How do I find good service providers online?
Online cleaning service:
1. Inquire before booking the service directly with the provider, if you will be sent a trained cleaner. This is often not the case with service provision platforms.
2. If you are not sure whether the online offer is a reputable company that pays according to a collectively agreed minimum wage, you can get information from the Bundesinnungsverband der Gebäudedienstleister.
3. Look in the terms and conditions of the provider for cancellation and reclamation conditions, so you do not incur additional, hidden costs.
4. If possible, address the cleaning staff on site in case of complaints. Smaller problems can often be solved faster than via the platform's service form.
Craftsman:
Look at companies near you to find a suitable craftsman. The approach of the craftsman is working time and is calculated accordingly by the companies. Especially with high-maintenance installations, such as Heaters, that saves a lot of money.
6. Ask before placing the order for the expected costs. Outside of normal working hours, there may be additional costs due to emergency service fees.
7. If you are dissatisfied with the service or the price is much higher than previously discussed, contact the craftsman first. If you disagree, the local Chamber of Crafts will help. There is an arbitration board, which mediates in the dispute between customer and craftsman.
8. In the search for good specialist companies, the Kreishandwerkerschaft will help you, which will redirect you to the appropriate expert on-site. There you will also learn if the craftsman has the necessary specialization for your job.
Online food:
9. When purchasing groceries, consider possible surcharges for food that must be transported refrigerated.
10. Look at the complaint conditions of the provider exactly. Although online shopping is generally subject to the Distance Selling Act, which gives a return period of 14 days, some vendors exclude perishable food from return shipping.
The expert
Yvonne Willicks
© WDRYvonne Willicks is a housekeeping master and moderates since March 2010 at WDR the show "Yvonne Willicks - The household check", which can also be seen on the ARD. In her program, she gives tips for economical household management - from finances to cooking to the right washing. In addition, she is seen daily in the WDR broadcast "service time" at 18.20 clock. Willicks is a master of municipal housekeeping, board member of the educational work of the professional association of the household leaders (formerly German Housewives Association) and the consumer center Hamburg.
Further tips in the program: The household check with Yvonne Willicks "Help in the house - how do I find good service providers?", The first, Monday, March 7, 2016, 8:15 pm to 9:00 pm, More about the household check on www.daserste.de.
