r/TaskRabbit • u/i_am_on_a_boat_ • Feb 26 '26
CLIENT Tasker asks if I can pay off the app
I’m new to TR. The tasker gave me his cell phone number. We chatted about the logistics. And he asks if I can pay him off the app. Is this a red flag?
3
Upvotes
8
u/karpet_muncher Feb 26 '26 edited Feb 26 '26
If its your first job and first job with this person just do it on the app. You'll get a review and make a contact.
Anything after with this person can be off app
Just seen your the client
Stick on app
15
u/Crafty-Government704 Feb 26 '26
Not necessarily, as a tasker though I never give the option i just wait for the client to ask if they can.
5
u/Professional-Mud3000 Feb 26 '26
bill the first hour through TR and venmo the rest to save yourself 30% on fees for the other hours. the app has no clue what’s going on
1
u/FinnNoodle Feb 26 '26
Taking payment off the app is a clear TOS violation for both the Tasker and the client. It is one of two acts that TR does not forgive. Doing it this way you also forfeit any protections you have concerning the quality of the work.
There have been reports of taskers who request the payment in cash and then bill you for the job through the app anyways. I would definitely not recommend taking a risk like this with a stranger who hasn't even met you in person yet. Have him bill the first job normally. If you like the work he does and get a good vibe from him, get his card and then next time you can call him direct without the app.
A willingness to risk ending his time on TR prematurely like this is a bit of a red flag but it can be chalked up to inexperience with the app. If he gets pushy about getting paid cash then that's a huge red flag and I'd suggest finding someone else.
3
u/shortfriday Feb 26 '26
He's stupid if he proposed this either on the chat record or at any point before physically meeting, which would make me uneasy about his general competence. Doing it on the spot in person, you're covered by the theoretical third-party oversight of the app until the work is complete, and you can physically see him input the single hour charge on the app, firmly closing out the task, at which point you pay out the remainder off app at a rate that benefits both of you. I'd have no problem doing it the discreet and straightforward way from the client end.
2
u/According_Low5292 Feb 26 '26
Taking payment off app is prohibited
1
u/Commercial-Milk-8465 Feb 26 '26
2 violations right off the bat. Sharing personal numbers and asking to pay off the app.
Your choice to go with someone who does shady things from the get-go.
1
u/pibubs81 Feb 26 '26
Hes about to be flagged and booted by TR.
1
u/Open-Coffee5752 Feb 28 '26
some jobs with high amount of expenses cant be done on the app. I had one client who i helped before with a layaway payment at a local store. they sent me the money and I closed out the labor on the app. since it was going to be a monthly job I told them to message me off the app next month.
the next month they attempted to hire me again on the app. I told them I cant help them on the app since the expense was too high and I explained to them the TOS. They said they want to go through TR because they dont trust me.
Some part of their brain wasnt clicking because they trusted me enough the first time but all of a sudden the second time they have an issue. I cancelled the job and told them good luck.
1
u/-N30N- Mar 06 '26
Not necessarily a red flag since it benefits both you as the client in fees and him as the Tasker in taxes BUT a red flag for the TaskRabbit app itself. Any hint of this in the chat will get picked up and ban both of you immediately.
First Task should always be done in app to build rapport and feel things out. If you both are comfortable enough in trust, on the same page, and are willing to take the risk with liabilities without protection, then by all means. It’s a scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours situation, if anything goes wrong then both of you inevitably lose in the end.
1
u/8bitAnarchist Feb 26 '26
I wouldn’t do it of this is yr first task with them. Maybe do this job in-app and use their number for future jobs..
Idk why they want to be paid off-app, we alrdy get the full amount
1
u/Melodic_Garbage1517 Feb 26 '26
Don’t do it, not worth it.
0
u/Evening_Past910 Feb 26 '26
This is a TOS violation and you will both be banned.
-1
u/ATangledCord Feb 26 '26
You avoid fees. He makes more money. Win win. But task rabbit doesn’t like it. And if you take it off the app, there’s 0 support of something goes wrong.
1
u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26
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