The dishwasher is backing up into the sink, the kitchen light is making a weird buzzing noise and the A/C went bust on the hottest day of the year.
What’s a single gal with limited home improvement skills to do?
Gladys Ahrens, who suspects some contractors will take advantage of her sans a husband, says she calls the guys at ClickandImprove.com.
The Long Island City-based business, founded by a trio of city-bred entrepreneurs, provides a new — and free — service in fixing all that ails your abode.
The website helps homeowners pinpoint the problem, figure out who can help and the company sends a vetted technician to fix it.
The best part is that contractors don’t get paid unless the job holds up seven days after it is finished.
“Their motto really struck me,” said Ahrens, 43. “If you’re not satisfied, you don’t pay.”
Ahrens said she has used the website to fix problems ranging from a leaking refrigerator to a wasp infestation in her yard.
The startup was founded by friends and building contractors Jesse Friedman and Alex Usharov, both originally of Queens, and Brooklyn native Avi Zikry last year and is growing. It currently has a pool of 110 contractors and coordinates several jobs a week.
“What we’re offering in this industry is accountability,” said Zikry, 27. “Contractors don’t have the opportunity to take a deposit and then start a different job, taking on as many jobs as possible.”
There’s no cost for customers to use the service, Click And Improve collects fees from its vendors, he added.
A live technician will ask you if you need help almost immediately after logging on to the site. A user can opt to use the live help or figure out the problem and select a contractor on their own.
The whole process can be completed without picking up the phone.
While it might seem to be a restrictive format for contractors, they have been clamoring to be added to the company’s vendors list, said Friedman, also 27.
“A lot of contractors have dead spots” during the week, he explained. The company helps fill those gaps.
That and there are plenty of home-repair services that are hurting in this economy.
The company currently serves the five boroughs, Long Island, and other parts of the tri-state area. The end goal is to take the venture national, without sacrificing quality control.
“You have to earn your business every day you’re on the job,” Zikry said.
