Redbeacon helps consumers compare prices and book appointments for local services. Redbeacon goes far beyond returning business listings with ratings & reviews: We actually returns price quotes for your job from qualified local businesses and professionals. We also allow you to schedule your appointment at the touch of a button with the service provider you like best. You'll save money because service providers compete for your business and save time because you can book your appointment without ever picking up a phone!

With Google, you search for a business name or category and get back local listings. You still need to follow up with each service provider to check price and availability. With Redbeacon, you get back price quotes, appointment times, and full provider profiles. When you see one you like, you simply click a button to accept the quote and book an appointment.

These sites return community ratings and reviews for local businesses. When possible, we will show you any ratings that service providers have earned on these sites. However, we go beyond ratings by allowing you to also see the exact price a service provider will charge for your job. Then we let you book your appointment with the provider you like best!

Craigslist is a community forum where consumers and service providers can post messages and hope to be found by the other party. Redbeacon is a matching engine with price quoting and appointment scheduling features. We proactively notify the best providers about a job, so you're likely to end up with better quality service providers and you'll get the information you need to decide who to go with. Best of all, there are no absolutely no spammers on Redbeacon!

Check our How it Works page or watch this video to learn more.

No, you cannot search for specific service providers. Instead, you request a service and qualified service providers who are interested in your job will submit a price quote to do the work. We only show you profiles of service providers who quoted on your job so you don't waste time scrolling through pages irrelevant search results

Currently, Redbeacon is available in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Houston, Seattle, and Atlanta. We're growing fast and we'll expand to other geographies soon!

Thousands of high quality service providers across hundreds of categories have registered with Redbeacon

You can sign up at http://www.redbeacon.com/signup. We won't ask you for a lot of information -- just your email and a password so you can access your service requests (for consumers) and job offers (for service providers).

You can reset your password by clicking on http://www.redbeacon.com/accounts/password/reset/

We can send you emails and text messages to notify you of important events related to your job. You can manage your preferences at http://www.redbeacon.com/account/notifications/. You may need to add your mobile phone number in your Manage Accounts settings if you haven't done so already.

There are two ways: You can click on My Account in the top right corner and then click edit Contact Info to remove your mobile phone number. You can also manage your text messaging preferences at http://www.redbeacon.com/account/notifications/

We share your phone number when you select a service provider to do your job. That way, they can contact you if anything comes up or if they get lost on the way to your house!

Redbeacon doesn't display your private contact information to anyone except the service provider you select to do your job.

Your account settings can be managed in the My Account area, which can be reached by clicking on the link in the top right corner.

To delete your account, please email us at support@redbeacon.com.

You can request a service at any time by clicking on the Request Services tab and filling out the short form.

We support hundreds of service types -- maids, plumbers, photographers, electricians, painters, tutors... We want Redbeacon to be your one-stop destination for any local service need.

No. It's absolutely free!

After you complete the service request, we ask you for a username, email address and password so you can log back in to see your price quotes and select a service provider! If you want to fill out more information about yourself, click on My Account in the top right corner.

Simply go back to your job page and click the link under your job description that says Add information or Attach photos.

We don't share your email address, physical address, or phone number with service providers unless you select them to do the job. Please help us protect your privacy by not entering any contact information into the job description field or Q&A field.

We use a sophisticated "matching engine" that takes into account many factors to ensure your service request is only shared with the best service providers for your job.

There are a number of things you can do: First, set a longer auction duration (48 or 72 hours) so service providers have more time to review and quote on your job. Second, be flexible on start times or set a range of dates and times you're available for the appointment. Third, provide as much information as possible in the description field (attaching a photo if necessary). Finally, try to respond quickly to questions so service providers can give you accurate quotes.

You can always request a "Helper" which means you don't need someone with specific skills - just a warm body to help out

If you have an urgent job that needs to be performed immediately (within the hour), click the Request Services tab and then click on Immediately under "When Should They Start?" Service providers will be given 1 hour to respond with a price quote and ETA to your location. This method will probably be even faster than calling around to find someone who can come out right away!

Sometimes it's helpful to service providers quoting on your job if you attach a few pictures of the job. You can attach a digital picture in any common format by clicking the Attach Photos link at the bottom of the Request Services page

If you want a recurring service such as a weekly house cleaning, just mention the frequency you need in the description under What do You Need Done?

Service providers can ask questions about your job and Redbeacon will email or text message you to notify you of the question. Questions and answers are handled through Redbeacon to protect your privacy. Your email address is never shared with service providers who you don't select for your job.

You can set the duration of your auction (the amount of time service providers are given to submit quotes on your job). The default period is 24 hours but you can shorten it to 4 hours or increase it to 72 hours. The longer the auction period, the more quotes you're likely to receive!

Yes, just click on the Extend Time link (near the auction timer) on your job page

Click on the name of the service provider you want to select and then press the red button that says Review and Accept Quote to select a service provider and schedule your appointment. It's that easy!

Your price quotes are valid for 30 days but your appointment times are only valid for 24 hours after the auction period ends.

Sometimes service providers need more information before they can quote a price and will ask you a question. We'll notify you by email and/or text message when this happens. You can answer the question from MyRedbeacon or the job page. Your answer is shown to all service providers who have matched to your job so you won't have to answer the question twice. Remember not to provide your contact information since answers are shown to all interested providers!

Currently, Redbeacon does not support on-site quoting.

After you receive a quote for your job, you can initiate a private conversation with the providers who quoted. Select the quote you have a question about, and click the button that says Ask Question about Quote. Your message will be sent directly to the service provider and won't be visible to other service providers who might be interested in your job. When the service provider responds, we'll send you an email letting you know.

You may get more quotes if you extend the auction by clicking Extend Time (located near the auction timer) on your job page. You can do this while the auction is still running or after the auction has ended.

It's not necessary to look at service provider schedules because Redbeacon does the work for you! We only notify providers who are available when you want the job done.

Service providers' quotes are binding unless the scope of the work changes.

We can't guarantee the quality of a service provider's work, but we do our best to help you make a good decision. We show you ratings and reviews from the Redbeacon community as well as other websites such as Yelp, Google, and Yahoo; we list credentials and qualifications; and we plan to indicate other signals of a good quality provider soon. Stay tuned!

Redbeacon is here to get you jobs from customers looking for your services. It's a far more effective form of marketing than straight advertising since we only notify you when someone needs a job you can do for them! Our business model is also very service provider friendly since we don't require any up-front fees to get job leads.

Redbeacon is always FREE for consumers requesting a service. For service providers, it's FREE to create a profile, receive job leads, and submit quotes for jobs. If you do win the job and it gets scheduled, you'll be charged a small commission.

For jobs where you quote a price to the consumer, you'll be charged a small commission based on the job's value. For jobs where you cannot quote a price remotely because you need to perform an onsite estimate or have an in-person consultation, you'll be charged a flat fee. The flat fee varies by job, but we'll show you exactly how much you'll be charged if you win before you respond to the job.

A skill profile is where you describe the service you want to offer to the Redbeacon community. It has two purposes: To help Redbeacon know which jobs to match you to, and to provide information to consumers who are considering hiring you for a job.

Skill profiles include your occupation or skill; contact information, work area radius; appointment availability; description of your service or skill; tags about your work; credentials and qualifications; and photos of your previous work

If you're not signed in, click the Create Profile tab. If you are signed in, click the Manage Profiles tab and then the +Create Skill Profile button.

Absolutely! You can create a skill profile for every service you offer. Each profile act as an independent service provider and can be fully customized.

Customers consider a number of things when deciding who to choose: The price you quoted for the job, your self-description of your service, photos of your previous work, credentials & qualifications, and ratings & reviews on Redbeacon

You can upload photos of your prior work on the Improve Your Profile page, which can be accessed from the Manage Profiles tab (you must be signed in).

To update your profile, click on the Manage Profiles tab (you must be signed in) and then click the View/Edit Profile button next to the profile you want to change.

You get completeness points for longer service descriptions, uploading photos of your previous work, adding a logo or self-portrait, and including various credentials and qualifications in the Improve your profile area (accessed through the Manage Profiles tab).

Redbeacon currently supports a single location per skill profile. You would need to create a new account with another skill profile for each location you serve.

Click on the Manage Profiles tab (you must be signed in) and then click Work history. There are filters to see jobs been offered, jobs you've quoted on, and jobs you've performed.

To delete a skill profile, click on Manage Profiles (you must be signed in) and then click on the individual skill profile you want to delete. Finally, click on the blue link on the bottom right corner of the screen that says Delete this profile.

We use a proprietary algorithm based on advanced computer learning models to match your skills and specialties to relevant jobs. We also take into account your settings on work location and availability.

Whenever Redbeacon matches you to a job, we'll notify you by email and/or text message about the opportunity to review the job and quote a price.

You can either follow the link in the email we send you or come to Redbeacon.com and click on the My Redbeacon tab. From there, you'll see all the jobs you have the opportunity to quote on. Simply click the job you're interested in and enter your price quote or request an onsite estimate/in-person consultation from the job page.

It depends on the quoting period chosen by the customer. It may range from 4-72 hours from the time you receive the job offer. However, sometimes a customer needs the service performed immediately (these are called Redbeacon requests), in which case you'll have up to 1 hour to respond.

We allow customers to select a service provider at any point so get your quote in quickly!

No, the customer will pay you directly after you complete the service. Redbeacon does not collect money from your customers.

There is no perfect price point. You should offer your best possible price to do the job, but customers consider many other factors such as ratings and reviews, qualifications, and your self-description when making their decision on who to select.

Yes, we ask that you quote as accurately and honestly as possible. In rare cases, the nature of the job may change. In these cases,you and the customer must mutually agree to modify the price you charge. Please notify Redbeacon if this happens.

You can ask the customer as many questions as you like through the Q&A interface on the job page. It's located right underneath the job description. Remember, your questions can be seen by all service providers who have matched to this job so please do not include any contact information or price quotes!

When you submit a price quote, there is a field that says Private message. Anything you type in here is shared directly with the customer and not shown to other service providers who have matched to the job. Please do not include any contact information in the private message, as this is against our terms of service.

If the customers have questions about your quote, they can initiate a private conversation. We'll email you their question along with a link to respond. You can also respond to their questions on the job page. Unlike Q&A which is shown to all service providers quoting on the job, private messages are just between you and the customer.

Try your best to quote remotely because you may be more likely to win the job if you can. If it's just not possible, then you can simply request an onsite estimate or in-person consultation with the customer istead of providing a price quote.

You cannot contact the customer unless they select you for a job. In that case, we'll email you the customer's contact details and display it on the job page.

In the Enter a Quote area of the job page, check the box that says Customer should travel to my place of business.

We only display your most recent price quote. If you edit your quote, it overwrites the prior one.

Redbeacon is always FREE for consumers requesting a service. For service providers, it's FREE to create a profile, receive job leads, and submit quotes for jobs. If you do win the job and it gets scheduled, you'll be charged a small commission.

For jobs where you quote a price to the consumer, you'll be charged a small commission based on the job's value. For jobs where you cannot quote a price remotely because you need to perform an onsite estimate or have an in-person consultation, you'll be charged a flat fee. This flat fee varies by job, but we'll show you exactly how much you'll be charged if you win before you respond to the job.

When you're quoting on a job, click +Add hourly pricing. This will drop down fields to include your hourly price and the estimated number of hours to complete the job. You can also put in a flat (base) rate if you charge a fixed fee in addition to your hourly rate.

The consumer will pay you directly for the job as they normally would. Payments do not go through Redbeacon.

We charge you at the moment you are selected by the consumer to do the job. This demonstrates your commitment to performing the service. We don't want you to quote on jobs you don't intend to do!

We will usually refund your commission for a job if it is not performed. It's never our intention to charge commissions for jobs you don't do.

No. We only charge you for jobs that come through our website. If the customer calls you directly in the future, you don't owe Redbeacon anything at all!

Text message alerts are free. You can manage your preferences at http://www.redbeacon.com/account/notifications/

We currently accept MasterCard and Visa

You'll be asked for your credit card number after you create a skill profile or submit a price quote on a job (assuming you don't have a free credit on Redbeacon remaining).

You can update your credit card information by clicking on My Account (in the top right corner of the page) and then clicking the edit link next to Credit Card.

After your job schedule time passes, we'll email you to return to the website to leave a rating (1-5 stars) and a review of the service provider.

You can only review service providers after they've done a job for you. This keeps Redbeacon's ratings and reviews honest and prevents the "gaming" that's common on other review sites.

The best reviews are personal and highlight what makes a service provider unique. The Redbeacon community values your opinion on the quality of work, accuracy of price quotes, adherence to the scheduled appointment time, and general attitude.

The community wants to hear about good experiences and bad ones. As long as a review is factual and not offensive, Redbeacon will not remove it.

If you have a rating on any of these services, we automatically display it on your profile page to help consumers decide which service provider to select for their job.

Ratings and reviews are shown to potential customers who are considering a price quote you submitted. They also may be used in our matching algorithm to determine if you are notified about jobs in your area.

They may be going to your SPAM folder. Please add mailer@redbeacon.com to your safe senders list or address book to ensure reliable email delivery.

We may not have your mobile phone number. Please click on My Accounts in the top right corner of the page (you must be signed in). Then click edit next to Contact information and add your mobile phone number. The second possibility is you may also have turned off your text message notifications. To customize which notifications to get text messages for, click the Notifications tab from the My Account screen.

Redbeacon supports all modern browsers, including Internet Explorer 7 and 8, Firefox 3.0+, Safari and Google Chrome.

We're here to help. Email us at support@redbeacon.com or call us at 1-855-RBEACON