Online Platform Brings Outdoor Services to Homeowners’ Fingertips
Finding a responsible landscaper that can do the work a homeowner requires without feeling they’ve been gypped is a reasonable expectation.
Unfortunately, too many residents have horror stories to tell of perpetual billing without confirmation that some or all of the tasks that appear on the invoices were actually done.
Last spring James Albis tapped into that discontent with the launch of Yardhub, a website where property owners throughout the metropolitan area, including all of Westchester, can order landscaping and other outdoor services with licensed, reputable firms that have been fully vetted and will perform only the work that is needed when it’s required.
Albis said segments of the landscaping industry still operate like “the Wild West,” with companies only accepting cash or unable or refusing to take credit card or debit payments. That sentiment can also be compounded by the unpredictability of service.
“It’s the only business that spends so much money – it’s a $100 billion category (annually) – that has a level of customer service and a level of customer experience that is on par with running a lemonade stand,” said Albis, who along with Yardhub co-founder Bill Ralph were both raised in Yorktown. “But yet people fork over tens of thousands of dollars.”
This year Albis has expanded Yardhub’s services to include year-round outdoor work, including snowplowing for the winter and pool cleaning for the summer. Consumers can also request tree service, masonry work and various miscellaneous outdoor tasks such as house paining, sealing driveways, roof repairs, window cleaning and many other jobs.
Customers can order the service they need within a minute by establishing an account, selecting the type of work needed to be done, the date they would like to have it accomplished and providing a credit card or debit card number. Those account numbers are held securely by BrainTree Payments, a division of PayPal, which Yardhub has engaged to handle its transactions.
“We wanted to make it very easy on homeowners by focusing on the simplicity,” said Albis, now a Somers resident. “We provide that convenience for customers in their own mind,” Albis said. “It’s very easy, it’s transparent, it’s one-stop shopping.”
Protecting the consumer is certainly one priority. Albis said recently he heard from a northern Westchester homeowner who received a $7,000 bill from her landscaper despite not having seen them in six months. Yardhub saves the customer time and energy, where they don’t have to pursue price quotes on their own from individual providers.
However, it’s also to the benefit of the service provider, Albis said. Instead of waiting weeks and even months for a customer to mail a check after receiving an invoice, each company is paid within 48 hours of rendering the service. It also provides them a steady stream of customers.
“Legitimate business owners are signing up with Yardhub because they find value in working with us long term,” Albis said.
There are also responsibilities for both the customer and the vendor. The service provider must take photos of their work and post them on the Yardhub platform. Meanwhile, the customer is asked to complete an objective evaluation of the work done at their property, which is critical to maintaining high quality vendors Service providers must maintain a rating of at least four stars to remain affiliated with Yardhub.
“We rate them as well as the homeowners so it’s incumbent upon them to do it every time,” Albis said.
On Apr. 1, Yardhub will also be introducing a new mobile app for the launch of its spring season services.
For more information and the full list of services that can be reserved on Yardhub, visit www.yardhub.com.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/