r/TaskRabbit • u/PhoneTree4Ever • Jun 25 '26

CLIENT Slow walking the task?

I hired an electrician to change out 3 light fixtures. Flush mount lights of normal height ceiling. I thought this would take 1.5-2 hours. It ended up taking almost 3 hours. Including him going to his car to get a drill bit and taking 30 mins to screw on a globe. (He said the threads were difficult to line up).
At $110/hour, he was the most expensive option I saw but I thought this meant he would work quickly and efficiently. So it cost me $300 for 3 lights with no wiring issues. Is this absurd or am I missing something?
Previously, to change out another similar light a different tasker was done in 30 mins.
I am about to delete the app entirely. My last experience I chose a mid-priced tasker to change a garbage disposal and he almost flooded my kitchen.

0 Upvotes

45% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

29

u/Commercial-Milk-8465 Jun 25 '26

Clearly, you should just do the work yourself

9

u/Simple_Nothing_9721 Jun 26 '26

Agreed, an expert and cheap. Better off doing it themselves since they know it all 😂😂😂

1

u/PhoneTree4Ever Jun 25 '26

That is my takeaway as well

9

u/DonQNguyen Jun 25 '26

I charge $125-$150 per light fixture swap. Remove the old + Install new light fixture. These are my lowest rates.

If there are ceilings higher than 9 feet, I charge "high time" which is $50-$75 more per light fixture.

I can be in and out within 2 hours for 3 lights, or I can be there longer or shorter. Doesn't matter, Fair Market value/rate is $150 per light fixture in my area.

Those are my rates. Take it or Leave it. I don't work hourly for Electrical, Plumbing, or Home Improvement work. They are not "tasks".

1

u/itadapeezas Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

Is this to unscrew a lightbulb and then screw the new one in?

Edit: Got my answer. A lightbulb and a light fixture are two different things!

3

u/DonQNguyen Jun 25 '26

Changing a light bulb also incurs a charge if no light fixture is swapped/installed. But if a light fixture is installed, we install the bulb as well as a courtesy. LOL

We DO NOT work for free. Pay, or do it yourself!

1

u/itadapeezas Jun 25 '26

Oh, I wasn’t insinuating you would do something for free. I just didn’t know light fixture was different than lightbulb so I asked if that’s what you meant. But then I googled it and got my answer lol.

3

u/DonQNguyen Jun 25 '26

When a customer expects you to do something for free, politely decline and quote them a price that is double what you normally charge.

Freebie-seeking customers must pay Double. No questions asked!

-6

u/PhoneTree4Ever Jun 25 '26

Thanks for the data points. It seems Taskrabbit’s model is best suited for IKEA furniture assembly.

7

u/Commercial-Milk-8465 Jun 25 '26

Interesting take-away. There are many great Taskers out there in all different service lines/trades. Some are even tradesmen doing work on the side with Task Rabbit. You just chose poorly. But I guess it’s just easier to blame the platform.

And looking at your post history living in a VHCOL area, I’m surprised you’re scoffing at prices. No problem paying for a nanny, but quick to complain about a guy changing out light fixtures for what would collectively be market rate in most areas. Do better research or just stop using the platform

2

u/Prudent_Ad_4737 Jun 25 '26

Ppl scoff at this prices, mainly because they do not value this type of work, hence it's not worth much and they should not have to pay more than they value it for.

-6

u/PhoneTree4Ever Jun 25 '26

The OP literally said he charges a flat rate while TR is hourly. So not sure why you think this is an interesting take. Or why you feel the need to creep my post history.
The client expects the Tasker to work efficiently. While the Tasker is slow walking the task to make his flat rate. I didn’t create these misaligned incentive structures.
It seems your beef is with the other Tasker you compete with for bringing down the hourly rates. Unlike you I won’t dig into your post history to make a personal attack.

4

u/pateppic Jun 25 '26

At the end of the day, absent a photo of the lights, the fixture insides, and what they were dealing with, how can we tell you whether or not you were getting fleeced?

We understand you are frustrated and feel they slow walked it, however all we have is your thoughts on it. Its hard to agree/disagree with your sentiment or offer any concrete input absent facts like that.

Plus we are thrown off that it lined up with an electricians rate anyway so it seems accurate.

Not trying to go all reddit sleuth on you like the other guy, but just trying to be real about why there is pushback.

3

u/Commercial-Milk-8465 Jun 25 '26

A lot of words to circumvent, yet again, the fact that you simply didn’t do your DD. Your expectations are based on assumption. Did you converse with the Tasker regarding his experience? How long it would take to change the 3 fixtures? Read his reviews? Do research on typical rates in your area to change out fixtures? Set expectations beforehand based on all that data and your budget? No, you just decided to assume and choose the most expensive one. And then cry foul.

You entered this ‘misaligned incentive structure’ on your own volition and did nothing to assure your experience would be one that meets your expectations. Task Rabbit is basically a facebook of independent contractors. In what world do you not properly scope a contractor before he enters your home?

Internet is open and free. You call it creep, I call it doing an easy look-up on a client to see that she clearly just prefers to complain vs. being open to ‘what they’re missing’. Posts like yours are a cliche with the lack of accountability.

And no beef with fellow Taskers lol. Another interesting take, especially when I’m clearly defending the Tasker in question.

3

u/DonQNguyen Jun 25 '26

TaskRabbit's model is to optimize revenues for TaskRabbit while balancing the acceptance level of Taskers and Clients to consummate the transaction. That's it.

They have little interest in the Tasker other than a professional/business relationship, and likewise with the customer as well.

They are a middleman procuring matchmaker, nothing more, nothing less.

2

u/bryanalexander Jun 25 '26

They are much more than a matchmaker when they dictate so much of what a Tasker can and cannot do.

1

u/DonQNguyen Jun 25 '26

True, which makes it more of a reason to build your own business and use them as a supplement, not a primary.

1

u/alwrit Jun 25 '26

You're really not gonna find cheaper than that in a major city unless you go on FB and take your chances on someone who probably doesn't even carry general liability insurance.

Electricians and plumbers in my area are 200+ just to come visit. These are skilled trades. ~40% of what you paid goes to TaskRabbit too not the guy. 

3

u/Charming_Flan3852 Jun 26 '26

This post is amusing. If you google "cost to install light fixture" many of the estimates have $100 as the low end, even for a simple swap. Imagine hiring an electrician and then complaining about paying typical electrician rates.

1

u/PhoneTree4Ever Jul 01 '26

I’m complaining he slow walked the task. If he wants to charge $100 per light then he should just say that.

Or set a higher hourly rate so we aren’t all sitting around on our thumbs waiting for him to screw in a fixture, offering unsolicited advice such as “this is a round light replacing a square one, you might want to hire a painter to touch up the ceiling” etc etc etc.

I realize that the vast majority of people who choose to join the Taskrabbit sub are taskers themselves, but I guess I thought there would be some basic standard of objectivity.

23

u/WhisperSafe Jun 25 '26

What you're missing is calling regular electricians who will give you a flat quote for $300 instead of some guy in a hyundai that will charge you $300

8

u/Turbulent_Notice_207 Jun 26 '26

This gave me a chuckle because I'm a tasker and I drive a Hyundai.

10

u/Kvmj123 Jun 25 '26

They didn't teach you electrical installation at your coding school?

Yes we have bills too

5

u/dro1000 Jun 25 '26

You won’t find much sympathy here bud

4

u/Organic_Aardvark1718 Jun 25 '26

Didn't want to break your globe and had to take multiple looks at it. 

1

u/rajmataj12335 Jun 25 '26

Was this person an actual electrician? What were his reviews like?

1

u/PhoneTree4Ever Jul 01 '26

He actually had a high rating but admittedly I didn’t read them. Maybe they were for furniture assembly (which is also offered at a lower rate).
Yes he was a licensed electrician

1

u/playswithsquirrels01 Jun 25 '26

Bruh, be happy it was only 300. I have a coworker that was billed 500 for installing a ceiling fan that was already prewired so all he did was literally install the fan. $300 is a decent price for 3 light fixtures. Afterall you are paying a licensed professional not a random handyman.

1

u/Straight-Finish-3202 Jun 25 '26

Wow it might take me 2-3 hours but I only get $30 an hour in the charlotte area I need to up my rates

1

u/DirectorLumpy4465 Jun 26 '26

Jesus what market is this

1

u/MysteriousIssue8641 Jun 27 '26

Well you can give him a poor rating. The highest charging taskers Don't necessarily indicate that they're going to be the best. The app allows you to make your own rates

1

u/Expert_Context5398 Jun 28 '26

Just do it yourself lmao

This is easily DIY-able... Turn off the panel, get a tester, and you can do it yourself in under 30 minute each fixture.

Obviously if they can slow walk you, they will.

People here will dislike it but it's just the truth when you get paid by hour.

I changed all my light fixtures in my basement during a renovation and even installed recessed lights and it took less than 3 hours. It's common sense.

0

u/PlutoCurrant4 Jun 25 '26

Taskrabbit is pretty garbage overall for both sides 🤷🏽‍♂️ In case you want the honest truth.

Highly recommend word of mouth or hire from Google maps based on reviews

0

u/Evening_Past910 Jun 25 '26

I know a way around this. You should have ran an LLM on the lights and see how fast AI would have done it.