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June 14, 2010

Redbeacon – Find and Reserve a Service Specialist

Forget searching through the Yellow Pages for a qualified installation expert. Whether you need a plumber, a cable installer, a gardener, or a science tutor, Redbeacon is an application that will find a qualified professional in your local area who can handle the job at any time you want. Redbeacon lets users get price quotes and make appointments with qualified professionals in the service industry who can meet their needs—all without ever having to pick up the phone and dial for help.

If you’re using Redbeacon to search for skilled professionals in your area, then just sign up and type in a few words describing the type of professional you need. Include details about desired appointment times, your zip code or address, and a sentence or two about what exactly you need help doing—whether that is getting in shape, installing a light fixture, or learning to play the piano. The more details you include, the more likely it is that you’ll get an accurate quote, and you can even include images to better illustrate the work you need done. When you click submit, Redbeacon will send your job request out to all of its providers in the nearby area.

Within a matter of hours, you’ll receive an email from Redbeacon telling you to return to the site to see all the bids that have been put in by local service people. Check out the price quotes, and click to see more details about any specific provider—including his Redbeacon profile, rating, and additional details about what he predicts the total cost of the job will be. When you accept a quote, the appointment will be automatically scheduled without any phone calls needed and you can pay the service provider once the job is done to your satisfaction. Redbeacon is an interesting application that makes it easier to save money when hiring professionals to handle all types of jobs.

Practical Uses:

  • Find someone to tutor your son in math
  • Get someone out to repair your toilet immediately
  • Compare prices for handyman services
  • Search for a personal trainer whose available schedule matches up with your own

Insider Tips:

  • Include photos for a more accurate price quote
  • Service providers can email or text you for more information about your job
  • Increase your auction period to get more bids
  • Contact Redbeacon to have additional services added to the site

What we liked:

  • Comparing price quotes on one screen is easier than calling dozens of companies
  • Only pros who are available on your time schedule will reply to your request
  • Extend the auction period at any time if you’re not happy with the number of bids you’ve collected so far
  • Users have 24 hours to decide which bid to accept, or to choose none at all

What we didn’t like:

  • Because the site is still fairly new, there aren’t as many service people receiving bids in every area of the country as we would like

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: September 2009
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Mateo, California
  • Founded by: Aaron Lee, Ethan Anderson, and Yaron Binur
  • Web site: http://www.redbeacon.com

Costs:

  • Free for consumers
  • Professionals pay a 10% commission on jobs they get through the site

Comments

  1. Rosemarie Stepanian

    For those who like hiking, mountain climbing, or just traveling and camping out, then sleeping bags come in incredibly handy. Sleeping bags are comfortable readymade beds. Incredibly easy to set up. You may just lay it and you might be ready to make use of it. But note that not all sleeping bags are the exact same.

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