FAQs > Tradesmen

Builderscrack is a service that allows homeowners to post jobs the details of the work ('jobs') they need tradesmen to do on their homes, and get responses from tradesmen. For tradesmen, Builderscrack provides a very cost effective way of winning work, as you only need to respond to queries when you need work, and will only pay a (small) fee when you win work.

Registering is completely free and easy. Go to http://builderscrack.co.nz and click sign up. Then click on Tradesmen signup.

You need to provide an email address. We use this to (1) send you details of new jobs posted on the site, and (2) inform you of any major website changes. You also need to provide a phone number, so we can contact you if there are any issues with setting up your account.

Choose a user name and a password (your user name is the name that homeowners first see when you indicate interest in their job). Read the terms and conditions and click the box to indicate that you have done so - then click 'signup'. At this point an email will be sent to you because we need to check that your email address is real so that we can avoid the spammers. The email should arrive in your inbox quickly; if it doesn't then check your junk folder or trash to make sure that your email filter doesn't think we are spamming you! If there are still problems please contact us and we will be more than happy to help out.

When you have clicked on the verification message in your inbox you will be taken to a page where you can say how you found out about Builderscrack. Now it's time to set up your Trade profile. This is important because this is the information that homeowners will see. You want to appear professional, so take some time over this page to think about how you can best represent yourself. Homeowners regularly tell us about how important trade profiles are in deciding which tradesman to choose.

The next step is to set up your job email alerts. This filter controls what types of job will be emailed to you. Are you interested only in plumbing jobs or do you want emails about several different types of jobs? Likewise, do you want to see jobs only for a certain location, or are there several adjacent districts in which you work? Use the drop-down and tick boxes to set your preferences. You can change these at any time - simply log in, click 'my Builderscrack' and then 'my notifications'.

Click 'finished' and you're ready to start chasing jobs!

The 'available jobs' button provides a list of all active jobs on the Builderscrack website. It's possible to limit the number of jobs you see by filtering according to trades and districts (locations).

When you see a job that you want to quote on simply click on the job, read the job description, and the click 'Request Contact Info'. If there has been a lot of interest in the job the chaselist may be full and the 'Request Contact Info' button may not be available - see the 'Full chaselist' FAQ section.

Once you have clicked 'Request Contact Info' you have the option to write a greeting note to the person that posted the job. We highly recommend taking the time to write this note (don't include your contact details, the homeowner already has access to these).

The homeowner can see all the expressions of interest from tradesmen. If they decide they want you to quote on their job you will receive an email to let you know. Next time you log in you will receive their contact details and can proceed with quoting. The quicker you make contact, the more likely it is you will win work. Make sure to communicate in a very clear and professional manner and follow through on what you say you will do (i.e. if you say you are interested in quoting, please provide a quote, or go back to explain why you will not do so). The homeowner will have the opportunity to rate you on this (see the 'Ratings' FAQ section).

If you decide you are not interested in the job after speaking with the homeowner, click 'Drop this Job (cancel chasing)'. This clears the job from your chaselist. By clicking this button you are saying that you have decided not to do any work on this job.

By clicking 'Grab Job' you can let us know the price of the quote you have agreed with the homeowner. Our system also allows you to quote online "Quote Job". There is a text box where you can make a note to the homeowner of any special conditions - e.g. you might like to say that the quote is accurate to within plus or minus 15%.

Having provided a quote the homeowner may accept this quote, decline it, or query it. Ultimately once the job is agreed it will be closed and if you won the work then you will be sent an invoice for our service. Please note that payment for our service is required at this point, not when you have completed the work and been paid by the homeowner. Please see the Invoicing FAQ section.

In general practice it is normal for professionals to pay for advertising before winning work (e.g. yellow pages, newspapers etc). With Builderscrack we provide a service in which we charge when the job is won. We think that it is fair that we charge at the point a contract is agreed between homeowner and tradesman as we have no visibility past that point. Our wording on the page in which you 'grab' the job is "You will be charged once it has been confirmed that you have won this job."

Payment for invoices is required within seven days of the date of invoice. We encourage tradesmen to pay through Internet Banking to ensure rapid processing of accounts. At any time you can log in to your account and see any outstanding invoices.

The pricing of our service for a standard Builderscrack trade account is based on job size. Builderscrack is very low risk because you only get invoiced once you secure work (unlike traditional advertising).

All prices are in New Zealand dollars (NZD). For recurring jobs, the job cost is calculated over 4 weeks.

Standard accounts are free to create, so you can start chasing jobs as soon as you have created your account! Pro is a additional service (annual subscription) that provides additional benefits (more about Pro).

For a standard Builderscrack trade account the only ongoing cost of using Builderscrack is the success fee which is only charged when tradesmen win work.

For Builderscrack Pro accounts there is a quarterly or annual fee (depending upon the plan you choose).

Builderscrack Pro is an enhancement to the standard Builderscrack service for Tradesmen. With Builderscrack Pro, you can chase more jobs, create your own web space to promote your business, and you receive a 30% discount on the job-winning service fee. One of the most important features of Pro is that Pro tradesmen appear at the top of the job chaselist. Our data clearly indicate that homeowners prefer Builderscrack Pro tradesmen. Pro tradesmen win significantly more jobs than standard tradesmen. The table below summarises the differences between a standard account and a Pro account.

	Standard	Builderscrack Pro
Subscription Fee	None	$109 per quarter or $395 per year (all prices +GST)
Job Fee	Full price (details)	40% discount on full price
Web Profile	Standard	Customised web page
Chaselist	Limited to 5 jobs	Extended to 20 jobs
More Leads	No	Get 2x the number of leads
Priority Listing	No	Yes. For any job you are chasing, your name (and link to your web space) will be listed before non Builderscrack Pro subscribers. Plus you get the logo next to your name.

You can upgrade to when you first register, or you can upgrade later by logging in and clicking 'my Builderscrack' and you will then see the link on the bottom of the page.

Builderscrack sends out a limited set of leads to tradespeople for any particular job. Only these tradespeople can chase the job until the job is opened up for general chasing. This avoids excessive competition between tradespeople and improves the chance of a successful outcome for a tradesperson. To find out more click about selective leads.

Homeowners rate the communication and work done by tradesmen that use Builderscrack on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Only tradesmen who win work through Builderscrack can get reviewed. Reviews are critical in building a reputation - the better the reputation the more work tradesmen win.

Our review process is trusted by homeowners, as only the tradesmen who chase jobs posted by homeowners on Builderscrack can be reviewed. Therefore no manufactured reviews can be posted by family or competitors.

To ensure that you get rated, make sure you grab all jobs you win. This will allow the homeowner to place reviews. If you do not grab the jobs, then you cannot build your review portfolio.

When you receive an email saying you have been reviewed, then click the link and post your reply.

Due to the nature of our process, disputes are rare. However if you feel that you have been unfairly reviewed, please contact us. We will contact the homeowner and assess the situation. However please be aware that bad reviews will be posted if they are found to be justified. The only way to ensure positive reviews, is to ensure the homeowner has a great experience.

We have that covered. We don't store your password in plain text (we store a hash) and all sensitive communications is securely transmitted. That means we don't even know what your password is!

The vast majority of customers that use Builderscrack.co.nz to source tradesmen are happy with the tradesmen that they find. Tradesmen know they will be rated on the website, and so generally perform well accordingly. Customers also have the benefit of being able to read profiles and previous customer ratings before selecting tradesmen that they want to quote. However, from time to time disputes do occur. Our policy on dealing with disputes is outlined below.

1. In the first instance we highly recommend that the customer and the tradesman attempt to resolve the process. This is generally the least complicated and most expedient route. Builderscrack.co.nz provides a record of all communications that have been made online during the quoting process. This information is visible by both parties and if well used might constitute a valuable historical record.
2. Both parties should make sure they have a clear understanding of consumer rights. In particular, review what is required in terms of service quality under the Consumer Guarantees Act. Useful sources of information can be accessed at the following links (consumer.org.nz): http://www.consumerbuild.org.nz/publish/legal/legal-other-pimsconsumer.php and http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/consumer-guarantees-act/putting-it-right
3. In the event that the dispute cannot be internally resolved, we recommend the use of an independent arbitrator or mediator. We recommend that you use http://www.aminz.org.nz/ and search the professional directory on that site to find a professional that can help you to work through the issue.
4. Ultimately disputes (usually less than $15,000) can be resolved at the Disputes Tribunal. Information on this process can be found at this link: http://www.justice.govt.nz/tribunals/disputes-tribunal.