My first Uber ride...is there an Uber-tree coming?

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
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Retired in Minneapolis
I'm on my way to the Z133 meeting and a couple of days vacation. Instead of doing the park n fly routine I decided to look into Uber. A normal can would have cost me $50 each wash. Parking would have been $65 or so. Uber from door to airport is $25. I didn't have to be up early to do the shuttle either. All winning for me!

I had a great talk with the Uber driver. Besides driving he started a mobile phone repair business with an Uber type marketing company. He buys materials from the company to pay for the leads. No commissions like Uber

I wonder if this model is being used for treework. There are some 1-800 models out there but that requires a phone call. The Uber and Air BnB models are app based. Seems pretty clever and efficient to me!

Generating leads is a challenge for small businesses. This model
Seems like a good value

Is anyone aware of a handyman or generic service referral company out there?

I got to the airport early and unstressed. As a bonus I have saved money in my pocket too!

Tom
 
This industry is ripe for it. Plenty of high quality small operators.
Could be pre vetted for the consumer.
And the tree companies would be pooling their advertising dollars and competing with each other. A more level playing field.
 
Angie's lists lets you buy tree work through an app. I think I found 6-7 local companies offering deals for tree work. It's a different model since you pay up front and the company never bids.

Obviously it's a good way for hacks to get work and most reviews will be moot because most customers don't understand what a flush cut is and why it's bad.

Accredited arborists might benefit from this, but I think the vultures would gain the most.


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I haven't used Uber/Airbnb or any of the new "gig-economy" providers, nor do I intend to. A regular taxi company has confirmed insurance for providing vehicular taxi service, and a driver whose chosen profession is Taxi Driver. If a taxi gets T-Boned while I'm a passenger, I can expect more of a backup than the limits of a a minimum PIP auto policy...with an Uber ride, who knows? I choose not to participate or facilitate racing to the bottom in any line of work, either as a provider or a consumer. To my way of thinking, Amazon's tree care and the like are just extra redundant links in the chain, doing next to nothing to add value to the enterprise but putting a hand out and continuing to squeeze prices downward for clients who comprise the lowest common denominator in the spectrum.
 
cerviarborist said:
I haven't used Uber/Airbnb or any of the new "gig-economy" providers, nor do I intend to. A regular taxi company has confirmed insurance for providing vehicular taxi service, and a driver whose chosen profession is Taxi Driver. If a taxi gets T-Boned while I'm a passenger, I can expect more of a backup than the limits of a a minimum PIP auto policy...with an Uber ride, who knows? I choose not to participate or facilitate racing to the bottom in any line of work, either as a provider or a consumer. To my way of thinking, Amazon's tree care and the like are just extra redundant links in the chain, doing next to nothing to add value to the enterprise but putting a hand out and continuing to squeeze prices downward for clients who comprise the lowest common denominator in the spectrum.
Click to expand...

When I was in college I was hit by a taxi driver that lost control trying to drive way to fast on snow covered roads. No insurance and some fly by night taxi co (I bet most are). Luckily I had full coverage on my truck or I'm sure I never would have seen a dime. Not defending über or anything, just sayin my only experience with a taxi.
 
Interesting thought Tom,
Here is an interesting article on the cost of the medallion, the privilege to drive a taxi in NYC. Kind of like buying a seat on the NYSE.
When the market gets so monopolistic and anti consumer it is ripe for something like Uber. I have used the service a few times in all my travels and find them wonderful, talked to drives and there are some kinks but it's new. I've been offered to plug in my phone to charge, piece of gum (don't think I had bad breath), bottle of water, this list goes on. Oh, and when you want them, you better be ready because almost without fail they are near. The technology is so cool, I don't know why taxi company did not embrace the same technology that modern smart phones provide and the link between customer and driver.
So, short story, to answer your question. I suspect it depends on how big for their britches a tree company gets and what monopoly they feel they own.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/03/uber-lift-decimating-ny-taxi-medallion-values/
 
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/porch-launches-first-app-tests-mobile-scheduling-payment-home-repair/

From the article
"Examples of services available through the Porch Booking feature include carpet cleaning, plumbing, electrical work, gutter cleaning, landscaping and painting. The feature leverages Porch’s network of certified professionals, vetted by the company.

“Think about it like Uber for home maintenance,” said Porch CEO Matt Ehrlichman in an interview. “That honey-do list that you have, we make those projects now just go away.”

The article is a bit dated, the company just got another big deal last week so it is growing. So potentially, like taxi drivers are seeing, this (or something similar) could change the b-model in the future for many service professionals.

BTW: Also google "uber like services for home repair" some interesting ideas and challenges are offered in many of the articles.
 
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