.

These jobs can be anything from brake job to engine swap to body work.

The website can also provide a way to review individual handy man after a job is completed. Handy guys can then build up a reputation to attract more jobs.

Anyone here would find it useful? comments or feedbacks?

A website promoting unlicensed, uninsured, under the table, "handy guys," with little, if any, accountability should they damage a customers vehicle sounds like a great idea. I'm sure they would offer great rates given that they have no need to invest in formal training, business licenses, worksafe insurance, private insurance, the array of tools a professional shop requires, rent, general office expenses, and will not be paying income tax, EI, CPP, or having customers pay HST. Best of all, if, or rather, when, they damage a customers vehicle, they'll be able to just set up a new account on the site and escape any fault, unlike a business with an actual reputation to uphold.

I know just the guy on RS who would use this service. ;)

MindBomber, those are some good points. I haven't thought about that.

What if I screen the "handy guys" to make sure they have the right certificate for the service they are offering? e.g, mechanics can only do mechanics jobs? Also if I require them to have insurance? This way they can protect themselves from liability and the clients gets protection as well. Basically let them run their own contracting business in a way.

Where you went wrong in forming the initial idea was catering specifically to unlicensed DIY'ers, whose confidence almost definitely exceeds actual ability, it would be a disaster. Now, if you were to say, make a Vancouver specific version of angieslist, you might have a shot. Don't take any legal responsibility for the advertisers themselves, just serve as an independent body that allows local professionals to advertise at relatively low (or no) cost and be reviewed. Derive revenue from having advertisers pay, and google ads. Having advertisers pay is difficult, because one bad review and many will stop paying. Also, your competing against a lot of free advertising/review services so you have that to contend with as well. There's a site like described already operating for construction contractors in Vancouver IIRC, but it's never really taken off. If you made it work in Van, you could proceed to expand to other cities and so on.

I believe he's suggesting letting them run their own business literally or not at all.

You could try starting a website referring people to actual businesses, if you really want to middle man your way in.

Also, if someone wants to pay me $500, I will ruin your car. Absolutely ruin it. So bad the city will send you a bill.

Damn, not fast enough. Almost a repost. Mention this post for $100 off.

What makes you qualify to screen those handy guys. Seriously, if you thinking about making certain % from the work, you'll ended getting sue for providing this kind of services that wreck people's car.

Like Facebook, they got sued many times, due to privacy issue.

This is like the worst idea to start something like this by yourself or even small group of people.

If you really want to see this happening, I suggest talk this to ICBC, let the big guys handle it and to see if its worth doing. If they agree then just make the website.

:seriously:

have you heard of craigslist? Its the land of Unregistered workers.

the problem with craigslist is you don't know what kind of people you are getting. With a review based system at least people can build up a reputation so clients can find reputable help.

And why cl has not implemented such a thing, I have no idea.

On a sidenote, I found advertising my biz on cl to be really good, and really bad.

I have those pesky things such as insurance, and a biz license and all that other crap that costs me money for nothing but lets me not crap my pants every time I see a city vehicle drive by.

The bad side is, so many times I get in someones house and they are expecting someone from cl to be cheaper than shit, but still want the cadillac results.

But my advertising options are: yellow pages(pointless), google ads(my next experiment, we'll see) or cl. I'm also curious about facebook, but I don't know that people are in the "I want to build a bathroom" mode while playing farmville.

Ultimately, I'd love to have a review system. I see others ads, and you can just tell how they operate. I've even met a few.