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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
ProjectGroundTM is a new web-based tool that is transforming the home project marketplace by providing individuals and homeowners a more convenient and less time consuming way to get their work done. Let the local companies and Service Providers come to you! Simply go to www.projectground.com, follow the easy to use instructions to post your project and receive bids directly online from local Providers. You can then review the bids, select a Service Provider according to your own criteria and invite them to perform the work.
You spend hours searching the phone book and contacting your list of potential contractors. For each call, you once again describe the project details and schedule yet another appointment to receive quotes. This contacting, negotiating, scheduling and meeting is time consuming and oftentimes very frustrating. Further, each time you speak with a new company, you provide your personal information whether you use their services or not but the fun does not end there. You still do not know the quality of their service unless you spend more time checking references and previous work.
The ProjectGroundTM concept is different. You only need to describe your project or service needs once, and since all companies view the same description you can evaluate the bids according to the same criteria. Unlike traditional methods of obtaining a company to complete a home project, you can avoid wasting your time meeting with multiple companies by selecting a ProjectGroundTM Service Provider after reviewing and selecting their bid. Plus, ProjectGround.com does not release any personal information about you including your name, address, email or telephone number unless you have selected a Provider and choose to release your contact information at that time.
The rating system and feedback from previous customers who have hired the Service Provider is the foundation of ProjectGroundTM’s goal to provide reliable, quality work at a competitive price. If the Provider’s rating is insufficient, you can ask them for references. In most cases, the Service Providers have been providing services for some time and will have plenty of references available.
Getting started is very easy. Go to www.projectground.com, select “Post Your Project” and simply follow the directions. The time required to post your project is totally dependent upon you but in most cases is less than a few minutes from start to finish. You will need to select the appropriate project category (e.g. electrical) and subcategory (e.g. wiring/ceiling fans), describe your project in simple terms (e.g. install new ceiling fan in bedroom), set a budget (e.g. under $300), the length of time to receive bids (e.g. one week) and a specific description of the project then select “Post.” You can then log-in with your username and password to review the submitted bids and manage your project.
The website’s home page (www.projectground.com) lists the most common projects or services requested through the site. If you do not see a similar project or a relevant category, you can simply submit it under the “other” category (e.g. Automotive). If we see multiple requests for an unlisted category, we will add it to the main category list, or you can email us at customerservice@projectground.com and we will review your request for future updates.
Once you have posted your project, we immediately start the process of sending out your project details to local Service Providers who have indicated that they can provide the service or skills required. Since some of the Service Providers may be on-the-go or at a worksite during the day, they may not have immediate access to the Internet if a project is posted during work hours. However, once they review the details, they should responds as soon as possible with their bid. Depending upon the type and/or size of the project, you should start seeing bids well within a day and in some cases much sooner. This time will significantly improve once there is a larger database of Providers in your local area.
It is absolutely free to post a project on the website. Once you have chosen a Service Provider and they have provided you with a final quote, all contractual terms such as schedules, project amount and payment method are handled directly between you and the Service Provider. Project Ground does not act as a broker or agent for any of the Providers using our site or as a middle-man for any of the contractual terms between you and the selected Provider. This allows us to remain non-biased in our service to you and keep your expenses low as you negotiate the final service terms directly.
You are never under any obligation to use a Service Provider you initially select through the bidding process, especially if you do not feel comfortable with them or their bid after meeting or talking to them further. You may decline their bid at any time and select another bid from the list of Providers which had originally bid on your project or simply re-post your project to receive new bids. In either case, the ProjectGroundTM website will guide you on selecting an alternate Provider for your project or re-posting an existing project after it has already been closed.
ProjectGroundTM provides a Service Provider rating page which has been filled out by other customers and encourages its use when evaluating bids and Providers for your project. This page is available for every Provider that bids on projects through the website and summarizes how many projects they have bid, won and completed as well as their rating and feedback from previous customers. This rating system includes such categories of workmanship, price, schedule and responsiveness, and if more detailed information is desired complete details of previous projects and awarded bids from that Service Provider is also listed.
ProjectGroundTM also provides a profile page of each Service Provider that bids through the website including licensing information and links to their company website. All licensing information should be verified directly through the Provider or through your state and local professional licensing agencies. ProjectGroundTM does not represent that information as provided by the Service Providers to be factual or accurate, and it is the responsibility of each customer to verify this information as needed. Most companies will also provide direct references if requested and ProjectGroundTM encourages customers to request this information if a sufficient Provider rating is not available, i.e. new Service Provider on the website.
If you are unsatisfied with the work being provided, you have several options. The first option would be to discuss your concerns directly with the Service Provider performing the work. In most cases, this can resolve issues since it is in the best interest of the Provider to satisfy the concerns of their customers. However, if you are still unsatisfied after discussing your concerns with the Service Provider, feel they were not responsive to your concerns or provided sub-standard work, ProjectGroundTM provides a company feedback or rating page where you can state your issues and rank the Provider’s performance. Most Service Providers will be sensitive to maintaining a positive review and high rating as this allows them to attract future work through the website. All customer ratings are shown for each Service Provider and a combined score is provided for future projects. If a Provider consistently receives low scores or complaints from ProjectGroundTM customers, we will remove their name as it appears on future bidding.
After complete your project, you can move your project from “Projects Awarded” to “Projects Completed” sections in the My Project page. This automatically opens the rating page for you to submit your rating and feedback. If you decide to leave the feedback later, you can come back to the completed project and select “Submit Reviews”.
Generally, completed projects can be viewed by the public allowing them to, for example, review bid ranges for similar projects or design ideas for future projects. However, your specific information about your address, e-mail, phone number and real names will not be shown with the completed projects.
Newspapers or flyers will “get your name out there.” But, is this enough? How many advertisements in newspapers and flyers end up in the trash, rather than on someone’s refrigerator as a reminder to call? How effectively are you reaching potential customers who are specifically looking for your services? You may be generating awareness, but is that individual going to remember your company in a year when they may finally need work performed? Probably not. But, there is a more cost-effective approach to marketing your company and securing projects.
A key advantage in using ProjectGroundTM is the opportunity to promote your services among potential customers who have indicated that they are looking for your services and are actively requesting quotes for their project. Especially if you are a newly established contractor, you will want to apply your marketing costs to the most rewarding advertisement method. At ProjectGroundTM,, you can connect with prospective customers who have pending home projects and need work performed while also building you credentials, reputation and references through the website’s Provider rating system.
ProjectGroundTM does not act as a broker or agent between you and the Project Owner. All contract terms such as schedules, amount and method of payment should be included in your proposal and handled directly between you and the Project Owner. Payment should be made according to the project details and final quote agreed upon between the parties. Be sure to confirm the payment method with the Project Owner before beginning the work to avoid any misunderstandings between the parties.
There is no transaction fee charged to neither ProjectOwners or Service Providers. The fee schedule is strictly based on a monthly membership fee after the limited free trial period.
The membership based fee is to promote the use of website for the bidding process regardless of size or budget of the projects. After the free trial period, providers may choose to continue or terminate the membership at any time. There will be no contract or hidden costs. The membership plans range from $8 to $20 per month based on allowed number of bids.
ProjectGroundTM also provides a rating system for Project Owners to prevent them from posting numerous projects without awarding bids. The rating system will track their project activities as well as their cooperation with the Service Providers.
When you register with ProjectGround.com, you will have the opportunity to create a member-created advertisement using the website’s easy-to-follow instructions. There is an introductory promotion of free advertisement during a limited trial period. After the free trial, you may select a premium plan or basic plan.
The Premium Plan displays your advertisement on website for the targeted customer from your State. The Basic plan will list it on the advertisement page and can be searched by location or business types. In addition to member inserted advertisements, you will have an opportunity to subscribe for full-featured ads through contacting the marketing department at sales@projectground.com.
You can list your company information and references in a free web profile with your own URL, which can be viewed by both prospective Project Owners and other viewers. You can include licensing information, a link to your company website and any other useful information for the customer to consider when making his or her selection. In addition, as your project history grows, you will have available references and feedback through the website’s rating system which can be references or linked on your website for your other clientele.
There is a promotional free trial period for new providers. After the free trial, you will be charged according to the membership level you select. Depending on your selected membership, you will be automatically charged a fixed monthly fee to your credit card. Your credit card information will be never stored in our database and securely sent to the authorized payment gateway for processing. You will have access to complete account activities and payment history from My Account section in My Project tab. The current monthly pricing plan includes, but subject to change, as follows:
- Platinum Plan: $20 per month (unlimited bids) + one free advertisement
- Gold Plan: $15 per month (40 allowed bids per mo)
- Silver Plan: $10 per month (15 allowed bids per mo)
- Bronze Plan: $8 per month (10 allowed bids per mo)
Refund Policy: There is no refund for the monthly membership fees. However, you may cancel your membership at any time without incurring any cost. Please send e-mails to billing@projectground.com for any billing related questions.
You can change your membership at anytime. The new membership fee will be charged immediately to your registered credit card when you change your pricing plan. You may upgrade your membership level to increase the allowed bids per month for bididng additional projects.
There is no obligation for either party until both the Project Owner and the Provider have fully agreed to the project terms and pricing. You will have an opportunity to make an initial visit to confirm the project and pricing. If there is a discrepancy in the project details and price, you can specifically discuss the differences with the Project Owner and present an alternate bid. The Project Owner may accept your revised bid or may decline the new bid and choose another Service Provider from the original bid submissions. Keep in mind that regular and unreasonable bid changes after the initial visit may negatively affect your rating.
The Project Owner will review and select a bid that meets his or her project needs. Once a Project Owner selects a bid, all other bids will become inactive allowing only one active bid at a time. Other bids become active only if your bid, for some reason, is later declined.
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