#393 : Urban Clap : Review

UrbanClap ads seem to be having a prominent place on my Facebook and Instagram feed.

Given that I was feeling particularly lazy to drag myself to the beauty parlor for the monthly quota of picking and prodding, I decided to give UrbanClap a try. The INR 200 credit I had was also itching to be spent.Salon at home seemed welcoming! I went ahead and downloaded the app. I had googled about the services offered but when I actually opened the app, I was surprised completed. Heck. They had a 'divorce lawyer' service. I couldn't help but laugh my head off!

So I went on to book a beauty service from the Salon at home option. Below are some screenshots of booking process. As you can see, they offer beauty services only for women at present. The process is quite simple and  regular salon services available. The pricing is more or less like your typical salon.

I was a bit doubtful if there would some additional charges for conveyance, however when I checked out, there was no such addition. I was asked to enter my address and pick my preferred time slot. After a couple of minutes, I was assigned a professional.  I was also sent a text with the professional's contact details.

Review of the Professional 

The professional assigned to me, Ms.Uma arrived promptly on time - 9AM. She came carrying a huge bag like Santa. In it were neatly packed kits.She got right to work without chit-chatting. I had opted for two types of waxing and she explained in detail about the products used. Given that this type of wax I had opted for was new to me, I was apprehensive if it would cause some allergic reaction as my skin is quite sensitive. She assured me that no such thing would happen.When it comes to waxing,the beautician often struggles to judge the right temperature for the wax as the tolerance level of each person varies. I've had horrible experiences of being burnt with overheated wax.This person clearly knows her trade well and ensured not to overheat the wax. At the end of the service, she cleaned the area we were sitting as there was some spillage of wax and disposed all consumables properly. In short, she was thoroughly professional.

Review of the App/Service

The app itself is quite light and easy to navigate. It is quite stable and didn't freeze or force-close.

Pros

1. A wide range of  services are offered.  It's easy to have everything in one place.


2. If you are new to the city, UrbanClap will surely be of help.


3. They don't employ professionals, they only connect you with professionals - This means if you are a freelancer, this could be a good place to start for your business leads. However, I have no idea about the leads generated or charges to sign up.


4. Fairly good communication system - prompt texts etc. I had no reason to  contact their customer service so I am not commenting on that.

Cons

1.  The professional is assigned to you as far as beauty services and few other services are concerned. You don't get to choose. Which means if the person assigned to you is rated low, you have no choice but to live with it. The professional I was assigned was rated quite well. She also knew her job well. So I had nothing to complain about - For other services like Bridal Makeup, Photography etc, once you key in your requirements, professionals contact you with their quotes, so you get to pick and choose.


2. There is little or no visibility if the professional is trained.However, once the assignment is done, the professional's profile is sent to you and it does contain details about years of experience and ratings. Thus, you have to no choice but to accept. I hope UrbanClap has a quality mechanism in place.


3. Security is an issue - Given that you are pretty much letting in a stranger whose credibility you don't really know. The regular plumber or mechanic or handyman would obviously be a known face in the area when compared to some random professional. I hope UrbanClap has a mechanism to handle security verification.


4. There isn't much transparency in billing. As in if I pay INR299 for a service I would like to know how much is actually going to the person and how much is going to UrbanClap.


5. There isn't any option to reschedule the services as far as I checked.

Overall, I'd rate the professional (Ms.Uma) 5/5 on while I'd refrain from rating the UrbanClap service as I've tried just one service. Rating based on just one time experience doesn't seem to be fair.

 Note : This review is a part of the Chennai Bloggers Club campaign in association with UrbanClap. I received INR200 credit to try out the service in exchange for an honest review.