Key people Celia Francis, CEO CEO Celia Francis (Apr 2015–) Headquarters London | Website ratedpeople.com Founded 2005 Type of business Private | |
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Rated people tips for new members
Rated People is an online tradesmen recommendation service that connects homeowners and tradesmen. The service provides homeowners with a source of tradesmen that have been previously rated for their quality of work and tradesmen with the opportunity to gain new business.
Contents
- Rated people tips for new members
- Rated people how to make the most of your membership
- History
- Funding
- Sponsorship programme
- Responses
- References
The service is free of charge for homeowners who wish to post a job. The homeowners are asked a series of questions about the job including the primary type of tradesman needed (plumbing, electricians), a skill type (electrical wiring), an estimated budget, location and a custom description of the type of work needed. The job is then sent to the appropriate tradesmen where they can issue quotes back to the homeowner. For every job posted, Rated People will send back three quotes from interested tradesmen, and allow the homeowner to choose based on previous ratings from other customers. The tradesmen who issue the quotes for each job are charged a fee in order to bid for the work. Prices will vary depending on trade and type of job posted. The service enables homeowners to choose a tradesman based on previous customer reviews to ensure a standard of quality and evade rogue builders.
Rated people how to make the most of your membership
History
The company was founded in 2005 by Andrew Skipwith who decided to start the company after a negative experience with a home renovation project, when a builder walked out after completing only half of the work.
In 2013, Rated People's reported revenue generated was approximately £12m.
In October 2012, Skipwith stepped down as CEO, and Chris Havemann was appointed to replace him. Havemann has previously served as president and CEO of E-Rewards, the parent company of online panel firm Research Now.
Andrew Skipwith remains on the company’s board as a non-executive director.
The company has appointed various brand ambassadors including TV personality Phil Spencer and appointed Diffusion PR for their press efforts. Spencer also contributes to the RatedPeople.com blog, with nine guest posts published to date.
Funding
On 10 February 2014, Rated People announced that it closed a £6.5 million pre-IPO investment round, advised by N+1 Singer. The pre-IPO round comprised £5.5m of new equity investment co-led by Rated People's existing investor Frog Capital; along with £1m of venture debt from Silicon Valley-based Western Technology Investment.
In conjunction with the pre-IPO investment round, the company also announced the appointment of Keith Roberts, the former chief financial officer of FTSE-100 international oil and gas facilities service provider, Petrofac, to the board as senior non-executive director.
On 15 February 2011, Frog Capital announced a £3 million investment into Ratedpeople.com.
Rated People appointed FirstCapital as their financial advisors to increase their stake in the UK home improvement industry, estimated at around £27 billion in 2011 by the Office of Fair Trading.
Sponsorship programme
In 2012, Rated People launched a sponsorship programme with a 'vision to support local groups and make a difference on a community level'. For the pilot scheme, two community groups were chosen: Berkhamsted Sports Centre Swimming Club (BSCSC) and Southwark Children's Brass Band. For both of these groups, Rated People's contribution would go towards new equipment, and in the band's case, teaching and day-to-day costs. The pilot scheme also selected Shooting Star CHASE as a supported charity.
Responses
In response to questions over individual tradesmen in 2008 and 2014, Rated People stressed that it does not vouch for the quality of all tradesmen on their site.