Tradie groups say no to Spark service
Spark is launching a competitor to Builderscrack, a website that helps people list jobs and get quotes from tradespeople.
But some trades bodies are warning it might be a pipe dream to expect the service to take off, because there was a lack of tradies to bid for work.
Spark’s service, wedo.co.nz, will let people upload details of the work they want done. WeDo will then use algorithms to decide which tradies to invite to pitch for the work.
That might take into account their location and feedback they had received from previous WeDo customers.
Master Plumbers chief executive Greg Wallace said his organisation had been approached by Spark but had decided not to get involved.
‘‘We are about 6000 to 8000 plumbers short. So there is more of an issue that plumbers can’t take on any new clients, than there is with them looking for work,’’ Wallace said.
Wallace said Master Plumbers was also concerned that there appeared to be no quality assurance built into the service, other than customer reviews.
Master Electricians confirmed that it had also decided not to get involved. Chief executive Bernie McLaughlin indicated its main concern was about Spark clipping the ticket on tradie jobs.
‘‘We talked to WeDo about a year ago and the value proposition for our members getting involved just wasn’t there. All they are doing is adding more middlemen,’’ he said.
Wallace said Master Builders had made the same decision. Its CEO, David Kelly, was not available for comment.
Announcing its service, WeDo manager Kayne Munro said a Spark survey showed about half of households had a job waiting to be done, but finding the right person could be like ‘‘finding a needle in a haystack’’.
‘‘Finding someone available and to then gather and compare prices and credentials can be time-consuming.’’
WeDo’s website is live for businesses to sign up and Munro said it would open to consumers in about two weeks.
It will charge tradies a monthly subscription fee of $59, $99 or $199, depending on the number of leads they want to be able to quote on each month, with fees for the entry-level $59 plan waived until the end of the year.
There is also a payment processing fee of 2.75 per cent of the value of jobs, if tradies choose to be paid by customers via the website rather than directly.
WeDo will initially seek business from tradies in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Hundreds of businesses had signed up but it would want thousands, Munro said.
The service faces a competitor in Builderscrack, which charges tradies a standard fee of 5 per cent of the value of the jobs they win through its site, with a fee cap of $750 per job.
Christchurch-based Builderscrack launched in 2007 and passed the milestone of posting its 100,000th job in 2015.
Munro said there would be an overlap between the services.
Differences included that WeDo made people input details of their jobs using menu selections and icons, rather than in free text. That made it easier for WeDo to provide an indicative cost based on past jobs that could reduce the nuisance of ‘‘tyre kickers’’, he said.