Amazon may be the undisputed king of online retailing, but you wouldn't visit the website to fix a leaky ceiling or a broken down car. Amazon wants to change that with Amazon Home Services, which lets you order any professional to your home — from a plumber or electrician to a goat grazer or aerial yoga instructor.
The new service offers more than two million listings with up-front pricing across 700 different types of businesses. The professionals are hand-picked by Amazon and come with a "Happiness Guarantee," by which the company promises to work with with customers and professionals to ensure the job gets done right — or it will provide a refund.
Users enter their ZIP code on the homepage at amazon.com/services to browse categories like home improvement, lawn and garden, automotive, computers and electronics, lessons and "other services."
Click on "plumbing" and you'll get a range of specific services like "shower head replacement" along with specific prices. Another tap on the "Add to Cart" button pops up a list of available appointment times. Amazon says the professional will then contact you to confirm.
Booking a plumber, you'll be prompted to provide details of the work you need done and will receive emails with estimates directly from the individual professionals. Amazon asks questions that depend on the type of service requested, helping you define your requirements. Plumbing requests require you to detail what parts you would need replaced, while booking math lessons require you to the choose the duration and number of sessions required.
Amazon Home Services is now available in the following U.S. cities: Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, New York, Houston, Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, Portland, Minneapolis, Detroit, Baltimore, Denver, Riverside, Tampa, Orlando, Austin, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Cincinnati, Charlotte and St. Louis.
The map below shows which cities offer the greatest concentration of services.
Although the current services offer preselected providers, businesses can also apply to list their services. Invited pros are background checked, required to have insurance and expected to maintain a high performance standard.
Amazon also guarantees that customers will get the same price as if they had booked the service offline. There's a business and criminal record check as well, and pros are required to take care of any necessary operational licenses.
Just as with products on the site, the services come with verified reviews, which means Amazon guarantees that reviewers are genuine customers.
The online marketplace for services is very fragmented, so Amazon Home Services looks to be a great move for the company. It's amazing that the company didn't launch it earlier, really. Most people probably just Google their service and are sent anywhere from Yelp to Craigslist or directly to a professional's website. Amazon already has the trust of millions of online shoppers worldwide. With the extra promise of a refund if you're not happy, customers will no doubt come flocking to the new site.
Photo: Sergio Fabara Muñoz | Flickr
