Frequently Asked Questions
Blue diamond rated individuals are those with 25 transactions or more and have held a 98.5% star rating or higher.
Silver Diamond Rated people have uploaded their licenses, certificates and other documents that show their legitimacy for providing the service. People who upload these documents are bound by the clickwrap agreement that they are legitimate and current for their service being bid on.
Checkr.com verification that verifies SSN, Sex Offender Check, Global Watchlist Check and a National Criminal Database Check. If all pass then you will receive a Gold Diamond Rating.If one does not pass then Helptimize policy is to notify you that one of these had failed and list the failed one(s) onto your profile.
Helptimize would like the buyer and seller to negotiate their agreements of the contract together. If milestone payments was not selected within the bid contract then legally there is no way Helptimize can interfere and make the buyer pay immediately for partial services. Make sure that a milestone payment is setup if that is the requirement. If the service was accomplished then simply select Contract “Completed” and buyer will be notified they have 24 hours to dispute that the service was fully accomplished before payment is sent to seller.
At a minimum, the buyer/requestor of services (I Need Help) will need to:
1. Have Credit Card details entered to request a service/submit a Service Request (SR).
2. Verify age through our clickwrap agreement that you are either older than 18 years old or between 14 and 18 years old. Unfortunately anyone under the age of 14 are not authorized to provide or receive services with the Helptimize app due to the local labor laws.
3. If you are between the ages of 14 and 18 years old then you will need to be linked to a custodial guardians “Helptimize Account”. The Custodial Guardian will be responsible to sign clickwrap agreements that authorize the teenagers to purchase the services on this platform (a legal requirement for contractual terms and conditions).
* * Please note that since this is a contract driven platform that anyone under the age of 18 can’t legally sign a contract
Additionally, if you are not diamond rated background checked, which includes fingerprinting and felon check, then user will be blocked from services provided or received by teenagers. Becoming Diamond Rated (D-Rated) involves fingerprinting via Helptimize authorized Companies that can be found at Checkr, Sterling Talent Solution (api.sterlingtalentsolutions.com) or Washington Access to Criminal History Watch at https://watch.wsp.wa.gov. This also helps protects everyone on this platform from fraudulent activities.
At a minimum, the seller/provider of services (I Can Help) will need to:
1. Have entered Credit Card details, Bank Account number and Routing Information in order to provide a service/Bid on a Service Request (SR).
2. Verify age through our clickwrap agreement that you are either older than 18 years old or between 14 and 18 years old. Unfortunately anyone under the age of 14 are not authorized to provide or receive services with the Helptimize app due to local labor laws.
3. If you are between the ages of 14 and 18 years old then you will need to be linked to a custodial guardians “Helptimize Account”. The Custodial Guardian will be responsible to sign clickwrap agreements that authorize the teenagers to purchase the services on this platform (a legal requirement for contractual terms and conditions).
Additionally, if you are not diamond rated background checked, which includes fingerprinting and felon check, then user will be blocked from services provided or received by teenagers. Becoming Diamond Rated (D-Rated) involves fingerprinting via Helptimize authorized Companies that can be found at Checkr, Sterling Talent Solution (api.sterlingtalentsolutions.com) or Washington Access to Criminal History Watch at https://watch.wsp.wa.gov. This also helps protects everyone on this platform from fraudulent activities.
* Please note that since this is a contract driven platform that anyone under the age of 18 can’t legally sign a contract. Any misrepresentation of your age can be prosecuted under the law.
** Please note that without a diamond rating background check you (the service provider) will be blocked from providing services from teenagers and probably will receive less work on the platform than those who are diamond rated.
Yes, you can cancel your request for service at anytime. If you have had a communication on the platform with a bidder then Helptimize platform will assume you are cancelling the request to go off the platform to accomplish the work. In this case we will charge a small fee per the terms and services agreement signed by you when entering the platform.
Click unsubscribe at the bottom of your message. We will then delete you from the contact listing.
Currently there are no membership options. However, we have created a way to select those top users as “Platinum Members” which we will provide discounts and marketing opportunities. Platinum Members will be the top 10% rated users on the platform.
Helptimize uses strong SSL [Secure Sockets Layer] authentication for Web and data protection and PCI compliant to make you safe. In addition, there is no Personal Identification Information (PII) stored on the Helptimize platform. Helptimize uses api’s from secure companies to store your PII such as credit card, drivers license, etc.. Please note that all PII on certificates/other documents that are uploaded to your profile on the platform will be blacked out so others can’t see. Please be assured that all your PII details/data are kept in secure locations outside Helptimize platform where these other services have the top of the industry standards to secure your personal data.
If the teenager has a custodial guardian then they can sign the contracts for you on the platform. If you have no legal guardian then there is no possibility to legally sign the contract and therefore we can’t accept the request for those without custodial permissions to join Helptimize.
You can lodge a dispute resolution where we will contact both parties to resolve.
We encourage the buyer to carefully review the seller portfolio and if insurance is needed to seek the amount required prior to the start of any project. However, Helptimize has secured a 1 Million US Dollar insurance policy for those situations outside of normal business processes that could occur. If you deem it necessary to submit a claim we encourage you to visit our insurance company policy at www._______________________.
Any teenager over the age of 14 years old can utilize the Helptimize platform once the custodial guardian /parent/ has signed the consent forms and linked your account so they will be available to sign the contracts on your behalf.
Helptimize requires that the user sign a clickwrap agreement to verify age on the platform. There are no cash deals on this platform and therefore a credit card will need to be uploaded for a verification of your identity and used in case there are disputes to check/verify backgrounds. Please note that those who are gold diamond rated will most likely receive more awards for the help needed than those who dont as they are fingerprint and verified through an approved background checked agency.
Those accounts who are not gold diamond rated will not be authorized to exchange services with teenagers on this platform. If you become gold diamond rated you have paid a fee to be background checked with fingerprinting and others can be assured that you have not been a concern within Society. If you don’t become gold diamond (GD)-rated then others may not choose you as a requestor or provider of services and hire others who are GD-Rated.
If the requestor of the service (Buyer) requires a licensed or bonded person to perform the task then please make sure that the specification list those details and then when bids are entered please make sure that you (the Buyer) review the Service Providers (Sellers) Portfolio to make sure they are Silver Diamond (SD) Rated and have these requirements. In addition, if insurance is required then please contact either our insurance agent at www.mmmmm.com for a quote or contact your provider of insurance to cover any costs needed.
Create an account, be honest when answering the clickwrap agreements for age requirements. You will then be required to add a bank account and/or credit card card (depending if you are a buyer or seller). This will ensure that there is a proper identification for the account holder on the platform and for payment purposes. It would be in your interest to become Gold Diamond (GD) Rated in order to engage with teenagers on this platform.
We assume this is for the portfolio as documents are only needed to verify if you are Silver Diamond (SD) Rated. SD Rated means that you have certifications, licenses to perform the work required by the contract.. Contact our main office at______________ and we will walk you through the process to upload these to our system. If all else fails will load these documents onto your account by mailing them to our headquarters with your userid or e-mailing them to_______________.
For the Service Requestor (Buyer) this platform charge is free unless account is determined to be a quote center. For the Service Provider (Seller) the cost is 10% platform fee (up to 75 USD max payment) for the bid amount plus 2.9% (subject to change) bank transfer fee through stripe. Money floats for 2 days standard and will then show up in your specified bank account. Please note that Seller is responsible for the taxes on the service provided. Helptimize will automatically generate the invoice for the seller with all fees included (minus taxes which will need to be added by seller before submitting to buyer).
Please see our “How Does It Work” section under “Need Help” and “Can Help” buttons. However, basically there are 4 steps.
1. Submit a Request with your target price willing to pay and start communicating with other Service Providers requesting to talk with you.
2. Bidders in your range see the request and either opt out or bid
3. Review the bids, short list the bids and select one that meets your requirements
4. Service Provider does the work, you pay and then each submit a rating
Become gold diamond GD-rated by getting background checked and fingerprinted by a Helptimize approved agency. Try an upload all your certifications,licenses,diplomas to be Silver Diamond SD-Rated. Also try communicating with the person submitting the request to negotiate a better deal. This will ensure you connect and offer your best price and work scope. Build your reputation and soon service providers in your area will suggest your services over others.
Under a minute if you like the bids coming in. Remember for the easier services such as baking a cake or dropping you off some milk at home will usually take less time to negotiate than building a deck or negotiating a roof repair. Keep in mind how difficult the task is to perform for the time it will take to submit a request and buyer to accept a bid. The longer a seller has to wait there are more chance that others bidders will back out and take other jobs.
When the service is completed and payments is requested there will be a grace period before payment is made for the service requestor to provide a rating to the service provider. If this is not accomplished in 12 hours then money is transferred and service requestor will not be able to submit another request until their rating is submitted. If the rating is submitted as 3 stars (75%) or below there will need to be specific details and our team will engage into a discussion with both regarding the low rating. The Service Provider can always communicate with the requestor to negotiate other terms or opt for our team to engage in a dispute resolution process. We emphasize that the service requestor and provider to engage in communication and resolve the issue themselves prior to Helptimize involvement, Helptimize will lower the rating of the loser of the dispute by 5% each time Helptimize needs to engage the parties.
Helptimize uses the fastest bank transfer service at the lowest percentage rate called stripe and will transfer funds within 2 days of the request for payment details accepted by the buyer.
Simply set your preferences to be paid at transaction time, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly or when needed. In addition, enter your bank account detail to transfer the transaction. We will transfer the total funds for each transaction based on your requirements submitted. If none are entered then we will transfer funds on every transaction of services provided via stripe api which has a float for 2 days before entering into your bank account.
Yes, at any time you can cancel your bid prior to the bid being accepted with any consequences. However, if the bid was accepted you will be charged a small fee per the terms and services contract signed and your rating will be lowered by 2%.
You can ask the buyer at any time for a progression payment. Simply enter the amount that you would like to get paid now and submit for approval to the buyer. If buyer does not approve the payment and Seller did not setup milestone payments then there legally is no possibility to demand the payment from the buyer. We encourage the seller and buyer to communicate effectively to avoid conflicts.
A seller bidding and then not delivering the service is something Helptimize platform wants to discourage. Of course there are times an emergency comes up and the service provider will need to cancel. However, in these situations when seller cancels after their bid was accepted, Helptimize will charge seller a fee per the terms and services agreement, plus lower their rating each time. Helptimize will then find other sellers to bid on the service for the buyer.
Any major credit card is accepted. Our platform does not take PayPal or other methods in order to reduce costs across the platform and that the costs to the seller are as minimal as possible.
If the bid is 750 USD or over then the seller will only be charged the maximum fee on the platform of 75 USD. Helptimize goal is to connect people and not bankrupt them.
The service request (SR) can be cancelled by the buyer and then resubmitted if no bids were awarded. Once SR is submitted it only can be altered by the person bidding to re-negotiate original contract. If the buyer needs to alter the details of the request after bid was accepted then simply have the seller resubmit the new agreement to the buyer for acceptance. Buyer can cancel the request for help at any time but there will be a small fee (per terms and services agreement signed) if there was a communication to any of the sellers or if bid was accepted.
Yes, the service request can be cancelled at any time free of charge even if there are several bids. If there has been a communication with any seller then a small fee will apply per the terms and services agreement.
You are not charged for any request submitted and then cancelled unless you had communication with any bidder/seller. Feel free to cancel your request at anytime FOC before communications if the bids do not meet your requirements. However, it is in your interest to communicate with bidders to see if they may be flexible to your needs. Per terms and service agreements there is a charge for cancelling after communicating with a bidder because platform has provided a service to you and assume that the service will be taken off platform with the bidder.
None, a 2.9 % fee is only taken from the Seller. The Buyer only pays the negotiated seller fee.
No, you don’t need to pay unless you had agreed to milestone payments. Helptimize ask that the buyer communicate with the seller to setup any staged payments if required.
Yes, unless you (the buyer) have accepted a bid in which case the seller needs to modify the contract and resubmit to the buyer for approval. If no bid has been accepted then you can change the contract specification and any other information needed to be added or deleted and resubmit the service request (SR) for new bids. Resubmit a SR from the buyer can only occur one time. After one resubmit then the SR will need to be cancelled and a new SR submitted.
Helptimize allows open communication before the negotiation/bid process is complete. Therefore, if you (the buyer) choose to leave after communicating, Helptimize assumes you have taken this business off our platform with the seller and thus a charge per the terms and services agreement will be applied for the connection service. Please note there is no excess fee if the buyer stays on the platform while communicating with any service providers and accepting a bid. If communication is accomplished and there is inactivity to select a bid for more than 7 days we also charge this fee and cancel the bid automatically.
We suggest communicating this with the service provider first and then if not resolved then submit an unfavorable rating where the Helptimize dispute resolutions center will contact both parties for resolution.
Yes, that is one of the benefits of this site. You can be both a buyer (Service Requestor) and seller (Service Provider) of services. Please make sure that you enter the service range for both a buyer and seller.