I also wonder what their exit strategy was supposed to be?
Homejoy says goodbye
291–300 of 410 posts
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#292Higher prices, questionable convenience, and poorer service. The quality of the cleaning had deteriorated over time and the price was higher than independent cleaners I later found through personal referrals. I had 4 different Homejoy cleaners. The very first one was awesome and I thought, "Wow, this is great". Then every single cleaner after that was terrible. Two of them started wet mopping before vacuuming or usin…
>she got angry and refused to work until I went into another room. I would have kicked her out. Yikes.
I was tempted. The atmosphere got very uncomfortable. I canceled all my recurring appointments after that cleaning.
I had a cleaner through a personal referral in Seattle, who for $60, cleaned my place so well that I'd be happy just coming home to the neat and spotless apartment. When I moved out of Seattle, she packed up my stuff for $160. Movers would have charged >$700. Needless to say, I paid her a lot more than the $160 that she was asking for. When you have had service professionals like that in the past, the crappy and rude service from Homejoy contractors feels even worse.
Someone else wrote a similar thing about a cleaner who took 45 minutes to clean the bathroom floor and then got angry when the customer asked them to move to the next room to clean.
Another person wrote how they suspect the cleaner attempted to steal their jewelry.
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#293Earlier quoted context omitted.
If Uber "pops" it will be because the ride sharing industry died. There is no scenario where Uber becomes MySpace to a competitor.
There is no scenario that's rather optimistic of you. Don't get me wrong there currently very popular and profitable so they don't need to worry about a Pets.com style crash. However, the barriers to entry are relatively low just look at Lyft. Eventually investors are going to want to get their money back, so they either start issuing dividends or face a hostile takeover.
Saying the barriers to entry or low is completely uninformed. The incumbent has a massive advantage in driver/rider liquidity that is nearly impossible to overcome. Lyft is the perfect example in that it still massively trails Uber in every one of its markets despising having very deep pockets and for many, a more attractive product.
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#294Looks like Google is hiring the Homejoy engineering team:
https://recode.net/2015/07/17/google-hires-homejoys-technica...
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#295Earlier quoted context omitted.
Defaults can change really quickly. Unlike Facebook Uber has basically zero network effect between cities. So, a competitor can win one or two small cities and just keep growing. Consider there are only 40,000 taxi drivers in New York. All it takes is for a company to find the top 5-50% of Uber/Lift drivers in a city offer them a minimum income of a few k/month assuming they take A% of rides and work y hours and boom…
If Uber "pops" it will be because the ride sharing industry died. There is no scenario where Uber becomes MySpace to a competitor.
If they play it smart Uber will never die, but I've seen lots of companies fail because a competitor showed up and forced them into a vicious cycle of cutting quality to keep profits up, which drove out customers, etc.
If the good drivers stop working for Uber because Uber is squeezing them, for example, Uber may get a reputation for having poor drivers.
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#296Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd wager that most AirBnB stays are one-offs on vacation. Home cleaning is recurring, making it more vulnerable to the "here's my phone number" weakness.
Agreed, but also I want a business with a name worth protecting to be on the hook when I have a room booked, not just some homeowner.
AirBnB's that business now. They used to claim they were only a matchmaking service and any risks were to be worked out between the homeowner and renter, but after some really bad publicity c. 2011, they've really doubled-down on customer service and insurance. Everyone I've known whose had a bad experience with AirBnB lately has had it turned into a good experience.
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#297How can they raise $40m and fail so quickly? How did they burn through that much cash? I hope they actually explain why they failed so others can learn from it.
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#298Looks like Google is hiring the Homejoy engineering team: https://recode.net/2015/07/17/google-hires-homejoys-technica...
Interesting considering Google Ventures was an investor in 2 rounds
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#299As tptacek said, I'm sure many of the people who created and work for these businesses are well intended and hard working, and we have to applaud them for that. However, the writing is on the wall for any "sharing economy" service that is simply a technology wrapper for non-SSN'd workers in the US. A couple of challenges that aren't solved by technology: 1. Many unskilled labor positions, especially those that incorp…
I think you're off on most of your points. Obviously the startups are not using undocumented workers. The risks are far too high. Gross margins are more like 20%, which is plenty to operate such a business. Not sure how it's indentured servitude compared to any other sort of job. Not sure your point about background checks. Supply & demand works out the numbers.
Re: Homejoy says goodbye
#300Earlier quoted context omitted.
>she got angry and refused to work until I went into another room. I would have kicked her out. Yikes.
I was tempted. The atmosphere got very uncomfortable. I canceled all my recurring appointments after that cleaning. I had a cleaner through a personal referral in Seattle, who for $60, cleaned my place so well that I'd be happy just coming home to the neat and spotless apartment. When I moved out of Seattle, she packed up my stuff for $160. Movers would have charged >$700. Needless to say, I paid her a lot more than…
Can you refer me that personal cleaner? I am in that same situation. Used to use Homejoy but looking for someone good. Can provide references to you if you don't trust an anonymous HN guy! Thank you.
mike.anon@hotmail.com