Clap your way to a happy house!

Gone are the days when being tended to for beauty services at the comfort of one’s own home is considered a luxury. Also, quickly going are the days when one has to scramble for an appointment with their stylist or specialist.

Everything is available at the tip of our fingers and a call away.

As a young adult, I used to wonder how I would ever face the world of home responsibilities. Be it plumbing issues, or pest control issues, or cleaning issues – my parents always seemed to know a guy. I didn’t (and still don’t!) know my own neighbours! Repairing appliances was a headache beyond no other. How do you find someone to repair a mixie? Funnily, my grandma is more up to date on that. She knows repair guys who have these tiny shops streets away. I could never fathom how she found them, and even when I do take her (and our mixie) to those places, I, more often than not, cannot find my way back from there. And if they’re away like at lunch, or have decided to close shop early, we just have to embark on that adventurous journey again! [Cars don’t go through those tiny gallies, and balancing my grandma who only sits facing one side, on a scooter is no easy feat for me]

Luckily for me, for US rather! We don’t have to face that problem. Our generation, this generation, which has been brought up with technology to support us through and through has technology coming to our rescue once again!

Apps such as Urban Clap have come to do just that.

I downloaded and started exploring Urban Clap about the month ago. [Yes, there are other apps such as House Joy which follow a similar business model and almost similar competitive pricing. But I find that currently (August 2016) Urban Clap (UC from  now on) is more competitively priced]

To say that they act as liaisons and help us find many services within one app is an understatement. How do I so confidently state this? This is not a random dialogue I’m saying to make UC sound cool, or to sound cool myself. I say it because in UrbanClap you can find DIVORCE LAWYERS! I was amused to bits at finding that listed (in an app for heaven’s sake!)

Okay, that excitement aside, they do have a whole range of services to offer. For the sake of testing, I booked services such as Plumbing / Laptop repair / and Salon Services. (No, I don’t need the lawyers – now, hopefully never!)

Here’s my verdict :–

Pros:

• You get a confirmation message as soon as the service is booked
• Within a couple of hours, we get a text with details of who will be providing the service
• Within the app – you can access the profile of the individual service provider assigned to you
• I got a confirmation call from the assigned service provider 12 hours prior to the service requested time – when you can explain your issue more clearly, and they give you details about; If or not they cover it, how much it might cost and other details

 Cons:

• The cost is not listed for many of the services. It just states – On analysis
• UC Points can’t be used for most services listed in the app – which is not very cool
• I had a small issue with punctuality. But I accept some traffic leeway has to be given

Overall, an app that makes finishing chores around the house and getting repairs done very easy. One stop solution for home service needs. Makes life much simpler especially for working professionals. Definitely found a place in my phone.