Tasker Best Practices: During and After Your IKEA Pre-Paid Task

IKEA Prepaid Tasks offer a new way for Clients to book, schedule, and prepay for assembly services. These tasks offer increased booking volume, fewer cancellations, and fewer pricing errors, which means more successful tasks for you!

In this article, we’ve gathered what you need to know and some additional guidance for occasional scenarios that could arise. 

• Remember to follow the assembly instructions for each product.
  • This includes securing or mounting furniture to a wall whenever instructed by the manufacturer’s directions.
  • Taskers shouldn't complete any work outside of the directions and should cancel the task if the customer demands it.
  • For example, if a Client insists not to mount an item that should be secured to the wall, to use different hardware than what is provided, or requests anything that is outside the directions of the manufacturer, the Tasker should refuse, note this within the task’s chat thread, and cancel the task. 
    
    

• Have all the tools necessary to perform the task.
  Taskers should always bring a drill capable of anchoring furniture to the wall. Please ensure the drill is charged and ready for use.
  • Other useful tools are:
    allen key,
    screwdriver,
    hammer,
    hacksaw,
    level,
    pliers,
    tape measure,
    stud finder,
    pencil,
    wall anchors,
    masking tape,
    and spare parts.
    
    
• Only assemble items listed on the task.
  • Items on the task have already had their assembly fees covered, so no additional items should be assembled. 
  • If your Client has additional IKEA items to be assembled, advise your Client to schedule a new task by contacting Taskrabbit Support.
    If your Client has non-IKEA items to be assembled, Taskers should share their Taskrabbit direct profile URL so the Client can book a new task with them.
  • Please note that when assembling PAX or other wardrobes, removing the baseboards may sometimes be necessary for aesthetic reasons. However, it is not required for proper assembly. Taskers should not be expected to perform this task and should document it in the chat thread.
    
    
• Secure items to the wall.
  • Before starting the task, it’s advisable to confirm with your Client that the item will be secured to the wall.
  • If your Client requests that items not be secured to the wall when they should be, cancel the task and do not proceed with the assembly.
  • Make sure to note this in the task's chat thread. Document that the customer has declined to allow you to mount the item to the wall, as outlined in the assembly instructions.
    
    
• Reach out to your Client to ensure they have the necessary mounting hardware for securing items to the wall.
  • Often, the mounting hardware comes with the product, and it is the Client's responsibility to provide it. While Clients supply the hardware, Taskers are expected to bring all tools.
  • Expenses are not permitted for prepaid IKEA Assembly tasks so we do not recommend purchasing mounting hardware on behalf of the Client.
  • Reminder, any expenses incurred (like tools, hardware, parking fees, and toll roads) can be claimed as business expenses when you file your taxes. 

• Remember to snap photos of your work. 
  • Taskers should take photos of the items they've assembled and upload them in the chat. This is to showcase the completion of the task, as well as to protect Taskers in case of discrepancies. 
  • When photographing your work, please respect your Client's privacy. Avoid including any people or identifiable objects in the photos. Examples to exclude are family photos, names, or documents with personal information.
    
    

The following guidelines are for potential scenarios that may arise during your task and how to best address them:

When communicating with the Client before or during the task, has the Client asked for additional items to be assembled that are not on the task invite? 

Here’s what to do: 

• If the items are IKEA, advise the Client to schedule a 2nd task with the additional items. Have the Client contact Taskrabbit Customer Support to have the second task assigned to you. 
• If you are not able to to complete the second task, notify the Client that they will likely be assigned a different Tasker at the scheduled time.
• If the items are not IKEA, provide your direct hire URL so the Client can hire you immediately.

During the task, have you discovered missing or damaged items that need to be assembled?

Here’s what to do:

• • Inform your Client they’ll need to contact IKEA Customer Support.
    The IKEA Team will make any necessary adjustments to the task. 
  • Be sure to take photos of any damaged furniture and/or parts. 
  • Document the situation by uploading these photos to the task’s chat thread.
  • Include details of what was completed and explain any concerns within the task’s chat thread. 
  • We suggest only assembling items which are not damaged.
  • If the task can not be completed, contact Taskrabbit Customer Support.

Is your Client not at the property or not available during the scheduled task?

Here’s what to do:

• • Try to contact your Client via the call or chat feature within the Tasker app. If they do not answer, leave a voicemail.
  • While waiting for a response, take a picture of the property's exterior and upload it to the chat for documentation.
  • We recommend waiting 10-15 minutes for a response from the Client.
  • Document the situation within the chat and contact Taskrabbit Customer Support. This will help when it comes to determining cancellation fees. 

What to do if a Client cancels the task just before or during the task?

• • We have a cancellation policy in place if a task is cancelled or rescheduled 24 hours before a confirmed task's start time.
    To learn more about our cancellation policy, check out this Support Center Article.
    
    

Clients often ask to cut the skirting boards to be able to fit pax flush to the wall. As it’s no longer possible to add expenses, how should a Tasker handle this?

For all IKEA Assembly tasks, you are only required to complete the assembly and mounting of any items included in the Task Details. Suppose the client requests additional work, such as removing skirting boards or baseboards. In that case, we encourage you to share your direct hire link with them, and they can book a second task for the additional work via the general marketplace.

Are the Pre-Paid Assembly prices the same as the current model?
You may notice some differences in pricing from the current model, as we switched from a ‘simplified pricing’ which was based on the furniture type to ‘flat-rate’ pricing where each unique piece of furniture will have a rate associated with it. Pricing will be consistent for both Prepaid tasks and tasks booked directly through Taskrabbit.co.uk.

Will Prepay Assembly stop same-day Delivery and Assembly requests?
The soonest clients will be able to book IKEA Furniture Assembly would be for next-day tasks, based on Tasker availability. Same-day jobs in the IKEA Furniture Assembly category will not be available.

For best practices to prepare for your task before the day of the task, see this Support Center Article.