If there s a problem, you go right to the jeweler. If you want to return something, you go to the jeweler. Retailers aren t the only ones taking to the Internet. Service providers, such as plumbers and electricians, are also combining forces on-line. Through the Web site, it links them with consumers wanting, say, a new floor or bathroom.
Customers fill out questionnaires at the site to explain what work they want to have done.
ServiceMagic supplies a list of local contractors that could do the work. The contractors are ranked on quality of service, based on customer comments. Customers can choose to have their information sent to multiple contractors, who can then call and try to win the job. ServiceMagic saves them time. In return, each contractor gets his own Web site, hosted by ServiceMagic, and receives such other benefits as discounted workers compensation and liability insurance.