About 10 years ago my AC failed. Decided it was time to replace both my units including the air handler. Bought the equipment online from Alpine Air and it arrived in a few days. Then I put an ad on Craigslist for a AC installation. Paid $1000 for each unit to be installed. Watched a bunch of YouTube videos to learn what “good” looked like, and just watched over the guys shoulder the whole time, asking him questions about how he was measuring the vacuum etc. Saved around $10k compared to the quotes I’d received from Home Depot and Lowe’s. Would do it again.
Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
21–30 of 80 posts
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#22In some countries there is.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#23the real issue is that since you don't need the contractor immediately you can cut the middle man! then consider the median price the gigs and it makes sense.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#24Thumbtack has access to all sorts of handy people. Hired multiple people from the app for all sorts of needed home projects
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#25Oddly, the article does not talk about "why"! So - let me shoot my guess. Uber didn't invent a new category. There were already taxi dispatchers, and there were already "radio-taxi" and "mini-cab" dispatchers - private driver fleets, who weren't licensed to be flagged down curbside, but otherwise operated as Uber. You placed a call, the operator gave you a quote and wait estimate, and told you the license plate of th…
Arguably this isn't a new category either then.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#26Yes, it would be nice if everything was easy, fair, and equitable. But: Almost anyone can become an Uber driver without much effort. Not true for plumbers and HVAC people. There are so many drivers available they're waiting for your call. Any decent plumbing/HVAC company has a backlog. All Uber drivers are centralized under one pricing system. Plumbers/HVACs control their own pricing logic. I've never gotten contract…
Just like you have many taco places on UberEATS/doordash, you could have many plumbing/HVAC companies to chose from along with common tasks, etc.
Uber Eats does not have to deal with past taco installations.
HVAC repair does.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#27Uber and Lyft basically destroyed the taxi industry by subsidizing incredibly cheap rides until they had wiped out independent drivers, then gradually raised their prices much higher than taxis ever were.
If there was an Uber for plumbing/HVAC, you would get ONE quote, and it would be higher than any of the ones you got.
So I'm not sure that's the future we should be racing toward.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#28> An Uber-like, magical experience that you can trust to show up on time, do the right thing on your behalf, and fractionalize prices in an antiquated industry.
I can summon an Uber and, by magic, I have a rather high chance of getting a distracted driver in a run-down car with a bunch of nasty air fresheners
If Uber does this to me, I will still probably be unharmed at the end of the ride and I’m done which it. If an HVAC contractor does that, I have years of suckage ahead of me.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#29It's typical for those trades to have extensive licensing requirements. In my state (OR) plumber and HVAC licenses require four years of apprenticeship.
Additionally the HVAC trade has gatekeeping around the EPA refrigerant licensing and supply distributors/manufacturers who will only sell to contractors.
Re: Why is there no Uber for plumbing/HVAC? (and why there ought to be)
#30> An Uber-like, magical experience that you can trust to show up on time, do the right thing on your behalf, and fractionalize prices in an antiquated industry. I can summon an Uber and, by magic, I have a rather high chance of getting a distracted driver in a run-down car with a bunch of nasty air fresheners If Uber does this to me, I will still probably be unharmed at the end of the ride and I’m done which it. If a…
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