Yelp gives you quotes for home services
Prices for plumbers are just an app visit away.
Yelp is normally the service you use when you want to escape the home, but now it's aiming to be your go-to source for help in the home. It just launched a feature that gives you price quotes for all kinds of services, ranging from car repairs to event planning to plumbers. The option highlights those businesses that are most likely to respond quickly, and you can even bulk-message companies to quickly find out who has the best deal. Quotes are available now on the web and in the iOS app, and they'll be accessible within the Android app very soon.
This isn't as complete as Amazon Home Services, which lets you pull the trigger on a request. Money still has to trade hands the old-fashioned way before you can get that sink fixed. However, it could shift Yelp away from its reputation as a restaurant finder and make it useful even at those times when you're bent on staying in.
The only big catch at the moment is for businesses. While quotes are strictly opt-in, that response time measurement might hurt smaller shops that can't always afford to respond right away. Yelp's move may inadvertently favor the outfits that can get back to you quickly, even if their service isn't always as good as that of the smaller contractors.
