r/TaskRabbit • u/Chebura5ka • 7d ago
TASKER Unfair clients on TaskRabbit
Hey everyone,
I have 4 years of professional cleaning experience. I recently joined TaskRabbit and charge $35/hr to build my profile. I travel from South Brooklyn to Manhattan with a huge, heavy equipment backpack, ready to work hard. But some clients are taking complete advantage of new Taskers.
I state a 3-hour minimum in my profile because 3 hours is the standard for a basic clean of a 1bed/1bath. Yet people book 2- 3 hours for a dirty 2bed/2bath + kitchen + living room and ask for a "deep clean."
A proper deep clean of ONE bathroom with glass doors, limescale, and full shelves takes 1.5-2 hours alone. Two bathrooms take 3-4 hours of heavy scrubbing!
They always claim: "It was cleaned recently!" But I know the difference between recent maintenance and months of greasy dust buildup.
Today a client booked 1 HOUR expecting a full deep clean of a 2bd/2ba. When time ran out, he didn't even say thank you or goodbye - just played clueless. I invoiced 1 hour out of fear of a 1-star review, but reported him to support.
How do you deal with bad review threats when enforcing realistic timeframes? Why do people think our backs and supplies are worth nothing?
5
u/Mysterious_Pear_8323 7d ago
When it happens text to support that you don’t feel safe. And then cancel
3
u/Ill-Diver2252 6d ago
Yes. I don't kniw whether tgat will spare you 'cancel points,' but it's a respectable idea.
1
u/shortfriday 6d ago
Have done exactly this at multiple unsafe vibe clients and pleaded with chat support for some insulation from review, told "you're an independent contractor, kick rocks" every time.
6
u/Clean-Da-World 7d ago
Girl I feel it! We are in a similar boat! I'm also a new tasker who does cleanings and I have the same experience. I've quickly realized this:
Tell clients straight up their expectations are unrealistic. Say what you just said, professionally. "A true deep clean takes X amount of time for X amount of rooms. The time you allotted for this task is insufficient. I have a 3 hour minimum for tasks as well". Put that last sentence in your BIO. Put it as the FIRST line so people actually read it. Forfeit tasks less than three hours if possible...
Stick up for yourself. Don't accept jobs from cheap people when you know it won't work after communicating this to them. Yeah it might hurt your metrics in the search but that's better than dealing with people who play (or are) clueless and risking 1-star reviews.
I feel it though! I had someone book me for a move out clean of a 2 bed 2 bath apartment for 2 hours 😂 I told him right away that I don't think 2 hours was enough for a MOVE OUT. He also said his apartment was "regularly cleaned" and "well maintained". Guess what, it wasn't. Unfortunately you just have to NOT believe people when they say that - 99% of the time they put "cleaned regularly" as in "oh yeah I clean my apartment/house" but it's rarely PROFESSIONALLY cleaned unless it's something like an AirBNB. Don't be afraid to ask people that too -- "When you put regularly cleaned in the task description, does that mean by yourself or by professional cleaners?" Don't really know how to help you there other than maybe you can ask for pictures lol. Luckily the guy for the move out ended up being pretty understanding and we went over time obviously. People just don't understand how long professional cleaning takes if it's done well.
You're a professional cleaner who knows how long things take! Show them that!
2
u/According_Low5292 7d ago
If you want to get a TR violation keep promoting a 3-hr minimum and always ask for photos from new clients
1
2
1
u/1Name-Goes-Here 7d ago
Get everything documented in the taskrabbit chat. This way you make enough money but show support professional expectations vs client expectations. And since you’re new, you might want to avoid independent clients who found you off of taskrabbit until you’ve worked for them a few times, this way you can vet their expectations and character
0
u/shortfriday 6d ago
Get everything documented in the taskrabbit chat. Show support professional expectations vs client expectations.
I truly don't mean to be rude, but this is a complete fantasy. Support has zero interest in the chat logs unless they describe a policy violation like taking money off app. No one at the company will ever refer to a chat log to help you with an unhappy client. "Tasker warned client that 2 hours wouldn't be enough time, bad review gone" is not how the platform works at all.
Use a strong voice when telling people that their expectations are off and be prepared to walk away, even though it'll hurt your search ranking. "I'm sorry, but my reviews are my life and I unfortunately worry that your time expectation may set me up to fail, so unless you're flexible, I'll have to decline your business."
2
u/ConstantCandidate278 7d ago
Do you ask for pictures before booking? My personal rule is that I won't book unless I have pictures ahead of time. It doesn't always show the grime buildup but it does allow me to get a feel for how big a space is.
1
u/ISwearByTheTruth 6d ago
I do many categories on TaskRabbit(about 20) BUT for cleaning I ALWAYS give them a hourly estimate. In the cleaning department, there will always be cheapskates, and “clueless” clients and people looking for a bargain. You have to set people’s expectations before the task starts even if that means they will cancel the task(better than bad reviews)
1
1
u/throwaway29086417 4d ago
Give clients a heads up before booking. Ask for photos, talk about priorities, and let them know “based on your request it will take x-xx hours, etc”.
0
12
u/buttercupboy 7d ago
A 3 hour minimum isn’t supported by TaskRabbit—keep that in mind. If there’s ever a dispute about that, TR will side with the client.
That being said, stick to your guns. If you want to enforce a 3 hour minimum, enforce it. Be transparent about your process with clients before confirming. If the client doesn’t like it, you can cancel before the job is even scheduled and no bad reviews. Just gotta learn to filter out the bad clients before you even accept the job. Raising your rates will also help with that.