Homeowners in major metropolitan areas across the U.S. can now use Amazon to browse, purchase and schedule hundreds of tasks from home services providers including wall mounting a new TV, house cleaning, appliance installation and equipment assembly.
“With this expansion beyond physical and digital goods, Amazon is now making purchasing professional services as easy as buying products,” Amazon said in a statement.
The launch of “Amazon Home Services” puts the Internet giant into competition with a growing number of startups who are trying to help consumers order home services “on demand,” including Porch, Pro.com, Sweeten and HouseCall.
The concept of on-demand services has recently found some footing in real estate. Some startups support “showings on demand,” and a few companies offering on-demand home services have rolled out products aimed at real estate agents.
The National Association of Realtors recently announced that Pro.com, which could help real estate agents “stay top of mind” with past clients, was the first startup to be accepted into its tech accelerator.
Amazon Home Services offers services with upfront pricing from prevetted professionals along with reviews from customers who have used those professionals. The new service also features Amazon’s “Happiness Guarantee,” which guarantees purchased services.
The new service is available in major U.S. metropolitan areas including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
Amazon says it runs background checks on the home service providers it accepts into its network, and requires them to maintain insurance and meet a high performance standard.
The firm’s Happiness Guarantee promises consumers that Amazon will work with any consumers who are dissatisfied with a task performed by a vendor to make sure the job is done right or are provided a refund.
Customers can add prepackaged services to their online shopping cart with a few clicks but are charged only after a job is completed.